islamqa ruling compilation on eating etiquettes

ISLAMQA Rulings regarding Eating etiquettes

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Compilation of ISLAMQA rulings regarding Eating

Etiquettes

The answers were not edited they are in the exact wording as in the website however some of the

questions were edited to shorten their length

May Allah Accept this effort

Compiled by

Islam Class (for guys)

[email protected]


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Contents

1. The etiquette of eating, with detailed evidence ............................................................................. 3

**2. Eating habits and diet of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) .................... 8

3. Ruling on giving salaam whilst eating ............................................................................................. 9

4. It is mustahabb to rinse out the mouth for the one who eats or drinks something ....................... 10

5. Ruling on eating one’s fill and is it regarded as extravagance? ..................................................... 11

6. What is the importance of drinking water in sitting position? ...................................................... 14

7. Can we speak while eating? ......................................................................................................... 15

8. Is it Sunnah for a person to drink sips of water before eating food? ............................................. 16

9. What is the ruling on throwing leftover food and drink down the drain? ..................................... 17

10. Ruling on smelling food and drink .............................................................................................. 18

11. Is it true that eating at a table (in a dining room) is imitating the kuffaar? Is using a spoon or fork

when eating a kind of arrogance or imitating the kuffaar? ............................................................... 19

12. Ruling on drinking from the mouth of the bottle ........................................................................ 20

13. Ahaadeeth of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) which criticize

extravagance with regard to food .................................................................................................... 21

14. Extravagance on wala’im (banquets) .......................................................................................... 24

15. What should a person say when he realizes after he has finished eating that he forgot to say

Bismillaah? ...................................................................................................................................... 25

16. Ruling on drinking whilst standing.............................................................................................. 26

17. What is your opinion on taking my wife to a restaurant, if there are booths? Please note that we

are committed Muslims. .................................................................................................................. 27

18. Ruling on Eating from a table ..................................................................................................... 30

19. Ruling on using newspapers as a “tablecloth” ............................................................................ 30

20. Is it permissible to drink in one breath? ..................................................................................... 31

***21. Will he be rewarded in following the sunnah? Will it be a sin if he discard the sunnah? Is it

Sunnah to sit on the floor to eat? .................................................................................................... 32


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1. The etiquette of eating, with detailed evidence http://islamqa.com/en/ref/13348 Praise be to Allaah. In Islam there is an etiquette for eating, which is divided into categories: 1 – Etiquette before eating: 1 – Washing the hands before eating. The hands should be washed before eating, so that they may be clean when a person eats with them, and so that he will not be harmed by any dirt that may be on them. 2 – Part of the etiquette of eating is to ask about the food if you are a guest and you do not know what it is (i.e., what type of food it is), and you are not sure about what has been offered to you. The Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used not to eat food until he had been told about it or told what is was called, so that he would know what it was. Al-Bukhaari narrated from Khaalid ibn al-Waleed that he and the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) entered upon Maymoonah, who was his *Khaalid’s+ maternal aunt and the maternal aunt of Ibn ‘Abbaas, and found that she had some roasted lizard that her sister Hafeedah bint al-Haarith had brought from Najd. She offered the lizard to the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), but he would rarely stretch forth his hand to food until he had been told what it was. The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) stretched forth his hand, then one of the women who were present said, “Tell the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) that what has been offered to him is lizard.” The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) withdrew his hand from the lizard, and Khaalid ibn al-Waleed asked, “Is lizard haraam, O Messenger of Allaah?” He said, “No, but it is not found in the land of my people and I feel that I would have no liking for it. Khaalid said, Then I chewed it and ate it, and the Messenger of Allaah was looking at me. (Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 5391; Muslim, 1946) Ibn al-Teen said: He used to ask, because the Arabs would eat anything because food was hard to come by amongst them. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) may not have liked some things, so that was why he asked. It may be understood as meaning that he used to ask because some animals were forbidden in sharee’ah and some were allowed, but they (the Arabs) did not regard anything as forbidden, and they may have brought him some grilled or cooked meat that could not have been distinguished from another type except by asking. Fath al-Baari, 9/534 3 – Hastening to eat when food is brought by the host. Part of honouring one's guest is to hasten to offer him something, and part of the guest’s honouring the host is to hasten to accept his food and eat from it. If the host sees the guest not eating, he may think badly of him. So the guest has to reassure his hosts by hastening to eat his food, because that will reassure him. 4 – Mentioning the name of Allaah before eating. It is obligatory to mention the name of Allaah before eating. What is meant by that is saying “Bismillaah (in the name of Allaah)” when starting to eat. It was narrated from Umm Kalthoom from ‘Aa’ishah (may Allaah be pleased with her) that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “When any one of you eats, let him mention the name of Allaah. If he forgets to

http://islamqa.com/en/ref/13348


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mention the name of Allaah at the beginning, then let him say ‘Bismillaahi awwalahu wa aakhirahu (In the name of Allaah at the beginning and at the end).’” (Narrated by al-Tirmidhi, 1858; Abu Dawood, 3767; Ibn Maajah, 3264. Classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh Sunan Abi Dawood, 3202). And ‘Umar ibn Abi Salamah said: I was a young boy in the care of the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), and my hand used to wander all over the platter (of food). The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said to me, “O young boy, say Bismillaah, eat with your right hand, and eat from what is directly in front of you.” (Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 3576; Muslim, 2022). 2 – Etiquette whilst eating 1 – Eating with the right hand. It is obligatory for the Muslim to eat with his right hand; he should not eat with his left hand. It was narrated from Ibn ‘Umar (may Allaah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “No one among you should eat with his left hand, or drink with it, for the Shaytaan eats with his left hand and drinks with it.” (Narrated by Muslim, 2020). This applies so long as there is no excuse; if a person has an excuse for not eating and drinking with his right hand, such as sickness or injury etc., then there is nothing wrong with his eating with his left hand. The hadeeth indicates that a person should avoid doing actions that resemble the actions of the Shaytaan. 2 – Eating from what is directly in front of one. It is Sunnah for a person to eat from the food that is directly in front of him, and not reach out to take food that is directly in front of others, or from the middle of the platter, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said to ‘Umar ibn Abi Salamah, “O young boy, say Bismillaah, eat with your right hand, and eat from what is directly in front of you.” (Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 3576; Muslim, 2022). For a person to eat from his companion’s place is bad manners and impolite. His companion may find this off-putting, especially if the food is soupy etc. That is because Ibn ‘Abbaas narrated that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “The blessing descends in the middle of the food, so eat from the edges and do not eat from the middle.” (Narrated by al-Tirmidhi, 1805; Ibn Maajah, 3277. Classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Jaami’, 829). But if the food is dates or something of that type, (the scholars) narrated that it is permissible to eat from all parts of the plate. 3 – Washing the hands after eating. The Sunnah may be done by washing with water only. Ibn Raslaan said: But it is better to wash the hands with potash or soap or something similar. See Tuhfat al-Ahwadhi, 5/485. So washing the hands is mustahabb both before and after eating, even if a person has wudoo’. 4 – Rinsing the mouth after eating. It is mustahabb to rinse the mouth after eating, because Basheer ibn Yassaar narrated that Suwayd ibn al-Nu’maan told him that they were with the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) in al-Sahba’ – which is some distance from Khaybar – and the time for prayer came. He called for food, but he did not find anything but some saweeq (barley mush). So he ate some and we all ate with him. Then he


