Hatim, on his way to Mountain Nida, came across an open field. Here, he saw a huge crowd gathered around a lavish feast. On seeing him, the leader of the group said, “We were waiting for a stranger to arrive! So, do the honor and accept this feast.” Hatim inquired, “Why do you want me to be a part of your feast?” The leader explained, “When someone in our village dies, we gather here on this open field. We then wait for a stranger to arrive. After giving him a lavish feast, we bury the dead and have food ourselves. We do this in order to bring peace and blessings to the departed soul. We have been waiting for seven days! Now we are hungry and tired. If you accept this feast, we too can have food and return to our respective houses, for such is our custom, stranger.” Thus, Hatim had the meal and then continued his journey.
Strange Custom
