Chapter: What one should say when he is invited to a meal and someone uninvited tags along

Hadith 739 — Abū Masʿūd al-Badri (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: A man invited the Prophet ﷺ to a meal he had prepared for him as the fifth of five guests. On the way, another man followed them. When they reached the host’s door, the Prophet ﷺ said to him, “This man has followed us; if you wish, allow him in, and if you wish, he will go back.” The host replied, “Rather, I permit him, O Messenger of Allah.” Agreed upon.

Explanation

The author (may Allah have mercy on him) writes in “The Book of Food Etiquette”: “Chapter: What is to be said by someone who has been invited to eat and is followed by another.” He then cites the hadith of Abū Masʿūd al-Badri (may Allah be pleased with him): a man invited the Prophet ﷺ to a meal as the fifth of five—meaning he had fixed the number at five. Another man followed them, making them six. When the Prophet ﷺ reached the host’s house, he sought permission for the sixth man, saying, “This man has followed us; if you wish, give him leave, and if you wish, he will return.”

This narration points to several rulings. First: It is permissible for a host to limit the number of guests he invites, and there is no blame in doing so. Some people claim that specifying a number betrays stinginess,