Part 34

9) It ls Recommended To Eat With Three Fingers And To Lick One's Fingers After Eating

It is from the Prophet’s guidance that he would eat with three fingers and lick them after he was finished eating. Ka’ab Ibn Maalik related that his father said, ‘The Messenger of Allah # would eat, using three fingers, and he would lick his hand before wiping them." Here is a paraphrase of Ibn Al-Qayyim’s comments on this hadith:

The eater finds no enjoyment in eating with only one or two fingers; the going is so slow that he will only fill himself after a long time, and furthermore, the taste buds will find very little pleasure in the amount that is tasted during each mouthful. On the other extreme, a person who eats with all five fingers causes an overload on his mouth and digestive passages. By eating ina gluttonous manner and stuffing large quantities of food in one handful into the mouth, one can cause harm to his body. One’s digestive system will have a hard time handling so much food at once, Furthermore, one will not thoroughly enjoy his meal. The best form of eating, therefore, is the way the Prophet # ate, and the way those who follow him eat - with three fingers.

Ibn ‘Abbaas # reported that the Prophet # said,

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“When one of you eats, then let him not wipe his hand until he licks it or has it licked.””

The following is from the narration of Ahmad and Abu Daawood: “Then let him not wipe his hand with a handkerchief

{I Related by Muslim (2031), Ahmad (26626), Abu Daawood (3848), and AdDaarimee (2033).

until he licks it or has it licked.’”"] The wisdom behind the ruling conveyed in this hadith is explicitly mentioned in the hadith of Jaabir Ibn ‘Abdullah 4: ‘Verily, the Prophet #¢ ordered for fingers and the plate to be licked [after a meal], and he #8 said,

“Verily, you do not know in which part of it (your food) there is blessing.’

This hadith means - and Allah 3¢ knows best - that the meal one eats has blessings in it, but one doesn’t know whether the blessings of it are in the portion he ate, the portion that remains stuck on his fingers, the pieces that remain on his plate, or the morsel that fell down. Not knowing the exact part of a meal that is blessed, he should eat every part of it and in the process avoid wasting food. In the hadith, the Arabic word for ‘blessings’ is Barakah. \n its original sense, Barakah means ‘an increase, the establishment of goodness as well as its enjoyment.’ What it means in the hadith - and Allah 3 knows best - is safety from disease and weakness, the nourishment derived from food, the strength one physically achieves to obey Allah %é, and many other benefits.

10) When A Morsel Of Food Falls Down, It Ils Recommended To Pick It Up, To Wipe Off Anything That Attached Itself To It, And Then To Eat It

Jaabir Ibn ‘Abdullah # reported that the Messenger of Allah # said, astls She, & 6 U Loi BLE ust id 255 ip “If a morsel belonging to one of you falls down, then let him take

"] Related by Bukhaaree (5456), Muslim (2031), Ahmad (3224), Abu Daawood (3847), fon Maajah (3269), and Ad-Daarimee (2026).

1 Related by Muslim (2033), Ahmad (13809), and Ibn Maajah (3270). And the above-mentioned wording is from Muslim’s narration of the hadith.

Chapter - 9 The Manners Of Eating And Drinking 213

it, remove any filth that is on it, and eat it - and let him not leave it for the Shaitaan...’”

In another narration of the hadith, the Prophet # said,

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“Verily, the Shaitaan is present with [each] one of you in all of his affairs; he (Shaitaan) is even present with him when he is eating. So if a morsel falls from one of you, then let him remove any filth that is on it and then eat it, and let him not leave it for the Shaitaan. And when he (i.e., one of you) finishes [eating], then let him lick his fingers, for he does not know in which part of his food there is blessings (Barakah).’"")

Let us point out some of the lessons we can learn from this hadith. First, the Shaitaan is ever present with every human being, looking not only for opportunities to inflict harm upon a person, but also for a chance to share with him his food and drink. Second, we should remove any dirt or foreign object that attaches itself to a morsel of food that falls down. Then we should eat it, realizing that we are preventing the Shaitaan from eating it. Shaitaan is our enemy, and as such, we should not only protect ourselves from him, but we should also make sure that he does not achieve any benefit through us. Third, the blessings of a meal might be in the portion that falls down on the ground, so we should pick it up and eat it, and not lose out on the chance of eating the particular part of a meal that has blessings in it. Fourth, we must believe, as the hadith informs us, that the Shaitaan is always present with us; we cannot and must not, therefore, follow the way of those who use their defective minds to reason and interpret, until they end up claiming that it is not

"I Related by Muslim (2033) and Ahmad (14218).

possible for Shaitaan to be with us at all times.

