16/16. Chapter:
Sahih Muslim 1432a — Fairness in Wedding Feasts
The command to accept invitations
Worst Wedding Feast Hadith and Fair Invitation
Sahih Muslim : 1432a
Sahih MuslimHadith Number 1432a
حَدَّثَنَا يَحْيَى بْنُ يَحْيَى، قَالَ قَرَأْتُ عَلَى مَالِكٍ عَنِ ابْنِ شِهَابٍ، عَنِ الأَعْرَجِ، عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ، أَنَّهُ كَانَ يَقُولُ بِئْسَ الطَّعَامُ طَعَامُ الْوَلِيمَةِ يُدْعَى إِلَيْهِ الأَغْنِيَاءُ وَيُتْرَكُ الْمَسَاكِينُ فَمَنْ لَمْ يَأْتِ الدَّعْوَةَ فَقَدْ عَصَى اللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُ .
Abu Hurairah Narrated from:
The worst kind of food is the wedding feast to which the rich are invited and the poor are ignored. He who does not come to the feast, he in fact disobeys Allah and His Messenger (ﷺ).
Reference : Sahih Muslim 1432aIn-book reference : Book 16, Hadith 124USC-MSA web (English) reference : Book 8, Hadith 3349
Summary of Sahih Muslim Hadith 1432a
This Hadith speaks strongly about fairness in a wedding feast. Abu Huraira said that the worst kind of food is the wedding feast to which the rich are invited and the poor are ignored. The focus is not that wedding food itself is bad. The problem mentioned in the text is unfair invitation: honoring the wealthy while leaving out the needy. The Hadith also says that the one who does not come to the feast has disobeyed Allah and His Messenger (صلى الله عليه وسلم). So it gives two linked teachings: hosts should not make the feast only for the rich, and invited people should not ignore the invitation. A walima should not become a sign of social pride.
What we learn from this hadith
- Wedding invitations should not favor only the rich while ignoring the poor.
- The problem is unfair invitation, not food itself.
- An invited person should take the invitation seriously.
- A feast should not become a display of social status.
