Home > The 40 Hadith of Nawawi > Hadith 15 of Nawawi
Hadith number 15 of the collection of the 40 hadiths of Imam an-Nawawi, in faithful English translation.
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Updated on 07 October 2026 at 4:51 AM
📖 41 min readThis hadith belongs to the collection of the 40 hadiths of Imam an-Nawawi (may Allah have mercy on him), the most studied hadith compilation in the world: foundations of faith, worship and character, all authentic narrations.
And in certain versions, "let him honour his guest," and in certain, "let him maintain his kin," in place of the mention of the neighbour. And the two report it also in the sense from the hadith of Abu Chourayh al-Khuz'i, from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). And this hadith is reported from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) from the hadith of 'Aicha, Ibn Mas'oud, 'Abd Allah ibn 'Amr, Abu 'Ayyoub al-'Ansari, Ibn 'Abbas and other Companions, may Allah be pleased with them.
His words (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), "whoever believes in Allah and the Last Day, let him do this and that," indicate these attributes are attributes of faith; it preceded that deeds enter into faith. And the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) explained faith by patience and gentleness; al-Hasan said, intended is patience abstaining from disobediences, and gentleness in obedience. And the deeds of faith concern at times the rights of Allah, performing the obligations and leaving the prohibitions, of which speaking good and silence outside of it; at times the rights of His servants, honouring the guest, honouring the neighbour and abstaining from harming him. The believer is therefore commanded three things.
[The good word is part of faith:] The first, the word of good, and silence outside of it. At-Tabarani reports from the hadith of 'Aswad ibn 'Asram al-Maharibi, who says, I said, O Messenger of Allah! Counsel me. He said, "Do you possess your tongue?" I say, how should I possess it, were I not to possess my tongue? He said, "Do you possess your hand?" I say, how should I possess, were I not to possess my hands? He said, "Let your tongue speak only good, and extend your hand only towards good."
[The uprightness of the tongue is part of faith:] It has come that the uprightness of the tongue is of the attributes of faith, in the Mousnad, from Anas, may Allah be pleased with him, from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), "The faith of the servant stands not until his heart stands, and his heart stands not until his tongue stands." And at-Tabarani reports from the hadith of Anas, from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), "The servant attains not the reality of faith until he guards against his tongue."
At-Tabarani reports from the hadith of Mou'adh ibn Jabal, from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), "You shall remain safe so long as you keep silent, for when you speak, it is written for you or against you." And in the Mousnad of Imam Ahmad, from 'Abd Allah ibn 'Amr ibn al-'As, from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), "Whoever keeps silent is safe." And in the two authentic collections, from Abu Hourayra, may Allah be pleased with him, from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), "A man utters a word whose reach he measures not, and by it he slides into the Fire further than the distance between East and West." And Imam Ahmad and at-Tirmidhi report from the hadith of Abu Hourayra, from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), "A man utters a word without seeing its harm, and by it he slides seventy autumns into the Fire."
And in the Sahih of al-Boukhari, from Abu Hourayra, may Allah be pleased with him, from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), "A man utters a word of the satisfaction of Allah without attending to it, and Allah raises him by it degrees; and a servant utters a word of the anger of Allah without attending to it, and by it he slides into Gehenna." And Imam Ahmad reports from the hadith of Soulayman ibn Souhaym, from his mother, who says, I heard the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) say, "A man draws near Paradise at an arm's length, then utters a word, and he is removed from it further than Sana'a."
And Imam Ahmad, at-Tirmidhi and an-Nasa'i report from the hadith of Bilal ibn al-Harith, who says, I heard the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) say, "One of you utters a word of the satisfaction of Allah not thinking it attain what it attained, and Allah writes him by it His satisfaction until the day He meets him; and one of you utters a word of the anger of Allah not thinking it attain what it attained, and Allah writes him by it His anger until the day He meets him." And we already mentioned the hadith of 'Oumm Houmayba, from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), "The speech of the son of Adam is against him, save commanding good, forbidding blameworthy, and the remembrance of Allah, the Mighty and Majestic."
His words (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), "let him speak good or keep silent," commanding speaking good, and keeping silent outside of it. That indicates there exists no speech wherein speaking and silence would be equivalent, either it is good and he is commanded say it, or it is not good and he is commanded silence of it, the hadith of Mou'adh and that of 'Oumm Houmayba both indicating it.
