16/15. Chapter:

Sahih Muslim 1428g — Wedding Feast and Guest Etiquette

The Marriage of Zainab Bint Jahsh, The Revelation of (the verse of) Hijab, and confirmation of the importance of the wedding feast.

Wedding Feast Hadith and Proper Guest Etiquette

Sahih MuslimHadith Number 1428g

حَدَّثَنَا قُتَيْبَةُ بْنُ سَعِيدٍ، حَدَّثَنَا جَعْفَرٌ، - يَعْنِي ابْنَ سُلَيْمَانَ - عَنِ الْجَعْدِ أَبِي عُثْمَانَ، عَنْ أَنَسِ بْنِ مَالِكٍ، قَالَ تَزَوَّجَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم فَدَخَلَ بِأَهْلِهِ - قَالَ - فَصَنَعَتْ أُمِّي أُمُّ سُلَيْمٍ حَيْسًا فَجَعَلَتْهُ فِي تَوْرٍ فَقَالَتْ يَا أَنَسُ اذْهَبْ بِهَذَا إِلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم فَقُلْ بَعَثَتْ بِهَذَا إِلَيْكَ أُمِّي وَهْىَ تُقْرِئُكَ السَّلاَمَ وَتَقُولُ إِنَّ هَذَا لَكَ مِنَّا قَلِيلٌ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ - قَالَ - فَذَهَبْتُ بِهَا إِلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم فَقُلْتُ إِنَّ أُمِّي تُقْرِئُكَ السَّلاَمَ وَتَقُولُ إِنَّ هَذَا لَكَ مِنَّا قَلِيلٌ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ‏.‏ فَقَالَ ‏"‏ ضَعْهُ - ثُمَّ قَالَ - اذْهَبْ فَادْعُ لِي فُلاَنًا وَفُلاَنًا وَفُلاَنًا وَمَنْ لَقِيتَ ‏"‏ ‏.‏ وَسَمَّى رِجَالاً - قَالَ - فَدَعَوْتُ مَنْ سَمَّى وَمَنْ لَقِيتُ ‏.‏ قَالَ قُلْتُ لأَنَسٍ عَدَدَ كَمْ كَانُوا قَالَ زُهَاءَ ثَلاَثِمِائَةٍ ‏.‏ وَقَالَ لِي رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم ‏"‏ يَا أَنَسُ هَاتِ التَّوْرَ ‏"‏ ‏.‏ قَالَ فَدَخَلُوا حَتَّى امْتَلأَتِ الصُّفَّةُ وَالْحُجْرَةُ فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم ‏"‏ لِيَتَحَلَّقْ عَشَرَةٌ عَشَرَةٌ وَلْيَأْكُلْ كُلُّ إِنْسَانٍ مِمَّا يَلِيهِ ‏"‏ ‏.‏ قَالَ فَأَكَلُوا حَتَّى شَبِعُوا - قَالَ - فَخَرَجَتْ طَائِفَةٌ وَدَخَلَتْ طَائِفَةٌ حَتَّى أَكَلُوا كُلُّهُمْ ‏.‏ فَقَالَ لِي ‏"‏ يَا أَنَسُ ارْفَعْ ‏"‏ ‏.‏ قَالَ فَرَفَعْتُ فَمَا أَدْرِي حِينَ وَضَعْتُ كَانَ أَكْثَرَ أَمْ حِينَ رَفَعْتُ - قَالَ - وَجَلَسَ طَوَائِفُ مِنْهُمْ يَتَحَدَّثُونَ فِي بَيْتِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم وَرَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم جَالِسٌ وَزَوْجَتُهُ مُوَلِّيَةٌ وَجْهَهَا إِلَى الْحَائِطِ فَثَقُلُوا عَلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم فَخَرَجَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم فَسَلَّمَ عَلَى نِسَائِهِ ثُمَّ رَجَعَ فَلَمَّا رَأَوْا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَدْ رَجَعَ ظَنُّوا أَنَّهُمْ قَدْ ثَقُلُوا عَلَيْهِ - قَالَ - فَابْتَدَرُوا الْبَابَ فَخَرَجُوا كُلُّهُمْ وَجَاءَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم َتَّى أَرْخَى السِّتْرَ وَدَخَلَ وَأَنَا جَالِسٌ فِي الْحُجْرَةِ فَلَمْ يَلْبَثْ إِلاَّ يَسِيرًا حَتَّى خَرَجَ عَلَىَّ ‏.‏ وَأُنْزِلَتْ هَذِهِ الآيَةُ فَخَرَجَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم وَقَرَأَهُنَّ عَلَى النَّاسِ ‏{‏ يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا لاَ تَدْخُلُوا بُيُوتَ النَّبِيِّ إِلاَّ أَنْ يُؤْذَنَ لَكُمْ إِلَى طَعَامٍ غَيْرَ نَاظِرِينَ إِنَاهُ وَلَكِنْ إِذَا دُعِيتُمْ فَادْخُلُوا فَإِذَا طَعِمْتُمْ فَانْتَشِرُوا وَلاَ مُسْتَأْنِسِينَ لِحَدِيثٍ إِنَّ ذَلِكُمْ كَانَ يُؤْذِي النَّبِيَّ‏}‏ إِلَى آخِرِ الآيَةِ ‏.‏ قَالَ الْجَعْدُ قَالَ أَنَسُ بْنُ مَالِكٍ أَنَا أَحْدَثُ النَّاسِ عَهْدًا بِهَذِهِ الآيَاتِ وَحُجِبْنَ نِسَاءُ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم ‏.‏

