REVIVE THE SUNNAH THIS RAMADAN – Part 8 The sunan for eating is as follows: 1. Pronounce the Tasmiyah, ‘Bismillah’ [In the Name of Allah]. 2. Eat with the right hand. 3. Eat from what is in front of you. – It is Sunnah for a person to eat from the food that is directly in front of him, and not reach out to take food that is directly in front of others, or from the middle of the platter, because the Prophet sallallahu alaihi wassallam said to ‘Umar ibn Abi Salamah, “O young boy, say Bismillaah, eat with your right hand, and eat from what is directly in front of you.” (Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 3576; Muslim, 2022). For a person to eat from his companion’s plate is bad manners and impolite. His companion may find this off-putting, especially if the food is soupy etc. That is because Ibn ‘Abbaas radi Allahu ‘anha narrated that the Prophet sallallahu alaihe wassallam said: “The blessing descends in the middle of the food, so eat from the edges and do not eat from the middle.” (Narrated by al-Tirmidhi, 1805; Ibn Maajah, 3277. Classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Jaami’, 829). But if the food is dates or something of that type, (the scholars) narrated that it is permissible to eat from all parts of the plate. 4. Washing the hands after eating. The Sunnah may be done by washing with water only. 5. Rinsing the mouth after eating. It is mustahabb to rinse the mouth after eating. 6. If some food drops, clean it and then eat it: “If one of you dropped a morsel of food, then remove from it whatever there is of dirt and then eat it…” [Reported by Muslim 2034]. 7. Eating with three fingers. The Sunnah is to eat with three fingers; eating with more than three fingers is a sign of greed and is bad manners, because there is no need for more than three in order to gather up a morsel. If it is necessary to use more than three, because the food is light and cannot be gathered in three fingers, then one may use the fourth or fifth. This applies if a person is eating with his hand. But there is nothing wrong with using a spoon etc. 8. It is mustahabb when sitting to eat is to kneel down, with the top of the feet resting on the floor, or to sit with the right knee up, resting on the left foot. 9. Not reclining whilst eating. That is because the Prophet sallallahu alaihe wassallam said: “I do not eat whilst I am reclining.” (Narrated by al-Bukhari, 5399). What is meant by reclining is any manner of sitting in which one is too comfortable and relaxed, because that may tempt him to eat a great deal, which is blameworthy according to sharee‘ah. 10. Not criticizing the food. Abu Hurayrah radi Allahu ‘anhu narrated that the Prophet sallallahu alaihe wassallam never criticized any food. If he liked it he would eat it and if he did not like it he would leave it. (Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 3370; Muslim, 2046) 11. It is haram for a Muslim to eat so much that it harms him, because that is a kind of extravagance and extravagance is haram, because Allah says “and eat and drink but waste not by extravagance, certainly He (Allah) likes not Al‑Musrifoon (those who waste by extravagance)” [al-A’raaf 7:31]. Warnings have been narrated from the Prophet sallallahu alaihe wassallam about eating one’s fill too often, and that this is a cause of suffering from hunger on the Day of Resurrection. It was narrated that Ibn ‘Umar radi Allahu ‘anhu said: A man burped in the presence of the Messenger of Allah sallallahu alaihe wassallam and he said: “Keep your burps away from us, for the one who eats his fill the most in this world will be hungry for the longest time on the Day of Resurrection.” Narrated by al-Tirmidhi (2015); classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Tirmidhi. Observe the following Sunan after eating: 1. Lick the bowl and the fingers: ‘The Prophet sallallahu alaihe wassallam ordered the licking of the fingers and bowl, and he said, ‘Verily you do not know in which of it (which morsel of food) is the blessing. [Narrated by Muslim 2033]. 2. Praise Allah: ‘Verily Allah is pleased with the slave who eats his food and praises Allah for it…’ [Narrated by Muslim 2734]. And the supplication is: ‘All praise is for Allah, who fed me this and provided it for me without any might or power from myself.’ From the benefits of this Du’a is that: ‘The person’s past sins will be forgiven.’ [Narrated by At-Tirmidhee 3458 and Ibn Majah 3285].
Posted on: Mon, 29 Jul 2013 17:09:17 +0000
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