Ibn Abi ad-Dunya reports the hadith of Mou'adh ibn Jabal, its wording being, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said to him, "O Mou'adh! May your mother lose you, say you nothing but that it be for you or against you?"
Allah the Most High said,
"When the two receivers receive, seated at the right and at the left: not a word he utters but that with him is an observer ready."
Qaf, 17-18
The righteous Ancients agreed that the one of his right writes the good deeds, and the one of his left the evil deeds; that is reported in raised form from the hadith of Abu 'Oumama, by a weak chain. And in the authentic collection, from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), "When one of you prays, he converses with his Lord, and the angel is at his right." And from the hadith of Houdhayfa, in raised form, "at his right stands the writer of good deeds."
They diverged, does he write all that he speaks, or write only what contains reward or punishment? Two famous views. 'Ali ibn Abi Talha reports from Ibn 'Abbas, he writes all that he speaks, of good or evil, to the point of writing his saying, I ate, I drank, I went, I came, until Thursday comes, and his saying and his deed are presented, what is of good or evil is confirmed him, and the rest annulled; that is His words, "Allah effaces what He wills, and confirms, and with Him is the mother of the book." And Yahya ibn Abi Kathir said, a man mounted a donkey and stumbled, and he said, perish the soul! The holder of the right said, that is not a good deed, I write not; the holder of the left said, that is not an evil deed, I write not; Allah inspired the holder of the left, write what the holder of the right left; there was written therefore among the evil deeds, perish the soul!
[What is not good deed:] The apparent of that is that what is not good deed is evil deed, even were one not punished for it, for certain evil deeds may not be punished, they may be expiated by the avoidance of great sins; but their time was lost by their holder, gone to nothing, resulting in regret on the Day of Resurrection and sorrow over it, that being a kind of punishment.
Imam Ahmad, Abu Dawoud and an-Nasa'i report from the hadith of Abu Hourayra, may Allah be pleased with him, from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), "No people rising from an assembly without mentioning Allah therein, but that they rise like the carrion of a donkey, and they shall have regret." And at-Tirmidhi reports it, its wording being, "People sit not in assembly without mentioning Allah therein nor praying upon their prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), but that there be upon them a burden, were He to will He punishes them, and were He to will He pardons them." And in a narration of Abu Dawoud and an-Nasa'i, "Whoever sits in a sitting without mentioning Allah therein has upon him, from Allah, a burden, and whoever lies down without mentioning Allah therein has upon him, from Allah, a burden." An-Nasa'i adds, "and whoever rises standing without mentioning Allah therein has upon him, from Allah, a burden."
And from the hadith of Abu Sa'id, from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), "No people sitting in assembly without mentioning Allah therein but that they have regret on the Day of Resurrection, even were they to enter Paradise." And Moujahid said, "People sit not in assembly without dispersing before mentioning Allah but that they disperse more ill-smelling than the smell of carrion, their assembly witnessing against them by their negligence; and people sit not in assembly mentioning Allah before dispersing but that they disperse sweeter than the smell of musk, their assembly witnessing for them by their mention."
Certain righteous Ancients used to say, "There shall be presented to the son of Adam on the Day of Resurrection the hours of his life, every hour without mention of Allah, his soul fragmenting therein into regrets." And at-Tabarani reports from the hadith of 'Aicha, may Allah be pleased with her, in raised form, "No hour passing to the son of Adam without mention of Allah in good, but that he has regret on the Day of Resurrection."
The surplus of speech leads to perils
It is known therefore that what is not good in speech, silence is better than pronouncing it, save that to which necessity calls, of the unavoidable. It is reported from Ibn Mas'oud that he said, "Beware of the surplus of speech, it suffices a man to attain his need." And an-Nakha'i said, "The people are lost in the surplus of good and speech." Moreover, the multiplicity of useless speech entails hardness of the heart, in at-Tirmidhi, from the hadith of Ibn 'Omar, in raised form, "Multiply not speech without the remembrance of Allah, for the multiplicity of speech without the remembrance of Allah hardens the heart, and the furthest of people from Allah is the hard heart." And 'Omar, may Allah be pleased with him, said, whoever multiplies his speech multiplies his faults, whoever multiplies his faults multiplies his sins, and whoever's sins multiply, the Fire is worthier of him; al-'Aqili reports it from the hadith of Ibn 'Omar, in raised form, by a weak chain. And Mouhammad ibn 'Ajlan said, "Speech is only four, mentioning Allah, reciting the Quran, asking knowledge to be informed, or speaking of what aids you in the affair of your low world."
