The hadith states that when a person eats, they should not wipe their hands before licking their fingers or before someone else licks them.
Reference: Sahih al-Bukhari: 5456, Sahih Muslim: 2031
The mentioned hadith is against common custom and the requirements of the modern era, and at the same time, this practice also causes the transmission of germs.
First Point
The mentioned hadith has been narrated by more than one companion, including Abdullah ibn Abbas, Jabir ibn Abdullah, Anas ibn Malik, and Ka'b ibn Malik, may Allah be pleased with them. Some have mentioned the saying of the Prophet ﷺ and some have mentioned the action of the Prophet ﷺ. Thus, it is both a verbal hadith and an action hadith. All conditions for the acceptance of the hadith are present in it. In short, this is undoubtedly established from the Sunnah of the Prophet ﷺ.
Second Point
The customs and temperaments of people are such things that never remain fixed in one state but keep changing according to place and time, while our faith is that the religion of Islam is a code of life and law of living for humanity until the Day of Judgment, which means that Islam has been and will remain applicable in every era. When Islam abrogated the previous Shariah laws, even though those Shariahs were also from Allah, then how is it possible that any of its commands or teachings would be changed or abrogated merely due to common custom or public temperament!
Third Point
There are two ways for a person to eat: one is to eat alone from a single dish, and the other is for more than one person to eat from the same dish; in the first case, there is no dislike or aversion in licking the finger. However, in the second case, the Sunnah way is to lick the finger after finishing the meal because licking during the meal will transfer the saliva on the finger back into the food, which will cause disgust among those eating together. This shows that if the Sunnah is followed correctly, there is nothing unpleasant about it.
Fourth Point
The actual prohibition in this hadith is that if there is food on the finger, one should not wipe their hand with a cloth or similar, because this causes wastage of food and disrespect for sustenance. Rather, the hadith itself clarifies that a person does not know which part of the food contains blessing
Reference: Sahih Muslim: 2031
; it is possible that the part remaining on the finger is the blessed portion. Thus, this hadith is a collection of many virtues and good teachings:◄ To value sustenance and not waste it.
◄ To gather the blessings of food and not leave any part of it for Satan.
◄ To maintain cleanliness because if the hand is wiped in that state, the cloth will become dirty.
◄ To adopt humility and modesty because not licking the finger or cleaning the utensil is not only a sign of valuing sustenance but also a sign of humility.
Fifth Point
As far as finger licking is concerned, it is special with those with whom there is a heartfelt relationship and familiarity, and they do not dislike it, such as a wife, maid, and children, etc. In fact, this act is an expression of love, as proven in a hadith from the Prophet ﷺ. When the Prophet ﷺ ate with Lady Aisha, he would break the meat from the same place where Lady Aisha broke it, and similarly, he would drink water from the same place where Lady Aisha drank.
Reference: Sahih Muslim: 300
Sixth Point
What is the defect in licking fingers that would be objectionable? Because the food eaten has some part stuck on the finger, and if that food was not dirty, then how can licking it be considered dirty?
Seventh Point
Some scientific studies have proven that there are certain elements in human saliva that help eliminate the greasiness of food. In this way, licking fingers after eating also removes the greasiness from the hand, and if soap, etc., is not available, then washing with just water or wiping with a cloth is sufficient.
