How Do You Entertain Guests?

Salaam

This is something that I’m not very good at…

Islam stresses the importance of being good hosts.

When people come to my house and I offer then food and they say No…I’ll ask again and if they still say No I’ll leave it.

That’s only cos I know how annoying it is to be forced to eat when you don’t want to eat….But my mum will not let go of a guest until she has forced them to eat (gun on head style)…she’ll empty out her cupboards for guests.

I don’t feel comfortable doing that.

I’m totally fine with entertaining kids/teenagers. But I’m so crap with aunties….I can’t talk to them (partly cos of my terrible Urdu) and also cos I don’t really like the topics they raise. But regardless of what they speak about…I KNOW that being hospitable is obligatory on me.

I know that I should smile and offer aunties samose (even if they’re chatting about so and so’s daughter from number 25)

And whilst we are obliged to be good hosts, guests also should be perfect guests…the type that don’t over stay and don’t inconvenience the family with their silly demands…

How do you entertain YOUR guests (I could do with some tips).

My British upbringing and Pakistani culture makes it very difficult for me to decide what is the right or wrong way to treat guests.

Isn’t it rude to watch TV, read or text people when guests are present?

What do you do when guests start slandering and backbiting people who you are close to? Can you nicely tell them to shut up?

And what do you do when you’re entertaining one set of guests and ANOTHER set of guests turn up?

Is there segregation in your household?

And what according to Islam are the do’s and don’t of being the perfect guest?

Isn’t it rude to come to someone’s house without phoning in advance?

What about when they leave? Pakistani culture is to make people stay when they announce that they have to go...But isnt it wrong to force people to stay-what if they really have to be somewhere?

Share your thoughts…

Wasalaam