11) The Prohibition Of Taking Two Dates At One Time From A Tray

This prohibition does not apply to a person when he is alone, but only to a group of people, and even then with certain conditions that must be present. Sho’bah Ibn Jabalah said, ‘’...We were afflicted with a drought, and Ibn Az-Zubair 4% would provide us with dates. Ibn ‘Umar 4 would pass by us and say, ‘Verily, the Messenger of Allah #% forbade us from Al-Iqraan (here meaning, picking up two dates from the tray or dish at the same time) unless a man among you asks permission from his brother." Commenting on this hadith in Al-Mushkil, Ibn Al-Jawzee said, “As for the ruling of the hadith, it only applies to a group of people, [and only when} the custom is to take one date per serving. So when a person takes two [at the same time], he takes more than everyone else, and thus prefers himself to them, without having the necessary permission to do so.” From the wording of the hadith, some scholars have understood an outright prohibition, and other scholars have understood AlKaraahah (i.e., that it is disliked to take two dates at the same time). An-Nawawee said that a more detailed ruling is called for. He said, ‘The correct ruling is one that is more detailed: if, as a group, they collectively own the dates, then it is Haram to take two dates at the same time unless they are satisfied with one of them doing so. How does one know that they are satisfied with that? Either they say so plainly or their situation shows that they do not mind. Regardless of how they express their satisfaction, one should know for sure or be almost sure that they do not mind him taking two dates at once. But if he has any doubts about them minding or not, it is Haram (forbidden) for him to pick up two dates (or more) at the same time. If the food belongs to someone other than them or to a single person among them, one need only make sure that the owner of the food does not mind. If one takes two dates at the same time without the owner

"1 Related by Bukhaaree (2455), Muslim (2045), Ahmad (5017), At-Tirmidhee (1814), Abu Daawood (3834), and Ibn Maajah (3331).

Chapter - 9 The Manners Of Eating And Drinking 215

of the food being satisfied with him doing that, then he is perpetrating a Haram (forbidden) deed. When a single person owns the food, it is recommended but not compulsory for one to also ask the other people present permission to take two dates at the same time. If a person owns the dates himself and is hosting others, it is not Haram (forbidden) for him to take two dates at the same time; but if there is only a small quantity of food, it is better for him not to take extra. When, on the other hand, there is a lot of food, it is okay for him, as the owner of the food, to take two dates at one serving. The general etiquette is to show good manners when eating and to avoid gluttony and greed; the exception to the rule is when one is in a hurry and wants to take his [fair] share quickly, so that he can attend to his other affairs."

Question: Like dates, there are other kinds of foods that are customarily taken one at a time (per serving) off of a tray or dish. Do the principles of analogy then apply in this issue? Or, in other words, is it forbidden to take two portions of those kinds of foods in the same serving?

Answer: Yes, the principles of analogy do apply in this issue. Ibn Taymiyyah said, “In accordance with the principles of analogy, the ruling of Qiraan (taking two dates off of a tray at the same time) applies to any food that is customarily taken one piece (or one portion) at a time.”

12) It ls Recommended To Wait And Not Eat Food While It Is Still Very Hot

It is related from Asmaa Bint Abu Bakr % that when she would

prepare a broth, she would cover it for some time until it would

stop boiling (or until it would no longer be extremely hot). After

related this practice, she said, “Verily, I heard the Messenger of

" Sharh Muslim: vol. 7 (13/190)

“Verily, doing so allows for a greater degree of Barakah (blessings).’”""

Abu Hurairah % said, “Food should not be eaten until its steam goes away.) In Zaad Al-Ma’aad, Ibn Al-Qayyim said that the Prophet # would not eat food while it was intensely hot. And again, ‘Barakah’ in this context means safety from harm as a result of eating, the nourishment provided by the food, and strength achieved for obeying Allah 38.

13) The Prohibition Of Finding Fault With Food Or Scorning It