A man said to Salman, counsel me, and he said, "Speak not!" He said, how could whoever lives among the people not speak? He said, "If you speak, speak the truth, or keep silent." And Abu Bakr as-Siddiq, may Allah be pleased with him, seized his tongue and said, "This is what led me to these troubles!!" And Ibn Mas'oud said, "By Allah, apart from whom there is no god, nothing on earth merits the long prison more than the tongue." And Wahb ibn Mouannabih said, "The sages agreed that the summit of wisdom is silence." And Choumayt ibn 'Ajlan said, "O son of Adam! So long as you keep silent you are safe; when you speak, beware, either for you or against you?!" And this chapter is long to examine.
The design is that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) commanded speaking good and keeping silent upon what is not good. Imam Ahmad and Ibn Hibban report from the hadith of al-Bara ibn 'Azib, a man said, O Messenger of Allah! Teach me a deed that brings me into Paradise; he mentions the hadith and says, "feed therefore the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, command good and forbid blameworthy; were you unable, restrain your tongue, save of good."
Speech is not commanded in the absolute, nor silence likewise, one must speak good and keep silent upon evil.
The righteous Ancients often praised silence upon evil and upon what does not concern, for its hardship upon the soul, people falling much into it; they healed therefore their souls and strove them for silence upon what concerns them not. Al-Foudayl ibn Iyad said, "Neither pilgrimage, nor garrison, nor jihad are harder than the prison of the tongue! Were you to wake and your tongue occupy you, you wake in great sorrow." And he says, "The prison of the tongue is the prison of the believer, and were you to wake and your tongue occupy you, you wake in great sorrow." Ibn al-Moubarak was asked of the saying of Louqman to his son, "were speech of silver, silence is of gold?!" He said, "its sense is, were speech in obedience to Allah of silver, silence upon the disobedience of Allah is of gold?!" That returns to restraint of disobediences being better than the deed of obediences, the discussion thereof preceding, developed.
And they disputed at al-'Ahnaf ibn Qays, which is better, silence or speech? A people said, silence is better; al-'Ahnaf said, speech is better, for the merit of silence does not go beyond its holder, and the beautiful word profits whoever hears it. And a man of the scholars said with 'Omar ibn 'Abd al-'Aziz, may Allah have mercy on him, "The silent knowing one is like the speaking knowing one." 'Omar said, "I hope the knowing speech is better than the two in a state, on the Day of Resurrection, for its utility is for the people, and its silence for himself?!" He said to him, O Commander of the Believers! And what of the trial of speech? 'Omar then wept strongly. And 'Omar ibn 'Abd al-'Aziz preached one day, and the people wept, so he cut his sermon; it was said to him, had you completed your speech, we hoped Allah profit by it.
'Omar said, "Speech is a trial, and deed is worthier to the believer than speech." [Ibn Rajab sees 'Omar ibn 'Abd al-'Aziz:] I saw, long since, in a dream, the Commander of the Believers 'Omar ibn 'Abd al-'Aziz, may Allah be pleased with him, speaking of this question, and I believed I debated with him, and I understood of his words that the speech of good is better than silence. And I believe he mentioned during the discourse Soulayman ibn 'Abd al-Malik, and that 'Omar said that to him; and it is reported from Soulayman ibn 'Abd al-Malik that he said, "silence is the sleep of reason, and speech its wakefulness, and no state completes without state," meaning silence and speech are necessary.
Most beautiful is the saying of 'Ubayd Allah ibn Abi Ja'far, jurist of the people of Egypt of his time and one of the sages, "When the man speaks in assembly and the discourse admires him, let him keep silent; and when he keeps silent and the silence admires him, let him speak." And that is good, for whoever is thus, his silence and his discourse contradict his passion and his self-admiration, and whoever is thus merits Allah supporting and setting him right in his speech and his silence, his speech and his silence being for Allah, the Mighty and Majestic.
And in the mursal of al-Hasan, may Allah have mercy on him, from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), in what he reports of his Lord, the Mighty and Majestic, he says, "The sign of purity is that the heart of the servant be with Me suspended; when it is thus, he forgets Me not in any state; and when it is thus, I grant him the grace of being busied by Me, fearing he forget Me; when he forgets Me, I stir his heart, were he to speak, he speaks for Me, were he to keep silent, he keeps silent for Me; from there comes the succour of My part."
