Investigation of the Hadith Regarding Utensils Praying or Cursing After Eating
✍ Answered by: Shaykh ʿAbd al-Wakīl Nāṣir ḥafiẓahullāh
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?
There is a narration that refers to the utensil seeking forgiveness for the one who licks it after eating:
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.”
⚠ 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.
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.
✔ 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.
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.
✍ 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.