Anas bin Malik Narrated from:

Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) contracted marriage and he went to his wife. My mother Umm Sulaim prepared hais and placed it in an earthen vessel and said: Anas, take it to Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) and say: My mother has sent that to you and she offers greetings to you, and says that it is a humble gift for you on our behalf, Messenger of Allah. So I went along with it to Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) and said: My mother offers you salutations, and says that it is a humble gift for you on our behalf.He said: Place it here, and then said: Go and invite on my behalf so and so and anyone whom you meet, and he even named some persons. He (Anas) said: I invited whom he had named and whom I met. I (one of the narrators) said: I said to Anas: How many (persons) were there? He (Anas) said: They were about three hundred persons. Then Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) (said to me): Anas, bring that earthen vessel.They (the guests) then began to enter until the courtyard and the apartment were fully packed. Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said: Make a circle of ten (guests), and every person should eat from that nearest to him. They began to eat, until they ate to their fill. A group went out (after eating the food), and another group came in until all of them had eaten. He (the Holy Prophet) said to me: Anas, lift it (the earthen vessel), so I lifted it, but I could not assess whether it had more (food) when I placed it (before Allah's Messenger) or when I lifted it (after the people had been served out of it).A group among them (the guests) began to talk in the house of Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) and the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) was sitting and his wife had been sitting with her face turned towards the wall. It was troublesome for Allah's Messenger (ﷺ), so Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) went out and greeted his wives. He then returned. When they (the guests) saw that Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) had returned they thought that it (their overstay) was something troublesome for him.He (the narrator) said: They hastened towards the door and all of them went out. And there came Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) and he hung a curtain and went in, and I was sitting in his apartment and he did not stay but for a short while. He then came to me and these verses were revealed. Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) came out and recited them to the people:" O you who believe, enter not the houses of the Prophet unless permission is given to you for a meal, not waiting for its cooking being finished-but when you are invited, enter, and when you have taken food, disperse not seeking to listen to talk. Surely this gives the Prophet trouble", to the end of verse (xxxiii. 53).(Al-Ja'd said that Anas [b. Malik] stated: I am the first amongst the people to hear these verses), and henceforth the wives of the Apostle (ﷺ) began to observe seclusion (al-hijab).

[1] Al-Ahzāb 33:53.Reference : Sahih Muslim 1428gIn-book reference : Book 16, Hadith 110USC-MSA web (English) reference : Book 8, Hadith 3335

Summary of Sahih Muslim Hadith 1428g

This Hadith about wedding feast etiquette shows a beautiful scene of generosity, invitation, blessing, and respect for privacy. Umm Sulaim sent a humble gift of hais to Allah's Messenger (صلى الله عليه وسلم), and many people were invited to eat. The guests were organized in groups of ten, and each person was told to eat from what was near him. After everyone ate, some guests remained talking in the Prophet's house, and this became difficult for him. The revealed verse taught believers not to enter the Prophet's houses without permission, not to wait around for food, and to leave after eating instead of staying for long talk. The core lesson is simple: accept hospitality with manners, eat respectfully, and do not burden the host.

What we learn from this hadith

  • A small gift given with sincerity can carry great value.
  • Guests should eat with order and from what is near them.
  • After eating, guests should not overstay and trouble the host.
  • Permission and privacy are important parts of Islamic manners.

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