What is the meaning of the hadith: “A bed for you, a bed for her, a bed for your guest, and a bed for Satan”?
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The student : The hadith is: . How can there be a bed for Satan?
The Shaykh : The matter is simple. You have no problem with these three, correct?
The student : Yes, there is no problem.
The Shaykh : So the issue is with the fourth bed. The answer to this is easy: it is the bed that exceeds your need, which you acquire for boasting and rivalry. That is for Satan. From this, it follows that if you were like Ibrahim (peace be upon him), who did not eat lunch unless he gathered some guests around him, and if you are frequently visited at your home and one bed is not enough for your guests, then you are likely, for example, to have four or five guests coming every night, or every week, or every month—it does not matter. In that case, the fourth bed, which is for Satan in the hadith, changes to the ruling of the previous beds, because you acquired it for the need of your guests. Is this clear? So the hadith intends to turn the Muslim away from excessive enjoyment of the attributes of this world, such as clothing and bedding, for the sake of boasting and rivalry. However, if one bed is not enough for your guest because more than one guest comes to you, then at that time his (peace and blessings be upon him) saying applies:Jami` at-Tirmidhi 2500Sahih (Darussalam). It is not a part of honoring a guest at all if, for example, a guest comes to you and you spread out a bed for him, but a student of knowledge comes and you tell him to sleep on the ground. Is this honoring? No. So it is permissible to acquire another bed for the guest, and this is not for Satan. May Allah make this clear.The Shaykh : And you spread out a bed for him, and a student of knowledge came to you and you said to him, “Sleep on the ground.” Is this honoring? No. So it is permissible to acquire another bed for the guest, and this is not for Satan. May Allah make this clear.
The Shaykh : Abd al-Rahman, Abd al-Latif, Abd al-Razzaq, Abd al-Musawwir, and Abd al-Muhaymin. As for this one, I named him Muhammad, and his birth was here. Then, by divine decree, I was the one who attended him. – The students laugh, andThe Shaykh : (may Allah have mercy on him), and the hospital was close to us, the hospital...
The student : King’s Hospital.
The Shaykh : King’s Hospital, but I know hospitals for their indifference, from exposing the private parts to the rest of it. So I was distressed and preferred that she give birth in my house, and I was the midwife. O Allah, feed the one who fed me and give drink to the one who gave me drink.
The student : The righteous have eaten your food, the angels have sent blessings upon you, and the fasting ones have broken their fast with you. May Allah reward you with good.
The student : ...
A bed for you, a bed for your family, a bed for your guest, and after that, one for Satan.
فراش لك وفراش لأهلك وفراش لضيفك وبعد ذلك فللشيطانThe Shaykh : The matter is simple.
A bed for you, a bed for your wife, a bed for your guest, and the fourth is for Satan.
فراش لك ، وفراش لزوجك ، وفراش لضيفك ، والرابع للشيطانThe student : Yes, there is no problem.
The Shaykh : So the issue is with the fourth bed. The answer to this is easy: it is the bed that exceeds your need, which you acquire for boasting and rivalry. That is for Satan. From this, it follows that if you were like Ibrahim (peace be upon him), who did not eat lunch unless he gathered some guests around him, and if you are frequently visited at your home and one bed is not enough for your guests, then you are likely, for example, to have four or five guests coming every night, or every week, or every month—it does not matter. In that case, the fourth bed, which is for Satan in the hadith, changes to the ruling of the previous beds, because you acquired it for the need of your guests. Is this clear? So the hadith intends to turn the Muslim away from excessive enjoyment of the attributes of this world, such as clothing and bedding, for the sake of boasting and rivalry. However, if one bed is not enough for your guest because more than one guest comes to you, then at that time his (peace and blessings be upon him) saying applies:
Whoever believes in Allah and the Last Day, then let him honor his guest.
من كان يؤمن بالله واليوم الآخر فليكرم ضيفهThe Shaykh : Abd al-Rahman, Abd al-Latif, Abd al-Razzaq, Abd al-Musawwir, and Abd al-Muhaymin. As for this one, I named him Muhammad, and his birth was here. Then, by divine decree, I was the one who attended him. – The students laugh, andThe Shaykh : (may Allah have mercy on him), and the hospital was close to us, the hospital...
The student : King’s Hospital.
The Shaykh : King’s Hospital, but I know hospitals for their indifference, from exposing the private parts to the rest of it. So I was distressed and preferred that she give birth in my house, and I was the midwife. O Allah, feed the one who fed me and give drink to the one who gave me drink.
The student : The righteous have eaten your food, the angels have sent blessings upon you, and the fasting ones have broken their fast with you. May Allah reward you with good.
The student : ...
Source
www.al-albany.com
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.