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called for water and rinsed out his mouth, and then he prayed, and we prayed, and he did not do wudoo’. (Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 5390). 5 – Praying for one's host. Anas narrated that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) came to Sa’d ibn ‘Ubaadah who brought him some bread and oil, and he ate. Then the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “May fasting people break their fast with you, may the righteous eat your food, and may the angels send blessings upon you.” (Narrated by Abu Dawood, 3854; classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh Sunan Abi Dawood, 3263). 6 – Eating with three fingers. The Sunnah is to eat with three fingers; eating with more than three fingers is a sign of greed and is bad manners, because there is no need for more than three in order to gather up a morsel. If it is necessary to use more than three, because the food is light and cannot be gathered in three fingers, then he may use the fourth or fifth. See Fath al-Baari, 9/578 This applies if a person is eating with his hand. But there is nothing wrong with using a spoon etc, as we shall see below. 7 – Eating a piece of food that falls on the floor. If a piece of food falls on the floor, then the person eating should remove any dirt that gets onto it and eat it; he should not leave it for the Shaytaan, because he does not know where the blessing is in his food; it may be in the piece that fell, and leaving it makes a person miss out on the blessing of the food. Anas ibn Maalik narrated that when the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) ate, he would lick his three fingers. Anas said: “And he said, ‘If any one of you drops a piece of food, let him remove any dirt from it and eat it, and not leave it for the Shaytaan.’ And he commanded us to clean the plate, and said, ‘For you do not know where in your food the blessing is.’” (Narrated by Muslim, 2034). 8 – Not reclining whilst eating. That is because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “I do not eat whilst I am reclining.” (Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 5399). The scholars differed as to what reclining meant. Ibn Hajar said: The scholars differed as to what reclining meant. It was said that it means being too comfortable in sitting to eat in whatever manner; or that it meant leaning on one side; or that it meant resting with one’s left arm on the ground… Ibn ‘Adiyy narrated with a da’eef (weak) isnaad that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) rebuked a man for resting on his left arm when eating. Maalik said, this is a kind of reclining. I say, this indicates that Maalik regarded as makrooh everything that may be counted as reclining whilst eating, and he did not mention any one specific type thereof. Fath al-Baari, 9/541 9 – Not spitting or blowing one's nose whilst eating, unless that is necessary. 10 – The etiquette of eating also includes: eating with a group; not speaking about haraam things whilst eating; eating with one's wives and children; not keeping a particular food to oneself unless there is a reason for that, such as it being for medicinal purposes – rather one should offer the best food to others first, such as pieces of meat and soft or good bread. If the guest has had enough and stops eating, his host should say, “Eat!” and repeat it, so long as he does not think that his guest has had enough, but he should not repeat it more than three times. He should clean between his teeth and not swallow any bits of food that come out from between his teeth. 3 – Etiquette after finishing eating.


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It is Sunnah to say the words of praise to Allaah and du’aa’ after one has finished eating. When he had finished eating, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to say, “Al-hamdu Lillaahi hamdan katheeran tayyiban mubaarakan fihi ghayra makfiyyin wa laa muwadda’in wa laa mustaghnan ‘anhu rabbana (Praise be to Allaah, much good and blessed praise. O our Lord, You are not in need of anyone, and we cannot do without Your favour nor dispense with it).” (Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 5458). And whenever he ate food other than milk, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) would say, “Allaahumma baarik lana fihi, wa at’imna khayran minhu (O Allaah, bless it for us and feed us with better than it).” And when he drank milk he would say, “Allaahumma baarik lana fihi wa zidna minhu (O Allaah, bless it for us and give us more.).” (Narrated by al-Tirmidhi, 3377; classed as hasan by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Jaami’, 381). Ibn ‘Abbaas (may Allaah be pleased with him) narrated that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever is fed by Allaah, let him say, ‘Allaahumma baarik lana fihi, wa at’imna khayran minhu (O Allaah, bless it for us and feed us with better than it).’ And whoever is given milk to drink by Allaah, let him say, ‘Allaahumma baarik lana fihi wa zidna minhu (O Allaah, bless it for us and give us more)’.” (Narrated by al-Tirmidhi, 3455; classed as hasan by al-Albaani in Saheeh Sunan al-Tirmidhi, 2749). 4 – General etiquette regarding food 1 – Not criticizing the food. Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) narrated that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) never criticized any food. If he liked it he would eat it and if he did not like it he would leave it. (Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 3370; Muslim, 2046) What is referred to here is permissible food; as for haraam food he would criticize it and forbid it. Al-Nawawi said: Part of the confirmed etiquette of food is not to criticize it such as saying it is too salty, or too sour, or not salty enough, or thick, or thin, or not well-cooked, etc. Ibn Battaal said: This is part of good manners, because a person may not like food that others like, but there is nothing wrong with eating anything that is permitted in sharee’ah. Sharh Muslim, 14/26. 2 – Part of the etiquette of eating is moderation in eating and not filling the stomach. The most that a Muslim is permitted to do in this regard is to divide his stomach into three thirds: one-third for food, one-third for drink and one-third for air. “A man does not fill any vessel worse than his stomach. It is sufficient for the son of Adam to eat enough to keep him alive. But if he must do that, then one-third for his food, one-third for his drink and one-third for his air.” (Narrated by al-Tirmidhi, 2380; Ibn Maajah, 3349; classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Tirmidhi, 1939). This keeps the body healthy and light, because eating one’s fill makes the body heavy, which leads to laziness in worship and work. One-third is defined as being one-third of that which would make you feel full. Al-Mawsoo’ah, 25/332 3 – Avoiding eating and drinking from vessels of gold and silver, because that is haraam. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Do not wear silk or brocade, and do not drink from vessels of gold and silver, or eat from plates thereof. They are for them in this world and for us in the Hereafter.” (Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 5426; Muslim, 2067) And Allaah knows best.


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4 – Praising Allaah after finishing eating. There is a great deal of virtue in this. It was narrated from Anas ibn Maalik that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Allaah is pleased with His slave when he eats something and praises Him for it, or drinks something and praises Him for it.” (narrated by Muslim, 2734). Several ways of praising Allaah have been narrated from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him): 1 – Al-Bukhaari narrated that Abu Umaamah said: When the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) finished eating, he would say, “Al-hamdu Lillaah hamdan katheeran mubaarakan fihi ghayra makfiyyin wa laa muwadda’in wa laa mustaghnan ‘anhu rabbana (Praise be to Allaah, much good and blessed praise. O our Lord, You are not in need of anyone, and we cannot do without Your favour nor dispense with it).” (Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 5458). Ibn Hajar said: “ ‘ghayra makfiyyin (You are not in need of anyone)’ means that He has no need of any of His slaves but He is the One Who feeds His slaves and suffices them.” 2 – It was narrated from Mu’aadh ibn Anas that his father said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever eats some food then says, ‘Al-hamdu Lillaahi allahi at’amani haadha wa razaqnihi min ghayri hawlin minni wa laa quwwata (Praise be to Allaah Who has fed me this and provided me with it with no power or strength on my part),’ his previous sins will be forgiven.” (Narrated by al-Tirmidhi, 3458; Ibn Maajah, 3285; classed as hasan by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Tirmidhi, 3348). 3 – It was narrated that Abu Ayyoob al-Ansaari (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: “When the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) ate or drank anything, he would say, ‘Al-hamdu Lillaah alladhi at’ama wa saqaa wa sawwaghahu wa ja’ala lahu makhrajan (Praise be to Allaah Who has given food and drink,made it easy to swallow and provided an exit for it).’” (Narrated by Abu Dawood, 3851 and classed as saheeh by al-Albaani). 4 – It was narrated from ‘Abd al-Rahmaan ibn Jubayr that a man who served the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) for eight years told him that he used to hear the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) saying, when food was brought near him, “Bismillaah.” And when he had finished eating he would say, “Allaahumma at’amta wa asqayta wa hadayta wa ahyayta, fa laka’l-hamd ‘ala ma a’tayta (O Allaah, You have fed, given to drink, guided and brought to life, so praise be to You for what You have given).” (Narrated by Ahmad, 16159; classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in al-Silsilah al-Saheehah, 1/111) Note: it is mustahabb to use all the words of praise that have been narrated to be said after finishing eating. So you can say one du’aa’ on one occasion, another du’aa’ on another occasion, and so on, so that you will have followed the Sunnah in all ways and attain the blessing of these du’aa’s, as well as feeling the meanings of these words in your heart when you say them on various occasions, because if you get used to saying a particular du’aa’ all the time, you think less about its meaning, because you have said it so often. From al-Adaab by al-Shalhoob, p. 155. Islam Q&A