In every state, engaging in silence in the absolute, and believing it a deed of worship, in the absolute or in certain worships like pilgrimage, retreat and fast, is forbidden. It is reported from the hadith of Abu Hourayra that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) prohibited the fast of silence. Al-Isma'ili reports from the hadith of 'Ali, may Allah be pleased with him, who says, "The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) forbade us silence in the retreat." And in the Sunan of Abu Dawoud, from the hadith of 'Ali, from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), "No fast of silence from day to night." And Abu Bakr as-Siddiq, may Allah be pleased with him, said to a silent pilgrim woman, "That is not lawful, that is of the deed of ignorance." And it is reported from 'Ali ibn al-Houssayn Zayn al-'Abidin that he said, "the fast of silence is illicit."
The second of what the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) commanded the believers in this hadith, "honour the neighbour"; and in certain narrations, "the prohibition of harming the neighbour." Harm to the neighbour is illicit, for harm without right is illicit to everyone, but towards the neighbour it is illicit more severely. In the two authentic collections, from Ibn Mas'oud, from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), that he was asked, which sin is greatest? He said, "That you give Allah an equal, while He created you." It was said, then which? He said, "That you kill your child fearing he eat with you." It was said, then which? He said, "That you fornicate with the wife of your neighbour."
In the Mousnad of Imam Ahmad, from al-Miqdad ibn al-'Aswad, who says, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said, "What say you of fornication?" They said, illicit, Allah and His messenger forbade it, it is illicit until the Day of Resurrection. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said, "That a man fornicate with ten women is easier him than fornicating with the wife of his neighbour." He says, "What say you of theft?" They said, illicit, Allah and His messenger forbade it, it is illicit. He said, "That a man steal in ten houses is easier him than stealing at his neighbour's."
In the Sahih of al-Boukhari, from Abu Chourayh, from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), who says, "By Allah, he believes not, by Allah he believes not, by Allah he believes not." It was said, who, O Messenger of Allah?! He said, "He whose neighbour is not safe from his harms." Imam Ahmad and others report it from the hadith of Abu Hourayra.
In the Sahih of Mouslim, from Abu Hourayra, may Allah be pleased with him, from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), "None enters Paradise whoever's neighbour is not safe from his harms."
Imam Ahmad and al-Hakim report from the hadith of Abu Hourayra also, who says, it was said, O Messenger of Allah! Such a woman prays the night, fasts the day, but has something upon her tongue, harming her neighbours, is she rancorous? He said, "No good in her, she is in the Fire." It was said, such a one prays the prescribed prayers, fasts Ramadan, gives alms of skins, has nothing other, and harms no one. He said, "she is in Paradise." And the wording of Imam Ahmad, "and she harms not with her tongue her neighbours."
Al-Hakim reports from the hadith of Abu Jouhayfa, who says, a man came to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) complaining of his neighbour, and he said to him, "Deposit your wealth upon the path." He says, the people began passing near him cursing him; he returned to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and said, O Messenger of Allah! What have I received of the people? He said, "and what have you received of them?" He says, they curse me? He says, "Allah cursed you before the people." He says, O Messenger of Allah! I shall not return to it. And Abu Dawoud reports it in the sense from the hadith of Abu Hourayra, without mentioning "Allah cursed you before the people."
No small harm to the neighbour
Al-Khara'iti reports from the hadith of 'Oumm Salama, may Allah be pleased with her, who says, a goat of our neighbour entered and took a morsel of us; I rose towards it and took it from between its jaws, and the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said, "There is no small harm to the neighbour."
The Quran and the honour of the neighbour
As for honouring the neighbour and doing good to him, it is commanded therein. Allah, the Most High, said,
"And worship Allah, and associate nothing with Him, be good to the two parents, the kin, the orphans, the poor, the near neighbour, the distant neighbour, the companion of side, the son of the path, and what your right hands possess, Allah loves not the vain proud."
An-Nisa, 36
Allah gathered therefore in this verse the mention of the right of the Lord over the servant, and the rights of the servants over the servant also.
He made of the servants towards whom excellence is commanded five species. The first, between whom and the man there is kinship, distinguishing parents by mention, for their distinction from other kin by that wherein they have no partners, they being the cause of the existence of the child, and having the right of upbringing, discipline and other. The second, whoever is weak, needy of excellence, of two species, whoever needs it by weakness of body, the orphan, and whoever needs it by rarity of wealth, the poor. The third, whoever has the right of proximity and frequenting, making three species of it, the neighbour of kin, the strange neighbour, and the companion of side.
