#Side_Benefits@madrasatunaa

Accepting Invitations Is a Right of a Muslim Over Another Muslim Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that he heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ say: “The rights of a Muslim over another Muslim are five: returning the greeting, visiting the sick, following funeral processions, accepting invitations, and saying ‘may Allah have mercy on you’ when someone sneezes.” [Agreed upon] However, invitations are of two types: 1⃣. Invitations OTHER THAN walimah = majority of scholars say that accepting these invitations is RECOMMENDED. Evidence: Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that a Persian neighbour of the Prophet ﷺ was known for making good soup. He prepared some food for the Prophet ﷺ and invited him. The Prophet ﷺ asked: “And (is my wife) ‘Aishah invited too?” He said: “No.” The Prophet ﷺ said: “No.” The man returned again and invited him, and the Prophet ﷺ asked again: “And ‘Aishah?” He again said: “No.” The Prophet ﷺ declined. When the man invited him a third time and said yes, the Prophet ﷺ and ‘Aishah went together to his home. [Reported by Muslim] 2⃣. Invitations to walimah = majority of scholars say that accepting this invitation is OBLIGATORY, except when there is a valid excuse. Evidence: Abu Hurairah narrated that the Prophet ﷺ said: “The worst type of food is the food of a wedding feast: those who would come are prevented from it, while those who refuse it are invited. Whoever does not accept the invitation has disobeyed Allah and His Messenger.” [Agreed upon] CONDITIONS: There are conditions for accepting an invitation. If these conditions are not met, attending is not obligatory or recommended; rather, attending may even become prohibited. These conditions are as follows: 1. The person inviting must be Muslim. Otherwise, accepting the invitation is not obligatory, based on the hadith: “The right of a Muslim over another Muslim…” 2. The person inviting should not be someone whom it is required or recommended to boycott. For example, someone who openly commits sins, and boycotting them may help them return to obedience. 3. The invitation must be specifically directed to the person. If someone simply announces to everyone in a gathering that they are invited, and the person happens to be there, then according to many scholars, attendance is not required. The Prophet ﷺ said: “When one of you is invited…” This indicates a specific invitation, not a general one. 4. The obligation is waived if the person was already invited to another walimah first. The majority of scholars state that the first invitation takes priority because the obligation was established by the first invitation. 5. There must not be sinful matters at the place of the invitation. If there is a wrongdoing and the person is able to remove it, they should attend for two reasons: accepting the invitation and changing the evil. But if they cannot remove the wrongdoing, then attending is prohibited. 6. The food served must be permissible to eat. 7. Accepting the invitation must not cause a person to leave a more important obligation. For example, if a husband does not give his wife permission to leave, she should not go, because a woman should not leave her home without her husband’s permission due to his rights over her. If attending involves neglecting a greater obligation, then accepting the invitation is not allowed. 8. Attending must not cause harm to the person invited. For example, if it requires unnecessary travel, leaving family members who need their presence, or causes another type of harm. Note: The obligation to accept an invitation also falls away if the invited person apologises and the host excuses them from attending https://t.me/madrasatunaa/320