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**2. Eating habits and diet of the Prophet (peace and blessings of

Allaah be upon him) http://islamqa.com/en/ref/6503 Praise be to Allaah. The Prophet’s guidance with regard to food is perfect guidance. It was described by Ibn al-Qayyim as follows: When he put his hand in the food, he would say, “Bismillaah (in the Name of Allaah), and he told people to say this when eating. He said, “When any one of you eats, let him mention the name of Allaah. If he forgets to mention the name of Allaah at the beginning, let him say Bismillaahi fi awwalihi wa aakhirihi (in the name of Allaah at its beginning and at its end).” Saheeh hadeeth, narrated by al-Tirmidhi (1859) and Abu Dawood (3767). The correct view is that it is obligatory to mention the name of Allaah (say Bismillaah) when eating. The ahaadeeth which state this are saheeh and are clear, with no contradictions in them. When he raised the food to his mouth, he would say, “Al-hamdu Lillaahi hamdan katheeran tayyiban mubaarakan fihi ghayri makfiyyin wa laa muwadda’ wa laa mustaghni ‘anhu Rabbanaa ‘azza wa jall (Allaah be praised with an abundant, beautiful, blessed praise. He is the One Who is Sufficient, Who feeds and is never fed, The One Who is longed for, along with that which is with Him, and the One Who is needed. He is Our Lord, may He be glorified). Narrated by al-Bukhaari (5142). He never criticized food at all. If he liked it, he would eat it, and if he did not like it, he would leave it and not say anything. Narrated by al-Bukhaari (3370) and Muslim (2064). Or he would say, “I do not feel like eating this.” Narrated by al-Bukhaari (5076) and Muslim (1946). Sometimes he would praise the food, as when he asked his family for food, and they said, “We have nothing but vinegar.” He asked for it and started to eat it, saying, “What a good food is vinegar.” Narrated by Muslim (2052) He used to talk whilst he was eating, as is seen from the report quoted above about vinegar. And he said to his step-son ‘Umar ibn Abi Salamah when he was eating with him: “Say Bismillaah and eat from that which is in front of you in the dish*.” Narrated by al-Bukhaari (5061) and Muslim (2022). [* At the time of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), people used to eat together from one dish, and children would sometimes forget the correct etiquette. - Translator] He would repeatedly urge his guests to eat, as generous hosts do, and as is seen in the hadeeth of Abu Hurayrah, narrated by al-Bukhaari, about the story of drinking milk, where he repeatedly said to him, “Drink!” and he kept telling him to drink until he (the guest) said, “By the One Who sent you with the truth, I have no more room for it!” Narrated by al-Bukhaari (6087). When he ate with others, he would not leave until he had made du’aa’ for them. He made du’aa in the house of ‘Abd-Allaah ibn Bisr, and said: “O Allaah, bless for them that which You have provided for them, forgive them and have mercy on them.” Narrated by Muslim (2042). He commanded people to eat with their right hands and forbade them to eat with their left hands. He said, “The Shaytaan eats with his left hand and drinks with his left hand.” Narrated by Muslim (2020). This implies that eating with the left hand is haraam, and this is



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the correct view, because the one who eats with his left hand is either a shaytaan (a devil), or he is imitating the Shaytaan. It was also reported in a saheeh hadeeth that he told a man who was eating with his left hand in his presence, “Eat with your right hand!” The man said, “I cannot.” He said, “May you never be able to!” – and the man never lifted his right hand to his mouth after that. Narrated by Muslim (2021). If it was permissible (to eat with the left hand), he would not have prayed against him for doing so. It was the man’s stubborn arrogance that made him refuse to obey the command, and this is the utmost disobedience which deserved this prayer against him. He commanded those who complained that they never felt full to eat together and not separately, and to mention the name of Allaah (say Bismillaah) over the food so that He might bless it for them.” Narrated by Abu Dawood (3764) and Ibn Maajah (3286). (See Zaad al-Ma’aad, 2/397-406) It was also reported that he said, “I do not eat reclining.” Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 5083. He used to eat using the first three fingers (of his right hand), which is the best way of eating. See: Zaad al-Ma’aad, 220-222. And Allaah knows best. The Prophet’s guidance regarding diet: The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to know what he was eating. He used to eat what was good for him. He used to eat enough to keep him going, but no so much as to make him fat. Ibn ‘Umar narrated that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “The believer eats in one stomach whilst the kaafir eats in seven.” Narrated by al-Bukhaari (5081) and Muslim (2060). He taught his ummah something to protect them from diseases caused by eating and drinking. He said: “The son of Adam does not fill any vessel worse than his stomach. It is sufficient for the son of Adam to eat a few mouthfuls, to keep him going. If he must do that (fill his stomach), then let him fill one third with food, one third with drink and one third with air.” Narrated by al-Tirmidhi (1381), Ibn Maajah (3349); classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in al-Silsilah al-Saheehah (2265). And Allaah knows best. Islam Q&A Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid

3. Ruling on giving salaam whilst eating http://islamqa.com/en/ref/150591 Praise be to Allaah. It is permissible to give salaam whilst eating, and there is nothing in the Sunnah to indicate that it is not allowed. The wide spread saying that there is no salaam whilst eating (“la salaam ‘ala ta‘aam”) has no basis in Islam. Al-‘Ajlooni (may Allah have mercy on him) said in Kashf al-Khafa’: *The phrase+ “there is no salaam whilst eating” is not a hadeeth. End quote.



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Some of the scholars stated that the expression referred to above has a sound meaning, if what is meant is shaking hands or responding to the greeting when a person has food in his mouth. Al-Nawawi (may Allah have mercy on him) said in al-Adhkaar: An example of that is if a person is eating and has food in his mouth. If someone greets him in this situation, he does not deserve an answer. But if it is whilst he is eating but he does not have food in his mouth, then there is nothing wrong with someone giving salaam, and he has to respond. End quote. Shaykh ‘Abd al-Rahmaan al-Suhaym (may Allah preserve him) said: This expression is a saying among the people and it is not a hadeeth. Its meaning is correct if what is meant is shaking hands, but with regard to simply giving salaam, it is not disallowed when one is eating. End quote. http://www.almeshkat.net/index.php?pg=qa&ref=1027 For more information please see question no. http://islamqa.com/en/ref/142516. And Allah knows best. Islam Q&A

4. It is mustahabb to rinse out the mouth for the one who eats or

drinks something http://islamqa.com/en/ref/148981 Praise be to Allaah. It is not obligatory to wash the mouth after eating or drinking, whether one wants to pray or read Qur’aan. But it is mustahabb for him to do that, especially if what he ate or drank was at all greasy, because of the report narrated by Muslim (358) from Ibn ‘Abbaas (may Allah be pleased with him) according to which the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) drank some milk, then he called for water and rinsed out his mouth and said: “It is somewhat greasy.” Al-Nawawi (may Allah have mercy on him) said: This indicates that it is mustahabb to rinse out the mouth after drinking milk. The scholars said: This also applies to other kinds of food and drink; it is mustahabb to rinse the mouth lest any traces of it be left that might be swallowed whilst praying. End quote from Sharh Muslim by al-Nawawi. It says in al-Mawsoo‘ah al-Fiqhiyyah (38/108): Rinsing the mouth is mustahabb after one finishes eating, because of the report narrated by Suwayd ibn al-Nu‘maan (may Allah be pleased with him) according to which he went out with the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) in the year of Khaybar. When they reached al-Sahba’ – which is the furthest part of Khaybar – he prayed ‘Asr then he called for food, but nothing was brought to him except saweeq (powdered roasted wheat or barley). He ordered that it be wetted with water because it was dry, and the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) ate and we ate, then he got up to pray Maghrib; he rinsed his mouth and we rinsed our mouths, then he prayed and he did not do wudoo’. This hadeeth indicates that it is mustahabb to rinse your mouth after eating. The benefit of rinsing the mouth before starting to pray after eating saweeq, even though it is not greasy,

http://www.almeshkat.net/index.php?pg=qa&ref=1027



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is it may leave bits between the teeth or at the corners of the mouth, and trying to get rid of them may distract a person when he is praying. End quote. And Allah knows best. Islam Q&A

