Silsilat al-Ahadith al-Sahihah

Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them) narrates that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Indeed, blessing is in the middle of the bowl, so eat from the edges (of the plate) and do not eat from the middle."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Umar bin Abu Salamah (may Allah be pleased with him) that he went to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), and there was food before the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "Son! Come near, mention the name of Allah (that is, say Bismillah), eat with your right hand, and eat from what is in front of you."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Jabir bin Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him) that he heard the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) say: "When any one of you is eating food and a morsel falls from his hand, he should pick it up, clean off any dirt that may have stuck to it, and eat it, and not leave it for Satan. Also, he should not wipe his hand with a towel until he has licked it, because he does not know in which part of the food the blessing lies. (Remember that) Satan lies in wait for people or humans in everything, even at the time of eating. Therefore, no one should lift his plate until he has licked it himself or had someone else lick it, because there is blessing in the last part of the food."

Ibn Jurayj says: Abu al-Zubair informed me that he heard Sayyiduna Jabir (may Allah be pleased with him) say that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "When a person eats food, he should lick his hand (before wiping or cleaning it with any cloth, etc.) or have it licked (by someone else), and he should not lift his plate until he has licked it or had it licked (by someone else), because there is blessing in the last part of the food."

Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) narrates that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) forbade two things: (1) sitting at a table where wine is being served, and (2) eating while lying on one’s stomach.

Sayyidah Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) says: When the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) ate food, he would eat from what was in front of him.

Sayyiduna Anas bin Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) says: When the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) drank water, he would take three breaths (during drinking), and he used to say: "This manner is more delicious, more pleasant, and healthier."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) used to drink (a beverage) in three breaths. When he brought the vessel close to his mouth, he would mention the name of Allah, and when he moved (the vessel away from his mouth), he would praise Allah the Exalted. He (peace and blessings be upon him) would do this three times.

Sayyiduna Wathilah bin Asqa’ Laithi رضي الله عنه reports that the Noble Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم placed his hand on the top of the tharid (dish) and said: “Begin with the name of Allah and eat from the edges of the (vessel) and do not eat from the top (center) of it, for indeed, blessing descends upon the top of the vessel.”

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "Everyone should eat with the right hand, drink with the right hand, take with the right hand, and give with the right hand, because Satan eats with the left hand, drinks with the left hand, gives with the left hand, and takes with the left hand."

Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Busr (may Allah be pleased with him) says: A goat was given to the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) as a gift, and on that day the amount of food was little. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said to his family: "Cook this goat, check the flour, make its bread, then cook them and make tharid (a dish of bread and meat)." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) had a large bowl called "gharra’" (a tub-like vessel), four men could lift it. When morning came and the companions had performed the Duha prayer, that same bowl was brought. People gathered (to eat), and when the eaters became many, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) sat on his knees. A Bedouin said: What kind of sitting is this? The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Indeed, Allah Almighty has made me a humble, honored servant, not a tyrant or arrogant." Then the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Eat from the edges of the bowl, not from the top (i.e., the middle), in this way there will be blessing for you." Then he said: "Take and eat, by the One in whose hand is the soul of Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), the lands of Persia and Rome will surely be conquered for you, and there will be such abundance of food that the name of Allah Almighty will not be mentioned (over it)."

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: "If a person is eating dates with other people and intends to take two or three together, then he should seek their permission."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Sa'id Khudri (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) forbade drinking from a broken cup and breathing into a vessel.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Sa'id Khudri (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) forbade breathing into the drinking vessel or (breathing) while drinking. A man said: O Messenger of Allah! I do not become satisfied with the water drunk in one breath. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said to him: "Then move the cup away from your mouth and breathe (and then drink again)." He said: What if I see a straw in it? The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "Then pour it out."

Sayyiduna Umar bin Abu Salamah (may Allah be pleased with him) says: I was a boy under the care of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), and while eating, my hand began to move around the plate (i.e., I started eating from different places). So the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said to me: "O boy! When you begin to eat, recite «بسم لله», eat with your right hand, and eat from what is in front of you."