The exegetes diverged over its explanation, one saying, the neighbour of kin is the neighbour having kinship, the strange neighbour the stranger; another introduced the wife into the neighbour of kin, another into the strange neighbour; another introduced the companion of travel into the strange neighbour. It is reported from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) that he said in his supplication, "I seek refuge with Thee from the evil neighbour in the dwelling of residence, for the neighbour of changing neighbourhood moves." And one said, the neighbour of kin is the Muslim neighbour, and the strange neighbour the disbeliever.
In the Mousnad of al-Bazzar, from the hadith of Jabir, in raised form, "The neighbours are three: a neighbour having one right, that is the neighbour lowest in rights; a neighbour having two rights; and a neighbour having three rights, and he is the best of neighbours in rights. Whoever has one right, a polytheist neighbour without kinship, he has the right of neighbourhood; whoever has two rights, a Muslim neighbour, he has the right of Islam and the right of neighbourhood; whoever has three rights, a Muslim neighbour of kin, he has the right of neighbourhood, the right of Islam and the right of kinship." This hadith is reported by other channels, connected and mursal, all not exempt of critique. It has been said, the neighbour of kin is the near in neighbourhood, contiguous, the strange neighbour the distant in neighbourhood.
Which of the neighbours merit excellence more?
In the Sahih of al-Boukhari, from 'Aicha, may Allah be pleased with her, who says, I said, O Messenger of Allah! I have two neighbours, to which of the two give in gift? He said, "the nearest to you in door."
Part of the righteous Ancients said, the limit of neighbourhood is forty houses. And it has been said, what surrounds forty houses on each side. In the mursal of az-Zouhri, a man came to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) complaining of his neighbour, and the Prophet commanded certain of his companions call, "Know that forty houses are neighbours." Az-Zouhri said, forty thus, and forty thus, and forty thus, and forty thus, meaning before him, behind him, at his right, at his left.
What if his wealth diminishes and his neighbours multiply?
Imam Ahmad was asked of whoever cooks a pot, being in the house of the path, there being in the house some thirty or forty souls, meaning they dwell with him in the house. He said, he begins with himself and those he is charged of, and were there surplus he gives to the nearest of him. And how could he give them all? It was said to him, perhaps his neighbour despises that amount, having no place at his house. He held one send it not.
As for the companion of side, part explained it by the wife, and part, among them Ibn 'Abbas, by the companion of travel, not meaning excluding the constant companion in residence, but meaning the companionship of travel suffices, the permanent companionship in residence being worthier; that is why Sa'id ibn Joubayr said, "it is the good companion of route." And Zayd ibn Aslam said, "it is your vis-à-vis in residence, and your companion in travel." And Ibn Zayd said, "it is the man who covers you and frequents you, that you be useful to him."
The best of companions and neighbours
In the Mousnad and at-Tirmidhi, from 'Abd Allah ibn 'Amr ibn al-'As, from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), "The best of companions with Allah are the best towards their companion, and the best of neighbours with Allah are the best towards their neighbour."
The rest of those towards whom excellence is commanded
The fourth: whoever arrives beside the man without residing at his house, the son of the path, meaning the traveller arriving in another country, certain of the two explaining it by the guest, the son of the path when he descends as guest at someone. The fifth: what the right hands possess. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) often commended them, and commanded good to them. It is reported that the last of his recommendations at his death, "the prayer, and what your right hands possess." And certain righteous Ancients included in this verse what the man possesses of animals and beasts.
Let us return to the commentary of the hadith of Abu Hourayra on honouring the neighbour. In the two authentic collections, from 'Aicha and Ibn 'Omar, may Allah be pleased with both of them, from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), "Jibril ceased not commending me the neighbour until I believed he would give him inheritance." Among the species of excellence to the neighbour is aiding him in his need. In the Mousnad, from 'Omar, may Allah be pleased with him, from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), "The believer is not satiated without his neighbour." Al-Hakim reports from the hadith of Ibn 'Abbas, may Allah be pleased with both of them, from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), "He is not a believer whoever is satiated and his neighbour hungry." And in another version, from Ibn 'Abbas, may Allah be pleased with both of them, from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), "Believes not whoever passes the night satiated and his neighbour hungry."
And in the Mousnad, from 'Oqba ibn 'Amir, from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), "The first of the two parties on the Day of Resurrection, two neighbours." And in the book of the adab of al-Boukhari, from Ibn 'Omar, may Allah be pleased with both of them, from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), "How many a neighbour attached to his neighbour on the Day of Resurrection saying, O Lord! This one closed his door before me and refused me his benefaction."
