Sayyidina Ibrahim and the Noble Guests

هَل أَتاكَ حَديثُ ضَيفِ إِبراهيمَ المُكرَمينَ

إِذ دَخَلوا عَلَيهِ فَقالوا سَلامًا ۖ قالَ سَلامٌ قَومٌ مُنكَرونَ

فَراغَ إِلىٰ أَهلِهِ فَجاءَ بِعِجلٍ سَمينٍ

فَقَرَّبَهُ إِلَيهِم قالَ أَلا تَأكُلونَ

Has there reached you the story of the honored guests of Abraham?

When they entered upon him and said, "[We greet you with] peace." He answered, "[And upon you] peace; [you are] a people unknown."

Then he went to his family and came with a fat [roasted] calf

And placed it near them; he said, "Will you not eat?" (Adh-Dhaariyaat 51:24-27)

This story in the Quran about Ibrahim (peace be upon him) and his guests is the epitome of how we should treat our guests. Allah had sent a few angles in the form of men to the house of Ibrahim to give him glad tidings of a son (Sayyidina Ishaq (pbuh)) on their way to the destroy the people of Sayyidina Lut (pbuh).

Of course, Ibrahim (pbuh) did not at first know they were angels. They greeted him with the greetings of peace (Salaman) and he replied with the same greeting (Salaamun). Scholars say although both greetings are the same, the form Ibrahim used to reply the angels with the ending ‘mun’ instead of ‘man’ is more emphatic. So there’s our first lesson i.e. to respond to a greeting with something better than what was given. This is in accordance of Allah’s command in surah An-Nisa’ verse 86:

وَإِذا حُيّيتُم بِتَحِيَّةٍ فَحَيّوا بِأَحسَنَ مِنها أَو رُدّوها ۗ إِنَّ اللَّهَ كانَ عَلىٰ كُلِّ شَيءٍ حَسيبًا

And when you are greeted with a greeting, greet [in return] with one better than it or [at least] return it [in a like manner]. Indeed Allāh is ever, over all things, an Accountant.

So next time somebody greets us with ‘Assalamu ‘alaykum’, we should reply with ‘Wa alaykum as-salam warahmatullah’ or at least the same. Of course this doesn't just apply to the salaam. Even if someone says 'Good Morning', then we should reply with something better than that like 'A very Good morning too!', and not with a mere 'Hmm' as some people do. Something so simple in our eyes, but often overlooked, yet Allah takes account of it, as stated at the end of the verse.

After Ibrahim (pbuh) greeted them, he invited them in even though he did not know who they were. Because they greeted him with the greeting of peace, he assumed the best of them. Perhaps they were travelers, who just wanted a place to rest. Or maybe they were a people from a different place who wanted to seek counsel from him knowing that he was a messenger of God. In any case, he allowed them in, and before long, quickly rushed to his family to prepare a meal for his guests. And not just any meal, but the best he could give, a fat roasted calf! Subhanallah!

Upon preparing the calf, he, being the exemplary host he was, placed it in right in front of them so they didn’t have to get up from their seats to take the food. How amazing is that?! And when they did not touch the food, he was quick to ask them, “Will you not eat?” most likely out of concern that they may not like the food. This sort of beautiful etiquette was something that our elders were particular about, but is waning in our generation. I personally would usually ask any guests if they would like something to drink, but my mother would be enraged if I did that. “Don’t ask them if they want a drink, but as them what drink they would like!” she would say. 

You can read the rest of the story in the Quran, but I will stop here because it was this aspect of the story namely Sayyidina Ibrahim’s exemplary treatment of his guests, that I wanted to highlight. May Allah help us to emulate him the next time we receive our guests. Ameen.

P/S: One should also supplement knowledge of how Rasulullah received his guests to complement the points in this Quranic story.