5. Ruling on eating one’s fill and is it regarded as extravagance? http://islamqa.com/en/ref/145160 Detailed Question: I wanted to know how many times can a person eat during the whole day. In the Quran it reads “O Children of Adam! Take your adornment to every Masjid, and eat and drink, but waste not by extravagance, certainly He (Allah) likes not the wasteful” [7:31]. Also in the Hadith Imam Ahmad recorded that Al-Miqdam bin Ma`dikarib Al-Kindi said that he heard the Messenger of Allah saying, The Son of Adam will not fill a pot worse for himself than his stomach. It is enough for the Son of Adam to eat a few bites that strengthens his spine. If he likes to have more, then let him fill a third with food, a third with drink and leave a third for his breathing. An-Nasai and At-Tirmidhi collected this Hadith, At-Tirmidhi said, "Hasan or "Hasan Sahih'' according to another manuscript. So does it mean we can only eat once a day? And if we eat more than once will we be considered as the wasteful, whom Allah does not like? If that is the case what about fasting? Do we only eat during Sehri and at the time of Iftar we only eat three dates and nothing more? I myself drink only milk mixed with honey for breakfast, then for lunch have naan with meat curry and before going to sleep have a fruit. Is this being extravagant? Will Allah dislike me because I am eating this way? Praise be to Allaah. Firstly: Extravagance is blameworthy in eating and other things. Allah says (interpretation of the meaning): “And eat and drink but waste not by extravagance, certainly He (Allâh) likes not Al-Musrifûn (those who waste by extravagance)” [al-A‘raaf 7:31+ “And waste not by extravagance. Verily, He likes not Al-Musrifûn (those who waste by extravagance)” [al-An‘aam 6:141+ “And let not your hand be tied (like a miser) to your neck, nor stretch it forth to its utmost reach (like a spendthrift), so that you become blameworthy and in severe poverty” [al-Isra’ 17:29+ “And give to the kinsman his due and to the Miskîn (poor) and to the wayfarer. But spend not wastefully (your wealth) in the manner of a spendthrift . Verily, spendthrifts are brothers of the Shayatîn (devils), and the Shaitân (Satan) is ever ungrateful to his Lord” [al-Isra’ 17:26-27]. The difference between extravagance and wasteful spending is that extravagance means spending on something appropriate in an excessive manner, whereas wasteful spending



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means spending on something that is not appropriate. This was stated by al-Manaawi in Fayd al-Qadeer, 1/50 Secondly: Extravagance leads overstepping the mark, which means eating beyond the point of fullness. This is not limited to one or two or three meals a day. A person may eat one meal a day and eat extravagantly during that meal. Or he may eat three meals without being extravagant. The hadeeth of al-Miqdaad encourages eating small amounts of food and being content with that which is enough to keep one going. It does not suggest the number of meals. These few mouthfuls may be eaten at three times, at breakfast, lunch and dinner, and he will be eating little in these meals. If he wants to eat more than a few mouthfuls – in his meal – he should leave one third (of his stomach) for his food, one third for his drink, and one third for air. If he needs another meal – as is the case for most people – there is nothing wrong with that, but he should pay attention to the same points noted above. The same applies if he needs to have three or four meals. The number of meals varies from one person to another, the type of food and the effort necessary to prepare it. What matters is taking care of the body and not causing any harm, whether by overeating or starving. What also matters is eating to have strength to carry out acts of worship, which is achieved by eating moderate amounts, not by eating heavy amounts or going too hungry. It says in al-Mawsoo‘ah al-Fiqhiyyah (25/332): Part of the etiquette of eating is to be moderate in eating and not to fill the stomach. The most that is acceptable in this regard is for the Muslim to divide his stomach into three parts: one third for food, one third for drink and one third for air, because of the hadeeth: “The son of Adam does not fill any vessel worse than his stomach. It is enough for the son of Adam to eat a few mouthfuls to keep him going, but if he must (fill his stomach), then one third for his food, one third for his drink and one third for air.” That will lead to a lean and light body, because eating one’s full leads to heaviness, which makes one too lazy to do acts of worship and strive. When we say one third of the stomach, it means limiting oneself to one third of what one would have to eat one’s fill, and it was said that this may be done by limiting it to one half of a mudd. But al-Nafraawi favoured the former view, because of differences among people. All of this applies to one who will not become weak as a result of eating less than his fill, otherwise it is better for him to eat that which will give him energy to worship and will be physically appropriate for him. In al-Fataawa al-Hindiyyah it says: Eating falls into different categories: Obligatory – which is that which will ward off death. If a person stops eating and drinking until he dies, then he has committed a sin. That which is rewarded – which is what will give him more energy so that he is able to pray standing up and makes it easy for him to fast. Permissible – which is more than that, to the point of eating one’s fill, so that he will have more physical strength. There is no reward for this and it is not regarded as sinful. He will be brought to account for it but the reckoning will be light if the food was halaal. Haraam – this refers to eating more than one’s fill unless the intention is to have the strength to fast the following day or so as not to embarrass a guest, in which case there is nothing wrong with eating more than one’s fill. Ibn al-Haaj said: Eating in and of itself falls into different categories: obligatory, recommended, permissible, disliked and forbidden.


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That which is obligatory is that which will keep him going so that he can fulfil his obligatory duties towards his Lord, because that which is essential to doing something obligatory is also obligatory. That which is recommended is that which will help him to do naafil acts of worship, acquire knowledge and do other acts of obedience. That which is permissible is that which enables one to fill one’s stomach in the manner prescribed in sharee‘ah. That which is disliked is that which is a little more than is enough to fill the stomach but does not harm one. That which is forbidden is eating a great deal that is harmful to the body. Al-Nawawi said: It is makrooh to eat more halaal food than is enough to satisfy one. The Hanbalis said: It is permissible to eat a great deal so long as it does not harm one. In al-Ghuniyah it says: It is makrooh when there is the fear of indigestion. It was narrated from Ibn Taymiyah that it is makrooh to eat that which leads to indigestion; it was also narrated from him that doing this is haraam. End quote. Thirdly: From the above it is clear that there is nothing wrong with eating more than one meal a day and that that on its own is not regarded as extravagance; rather extravagance is eating more than is enough to fill one’s stomach even if that is in one meal. Among the evidence that it is permissible to eat enough to fill one’s stomch and that what is makrooh or haraam is going beyond that limit is the report narrated by al-Bukhaari (5381) and Muslim (2040) from Anas ibn Maalik (may Allah be pleased with him) who said: Abu Talhah said to Umm Sulaym: I have heard the voice of the Messenger of Allaah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) sounding weak, and I know that he is hungry. Do you have anything? … This is a story of food being increased in quantity by virtue of the supplication of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), in which he said: “Give permission for ten to enter.” He gave them permission and they ate until they were full, then they left. Then he said: “Give permission for ten to enter.” He gave them permission and they ate until they were full, then they left. Then he said: “Give permission for ten to enter.” He gave them permission and they ate until they were full, then they left. Then he gave permission to ten more to enter, and all the people ate, and ate their fill, and there were eighty men. Al-Bukhaari included this report in a chapter of his Saheeh entitled: Chapter on one who eats his fill. In this chapter he also narrated that ‘Aa’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) said: The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) died when we had eaten our fill of the two black ones: dates and water. Al-Haafiz Ibn Hajar (may Allah have mercy on him) said: Ibn Battaal said: From these hadeeths we see that it is permissible to eat one’s fill, although not doing so sometimes is preferable. … al-Tabari said: But eating one’s fill, even though it is permissible, has its limits, and anything beyond that is extravagance. That which is permissible of it is that which helps the eater to obey his Lord and it is heaviness does not distract him from doing what is enjoined upon him. al-Qurtubi said in al-Mufhim, after mentioning the story of Abu’l-Haytham, when he slaughtered a sheep for the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) and his two Companions and they ate until they were full: In (this report) there is evidence that it is permissible to eat one’s fill, and the reports which say that it is not allowed are to be understood as referring to fullness that weighs heavily in the stomach and


