Part 33

e) “O Allah, You have fed, given drink, made [Your slaves] pleased, and given life. So for You, O Allah, is all praise for what You have given.” ‘Abdur-Rahmaan Ibn Jubair reported that a man who served the Messenger of Allah #8 for eight years gave this account: when food would be brought before the Messenger of Allah #é, he (the person who served him for eight years) would hear him say, ‘Bismillah,’ and when he finished [eating], he would hear him say,

A GE ety eileg ety etsy Gab i dln

‘O Allah, You have fed, given drink, made [Your slaves] pleased,

"I At-Tirmidhee related it (3458) and said, “This hadith is Hasan Ghareeb.” Tbn Maajah related it too (3285), and he gave it a ‘Hasan’ grade; AlAlbaanee also gave it a ‘Hasan’ grade (3348).

"2 Abu Daawood related it (3851), and in grading it, Al-Albaanee said, “sahih.”

and given life. So for You, O Allah, is all praise for what You have given,’””"1

Related Issue: To reap the blessings of the above-mentioned supplications, you should use all of them, which means that it is recommended for you to alternate, now saying one of them, and now saying another. But there is an added benefit in alternating between the supplications: by alternating, you will remain conscious of the meanings of the words you are saying as you are saying them. For on the other hand, when a person does something from habit - in this case repeating the same invocation over and over again - constant repetition might lead to a decrease in concentration, whereby one will say an invocation like a machine, not reflecting on the import of the words he is uttering.

Another Related Issue: Ibn ‘Abbaas # related that the Messenger of Allah #% said,

“Whenever Allah % feeds food to a person, then let that person say, ‘O Allah, bless us with it and provide us with what is better than it.’ And whenever Allah gives him milk to drink, then let him say, ‘O Allah bless us with it and give us an increase from it.’ For indeed, I know of nothing that suffices from food or drink

(1 A}-Albaanee said in As-Gilsilatus-Saheehah (1/111) (71), “Ahmad related it (4/62, 5/375), and Abu Ash-Shaikh also related it...” He then mentioned its chain and said, “This chain is sahih; all of its men (narrators) are trustworthy, and they are all from among the narrators of Muslim.”

(2) At-Tirmidhee related it (3385) and said, “This hadith is Hasan.” Ibn Maajah related it too (3322), and Al-Albaanee gave a ‘Hasan’ grade to his narration of the hadith (3385).

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6) Eating And Drinking With The Right Hand, And The Prohibition Of Eating With The Left Hand

We have hitherto come across the Prophet’s words to ‘Umar Ibn Abee Salamah , “‘O young boy, mention Allah’s name, eat with your right hand, and eat from what is next to you.” In another hadith, Jaabir Ibn ‘Abdullah 4 reported that the Messenger of Allah # said,

“Do not eat with the left [hand], for indeed Shaitaan eats with the left [hand].

And in yet another hadith, ‘Umar 4 reported that the Messenger of Allah 2% said,

“When one of you eats, then let him eat with his right [hand], and if he drinks, them let him drink with his right [hand], for verily, Shaitaan eats with his left [hand] and drinks with his left [hand]?!

Commenting on the ruling expressed in these narrations, Ibn AlJawzee said, “Since one’s left hand is made for Al-Istinjaa (using a rock, or the equivalent today of tissue paper, to clean the affected area after one relieves himself) and for touching impurities, and since one’s right hand is for handling food, it is not appropriate for one hand to do the work of the other. By using one hand for a task that is specific to the other hand, one either debases something (the right hand) of high ranking or raises something (the left hand) of low ranking. And whosoever acts contrary to

"I Related by Muslim (2019), Ahmad (14177), Ibn Maajah (3268), and Maalik (1711). And the wording mentioned above is from Muslim's narration of the hadith.

2] Related by Muslim (2019), Ahmad (4523), At-Tirmidhee (1800), Abu Daawood (3776), Maalik (1712), and Ad-Daarimee (2030).

the dictates of [this] wisdom acts in concord with Shaitaan.”

Even though the above-mentioned Ahadeeth are famous to the degree that almost every single Muslim knows at least one of them - or at least knows its ruling - some Muslims (may Allah guide them) continue to eat with their left hands. And if you were to remind one of them, he might say something along the lines of, ‘Eating with my left hand has become a habit, and I feel that it will be hard to break.” Shaitaan makes such reasoning seem pleasing to their hearts, in order to prevent them from following the Shariah. That one persists in eating with his left hand even after he is reminded not to proves that Eemaan (Faith) is deficient in his heart. Worse and more evil is one who refuses to eat with his right hand not because of the excuse just mentioned, but because of his pride and arrogance. Salamah Ibn Al-Akwa’ reported that, in the company of the Messenger of Allah #, “A man was eating with his left hand, and so the Prophet #8 said,

“Eat with your right [hand].’ He said, ‘I am not able to.’ The Prophet #% answered,

ta I) Gd) WS ish Vy Gee G eahesl Ya

“May you not be able to.’ Nothing prevented him other than pride, and so he [never later] lifted it to his mouth (i.e., the man’s right hand became paralyzed).”