Al-Khara'iti and others report, by a weak chain, from the hadith of 'Ata al-Khourassani, from 'Amr ibn Chou'ayb, from his father, from his grandfather, from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), who said, "Whoever closes his door before his neighbour, fearing for his family and his wealth, he is not a believer; and not a believer is whoever's neighbour is not safe from his harms. Know you what is the right of the neighbour? When he asks you succour, aid him; when he asks you a loan, lend him; when he is in need, visit him; when he is sick, visit him; when good reaches him, congratulate him; when trial reaches him, console him; when he dies, follow his convoy; and build not upon him lest the wind be cut from him, without his permission; harm him not by the smell of your pot, save giving him of it; and were you to buy fruit, offer him of it, otherwise enter it secretly, letting not your children come out of it to provoke his children."
And this saying is disapproved, perhaps being of the explanation of al-Khourassani. And it is reported also from 'Ata, from al-Hasan, from Jabir, in raised form, "The lowest of the rights of neighbourhood is not harming your neighbour by the smell of your pot, save pouring him of it." And in the Sahih of Mouslim, from Abu Dhar, who says, "My intimate friend commended me, when you cook a sauce, multiply its water, then look to the families of your neighbours, and give them of it in beneficence." And in a narration, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said, "O Abu Dhar! When you cook a sauce, multiply its water, and take care of your neighbours."
The gift to the non-Muslim neighbour
In the Mousnad and at-Tirmidhi, from 'Abd Allah ibn 'Amr ibn al-'As, that he slaughtered a sheep and said, "Have you offered our Jewish neighbour?" three times, then said, I heard the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) say, "Jibril ceased not commending me the neighbour until I believed he would give him inheritance."
In the two authentic collections, from Abu Hourayra, may Allah be pleased with him, from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), "Let none of you prevent his neighbour from fixing a peg in his wall." Abu Hourayra, may Allah be pleased with him, said afterwards, "Why do I see you turning from it? By Allah, I shall fix them between your shoulders." And the school of Imam Ahmad, the neighbour must permit his neighbour to rest a peg upon his wall when the neighbour needs it, without harming his wall, for this authentic hadith.
The apparent of his words is that it is obligatory him sharing it of the surplus of what he has, without harming himself, were he to know his need. Al-Marwudhi said, I said to Abu 'Abd Allah, I hear the beggar in the path saying, I am hungry; he said, he may speak true and may lie. I say, were I to have a neighbour knowing he is hungry? He said, share with him. I say, were my food two loaves? He said, feed him of something. Then he says, what came in the hadith is the neighbour only. And al-Marwudhi said, I said to Abu 'Abd Allah, the rich, is solidarity obligatory them? He said, were it a people putting a thing upon a thing, how should it not be obligatory them? I say, were the man to have two shirts, or I say, two cloaks, is solidarity obligatory him? He said, when he needs it that there be surplus.
Here is a text of him upon the obligation of solidarity of surplus, without restricting it to the neighbour, and his first text requires its restriction to the neighbour. And he says, in the narration of Ibn Hani, of their lying in the demand, "It is dearer to me that they speak true, we can only make them share." That indicates the obligation of making share the hungry, of neighbours and others.
In the authentic collection, from Abu Moussa, from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), "Feed the hungry, visit the sick, and free the oppressed." And in the Mousnad and the Sahih of al-Hakim, from 'Omar, may Allah be pleased with him, from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), "Whatever land wherein wakes among them a hungry man, the guarantee of Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, is discharged of them."
The school of Ahmad and Malik, the neighbour is prevented from disposing of his private property harming his neighbour, restraint of harm to the neighbour being therefore obligatory them, forbidding creating the harming utility, even were the user to profit only of his private property. It is obligatory, with Ahmad, giving his neighbour what he needs, without the spending harming him.
Higher than these two is enduring the harm of the neighbour without returning it him. Al-Hasan said, "Good neighbourhood is not the restraint of harm, but good neighbourhood is the endurance of harm." And it is reported from the hadith of Abu Dhar, raising it, "Allah loves the man whose neighbour harms him, enduring his harm until death or moving separate them." Imam Ahmad reports it. And in the mursal of Abu 'Abd ar-Rahman al-Houbouli, a man came to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) complaining to him of his neighbour, and the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said to him, "Restrain your harm upon him, and endure his harm, death shall suffice as separator." Ibn Abi ad-Dunya reports it.
