Can you explain the hadith, “The best deed is offering food and greeting everyone”?

- When our Prophet (pbuh) was asked “What deed of a Muslim is the best?”, he answered as follows: “Giving food to and greeting people whom you know and whom you do not know.”
-  What does this hadith tell us, and what lessons can we learn from this hadith?

Dear Brother / Sister,

According to what is reported from Abdullah Ibn Amr Ibn As (ra), someone asked the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wasallam):

“What deed of a Muslim is the best?”  The Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) said:

“Giving food to and greeting people whom you know and whom you do not know.” (Bukhari, Iman 6, 20; Muslim, Iman 63)

Offering food and spreading the greetings of salam (peace) are two important steps in doing charity. These two deeds enable many positive steps to be taken, especially in interpersonal relationships.

The phrase “people whom you know and whom you do not know” seems to be about greeting in the text of the hadith. Translations have always been made according to this expression. However, as Ali al-Qari points out, the phrase "people whom you know and whom you do not know" can be for the advice of both greeting and offering food. We made the translation accordingly, taking into account this possibility.

Offering food and greeting are two important favors for the establishment of warm relations, deep-rooted friendships and increase of good deeds in society. Doing these favors to “people whom you know and whom you do not know” means determining the widest circle for both good deeds.

It will be useful to remember another important point here. Our beloved Prophet (pbuh) answered those who asked him what the best deeds were in terms of their state, that is, by saying the best deeds for them. This was his style. So, his answers would be different.

Acting upon this principle, we can think that the questioner, whose name is not given in the hadith, is either very sensitive and careful or a little flawed about offering food and greeting.

Thus, if the person asking the question was very sensitive and careful about those issues, our Prophet (pbuh) would praise him by expressing how important what he did was and wanted him to keep doing it; if he was a little negligent about those issues, he would warn him not to neglect them again and encourage him to do those deeds.

Offering foods and spreading greetings are generosity on their own; they have similar aspects. For, people usually offer food and greet their relatives and loved ones or those they deem worthy of compliment and favor.

However, in both cases, being able to treat everyone in the same way without underestimating anyone is extremely important ethical maturity and favor. While some self-righteous people greet only those whom they like, they do not consider most people worthy of greeting. It is never the right thing to do.

It is possible to see the same thing in offering food and receptions. However, Islam orders Muslims to treat people equally without making such a discrimination in offering food and greeting.

In our time, especially in big cities, it is often impossible to predict what faiths and thoughts people have. In spite of this, greeting and offering food to everyone we know and do not know is very important in terms of showing Muslim kindness because man is the servant of kindness. It is not possible to think of a normal person who does not like to receive kindness and to be called a good person.

People who are not normal, on the other hand, are already out of the question. No matter what you do to them, you cannot satisfy them.

Accordingly:

- Muslims should try to do favors to everyone.

- As for kindness, it has a special place and importance to offer food and greet everyone who is familiar and unfamiliar.

- Muslims should lead the way in establishing warm relations and sincere friendships in society.

- The answers of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) include priorities that take into account the special state of those who ask questions.

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