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IDC Study Circle (Class notes) The Way of the Muslim

Etiquettes of eating and drinking

Dates delivered: 22/11/10

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 Introduction
What is the purpose of food and drink? o Shaykh Jaza'iry: They are not a goal and pleasure in themselves. He eats and drinks in order to keep his body healthy so that he may worship Allah the Almighty. o The purpose behind eating and drinking is not out of desire! o If a Muslim is not hungry, he doesn't eat. If he is not thirsty, they do not drink.

Etiquette Before Eating

Intention
To strengthen oneself for the purpose of worshipping Allah and to be rewarded for eating and drinking. Permissible act then becomes an act of worship that is rewarded by Allah due to the good intention. Highly important! Making sure they are from the pure and permissible sources. A link between the halaal and dua being accepted On the authority of Abu Hurairah (radiAllaahu 'anhu) who said: The Messenger of Allaah (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) said: Allaah the Almighty is Good and accepts only that which is good. And verily Allaah has commanded the Believers to do that which He has commanded the Messengers. So the Almighty has said: "O (you) Messengers! Eat of the Tayyibaat [all kinds of Halaal (legal) foods], and perform righteous deeds." [23:51] and the Almighty has said: "O you who believe! Eat of the lawful things that We have provided you" [2:172] Then he mentioned [the case] of a man who, having journeyed far, is disheveled and dusty, and who spreads out his hands to the sky saying "O Lord! O Lord!", while his food is Haraam (unlawful), his drink is Haraam, his clothing is Haraam, and he has been nourished with Haraam, so how can [his supplication] be answered?! [Collected by Muslim] Ahadith is one of the hadith upon which the Principles and Rulings of Islaam are built. TheWayoftheMuslim.wordpress.com 2
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Pure sources

Discussing halaal and haraam and their relationship to: o the nearness to Allah o and the acceptance of ones dua. Hadeeth also consists of the aspects and principles of tawheed.

Line by Line explanation of this hadith

On the authority of Abu Hurairah (radiAllaahu 'anhu) who said: The Messenger of Allaah (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) said:
Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) o Famous sahabee for memorizing the most hadith. o Him and his mother are beloved to the believers due to a dua of the Prophet (peace be upon him) READ ARTICLE ON THE BLOG: ABU HURAYRAH (MAY ALLAH BE PLEASED WITH HIM)

Allaah the Almighty is Good

Allah is described at Tayeb. (Good) One of the Names of Allah - means good and pure. (Taahir = pure far above imperfections and defectS) Opposite of Tayeb is Khabeeth - all that is filthy, evil and bad.

Allah says,

Say (O Muhammad sallAllaahu 'alayhi wa sallam): "Not equal are Al-Khabeeth (all that is evil and bad as regards things, deeds, beliefs, persons, foods, etc.) and At-Tayeb (all that is good as regards things, deeds, beliefs, persons, foods, etc.), even though the abundance of Al-Khabeeth (evil) may please you." 5:100 Allah is Tayeb in himself, in his names, in his attributes, judgments, actions, decree and all that comes from him. Nothing is bad / defective in nature. This is among the principles of Tawheed al Asma wal Sifaat o All of the names of Allah are pure, and perfect. You cant find any kind of defect whatsoever in any of his names. And (all) the Most Beautiful Names belong to Allaah, so call on Him by them. 7:180 READ CLASS 4 NOTES: ONENESS OF ALLAHS NAMES AND ATTRIBUTES.

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Allah is tayeb in his actions. All his actions are good. and His decree is all good - you might think there is something bad in your life, but it is good. Look at the examples of the Prophets.

and accepts only that which is good.

Regarding the sayings and actions. All that is bad (Khabeeth) is rejected. The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "If anyone gives in charity something equal to a date from his honestly earned money--for nothing ascends to God except good--then God will take it in His Right (Hand) and bring it up for its owner as anyone of you brings up a baby horse, until it becomes like a mountain...Nothing ascends to God except good." - Sahih Al-Bukhari, Volume 9, Number 525B Question: Does Allah accept charity that was collected from evil sources? (i.e. stolen?) o No. Because He is Tayeb! So the tayeb of deeds are those which are done: o sincerely for Allah and o according to shariah.

