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Tuesday, 28 May 2024

Which wedding feast is the worst food (Hadith Prophet Muhammad ﷺ)

The Hadith being shared today may sound awkward to many, for marriages are occasions of joy and happiness. Then how come Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said that the worst food is the wedding feast - a east on which colossal amount is spent to entertain the large number of guest attending the wedding. How could then be a the wedding feat be the worst food?

To know the answer, read the Hadith as quoted in Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim: Book 16 The Book of Marriage - كتاب النكاح / Chapter 16 The command to accept invitations / باب الأَمْرِ بِإِجَابَةِ الدَّاعِي إِلَى دَعْوَةٍ ‏ ‏‏ / as Hadith number # 1432a as under:

Abu Huraira (Allah be pleased with him) used to say:

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).

Arabic Text:
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 ‏.

That is we often or in fact generally ignore the poor relatives or poor of the area when hosting the wedding feast. And then a large quantity of unconsumed food is thrown away in the garbage, which is not only sheer wastage of food which in itself is a sin, it deprives the poor of a hearty meal had they been invited too. Or if the poor cannot be invited, then arrangements be made to pack the left over food and given out to the poor.

The second portion of the Hadith is about the etiquette of declining an invitation or having agreed to attend a marriage and then not turning up is something the revered Prophet Muhammad ﷺ disliked, for he never used to decline an invitation which is extended as an honour of someone being considered worthy of part of one's happy occasion. A said, he who does not come to the feast, he in fact disobeys Allah and His Messenger (ﷺ).

Let us not forget to adhere to this very meaningful Hadith of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ and practice it with the spirit as so intended.
May Allāh (سبحانه و تعالى‎) help us understand Qur'ān and follow the Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, which is embodiment of commandments of Allah contained in the Qur'ān. May Allah help us to be like the ones He loves and let our lives be lived helping others and not making others' lives miserable or unlivable. May all our wrong doings, whether intentional or unintentional, be forgiven before the angel of death knocks on our door. 
وَمَا عَلَيۡنَاۤ اِلَّا الۡبَلٰغُ الۡمُبِيۡنُ‏ 
(36:17) and our duty is no more than to clearly convey the Message.”
That is Our duty is only to convey to you the message that Allah has entrusted us with. Then it is for you to accept it or reject it. We have not been made responsible for making you accept it forcibly, and if you do not accept it, we shall not be seized in consequence of your disbelief, you will yourselves be answerable for your actions on Day of Resurrection.

May Allah forgive me if my posts ever imply a piety far greater than I possess. I am most in need of guidance.

Reading the Qur'ān should be a daily obligation of a Muslim - Reading it with translation will make it meaningful. But reading its Exegesis / Tafsir will make you understand it fully. It will also help the Muslims to have grasp over social issues and their answers discussed in the Qur'an and other matter related to inter faith so that they are able to discuss issues with non-Muslims with authority based on refences from Qur'an.

Note: When we mention God in our posts, we mean One True God, we call Allah in Islam, with no associates. Allah is the Sole Creator of all things, and that Allah is all-powerful and all-knowing. Allah has no offspring, no race, no gender, no body, and is unaffected by the characteristics of human life.

Please refer to our reference page: Collection of Hadiths of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ  for more Hadiths on the General Subjects.

For more hadiths on varying subjects, refer to our reference page: Sunnah and Hadith of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ to know more about Hadiths and Sunnah of Prophet of Allah. You may also refer to our Reference Pages for knowing more about Islam and Qur'ān.


Disclaimer: The material for this post has been collected from the references as given above. If anyone differs with the material contained in this post, one may consult the references and their authors.  If someone has more material about the subject, he/she is most welcome to share in the comments box to make the post all encompassing.

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1 comments:

Thanks Jalal, we all forget the Islamic teachings in the light of Quran and Ahadits about wedding and spend loads of money on dowery and food but truely forget the poor n needy .Inspite of Government of Pakistan's restrictions on lavish food n introduction of one dish, not lots of rich people follow it.

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