Etiquette of eating

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ali bin Abi Talib (may Allah be pleased with him) that he said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said to me: "When you eat, begin with salt and end with salt, for salt is a cure for seventy diseases, the first of which are madness (junun), leprosy (judham), vitiligo (baras), toothache, throat pain and stomach pain."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Whoever has eaten anything of this meat, let him wash his hand clean of its smell and greasy residue, and let him by no means harm anyone sitting near him (with an unpleasant smell)."
Imam Abu Ya'la narrated this hadith in his Musnad; its chain contains the narrator al-Wazi' bin Nafi', who according to the hadith scholars is severely da'if (weak) and matruk al-hadith (abandoned in hadith).

It is narrated from Abu Bakr bin Amr bin Hazm (may Allah have mercy on him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) forbade peeling fresh, ripe dates (rutab) before eating them.
This narration is mursal, and its chain contains a narrator named Ishaq bin Yahya, who is da'if (weak) according to the majority of hadith scholars. Imam al-Harith bin Abi Usamah narrated it in his Musnad (Bughyat al-Bahith: 602).

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abd al-Rahman bin Awf (may Allah be pleased with him) that when the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) finished his food, he would say this supplication: 'Alhamdu lillahil-ladhi at'amana wa saqana, wal-hamdu lillahil-ladhi kafana wa awana, wal-hamdu lillahil-ladhi an'ama 'alayna wa afdal, nas'aluhu bi-rahmatihi an yujirana minan-nar, fa-rubba ghayra makfiyyin la yajidu munqalaban wa la ma'wa' (All praise is for Allah who fed us and gave us drink; all thanks are for Allah who sufficed our needs and gave us shelter; and all praise is for Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, who bestowed favours upon us and was generous beyond measure. We implore Him, by His mercy, to protect us from the Fire, for there are many deprived and helpless people who have no one to provide for them and who find neither a refuge nor a shelter).
Al-Bazzar narrated it through the chain of Mahmud bin Bakr from his father, except that he mentioned some of the people of Makkah from whom Ibn Abi Najih narrates, and he said: We know this hadith only through this chain.
I (Ibn Hajar) say: In support of this hadith there is also a narration of Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Amr bin al-As (may Allah be pleased with them both) in the book of Imam Ibn al-Sunni.

It is narrated from Hammad bin Abi Sulayman that he said: I had dinner with Abu Burdah (may Allah have mercy on him), and he said to me: "Shall I not tell you the hadith that my father, Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Qays (Sayyiduna Abu Musa al-Ash'ari) (may Allah be pleased with him), narrated to me?" He said that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Whoever eats and is filled, and drinks and is quenched, then says this supplication: 'Alhamdu lillahil-ladhi at'amani fa-ashba'ani, wa saqani fa-arwani' (All praise is for Allah who fed me and filled me, and gave me drink and quenched my thirst), he comes out of his sins as pure as he was on the day his mother gave birth to him."
Imam Abu Ya'la narrated it in his Musnad.

It is narrated from Mujahid (may Allah have mercy on him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) ate while reclining only once (in his whole life). Then he (peace and blessings be upon him) sat up (straight at once) and said: 'Ana 'abdullahi wa rasuluh' (I am the servant of Allah and His Messenger).
Imam Musaddad (may Allah have mercy on him) said that Yahya bin Sa'id narrated something similar to us via Zakariyya from Abd al-Aziz bin Rufay'.

Abdullah bin Sa'd narrates from his father, Sayyiduna Sa'd (may Allah be pleased with him), that he said: "I was the guide of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) on the journey from al-Arj to Madinah, and I saw him eating while reclining."
Imam al-Harith bin Abi Usamah narrated it in his Musnad; its chain contains Muhammad bin Umar al-Waqidi, who is a da'if (weak) narrator according to the majority of hadith scholars.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Imran bin Husayn (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "As for me, I do not eat while reclining (that is, while leaning on something for support)."
Imam al-Humaydi narrated this hadith in his Musnad. Although its chain contains Ali bin Zayd bin Jud'an, who is da'if (weak), the text of this hadith is established through other sahih chains, as it is narrated in Sahih al-Bukhari from Sayyiduna Abu Juhayfah (may Allah be pleased with him) that he (peace and blessings be upon him) avoided eating while reclining in order to remain in a state of humility and servitude.

It is narrated from Abu Yahya (may Allah have mercy on him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Let food cool (until the steam has gone), for there is no blessing in very hot food."
Imam Musaddad narrated this hadith in his Musnad. Although its chain has been criticised because of a narrator named Qaza'ah bin Suwayd, its meaning is sound and established on the basis of other supporting reports.

Mu'tamir bin Sulayman relates that he heard his father, Sulayman al-Taymi, narrate a hadith from a shaykh in the gathering of Abu Uthman al-Nahdi, who traced the hadith back to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), that he was asked: "Which food is the most unlawful or the most vile?" He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "That you cut flesh from the body of your living camel and eat it while it is looking at you."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Anas bin Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) that "khabis" (a particular sweet made of dates, cheese and ghee) was brought to him in a large bowl of gold or silver. He gave an order concerning it (to change the vessel), so it was transferred (out of that prohibited vessel) onto a loaf of bread, and then he ate it from that bread.
Takhrij: The chain of this report is sahih (authentic); Imam Ibn Abi Shaybah narrated it in his book "al-Musannaf" (no. 2400).