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makes a person slow to do acts of worship, and leads to feeling sleepy and lazy. The prohibition on doing that (which is makrooh) may go so far as being haraam according to the negative consequences that result from it. End quote from Fath al-Baari. Fourthly: The way you described your breakfast, lunch and dinner is not regarded as extravagance; rather they may be small, compared to what people are used to. But you know yourself best and what is best suited to your body’s needs. And Allah knows best. Islam Q&A

6. What is the importance of drinking water in sitting position? http://islamqa.com/en/ref/143966 Praise be to Allaah. It is permissible to drink both sitting and standing, although drinking whilst sitting is better, and it is what the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) did most often. This has been discussed in the answer to question number http://islamqa.com/en/ref/21147. Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allah have mercy on him) said, explaining the negative effect of drinking whilst standing and the importance of drinking whilst sitting: Drinking whilst standing has numerous negative effects, one of which is that it does not fully quench the thirst and does not settle in the stomach so that the liver can distribute the nutrients to other parts of the body. Rather it comes to the stomach with speed and force, and there is the fear that it will cause a chill or disturbance, and may pass quickly to the lower parts of the body without moving gradually. All of that is harmful to the drinker, but if he does it occasionally or in the case of need, it will not harm him... End quote from Zaad al-Ma‘aad, 4/229. Al-Tahhaawi (may Allah have mercy on him) said: It was narrated that al-Sha‘bi said: Drinking whilst standing is only disliked because it is harmful. And al-Sha‘bi gave the reason for which this is not allowed: because of the fear of either harm and disease that results from that, and nothing else. In forbidding that, the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) was motivated by compassion for his ummah and sought to tell them to do that which is in their best interests in both religious and worldly terms, as he said to them, “As for me, I do not eat reclining.” That does not mean that it is haraam for them to do that, rather the meaning is that there is some fear for them if they eat reclining. Al-Sha‘bi mentioned the reason why the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) disliked eating reclining, and it is only because of what happens as a result, such as enlargement of the belly. The same is true of what was narrated from him about the prohibition on drinking whilst standing; it is only because of what may result from that and he disliked it for that reason and no other. End quote from Sharh Ma‘aani al-Aathaar, 4/274 What the believer should do is follow the guidance and Sunnah of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), whether he knows the wisdom behind it or not; there is




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nothing wrong with asking about the reason or looking for it so as to increase his faith or to debate, in the way that is better, with those who reject this Sunnah. And Allah knows best. Islam Q&A

7. Can we speak while eating? http://islamqa.com/en/ref/142516 Praise be to Allaah. There is nothing in the Prophet’s Sunnah to indicate that it is not allowed to speak whilst eating. The popular saying among some, that there is “no greeting and no talking over food” has no basis in sharee‘ah. It is proven that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) talked whilst eating. In al-Bukhaari (3340) and Muslim (194) it is narrated that Abu Hurayrah said: One day some meat was brought to the Messenger of Allaah (S) and the foreleg, which he used to like, was offered to him. He took a bite, then he said: “I will be the leader of mankind on the Day of Resurrection. Do you know why that is? … Then he quoted the lengthy hadeeth about intercession. In Saheeh Muslim (2052) it is narrated from Jaabir ibn ‘Abd-Allah that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) asked his family for condiments and they said: We do not have anything but vinegar. He called for it and he started eating it, saying: “What a good condiment vinegar is, what a good condiment vinegar is.” Al-Nawawi said: This shows that it is mustahabb to talk whilst eating, so as to put the diners at ease. End quote from Sharh Saheeh Muslim (14/7) Putting diners at ease, which is mentioned by Imam al-Nawawi (may Allah have mercy on him) here, is something that is well known and prevalent among the Arabs, because it is part of honouring the guest and showing generosity to talk to people whilst they are eating, especially guests. Ibn al-Qayyim said: The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) used to speak whilst eating, as seen above in the hadeeth about vinegar, and as he said to his stepson ‘Umar ibn Abi Salamah, who was eating with him: “Mention the name of Allah and eat from that which is closest to you.” End quote from Zaad al-Ma‘aad, 2/366 In these hadeeths there is evidence that it is permissible to speak whilst eating. As for the hadeeths that mention the command to speak whilst eating or that forbid doing so, none of them are saheeh. Al-Haafiz al-Sakhaawi said: I do not know anything about it, either forbidding it or approving it. End quote. Al-Maqaasid al-Hasanah, p. 510 Shaykh al-Albaani (may Allah have mercy on him) said: Talking whilst eating is like talking whilst not eating: good talk is good and bad talk is bad. End quote from Silsilah al-Huda wa’l-Noor, tape no. 15/1 And Allah knows best.



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Islam Q&A

8. Is it Sunnah for a person to drink sips of water before eating food? http://islamqa.com/en/ref/141309 Praise be to Allaah. There is nothing in the Prophet’s Sunnah to indicate that it is mustahabb to drink water or sips of water before eating food. Perhaps the one who thought that that is Sunnah imagined it because it is proven in the Sunnah that it is mustahabb to drink in three draughts. But this is something other than what the questioner thought, because the fact that that is mustahabb has nothing to do with eating food. It is the same whether one drinks before or after eating or whilst eating, or in any other situation; it is mustahabb for him to consume his drink in three draughts. It was narrated that Anas ibn Maalik (may Allah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allaah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) used to breathe three times when drinking, and he would say: “It is more thirst-quenching, healthier and more wholesome.” Narrated by Muslim in his Saheeh (2028). Ibn al-Qayyim said: What is meant by breathing whilst drinking is moving the vessel away from the mouth and breathing outside of it, then going back to drinking. Zaad al-Ma’aad, 4/210. There are great wisdom and important benefits in drinking in this manner. The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) drew attention to them when he said: “It is more thirst-quenching, healthier and more wholesome.” Thirst-quenching means it is more hydrating and beneficial. Healthier means it is better for one. Wholesome means that it is healing; it relieves one from intense thirst and sickness to which that may lead, because it comes to the stomach in stages one after another; the second draught soothes that which could not be soothed by the first, and the third soothes that which could not be soothed by the second. And it was said that wholesome means that it is free from any disease or harm that may result from drinking in one draught. See: Sharh Saheeh Muslim by al-Nawawi, 13/199 Ibn al-Qayyim said: One of the problems caused by drinking in one draught is that there is a fear of choking, as the oesophagus may be blocked by the large amount of liquid flowing through it. But if he breathes slowly, then drinks, he will be safe from that. End quote. Zad al-Ma’aad, 4/231 And Allah knows best. Islam Q&A



