The Sunnats of hosting a guest

 

1. To respect and be hospitable to the guest.

2. To arrange for his accommodation.

3. To arrange for his comfort. Especially to show him the location of the lavatory upon his arrival so that he is not inconvenienced when the need arises.

4. To present the guest with any time of food that is readily available immediately upon his arrival. Then, if expenses permit, one can make better arrangements later.

5. One should not go beyond one’s capacity when entertaining the guest.

6. After placing the meal, note should be taken whether the guest is eating or not. If it is felt that the guest is hesitant, the host should try to remove the hesitancy by urging him to take more food and presenting the food before him.

7. If more food is required, it should be brought in an another bowl/dish, leaving the original one for the guest to eat from.

8. Entertaining the guest holds great value in Islam. Even if your guest is one who may have deliberately not hosted you previously, you should none the less leave no turn unturned in serving him too.

9. As the guest departs, one should see him off at least to the door.

Riyadh Jannah. Vol. 8 No. 8 Page 18.