[Honouring the guest is part of faith:] The third of what the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) commanded the believers, honouring the guest, meaning doing the good of hospitality. In the two authentic collections, from the hadith of Abu Chourayh, may Allah be pleased with him, who says, my two eyes saw the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and my two ears heard him when he said, "Whoever believes in Allah and the Last Day, let him honour his guest, his reward." They said, and what is his reward? He said, "a day and a night"; "and hospitality is three days, and what is after that is alms."
Mouslim reports from the hadith of Abu Chourayh also, from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), who says, "Hospitality is three days, and its reward a day and a night, and what is spent for him after that is alms, and it is not lawful him to remain at his house until making him sinner." They said, O Messenger of Allah! How does he make him sinner? He said, "he remains at his house having nothing wherewith to host him." And Imam Ahmad reports from the hadith of Abu Sa'id al-Khudri, may Allah be pleased with him, from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), "Whoever believes in Allah and the Last Day, let him honour his guest," saying it three times; they said, and what is the nobility of the guest, O Messenger of Allah? He said, "three days, what is withheld after that is alms."
In these hadiths therefore, the reward of the guest is a day and a night, and hospitality three days, distinguishing the reward of hospitality and confirming the reward. Other hadiths have come confirming it. Abu Dawoud reports from the hadith of al-Miqdam ibn Ma'dikarib, from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), who says, "The night of the guest is a right upon every Muslim, whoever passes the night in his house has upon him a debt, were he to will, he claims it, and were he to will, he abandons it." Ibn Majah reports it, its wording being, "The night of the guest is a right upon every Muslim."
Imam Ahmad and Abu Dawoud report from the hadith of al-Miqdam also, from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), who says, "Every man welcoming a people and waking deprived, were they to aid him, it would be a right upon every Muslim, until he takes the stay of a night of his crop and his wealth." And in the two authentic collections, from 'Oqba ibn 'Amir, who says, we said, O Messenger of Allah! You send us, and we alight with a people who host us not, what see you? The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said to us, "Were you to alight with a people and they order you what befits the guest, accept; were they not to do so, take of them the right of the guest due them." And Imam Ahmad and al-Hakim report from the hadith of Abu Hourayra, may Allah be pleased with him, from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), "Every guest alighting with a people and the guest wakes deprived, he has the right to take the measure of his stay, without discomfort upon him."
'Abd Allah ibn 'Amr said, "Whoever hosts not is not of Mouhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), nor of Ibrahim, upon him peace." And 'Abd Allah ibn al-Harith ibn Jaz' said, "Whoever honours not his guest is not of Mouhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), nor of Ibrahim, upon him peace." [It falls to the guest to claim his right, and to pursue whoever honours him not:] Abu Hourayra said to a people at whose house they alighted, welcoming them without hosting them; he drew aside and alighted, inviting them to eat, and they answered not; he said to them, you make not alight the guest, you answer not the invitation, of Islam you are worth nothing! A man of them recognised him and said to him, alight, may Allah pardon you. He said, here is evil and evil, you alight only those you know?! And it is reported from Abu ad-Darda a similar story, save that he said to them, "Of the religion, you are worth only the equivalent of this," and he pointed a hole in his garment.
These texts indicate the obligation of the hospitality of a day and a night, the view of al-Layth and Ahmad. Ahmad said, he has the right of claiming it were he prevented of it, it being an obligatory right for him; does he take of the hand of his wealth were he prevented, or carry it to the governor? Two narrations stated of him.
Humayd ibn Zanjawayh said, the night of the guest is obligatory, and he has not the right of taking his stay of them by force, save were he travelling in the general interests of the Muslims, not the interest of his soul. And al-Layth ibn Sa'd said, were the guest to alight with a slave welcoming him of wealth in his hand, it falls to the guest to eat, even were he not to know his master authorised him, for hospitality is obligatory; and that is the analogy of the saying of Ahmad, for he stated it permitted answering the invitation of the slave authorised to trade. And it is reported from a group of the Companions that they answered the invitations of kings, and that is reported from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) also; were it therefore permitted him inviting the people to his food outright, and lawful answering his invitation, his welcoming whoever alights at him is worthier. And Malik and ash-Chafi'i and others forbade the invitation of the slave authorised without the permission of his master.
