Aslam

(4) To present food before the guest Don't take too much trouble in preparing food . Place before the guest whatever you have got. If you have got no food and also no money, don't run into debt and don't inflict trouble on yourself. If you have got measured food and you have no mind to part with it, it is not necessary to give food to a guest . Give better food to your guest than what you eat. A certain sage said : If any of my friends comes to me, I don't care to feed him as I don't inflict any trouble on myself for his sake. I present to him whatever I have got. If I take trouble, I don' t welcome him. It is said that once when Hazrat AH was invited, he said : I can accept your invitation on three conditions — (1) don't buy anything from the market for me ; (2)
don't hoard up what is in your house ; and (3) don't give trouble to your family members. Hazrat Salman said ; The Prophet prohibited us to take trouble for a guest for what is not in our houses and ordered us to present before him what is ready. It has been reported of Prophet Jonah that whenever his friends came to see him, he used to place before them pieces of bread and vegetables of his garden and say Eat. If God does not curse upon those who take trouble, I would have taken trouble for you.
Hazrat Anas said that they used to present before a guest dried bread and dried dates and say : We don't know who is a greater sinner between the two — one who dislikes the food presented before him or one who dislikes to present what is near him.

(5) A guest should not order his host to arrange meal or for a particular item of food. It causes trouble to the host. There is in a Hadis that the Prophet used to like the easier of two things. A certain sage said : Feast is of three kinds (1) to eat with the poor with I' sar (sacrificing own interest), (2) to treat with friends with pleasure and (3) to treat with the worldly men with good manners. The host will ask his guest what kind of food he likes.
There are merits in giving food to the guest according to the wish of the latter. The Prophet said : The sins of one are forgiven who takes care to fulfill the desires of his brother Muslim. God will

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VoI-II The Book of Wordly Usages 13

please one who pleases his brothers Muslim. The Prophet said :
God writes thousands of merits and forgives thousands of sins of one who gives taste to what his guest likes. God gives him thousands of ranks and will feed him from three Paradises — Ferdous, Adan and Khuld Don't say to a guest : What food shall bring for you ? Present to him whatever food is ready.
The sage Sufyan Saori said : When your brother Muslim meets you, don't say to him : What food will you eat ? What food shall I present to you? A certain Sufi said : When the poor come to you, give them food. When the theologians come to you, ask them about legal decisions . When the learned come to you, show them the praying clothes.

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