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9. What is the ruling on throwing leftover food and drink down the

drain? http://islamqa.com/en/ref/138341 Detailed Question: What is the ruling on pouring tea and coffee down the drain? If milk has gone off, is it permissible to throw it out with the trash? Praise be to Allaah. It is not permissible to throw leftover food and drink that can be used down the drain or to put them out with the trash. In Fataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa’imah (22/341) it says: Leftover food must be saved for the next time or it should be given to the needy; if there are no needy people, then it should be given to animals, even after it has dried out, for the one who is able to do that. End quote. Shaykh Ibn Baaz (may Allah have mercy on him) said: With regard to bread, meat and other kinds of food, it is not permissible to throw them in the dumpster; rather they should be given to those who need them, or they should be put in a visible place where they will not be mistreated, in the hope that someone who needs them for his animals will take them, or they will be eaten by some animals or birds. It is not permissible to put leftovers in the trash or impure places or in the road, because that is mistreatment of them, and because putting them in the road is mistreating them and causes annoyance to those who use the road. End quote from Fataawa Islamiyyah, 3/633 Shaykh Saalih al-Fawzaan (may Allah preserve him) said: It is not permissible to throw any food into dirty places or impure places such as washrooms, because that is a waste, mistreatment of the blessing and a lack of gratitude to Allah. The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) found a date in the road and said “Were it not that I am afraid that it came from the zakaah, I would have eaten it.” Narrated by al-Bukhaari in his Saheeh. And he (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) ordered the one who eats to lick his fingers before washing them or wiping them on a handkerchief, and he instructed that if a piece of food is dropped, it should be picked up and any dirt should be removed from it, and it should be eaten. This indicates that it is not permissible to throw any kind of food, dates or other eatables in dirty or impure places; rather the blessing should be respected and preserved, because that is part of gratitude for it, and because this blessing may come to one who needs it and will eat it, even animals. So throwing it in the garbage is not permissible. End quote. With regard to food that is not good or that has gone off, and drinks that cannot be used, such as leftover tea and coffee, there is nothing wrong with throwing them out with the trash or into drains. Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (may Allah have mercy on him) was asked: What is the ruling on students throwing leftover food and drink in the trash? He replied: As for that which cannot be eaten, such as the peels of oranges, apples and bananas and so on, there is nothing wrong with that because this has no value in and of itself. But with regard to things that may be eaten, such as leftover bread, condiments and the like, they should not be thrown in dirty places. If they must be thrown into the trash, then they should be placed in a separate bag, so that the cleaners will know that they are to be respected.



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End quote from Fataawa Noor ‘ala al-Darb, 6/205 And Allah knows best. Islam Q&A

10. Ruling on smelling food and drink http://islamqa.com/en/ref/111981 Detailed Question: When we were young, our parents used to stop us if we try to smell foods or drinks. They used to say that smelling them is haram. A while ago I stopped a brother from smelling a food. He said to me, do not give me fatwa, provide an evidence if you have one. What is your answer to this? Praise be to Allaah. In Islam, it is prohibited to breathe into the vessel and to blow into one’s drink. It was narrated from Abu Qataadah (may Allaah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) breathing into the vessel. Narrated by al-Bukhaari (5630) and Muslim (267). What is meant is that it is forbidden to blow onto whatever is in the vessel of food or drink. Al-Shawkaani said in Nayl al-Awtaar (8/221): Vessel includes vessels for both food and drink. End quote. Al-Haafiz Ibn Hajar (may Allaah have mercy on him) said in Fath al-Baari (10/92): There are a number of ahaadeeth which forbid blowing into the vessel; it is also forbidden to breathe into the vessel, because that may result in some change due to the breathing, either because the breather’s mouth has a certain smell because of food for example, or because he has not used the miswak or rinsed his mouth for a long time, or because breathing brings out some vapours from the stomach. In all these cases blowing is even worse than merely breathing. End quote. Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen said in Sharh Riyadh al-Saaliheen (2/454): The wisdom behind that is that breathing into the vessel is off putting to the one who is going to drink from it after him. Some diseases from the stomach, lungs or mouth may be expelled with the breath and stick to the vessel, or he may choke if he breathes into the vessel. Hence the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) forbade breathing into vessels; rather one should take three breaths, holding the vessel away from the mouth each time. End quote. It was narrated from Abu Sa’eed al-Khudri (may Allaah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) forbade blowing into one's drink. Narrated by al-Tirmidhi (1887) who said: a saheeh hasan hadeeth. It was also classed as saheeh by Ibn al-Qayyim in I’laam al-Muwaqqi’een (4/317). Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (may Allaah have mercy on him) said in Sharh Riyadh al-Saaliheen (2/457): That is because if a person blows (into the vessel), some harmful things may come with the air that is exhaled, such as disease and the like. But some of the scholars made an exception in cases of necessity, such as if the drink is hot and he needs to drink it quickly. In that case some scholars granted a concession. But it is better not to blow on it, even if it is hot. If it is



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hot and he has another vessel, then he may pour some of it into that vessel then pour it back until it cools down. End quote. Once the reason for the prohibition on blowing or breathing into the vessel was understood, the scholars drew an analogy with everything that may lead to contamination of food and drink. Al-Shawkaani said in Nayl al-Awtaar (8/221): Just as one should not breathe into the vessel, one should not burp into it either. End quote. With regard to the ruling on smelling food or drink, if smelling the food or drink is done in such a way that the breath coming from the nose will come on the food then it is not allowed in this case. But if none of the breath will come on it, rather the person only wants to know what this food smells like so that he can know what it is, then there is nothing wrong with that. But when the mouth is brought too near to food or drink, that is usually accompanied by some of the breath that is exhaled from the nose. Hence some of the fuqaha’ regarded it as makrooh to smell food. It says in Radd al-Muhtaar, which is a Hanafi book (6/340): Food should not be eaten when it is hot, and it should not be smelled. End quote. It says something similar in Mughni al-Muhtaaj (4/412), which is a Shaafa’i book. But if a person wants to smell the steam coming from food from a distance, because of a need to do so and he is keen to ensure that none of his breath reaches the food or drink, then there is no reservation concerning that, in sha Allaah.. The Muslim should think about how keen Islam is to teach the Muslim all the etiquettes of living, even with regard to his food and drink. He should ponder how many of the books of our fuqaha’ (may Allaah have mercy on them) deal with etiquette and cleanliness, then let him see if there is any religion or line of thought which brought such sublime teachings as our religion did. Praise be to Allaah the Lord of the Worlds. And Allaah knows best. Islam Q&A

11. Is it true that eating at a table (in a dining room) is imitating the

kuffaar? Is using a spoon or fork when eating a kind of arrogance or

imitating the kuffaar? http://islamqa.com/en/ref/112005 Praise be to Allaah. There is nothing wrong with eating at a table and the like, as mentioned, or with eating with a fork or spoon and the like, and that is not imitating the kuffaar, because it is not something that is unique to them. And Allaah is the source of strength; may Allaah send blessing and peace upon our Prophet Muhammad and his family and companions. End quote Fataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa’imah li’l-Buhooth al-‘Ilmiyyah wa’l-Ifta, 26/309.