And this wording is from Ahmad’s narration of the hadith: ‘His right hand never thereafter reached his mouth.”""] An-Nawawee said, “This hadith shows that it is permissible to supplicate against a person who, without having an excuse, acts contrary to a ruling of the Shariah. It also shows that we should order to good and forbid evil in all situations, even when it comes to eating. And finally, we learn from the hadith that it is recommended to

"I Related by Muslim (2021) and Ahmad (16064).

Chapter - 9 The Manners Of Eating And Drinking 209

teach the manners of eating to a person when he violates one [or more] of them.”

Related Issue: If one has a valid excuse - such as sickness, a recent surgery, etc. - for not eating with his right hand, then it is okay for him to eat with his left hand. And Allah 3% does not charge a person with more than he can bear.

7) Eat From What Is Next Or Nearest To You

We have already mentioned ‘Umar Ibn Abee Salamah’s hadith; in one of its narrations, ‘Umar Ibn Abee Salamah 2 said, “One day, I ate with the Messenger of Allah # and I began to take meat from around the dish (i.e., from every side). The Messenger of Allah # then said to me,

“Eat from what is nearest to you.’”

When a number of people are eating from the same tray or dish, and when one of them moves his hand about, whereby his hand reaches parts of the tray that the other people are eating from, he is showing bad manners. And in most cases, the others will feel disgusted by his action.

One might contest what I just said, citing the hadith in which Anas # said, ‘A tailor invited the Messenger of Allah 2% to partake of food he had prepared. I went with the Prophet #, {and when we arrived] he (the host) proffered barley bread and broth that had Ad-Dubaa (squash and pumpkin) and cured meat in it. I saw the Prophet #% take the Ad-Dubaa from all around the dish (the word used is Qas’ah, a dish that can accommodate ten people).”"]

We answer such a contention by explaining that there really is no conflict between the two Ahadeeth. And we say what Ibn ‘Abdul-

{ Related by Bukhaaree (5436), Muslim (2041), Ahmad (12219), AtTirmidhee (1850), Abu Daawood (3782), Maalik (1161), and Ad-Daarimee (2050). And the above-mentioned wording is from Bukhaaree’s narration of the hadith.

Barr said: “Whether we are speaking about broth, gravy, or any other kind of food, if there are two or more kinds of food, it is okay to move one’s hand about, [taking some from each kind,] so that one can choose from what is placed on the dish...” He then commented on the Prophet's saying, ‘Eat from what is nearest to you”: “He #% made the order to eat from what is nearest only because there was only one kind of food. And Allah 3% knows best. The people of knowledge have given this explanation.” This explains how the meanings of the two Ahadeeth are in harmony with one another, and it is Allah 4 who grants success.

8} It Is Recommended To Eat From The Sides Of A Dish, And Not From Its Middie Or Upper Part

Ibn ‘Abbaas reported that the Prophet #% said,

&y BO iS hie LE ty, Job 6 cub Bist gsi bp eset ye dg Koh 8 yal

“When one of you eats, then let him not eat from the upper part of the dish, but instead let him eat from its lower part (perhaps the meaning of upper and lower in the context of gruel, for example, is this: the gruel is uniform until one puts his spoon in it; then he should continue eating from the side he took from until he reaches the bottom of the bowl or dish, instead of continually taking from the top of the gruel), for [its] blessings descend from its upper part.”

And the following is Imam Ahmad’s narration of the hadith: “Eat from the sides of a dish, but do not eat from its middle, for indeed, blessings descend in its middle part." The reason for the prohibition is so that the person eating is not deprived of the blessings that descend into the middle of a dish. The same applies to when a number of people are eating from the same

"11 Related by Abu Daawood (3772), and the above-mentioned wording is from his narration of the hadith; Ahmad (2435); At-Tirmidhee (1805), who said, “This hadith is Hasan sahih”; Ibn Maajah (3277); and AdDaarimee (2046).

Chapter - 9 The Manners Of Eating And Drinking 211

dish: a person shows bad manners to his fellow eaters when he races to the middle of a dish before finishing the side that is nearest him; and he does wrong by greedily preferring himself over others in eating the best part of the dish (the part that has the most blessings), and Allah 3g knows best.