The hospitality of the warriors
'Ali ibn Sa'id reports from Ahmad what indicates the obligation of hospitality for the warriors only, to those passing by them three days. And the well-known of him is the first, its obligation for every guest alighting with a people.
His saying diverged, is it obligatory upon the people of cities and camps, or specific to the people of villages and those upon a road crossed by travellers? Two narrations stated of him. And his statement of him is it recommended for the Muslim and the disbeliever, and many of his companions restricted the obligation to the Muslim, like the maintenance of parents not being obligatory with difference of religion, according to one of the two narrations of him. As for the two other days, the second and the third, they are the complement of hospitality. And the statement of Ahmad, only the first reward is obligatory, and he said, distinction was made of reward and hospitality, and reward is more confirmed. And of our companions, certain made obligatory hospitality three days, among them Abu Bakr ibn 'Abd al-'Aziz, Ibn Abi Moussa, and al-'Amidi. And what is after the three is an alms. Certain people believed hospitality is three days after the first day and night, Ahmad refuting that by his words, "hospitality is three days, what is added is alms," were it as that thought, it would be four. I say, the like of that is His words,
"Say, disbelieve you then in Him who created the earth in two days, and give Him equals? Such is the Lord of the worlds. And He placed therein firm mountains above it, blessed it, and measured therein its sustenance in four days."
Foussilat, 9-10
The intent is the complement of the four. This hadith by which Ahmad argued preceded from the hadith of Abu Chourayh, and al-Boukhari reports it from the hadith of Abu Hourayra, from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), who says, "Whoever believes in Allah and the Last Day, let him do well to his guest"; it was said, O Messenger of Allah! And what is the stay of the guest? He said, "three days, what is after is alms."
[How is honour, and what is its measure?] Humayd ibn Zanjawayh said, he must impose upon himself, in a day and a night, the finest food he eats, he and his family, and in the complement of the three he feeds them of his food, that being disputable; we shall mention the hadith of Salman upon the prohibition of imposing for the guest. 'Ashhab reports from Malik, who says, its reward is a day and a night, one honours him, offers him in gift and distinguishes him a day and a night, and three days of hospitality. Ibn 'Omar abstained from eating of the wealth of whoever alighted at him beyond three days, and commanded spending upon him of his wealth. And it is permitted the holder of the house ordering the guest depart after the three, his having fulfilled what was obligatory him, Imam Ahmad, may Allah have mercy on him, doing thus.
His words (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), "it is not lawful him to remain at his house until discomforting him," meaning he remains at his house until pressing him. But that in the three days, or beyond? As for what is not obligatory, its illicitness admits no doubt. As for what is obligatory, the day and the night, that rests upon, is hospitality obligatory to whoever finds nothing, or only recommended to whoever finds wherewith to host? Were it said, hospitality is obligatory only whoever finds wherewith to host, that is the view of part of the people of hadith, among them Humayd ibn Zanjawayh, it is not lawful the hoster hosting whoever he is incapable of.
It is reported from the hadith of Salman, who says, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) forbade us imposing for the guest what we have not. The hoster being forbidden imposing for the guest what he has not, that indicates solidarity with the guest is obligatory him only by what he has, were there no surplus at his house, nothing is obligatory him.
The merit of preferring the guest
As for preferring the guest to himself, as did the Ansarite at whose house descended the words,
"And they prefer others to themselves, even were there among them discomfort."
Al-Hachr, 9
that is a rank of grace and excellence, not obligatory. Were the guest to know they host him only by their food and that of their children, and the children suffer of it, it is then not permitted him leaving them host him, acting by the words of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), "it is not lawful him to remain at his house until discomforting him."
Moreover, hospitality is an obligatory spending, it is obligatory only upon whoever has surplus beyond his food and that of his family, like the maintenance of parents and the zakat of breaking. Al-Khattabi denied its explanation of making him sinner by his remaining at his house having nothing wherewith to host, and says, I see it erroneous, how should he sin thereby, while he cannot for his stay, nor finds its means, the charge being to the measure of capacity? He says, the sense of the hadith is it is disapproved him remaining at his house after the three, fearing his breast straiten by his presence, his alms being then with grace and harm, his wage annulled. And what he said is disputable, for its explanation authenticated in the hadith, by what he denied, its sense being, were he to remain at his house having nothing wherewith to host, the straitening of his breast and his discomfort may call him to what he would sin in word or deed; and the intent is not that he sin of abandoning his stay, with his incapacity. And Allah knows best.