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12. Ruling on drinking from the mouth of the bottle http://islamqa.com/en/ref/112010 Detailed Question: Can the prohibition on drinking from the mouth of the waterskin be applied to drinking from the mouth of the bottle? Praise be to Allaah. It was proven that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allaah be upon him) forbade drinking from the mouth of the waterskin. Narrated by al-Bukhaari (5628) and Muslim (5629) from the hadeeth of Abu Hurayrah and Ibn ‘Abbaas (may Allaah be pleased with them). The siqa’ (translated here as waterskin) is the vessel in which water is put and it has a mouth from which it is drunk. The scholars (may Allaah have mercy on them) mentioned a number of reasons for this prohibition: 1. That what is inside the waterskin cannot be seen, and there may be an insect or snake inside it which could cause harm or annoyance, as it was narrated that a man drank from the mouth of the waterskin and a snake came out of it. This reason does not apply with regard to drinking from bottles nowadays, because what is inside them can usually be seen. 2. That the person who drinks from the mouth of the waterskin may not be able to control the flow of water, so he will get more than he needs and it will choke him or make his clothes wet. This reason does apply with regard to those who drink from bottles, as we see happen with a lot of people. 3. The prohibition is there so that his saliva will not get on the mouth of the bottle or be mixed with the water inside it, or so that his breath will not get on the mouth of the bottle and thus put others off. This may be a cause of the spread of disease. This reason is also applicable to those who drink from bottles, but it applies to the one who touches the bottle with his mouth. But if he pours from it and does not touch it with his mouth, there ts nothing wrong with it. Similarly, it applies in cases where someone else will drink from the same bottle after him. But if the bottle is just for him, there is nothing wrong with drinking from its mouth in that case. It is not unlikely that the prohibition on drinking from the mouth of the waterskin was for all of these reasons, as was stated by Ibn al-‘Arabi, Ibn Abi Hamzah and others (may Allaah have mercy on them). See Fath al-Baari, commentary on hadeeth number 5628. Some of these reasons, as stated above, apply to the one who drinks from a bottle, hence he should not drink from its mouth, especially if someone else is going to drink from the bottle too. And Allaah knows best. Islam Q&A



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13. Ahaadeeth of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon

him) which criticize extravagance with regard to food http://islamqa.com/en/ref/102374 Detailed Question: How authentic are the two following ahadeeth: Narrated by A’esha, may Allah be pleased with her, that she said: “the first calamity for this nation after the prophet’s death is fullness of their stomachs; when their stomachs became full, they became obese and their hearts weakened and their desires became wild” Bukhari. The prophet advised us not to eat everything we desire to eat. Narrated by Anas ben Malik, may Allah be pleased with him that the prophet said: “it is extravagance that one eats whatever he desire” Ibn majah. Is there anything that forbids one to eat a lot, or not to be able to control how much he eats? Any hadeeth, verse, or a book about prohibiting extravagance in foods, or about the prophet’s way regarding foods and eating. Praise be to Allaah. Firstly: Gluttony is one of the greatest sins that lead to doom and it causes many diseases and sicknesses, both spiritual and physical, because it leads to sexual desire, then the desire for status and wealth in order to fulfil the first two desires. Then that generates spiritual diseases such as showing off, destructive envy (hasad), boastfulness and arrogance because of being focused on worldly matters. In most cases that leads to evil and immorality, all of it because of this desire. The Arabs of old said: The stomach is the home of disease and restraint is the basis of the remedy. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): “and eat and drink but waste not by extravagance, certainly He (Allaah) likes not Al-Musrifoon (those who waste by extravagance)” [al-A’raaf 7:31+ The Sunnah encourages moderation in eating, and strongly criticizes extravagance. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: The son of Adam does not fill any vessel worse than his stomach. It is sufficient for the son of Adam to eat a few mouthfuls, to keep him going. If he must do that (fill his stomach), then let him fill one third with food, one third with drink and one third with air.” Narrated by al-Tirmidhi (2380); classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in al-Silsilah al-Saheehah (2265). It was narrated that Naafi’ said: Ibn ‘Umar used not to eat until a poor man was brought to eat with him. I brought a man in to eat with him and he ate a great deal. He said: O Naafi’, do not let this man enter upon me, for I heard the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) say: “The kaafir eats in seven intestines.” Narrated by al-Bukhaari (5393) and Muslim (2060). Al-Nawawi said, commenting on this hadeeth (14/25): The scholars said: What the hadeeth means is to be content wit little in this world and encouraging asceticism and contentment, in addition to the fact that eating little is a good characteristic, and eating a great deal is the opposite. As for the words of Ibn ‘Umar concerning the poor man who ate a great deal in his presence, “Do not let him enter upon me,” he only said that because he was behaving like a kaafir, and if a person is behaves like a kaafir it is makrooh to mix with him unnecessarily; moreover, the amount that this man ate could had fed a number of people. End quote.



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We have quoted other ahaadeeth on this topic elsewhere on our site; please see question no. http://islamqa.com/en/ref/71173. Secondly: Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allaah have mercy on him) has summed up for us the teaching of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) with regard to food and drink, which he derived from the saheeh ahaadeeth. He says in Zaad al-Ma’aad (1/147): Similarly the practice of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) was not to reject what was available, and not to go out of his way to seek that which was not available. No good food was brought to him but he ate it, unless he had no appetite for it, in which case he left it but did not forbid it. He never criticized any food. If he wanted it he ate it, otherwise he would leave it, as he refrained from eating lizard meat because he was not used to it, but he did not forbid it to the ummah. He ate sweets and honey, which he liked. He ate camel meat, mutton, chicken, bustard, onager, rabbit and seafood. He ate grilled meat and both fresh and dry dates. … He did not refuse good food, and he did not go out of his way to seek it, rather he would eat what was available, but if it was not available he would be patient, and he would tie a stone to his stomach because of hunger. Three new moons in a row would be sighted, and no cooking fire would be lit in his house. End quote. Thirdly: The scholars have mentioned the benefits of moderation in food and not being extravagant. These include: 1 – Purity of heart, mental alertness and deep insight. Satiety generates stupidity and blinds the heart. Hence the proverb says “The one whose stomach is hungry will become able to think deeply and his intelligence will honed.” 2 – Humility and the loss of pride, joy and insolence, which are the foundation of tyranny and neglect of Allaah. 3 – One does not forget the wrath and punishment of Allaah, or the people who are afflicted by calamity. For the one who has his fill forgets the one who is hungry and he forgets hunger, but the one who is smart does not see someone else afflicted by a calamity but he is reminded of calamity in the Hereafter. 4 – One of the greatest benefits is that it puts an end to all sinful desires, and brings control over the self that is inclined towards evil, because the source of all sins is desires and energy, and the fuel for energy and desires is food. Dhu’l-Noon said: I never ate my fill but I sinned or thought of sinning. 5 – Warding off sleep and being able to stay up. For the one who eats a lot will drink a lot, and the one who drinks a lot will sleep a lot. Sleeping a lot wastes one’s time and causes one to miss out on tahajjud; it makes one slow and hardens the heart. Time is the most precious gift and it is the person’s capital, but sleep is death and sleeping too much shortens one’s life. 6 – Physical health and warding off disease, which is caused by eating too much and mixing foods in the stomach. The doctors say that gluttony is the cause of disease and restraint leads to a cure. Summarized from Ihya’ ‘Uloom al-Deen (3/103-104). Fourthly: With regard to the ahaadeeth mentioned in the question, none of them are saheeh. The first hadeeth: ‘Aa’ishah (may Allaah be pleased with her) said: “The first calamity for this ummah after the death of its Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) will be satiety, for when


