About Elizabeth Expertise All questions regarding Islam and the west. What it is like to be a Muslim that converted from Christianity. What it is like to be a Muslim in the West
Experience I am a convert to Islam and minoring in islamic studies
Expert: Elizabeth Date: 10/21/2007 Subject: hadith
Question There is a hadith in Sahih Bukhari regarding the revelation of the verse: 'But give them preference over themselves even though they were in need of that.' (59.9).
Allah is pleased by the sahabah & wife that they and their children slept without food in order to entertain their visitor. The sahabah & wife did indeed makes a noble sacrifice. However a few questions has been raised regarding this incident:
a)Why did not the sahabah check with his wife that there is enough food, as the Rasul did, before volunteering to take the visitor? What about there has been no food at all in the home? Does it not reflect a poor family communication?
b)It is ok for the sahabah & wife to go hungry for the nite. But to make the children suffer is it not too much? Is not the responsibility of a man is first to his family, than entertaining a guest?
c)Why did the sahabah did not borrow or buy food in the situation?
Could you help to clarify them?
Answer A) Actually i see where you are coming from in this question. I can see how you would think that this reflects poorly on the family communication however a sahabah and Rasool Allah (pbuh) are two very different people and yet the very same. Yes in a perfect world there should be timeliness given before inviting someone over for dinner. However nor you or I know the circumstances of this visit it could have been very sudden or possibly known for a period of time. and we do not know the age of the children they could have been adults or teenagers or younger. so to speculate isnt viewing it properly it is trying to see that this family sacrificed for the greater good of their company.
B)you are absolutely correct to a point if the children were at a very young age yes it wouldnt be very righteous or even a responsible parent but there again we dont know the ages of the children
C)Because as I said and the situation isnt known if these people just popped in or it was planned. so there for it is hard to know why he didnt do certain things to make the situation easier for his family
I hope this helps if not please clarify and be more pinpoint and ill try again