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Jabir (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Indeed, the most beloved and preferred food to Allah Almighty is that on which there are many hands (that is, which many people eat together)."
Imam Abu Ya'la narrated this hadith in his Musnad, and Allamah al-Albani (may Allah have mercy on him) graded it hasan (good) in "Sahih al-Jami'".

Musa bin Muhammad bin Ibrahim narrates from his father (Muhammad bin Ibrahim (may Allah have mercy on him)) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "When you sit down to eat, take off your sandals, for that is more restful and comfortable for your feet."
Imam Abu Ya'la also narrated it: Abu Khaythamah narrated to us; he said: Uqbah narrated this to us with the same chain mentioned above.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Anas bin Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "When the food of one of you is placed before him and he has sandals on his feet, let him take off his sandals, for this is more restful and soothing for the feet, and this practice is part of the blessed Sunnah."
Imam Abu Ya'la and Imam al-Bazzar (may Allah have mercy on them both) narrated it; however, its chain contains a narrator named Dawud bin al-Zibriqan, who is da'if (weak).

It is narrated from Sayyidah Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her) that she said: "The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) would eat both standing and sitting (in both states)."
Imam al-Harith bin Abi Usamah narrated this hadith in his Musnad. Its chain is da'if (weak), because it contains Yahya bin Hashim, who is matruk (one whose narrations were abandoned), and Ibn Abi Layla also had a weak memory; however, the permissibility of eating and drinking while standing is established by other sahih and reliable hadith.

Hisham bin Urwah narrates from his father that Sayyiduna Umar al-Faruq (may Allah be pleased with him) went to relieve himself. When he came out after finishing, food was presented to him, and someone said to him: "Will you not perform ablution (before eating)?" He replied: "I purify myself (by istinja) with my left hand and I eat with my right hand."
The chain of this report is sahih (authentic), and Imam al-Humaydi narrated it in his Musnad. From it the juristic point becomes clear that after relieving oneself, performing the ritual ablution merely for the sake of eating is not obligatory; rather, cleanliness of the hands is sufficient.

It is narrated from the Mother of the Believers, Sayyidah Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her), that she said: "It was indeed the blessed practice of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that whenever he (peace and blessings be upon him) intended to eat, he would (first) wash both his hands."
The chain of this narration contains the narrator Salih bin Abi al-Akhdar, who is da'if (weak); however, the basis of washing the hands before eating is established by other supporting reports and narrations, which strengthen it.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Anas bin Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) came out of the toilet and ate food. It was said to him (peace and blessings be upon him): "Will you not perform ablution?" He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Do I intend to pray, that I should perform ablution?"
Musnad al-Harith: 2407. Its chain contains Dawud bin al-Muhabbar, a da'if (weak) narrator; however, it is established by other sahih narrations that ablution (the ablution for prayer) is not obligatory merely for eating.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Whoever forgets to mention Allah Almighty at the beginning of his meal, let him say when he remembers: 'Bismillahi awwalahu wa akhirahu' (In the name of Allah, at its beginning and at its end), for by saying these words it is as if he begins his meal anew, and the vile devil is prevented from the share of that food that he was getting."
Imam Ibn Hibban (may Allah have mercy on him) graded it sahih (authentic).

Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Utbah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates from a woman Companion that a vessel of "watbah" (a dish made of cheese, dates and ghee) was presented to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), and a Bedouin finished it off (eating so fast) in just three mouthfuls. At this the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Know that if he had said 'Bismillah' (In the name of Allah) (before eating), this food would have sufficed all of those present." He (peace and blessings be upon him) also gave this instruction: "When one of you forgets to mention the name of Allah (to say Bismillah) over his food, then whenever he remembers, he should say: 'Bismillahi awwalahu wa akhirahu' (In the name of Allah, at its beginning and at its end)."
The chain of this hadith is jayyid (good) and its text is sahih (authentic).

It is narrated from Sayyidah Umm Rafi' (may Allah be pleased with her) that she said: I prepared "khazirah" (a particular dish made of meat and flour) for the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). He (peace and blessings be upon him) came, and there were two other men with him. I set the food before them. Meanwhile a Bedouin passed by, and the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) invited him to the food as well. He tried to scoop up (everything) in a single mouthful, so he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Put it (back), mention the name of Allah Almighty, and eat." The woman narrator said: Then he ate and was filled, and food was still left over.
It is narrated from Sayyidah Salma (may Allah be pleased with her) (who was the freed slave-woman of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him)) that she prepared khazirah for the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) and presented it to him (peace and blessings be upon him). He (peace and blessings be upon him) ate it together with some of his Companions. Some food was still left when a Bedouin passed by the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), and he (peace and blessings be upon him) called him (to eat). That Bedouin grabbed all of the food at once with his hand, so the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said to him: "Put it down." So he put it down. Then he (peace and blessings be upon him) instructed him: "Say: 'Bismillah' (In the name of Allah), and eat from the part nearest to you." She said: He ate his fill of it, and even after that some food was left over.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) that he said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) forbade eating while standing.
Imam al-Bazzar (may Allah have mercy on him) said that Muhammad bin Abd al-Rahim narrated to us; he too reported this same narration from Shababah with the same chain.