´It was narrated from Ibn ‘Umar that the Prophet (ﷺ) said:` “The disbeliever eats with seven intestines and the believer eats with one intestine.”
Explanation & Benefits
Maulana Dawood Raz
Hadith Commentary:
As for what Allah and His Messenger intended by eating with seven intestines and eating with one intestine, I have faith in it without delving into its specifics. This is also a refutation of those who, relying on the statements of physicians, have reported that there are only six intestines.
Whereas, for a believing Muslim, the noble statement of the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) holds far greater reality than the words of physicians.
Therefore, we have believed in the statement of the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam).
Source: Sahih Bukhari: Commentary by Maulana Dawood Raz, Page: 5395
Shaykh Abdul Sattar al-Hammad
Hadith Commentary:
(1)
Abu Nuhaik was a resident of Makkah Mukarramah.
His statement may also mean that regarding eating with seven intestines and eating with one intestine, whatever Allah and His Messenger intended by it, I have faith in it without delving into its details.
(2)
In any case, regarding the eating of the disbeliever, Allah the Exalted has said:
“And those who disbelieve enjoy themselves and eat as cattle eat. But the Fire will be their abode.” (: Muhammad: 12)
Therefore, a believer should abandon the habit of excessive eating and be content with eating little, so that laziness does not occur in the worship of Allah.
Source: Hidayat al-Qari: Commentary on Sahih Bukhari, Urdu, Page: 5395
Maulana Dawood Raz
Hadith Commentary:
May Allah, the Exalted, grant every Muslim the good fortune to act upon the example of Abdullah ibn Umar (radi Allahu anhuma), that at the time of eating, one should remember some needy person.
This felicity is not attained by one's own strength, unless the Most Generous Lord bestows it.
Source: Sahih Bukhari: Commentary by Maulana Dawood Raz, Page: 5393
Shaykh Abdul Sattar al-Hammad
Hadith Commentary:
(1)
The reason for a Muslim eating less and a disbeliever eating more could be that the Muslim recites "Bismillah" at the beginning of the meal, due to which Shaytan does not get the opportunity to eat with him. Therefore, what he eats contains blessing (barakah) from Allah Ta'ala, and the disbeliever does not mention the name of Allah at the start of the meal, so Shaytan joins him in eating. As a result, the blessing is removed from the food, as is established by many ahadith.
(2)
In this hadith, one of the virtues of Abdullah ibn Umar radi Allahu anhu is mentioned: he used to seat the poor with him and feed them.
May Allah Ta'ala grant every Muslim the ability to act upon this example.
Ameen
Source: Hidayat al-Qari: Commentary on Sahih Bukhari, Urdu, Page: 5393
Maulana Dawood Raz
Hadith Commentary:
The purpose of the hadith is that the disbeliever eats a lot, while the believer eats little.
This expression has been used to describe the excessive gluttony of one of them.
Source: Sahih Bukhari: Commentary by Maulana Dawood Raz, Page: 5394
Shaykh Abdul Sattar al-Hammad
Hadith Commentary:
The purpose of the hadith is that a believer eats little, while a disbeliever eats much.
A Muslim eats less because eating to fullness leads to laziness and causes heaviness in the stomach.
A Muslim does not wish to become sluggish in performing acts of worship; furthermore, eating excessively causes ablution (wudu) to break quickly, whereas there are certain acts of worship for which ablution is a condition.
In any case, this style has been adopted to describe the moderation in eating of one and the excessiveness of the other, but this is according to the majority, because there are some people who, despite being Muslim, eat a lot.
Source: Hidayat al-Qari: Commentary on Sahih Bukhari, Urdu, Page: 5394
Shaykh Maulana Abdul Aziz Alvi
Hadith Commentary: Benefits and Issues: Ibn Umar (radi Allahu anhuma) used to invite someone or the other at the time of eating and would include him in the meal. Therefore, when he observed in this needy person the trait of eating to full satiety, which is characteristic of disbelievers, he said that this person should not be brought to share in his meal in the future. From the narration in Sahih Bukhari, it is understood that this man, Abu Nuhaik, was a person who ate excessively.
Source: Tuhfat al-Muslim: Commentary on Sahih Muslim, Page: 5374
Shaykh Dr. Abdur Rahman Freywai
Explanation:
1:
The scholars have provided various interpretations of this:
(1)
A believer begins eating by mentioning the name of Allah,
therefore, even if the amount of food is small, he attains satisfaction,
whereas a disbeliever eats without mentioning the name of Allah, so he does not attain satisfaction,
whether the amount of food is much or little.
(2)
A believer keeps himself away from worldly greed and covetousness,
therefore, he eats less,
whereas a disbeliever is greedy for acquiring worldly things, so he eats more.
(3)
A believer remains filled with the fear of the Hereafter, thus he becomes satisfied even after eating little,
whereas a disbeliever lives his life heedless of the Hereafter,
therefore, he eats heedlessly,
yet still does not attain satisfaction.
Source: Sunan al-Tirmidhi – Majlis ‘Ilmi Dar al-Da‘wah, New Delhi Edition, Page: 1818
Shaykh Muhammad Ibrahim bin Basheer
Benefit:
The scholars have provided various explanations for this:
➊ A believer begins eating by mentioning the name of Allah, therefore, even if the amount of food is small, he attains satisfaction. As for the disbeliever, since he eats without mentioning the name of Allah, he does not attain satisfaction, whether the amount of food is large or small.
➋ The believer keeps himself away from worldly greed and desire, thus he eats less. Whereas the disbeliever is greedy for worldly gain, so he eats more.
➌ The believer remains filled with fear of the Hereafter, so he becomes satisfied even after eating little. Whereas the disbeliever lives his life heedless of the Hereafter, so he eats heedlessly, yet still does not attain satisfaction.
Source: Musnad al-Humaydi: Commentary by Muhammad Ibrahim bin Bashir, Page: 685