Investigation of the Hadith Regarding Utensils Praying or Cursing After Eating
✍ Answered by: Shaykh ʿAbd al-Wakīl Nāṣir ḥafiẓahullāh
❖ Question:
Is it true that if one does not clean the utensils after eating, the utensils make a bad supplication (curse)? If such a narration exists, what is its reference and authenticity?
❖ Answer:
There is a narration that refers to the utensil seeking forgiveness for the one who licks it after eating:
❖ Narration:
عَنْ نُبَيْشَةَ الْخَيْرِ قَالَ:
دَخَلَ عَلَيْنَا وَنَحْنُ نَأْكُلُ فِي قَصْعَةٍ، فَحَدَّثَنَا أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ قَالَ: مَنْ أَكَلَ فِي قَصْعَةٍ ثُمَّ لَحِسَهَا اسْتَغْفَرَتْ لَهُ الْقَصْعَةُ
📚 [Jāmiʿ al-Tirmidhī: 1804, Sunan Ibn Mājah: 3271]
Translation:
Nubayshah al-Khayr said: He came to us while we were eating in a bowl and narrated: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “Whoever eats in a bowl and then licks it, the bowl seeks forgiveness for him.”
❖ Authentication and Research:
⚠ This narration is weak (ḍaʿīf) due to a narrator named Umm ʿĀṣim, who is majhūlah al-ḥāl (unknown state), and not authenticated by any reliable hadith critics.
Hence, this narration cannot be used as a valid Sharʿī proof.
❖ About Cursing by Utensils:
🔸 As for the claim that utensils curse those who do not clean them—there is no authentic narration proving that.
🔸 Any narrations that mention supplication or cursing by the utensil are either extremely weak or fabricated.
❖ General Islamic Ethics:
✔ Islam encourages cleanliness, gratitude, and respect for blessings.
✔ Cleaning utensils after eating and not wasting food is part of Islamic etiquette.
✔ While there may not be authentic hadith about utensils making duʿā or bad duʿā, the ethical value of cleanliness and thankfulness remains emphasized.
❖ Conclusion:
🔸 The narration about the utensil seeking forgiveness is weak, and there is no authentic hadith about utensils making bad duʿā (cursing).
🔸 Nonetheless, it is recommended to clean one’s eating vessel out of good manners and Islamic ethics.