And verily Allaah has commanded the Believers to do that which He has commanded the Messengers
Shows us that the messengers are commanded. Commanded to do and commanded to abstain. Shows they did not speak from their own desires. And some might say that Prophet did something in Sunnah from his own desires. Commanded the believers to do the same as the Messengers. o This statement is raising the ranks of the believers. They have been raised as Allah has addressed them with a command that He addressed the Messengers with. = Honorable status

So the Almighty has said:"O (you) Messengers! Eat of the Tayyibaat [all kinds of Halaal (legal) foods], and perform righteous deeds." [23:51]
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Allah commanded the messengers to eat from the tayibaat and earn honestly through legal ways.

and the Almighty has said: "O you who believe! Eat of the lawful things that We have provided you" [2:172]
The command was the same for the believers. o Messengers & Believers commanded to eat that which is good. o Believers are also commanded. Commanded to do and abstain.

Then he mentioned [the case] of a man who, having journeyed far, is disheveled and dusty, and who spreads out his hands to the sky saying "O Lord! O Lord!", while his food is Haraam (unlawful), his drink is Haraam, his clothing is Haraam, and he has been nourished with Haraam, so how can [his supplication] be answered?!
So much benefit we can get from this part of the hadeeth. Shows us the causes for the dua to be accepted.

Then he mentioned [the case] of a man who

Prophet (peace be upon him) gives a similitude / example to show his eloquence. Also this was the way of the Prophet (peace be upon him) give an example emphasize the point. Example of a Muslim who is in need of Allah. Pay heed to this similitude as you might find yourself in need of Allah and your case maybe the same as this man.

having journeyed far

Travel One of the causes for a dua to be accepted. The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said; Three supplications will not be rejected by Allah the supplication of the parent for his child, the supplication of the one who is fasting, and the supplication of the traveler. [al-Bayhaqi, at-Tirmidhi - Sahih]

is disheveled and dusty..

He has not taken care of himself and it shows that he is in need of dua. His concern is not his appearance, but his concern is the dua. Shows sincerity. 5
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 and who spreads out his hands to the sky

This is the case of one who makes dua and it is from the etiquettes of Dua Salman al-Farsi narrated that the Prophet (sallAllaahu alayhi wasalam) said: 'Indeed, Allah is Shy and Beneficent. His is Shy when His servant raises his hands to Him (in a du'a) to return them empty, disappointed!' [Ahmad]

saying "O Lord! O Lord!",

"Oh my Lord" invoking Allah of the attribute Ruboobiyah. o The one who belongs the kingdom and running of all the affairs. o A means of du'a being answered. o Belief in Allah and calling upon him by the beautiful names. etiquette

while his food is Haraam (unlawful), his drink is Haraam, his clothing is Haraam, and he has been nourished with Haraam
Allah is Tayeb and only accepts that which is Tayeb. The man does all these things that are from the etiquettes of making dua and from the things which will have his dua accepted. o But these things are haraam. Food is unlawful - essence or by its earning. Drink is unlawful - essence or by its earning. Clothes are unlawful - essence or by its earning. Nourishment is unlawful - due to haraam earning or being cared for by other than him.

so how can [his supplication] be answered?!

The Prophet (peace be upon him) ended with a question that is in the negative. Meaning it is very unlikely the one who eats drinks, clothes, nourishes (earning) haraam that their dua maybe answered - even though he may be doing some of the means by which the dua is answered. A warning from eating unlawful food, drink, and clothing.

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 Further etiquettes before eating

Washing hands before eating, ensuring hands are clean.
Muslim should always be concerned with their personal hygiene This makes the act more modest. Anas said: Allahs messenger (peace be upon him) did not eat upon a table or from a platter. (Al-Bukhari) Question: Does that mean sitting from a table is haraam? "In such matters it is not obligatory for the Muslim to follow the example of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), but he may still do so. If a Muslim eats at a table, there is no sin on." (islamqa.com)

Place food on a spread on the floor

One should sit to eat in a modest fashion.

Rest on ones knees and sit with top of on the ground (and his body resting on the bottom of his feet). Or put his right leg erect and sit upon his left leg, as in the manner that Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) would sit. Not from etiquette to recline, as Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) said: "I do not eat while reclining. Instead, I am a servant, so I eat like a servant eats and I sit like a servant sits. (Al-Bukhari)

Be satisfied by the food that is presented in front of your and do not find fault with it.
If he likes it, he should eat it. If he does not like it, he should leave it. Based on the statement of Abu Hurayrah: Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him)| never found fault with any food. If he desired it, he would eat it. If he disliked it, he would leave it." (Al-Bukhari)

Eat along with others (i.e. a guest, family member, son or daughter etc)
This is based on this Hadith: 7
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Eat your food together, for you will thereby be blessed in it. (Abu Dawud and At-Tirmithi who said it is Sahih)

Etiquette While Eating.

