The believers used to take the weak and those with disabilities to the houses of their spouses and children, and to the houses of their relatives and friends, and they would feed them from it. Doubts arose in the hearts of the feeders and those being fed regarding this, and they feared that they might incur blame for it. They disliked that it might be eating without right, due to Allah's saying: 'And do not consume one another's wealth unjustly.' It was said to them: There is no blame upon the weak nor upon yourselves, meaning: there is no blame upon you and upon those in similar situations among the believers regarding this. And from 'Ikrimah: The Ansar had a sense of cleanliness in themselves. They would not eat from these houses when they were self-sufficient. It was said: These people avoided mingling with others and eating with them due to what might lead to dislike from them. An blind person might inadvertently reach for what his eater's eye reached first without realizing it. The lame person might spread out in his seating and take more than his share, thus making it tight for his companion. The sick person is not free from an odor that is offensive or a wound that oozes or a nose that runs, and so on. It was said: They would go out for battle and leave the weak in their homes, giving them the keys and allowing them to eat from their houses, yet they would feel hesitant. It was narrated from Al-Harith bin Amr that he went out to fight and left Malik bin Zaid in his house and with his wealth. When he returned, he saw him exhausted and asked: What happened to you? He said: I had nothing, and it was not lawful for me to eat from Malik's wealth. It was said: There is no blame upon these weak ones for what they feel hesitant about, nor upon you to eat from these houses. This is correct speech, and it is also interpreted that these have no blame for refraining from battle, nor is there blame upon you to eat from the mentioned houses, as both parties are free from blame. An example of this is when a traveler asks you about breaking the fast in Ramadan, or a pilgrim asks about prioritizing shaving over the sacrifice. You would say: There is no blame upon the traveler to break the fast, nor upon you, O pilgrim, to prioritize shaving over the sacrifice. If you say: Why not mention the children? I would say: Their mention is included under the saying 'from your houses' because a man's child is part of him, and his ruling is the same as his own. In the hadith: 'The best of what a man eats is from his earnings, and his child is from his earnings.' The meaning of 'from your houses' refers to the houses that contain your spouses and children, and because the child is closer than those mentioned among the relatives, if the reason for the concession is kinship, then the one who is closer to them is more deserving. If you ask: What does 'or what your right hands possess' mean? I would say: A man's wealth, if he has a guardian and an agent who protects it for him, is that he may eat from the fruits of his orchard and drink from the milk of his livestock. The ownership of the keys means having them in his hand and protecting them. It was said: The houses of the slaves, because the wealth of the slave belongs to his master. And it was read: 'his key'.

If you say: What is the meaning of 'or your friends'? I say: Its meaning is: or the houses of your friends. The term 'friend' can refer to one or many. [Mahamud said: 'The term 'friend' can refer to one or many, and the intended meaning here is the plural.' Ahmad said: 'Al-Zamakhshari said: The reason for its singular form in the saying of Allah, the Exalted, 'So we have no intercessors, nor a close friend,' is to indicate the scarcity of friends, unlike intercessors. For a person may have someone who intercedes for him whom he does not know, let alone be a friend. It is possible in both verses - and Allah knows best - that the intended meaning is the plural, so there is no issue, and it is also possible that the singular is intended, and that is its secret, and Allah knows best.] Likewise, the term 'partner,' 'companion,' and 'enemy.' It is narrated from Al-Hasan that he entered his house and saw a group of his friends who had taken out baskets from under his bed containing sweet dishes and delicious foods, and they were gathered around eating. His face brightened with joy, and he laughed and said: 'This is how we found them, this is how we found them.' He means the senior companions and those who met them among the people of Badr, may Allah be pleased with them. A man among them would enter his friend's house while he was absent and ask his maid for his bag, taking from it whatever he wished. When his master returned and was informed, he would free her out of joy for that. And from Ja'far ibn Muhammad Al-Sadiq, may Allah be pleased with them both: 'The sanctity of a friend is so great that Allah made him a source of comfort, ease, and relaxation, and removed shyness, placing him in the same rank as the self, father, brother, and son.' And from Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with them both: 'A friend is greater than parents. When the people of Hell cried out for help, they did not call upon fathers and mothers. They said: 'So we have no intercessors, nor a close friend.' And they said: 'If the outward situation indicates the pleasure of the owner, that serves as a substitute for explicit permission, and sometimes seeking permission may be awkward and burdensome, like someone who is offered food and seeks permission from his companion to eat from it, whether together or separately.' It was revealed concerning the Banu Lyth ibn Amr from Kinanah, who were hesitant to eat alone, so they might wait from day until night. If they did not find someone to share a meal with, they would eat out of necessity. It was said about a group from the Ansar: 'When a guest arrives, they do not eat except with their guest.' It was said: 'They were hesitant about gathering for a meal due to the differences among people in eating and some eating more than others.' 'So when you enter houses from these houses to eat, begin by greeting their owners, who are of your religion and kin.' [Mahamud said: 'Its meaning is: So greet the kind that is of you in religion and kin.' Ahmad said: 'In expressing them as 'the selves' is an indication of the secret that necessitated the permissibility of eating from these designated houses, and that is because they are, in relation to the one entering, like his own house due to the unity of kinship, so let him feel at ease by dining in them, and Allah knows best.] A greeting from Allah, meaning established by His command, legislated from Him. Or because the greeting and salutation is a request for safety and life for the Muslim upon him and life from Allah. And it is described as blessed and good: because it is a prayer of a believer for another believer, by which an increase of goodness and good provision is hoped from Allah. And from Anas, may Allah be pleased with him, he said: 'I served the Messenger of Allah, blessings and peace be upon him, for ten years - and it was narrated: nine years - and he never said to me regarding something I did: 'Why did you do that?' Nor did he say to me regarding something I broke: 'Why did you break that?' I was standing at his head pouring water on his hands when he raised his head and said: 'Shall I not teach you three traits by which we can benefit?' I said: 'Yes, by my father and mother, O Messenger of Allah.' He said: 'Whenever you meet someone from my nation, greet him, it will prolong your life. And when you enter your house, greet them, it will increase the goodness of your house. And pray the Duha prayer, for it is the prayer of the righteous who frequently return.' [Narrated by Abu Al-Qasim Hamzah ibn Yusuf Al-Jurjani in the History of Jurjan, and Al-Bayhaqi in Al-Shu'ab in the sixty-first. ]

And Al-Thalabi narrates from the way of Al-Yasa' ibn Zayd ibn Sahl from Ibn 'Utbah from Hamid and from Anas in full. Al-Yasa' is another who claimed he heard from Ibn 'Utbah. He died after the year two hundred and eighty, and he is weak in hadith. The essence of the hadith is without the story that is in it, in the authentic narration from the hadith of Anas, may Allah be pleased with him. The rest is narrated from Anas through various chains. Among them is what Al-Bazzar narrated from the way of 'Awid ibn 'Imran Al-Juni from his father who said: 'The Prophet, blessings and peace be upon him, advised me with five qualities. He said: Make your ablution complete, it will increase your lifespan. And greet whoever you meet from my nation, it will increase your good deeds. And when you enter your house, greet your family, it will increase the goodness of your house. And pray the Duha prayer, for it is the prayer of the repentant. And have mercy on the young and honor the old, you will be among my companions.' 'Awid. Ibn Hibban said: He narrates from his father what is not from his hadith. And Abu Ya'la narrated it from the narration of 'Amr ibn Abi Khalifah from Dhurar ibn 'Amr from Anas, and its chain is very weak. Likewise, Al-Tabarani narrated it in the small collection from the narration of 'Amr ibn Dinar from Anas, and the narrator from him is weak. Al-'Aqili narrated it from the narration of Al-Fadl ibn Al-'Abbas from Thabit from Anas, and Al-Fadl is unknown. Al-'Aqili said: No one followed him on this except one who is below him or before him. And Ibn 'Adi narrated it from the way of Azwar ibn Ghalib from Sulayman Al-Taymi from Anas. Ibn Tahir said: Azwar is a fabricator of hadith. And there is another way from Anas that is weaker than this. They said: If there is no one in the house, let him say: 'Peace be upon us from our Lord, peace be upon us and upon the righteous servants of Allah. Peace be upon the people of the house and the mercy of Allah.' And from Ibn 'Abbas: When you enter the mosque, say: 'Peace be upon us and upon the righteous servants of Allah, a greeting from Allah.' And the greeting is established as 'salam,' because it is in the meaning of 'salutation,' like saying: 'I sat sitting.'