Voice of British Muslim Women

Maria Sadaf, Islamabad

To me hospitality has never just been about the food on the table. It’s about the warmth in the room. It’s the feeling a guest carries home with them – of having been truly welcomed. In Islam, hospitality is far more than good manners; it’s an act of worship, a means of drawing nearer to God, and a source of real blessing in our homes and hearts.

The Holy Qur’an itself roots this teaching in the story of Prophet Ibrahim (peace be on him). When strangers came to him, he returned their greeting of peace with an even more eloquent one, and without delay, brought them a roasted calf (51:26-27). His Holiness Mirza Masroor Ahmad, current worldwide head of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community (may Allah be his Helper) explains that the beauty of this account is that hospitality wasn’t even the subject of this passage – yet it was woven in as a mark of excellent character, because God loves this quality.

The life of the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) is full of such examples. When a delegation from a Christian ruler Negus came to visit, the Holy Prophet served them himself. His companions, puzzled, asked why he wouldn’t simply let them take care of it. He explained that the people of Negus had shown the Muslims great kindness, so he wanted to reciprocate that favour personally. It’s a small gesture, but it says everything: hospitality, in its truest form, is about honouring another person’s dignity before anything else, regardless of status.

Another example is when a Jewish visitor accidentally soiled his bedding and slipped away in embarrassment, the Holy Prophet simply washed it himself – no shame directed at the guest, no fuss, just quiet care. And there is the story of the Ansari companion who, unable to fully feed an unexpected guest, put out the lamp so his own family could pretend to eat in the dark while their visitor ate his fill. Allah was so pleased with this that He revealed a verse praising those who “…prefer others to themselves even though poverty be their own lot.” (59:10)

I think about these stories whenever I feel that familiar flicker of stress at the thought of unexpected guests. Over time, I’ve tried to shift how I see hospitality. Guests are not an inconvenience – they are a blessing sent to my door, an opportunity, not a burden. I remind myself of this often, because the moment hospitality starts to feel like a performance, it loses its soul. Whatever I offer, I try to offer with a sincere heart, because that sincerity is what actually forms a genuine connection with another person. Its never really about how much is on the table.

Even a warm greeting can put someone at ease before anything else is said or served. The Qur’an teaches, “when you are greeted with a prayer, greet ye with a better prayer, or at least return it” (4:87) – a reminder that kindness in speech is itself a form of hospitality, and often a the first one a guest receives.

One habit I picked up from my own mother is keeping a stock of snacks in the freezer, so she was never caught off guard, and never disappeared into the kitchen for hours if someone dropped by unannounced. It’s a small, practical form of the Holy Prophet’s (peace and blessings be on him him) own guidance to serve guests without hesitation and without treating it as a burden.

Ultimately, hospitality is an act of taqwa (righteousness) – it draws us closer to God, softens our hearts, and strengthens the bonds of brotherhood and sisterhood within our communities. His Holiness Mirza Masroor Ahmad (may Allah be his Helper) instructed that everyone assisting with guests at Jalsa Salana, the annual convention of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, should treat each one as a “special guest’ – a principle that holds just as true for the guests we welcome into our own homes.

References:

Friday Sermon, “Hospitality,’ Hazrat Khalifatul Masih V (may Allah be his Helper), 17 July 2009. Alislam.org