Start with saying Bismillah In the name of Allah
Based on the hadith: When one of you eats some food, let him say Bismillah, and if he forgets to do so at the beginning, let him say Bismillah fi awwalihi wa aakhirihi (In the name of Allah at the beginning and end). Question: Do we say Bismillah or Bismillah ir-Rahmaan ir-Raheem before eating? Difference in opinion between the scholar Most of the scholars say there is nothing wrong with this addition. Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allah have mercy on him) said: If one says when eating, Bismillah ir-Rahmaan ir-Raheem, that is good and more perfect. (al-Fataawa al-Kubra, 5/480) An-Nawawi (may Allah have mercy on him) said: It is more important to note the phrase to be used when mentioning the name of Allah. The best is to say Bismillah ir-Rahmaan ir-Raheem, but if one says Bismillah, that is sufficient and fulfils the Sunnah. (al-Adhkaar, 1/231) Al-Haafiz ibn Hajar (may Allah have mercy on him): I have not seen any particular evidence to support what he claims about it being better. (Fath al-Baari.) Conclusion: it is better to limit it to saying Bismillah when starting to eat, and not add anything to it. But if one does add to it by saying Bismillah ir- Rahmaan ir-Raheem, there is nothing wrong with that according to the majority of scholars.

Eat with the right hand, small portions and chew them well.
It was narrated from Ibn Umar (may Allaah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: No one among you should eat with his left hand, or drink with it, for the Shaytaan eats with his left hand and drinks with it. (Narrated by Muslim, 2020).

Eat what is close and do not take from the middle of the plate:

Not to reach out or on the other side of the plate Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) told Umar ibn Ali Salamah: 8
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"O young man, mention the Name of Allah, eat with your right hand and eat from what is close to you. (Al-Bukhari and Muslim) Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) also said: "The blessings descend from the middle of the food. So eat from the edges and do not eat from the middled "(At- Tirmithi)

If a person drops some food, he should remove the dirt from it and eat it.
Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) stated: "If a morsel of food falls from any of you, he should take it and wipe it clean of any dirt and then eat it. He should not leave it for the Shaytan." (Muslim)

Not blow directly over hot food

Should wait until it cools down. Should not blow into a glass of water while drinking from it. o Instead, he should breathe three times outside of the vessel. Anas narrated that Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him), would breathe three times while drinking. (Al-Bukhari and Muslim) o Abu Sa'id narrated that Allah's Messenger (SAW) forbade blowing into a drink. (Al-Bukhari and Muslim) o Ibn 'Abbas narrated that Allah's Messenger (SAW) forbade breathing into a drinking vessel or blowing into it. (At-Tirmithi)

Avoid eating to his fill or overeating.

A golden rule when it comes to eating and drinking! Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) said: "A human does not fill any container worse than his stomach. It is enough for a human to have some morsels to strengthen his back (keep his back straight). If he must eat more, then it should be one-third of his stomach for food, one-third for drink and one-third for breathing." (Ahmad)

Dont burden your guest by forcing them to eat, saying, Eat! Eat!
Instead, he should eat what he needs to eat without shyness or trying to be shy. In that case, he troubles his companion or guest and it may also be a type of acting for show, which is forbidden. 9
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Other etiquettes while eating

Shaykh Jazairy: He should not do anything that the others generally consider gross behavior. He should not shake his hand off over the plate. He also should not put his head close to the food such that if something falls from his mouth, it will land in the people's food. Similarly, if he bit off a part of his bread, he should not put the rest of that bread back into the food. He also should not discuss disgusting things while eating. In that way, he might harm one of his companions and it is forbidden to harm a Muslim.

Etiquette After Eating.

Lick the plate and fingers clean before wiping with napkin or washing them.
This is based on the Prophet's statement: "When one of you eats, he should not wipe his fingers until he licks them or has them licked." (Al-Bukhari and Muslim) (NOTE: Refers to having your fingers licked by your spouse) Jabir stated that Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) ordered the fingers and plates be licked clean. He also said: "You do not know in which part of your food lies its blessing." (Muslim)

Praise Allah after eating

Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) said: "If a person eats any food and then says, 'Praise is to Allah who fed me this and provided for me without any strength or power on my part,' all of his previous sins will be forgiven." (At-Tirmithi)

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