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people’s stomachs are full, their bodies will grow fat, and their hearts will become weakened and their desires will grow wild.” Narrated by al-Bukhaari in al-Du’afa’ – as attributed to him by al-Dhahabi in Meezaan al-I’tidaal (3/335). Also narrated by Ibn Abi’l-Dunya in al-Joo’ (no. 22). Narrated via Ghassaan ibn ‘Ubayd al-Azdi al-Mawsili, who said: Hamzah al-Basri told us, from Hishaam ibn ‘Urwah, from his father, from ‘Aa’ishah. I say: This isnaad is da’eef jiddan (very weak) because of Ghassaan ibn ‘Ubayd, in whose biography in Lisaan al-Mizaan (4/418) it says: Ahmad ibn Hanbal said: We wrote from him, then he came to us here then I burned what I wrote from him. Ibn ‘Adiyy said: The weakness in his hadeeth is obvious. According to a report from Yahya ibn Ma’een, it is da’eef. … Then he counted the hadeeth of ‘Aa’ishah that we have as being munkar. End quote. Hence Shaykh al-Albaani said in Da’eef al-Targheeb (1239): It is munkar mawqoof. End quote. Note: In the question this hadeeth is attributed to al-Bukhaari, and this is a serious mistake, because saying that a report “was narrated by al-Bukhaari” usually means that it is from his Saheeh, but al-Bukhaari wrote many other books, in which he narrated ahaadeeth with their isnaads, but they are not necessarily saheeh, such as his book al-Du’afa’ al-Sagheer, which has been printed, and al-Du’afa’ al-Kabeer, which was mentioned by Ibn al-Nadeem and Brockelmann in Tareekh al-Adab (p. 65), and which still exists in the library of Patna in India. If it so happened that al-Bukhaari narrated a hadeeth in any of his books apart from al-Saheeh, which is the greatest book written by a scholar in Islam, then it should be stated when quoting the hadeeth: “narrated by al-Bukhaari in al-Taareekh” or “in al-Du’afa’” or “in al-Adab al-Mufrad” for example, then one should research the isnaad of the hadeeth: is it saheeh or not, as is done in other books. This hadeeth of ‘Aa’ishah may be in al-Du’afa’ al-Kabeer. We have looked for it in al-Sagheer but I could not find it. al-Du’afa’ al-Sagheer rarely mentions ahaadeeth and isnaads. And Allaah knows best. The second hadeeth: It was narrated from Anas ibn Maalik (may Allaah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “It is extravagance to eat everything you want.” Narrated by Ibn Majaah (3352); Abu Ya’laa in al-Musnad (5/154); Abu Nu’aym in al-Hilyah (10/213); al-Bayhaqi in Shu’ab al-Eemaan (5/46) and others, via Baqiyah ibn al-Waleed, Yoosuf ibn Abi Katheer told us, from Nooh ibn Dhakwaan from al-Hasan from Anas in a marfoo’ report (i.e., attributed to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)). This isnaad is da’eef jiddan (very weak) and has a number of faults, such as: 1 – Yoosuf ibn Abi Katheer, of whom Ibn Hajar said in Tahdheeb al-Tahdheeb (11/421): One of the Shaykhs of Baqiyah who are not known. End quote. 2 – Nooh ibn Dhakwaan, whose hadeeth is munkar. It says in his biography in Tahdheeb al-Tahdheeb: Ibn ‘Adiyy said: His ahaadeeth are not sound. Ibn Hibbaan said: His hadeeth is munkar jiddan and his hadeeth should not be narrated. Abu Nu’aym said: he narrated problematic reports from al-Hasan, and he has a document from al-Hasan from Anas. End quote. Hence the hadeeth was classed as da’eef (weak) by more than one of the scholars: Ibn Hibbaan in al-Majrooheen (3/47); Ibn ‘Adiyy in al-Kaamil (8/299); Ibn al-Jawzi in al-Mawdoo’aat (3/182); al-Busayri in Misbaah al-Zujaajah (2/188); al-Sakhkhaawi in al-Maqaasid al-Hasanah (515).Shaykh al-Albaani said in al-Silsilat al-Da’eefah (no. 241): It is mawdoo’ (fabricated).


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The saheeh ahaadeeth quoted above are sufficient and we have no need of these two weak ahaadeeth. The one who wants to know more about this topic may refer to al-Joo’ by Ibn Abi’l-Dunya; Mukhtasar Minhaaj al-Qaasideen by Ibn Qudaamah; Zaad al-Ma’aad by Ibn al-Qayyim and Sharh Riyaadh al-Saaliheen by Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen. See also the answer to question no. http://islamqa.com/en/ref/6503 . And Allaah knows best. Islam Q&A

14. Extravagance on wala’im (banquets) http://islamqa.com/en/ref/88124 Detailed Question: A woman went to another woman’s house as she gave birth. She found much extravagance on the banquet there as their traditions require. She congratulated her but did not eat from the waleemah (banquet) fearing she commits a sin. They keep celebrating the same tradition for one week or more. What is the ruling on these wala’im? What is the advice you give to this woman? Praise be to Allaah. There is nothing wrong with this visitor eating from those banquets, even if there is some extravagance in them as you say, but she should advise the people of that household and explain to them the importance of preserving blessings, giving thanks for them and not being wasteful or extravagant in them. She should teach them to benefit from these banquets by distributing surplus food to the poor and needy; thus they will attain reward as well as celebrating their joy. With regard to what some people do of wasting food and throwing it away, this is wrong and is a transgression against the blessing of Allaah, and it is helping the Shaytaan. Muslim (2033) narrated that Jaabir said: I heard the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) say: “The shaytaan is present with any one of you in all his affairs, and he is even present with him when he eats. If one of you drops a morsel, let him remove any dirt that has gotten onto it, then eat it, and not leave it for the shaytaan. And when he has finished let him lick his fingers, for he does not know in which part of his food the blessing is.” The Standing Committee was asked: What is your opinion about leftover food, and food that is surplus to one’s needs? In the college they offer different kinds of food, and the students eat a little and throw away the rest. They replied: Wasteful extravagance is forbidden, and wasting money is forbidden. The leftover food should be kept for another time, or given to the needy, and if there are no needy people then it should be given to animals, even if that is after drying it out, for those who can manage that. End quote from Fataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa’imah (22/291). May Allaah help us all to do that which He loves and which pleases Him. And Allaah knows best. Islam Q&A




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15. What should a person say when he realizes after he has finished

eating that he forgot to say Bismillaah? http://islamqa.com/en/ref/77041 Detailed Question: After I had finished eating my meal and I wanted to praise Allaah after finishing eating, I remembered that I had not said Bismillaah. Should I say Bismillaah awwalahu wa aakhirahu, alhamdulillaah (In the name of Allaah at the beginning and the end, praise be to Allaah)? Or should I say Alhamdu-Lillaah only? Or what? Please advise us, may Allaah reward you with good. Praise be to Allaah. What is prescribed for the one who forgets to say Bismillaah when he first starts to eat is to say when he remembers, Bismillaah awwalahu wa aakhirahu (In the name of Allaah at the beginning and the end) or to say Bismillaah fi awwalihi wa aakhirihi (In the name of Allaah at the beginning and the end). It was narrated from ‘Aa’ishah (may Allaah be pleased with her) that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “When one of you eats, let him remember Allaah at the beginning, and if he forgets to remember Allaah at the beginning, let him say Bismillaah fi awwalihi wa aakhirihi (In the name of Allaah at the beginning and the end).” Narrated by al-Tirmidhi (1857), and he said: it is hasan saheeh. The phrase “and if he forgets to remember Allaah at the beginning, let him say…” includes both the one who remembers to say Bismillaah whilst eating, or at the end, or shortly after he has finished eating, because of the general meaning of the hadeeth. It says in Kashshaaf al-Qinaa’ (5/173): The apparent meaning is even if that is after he has finished eating. It says in Mughni al-Muhtaaj (4/411): If he forgets to do it (i.e., say Bismillaah) at the beginning, he may say it partway through, and if he forgets it partway through, he may say it at the end. End quote. It says in Nihaayat al-Muhtaaj (1/184): He should not say it (i.e., Bismillaah) after finishing wudoo’, which is unlike the case with eating, where he may say it afterwards. End quote. It says in al-Haashiyah ‘ala Nihaayat al-Muhtaaj: Meaning, that if the time between finishing his meal and remembering is not too long, he may say it. What is too long is to be determined by what is customary. End quote. The hadeeth also indicates that saying Bismillaah fi awwalihi wa aakhirihi (In the name of Allaah at the beginning and the end) takes the place of saying Bismillaah at the beginning, and the reward for seeking the help of Allaah when starting to eat will be recorded for the Muslim, as a honour and a bounty from Allaah, may He be blessed and exalted. Al-Munaawi said in Fayd al-Qadeer (1/296): How can it be true that one has sought the help of Allaah at the beginning when he did not do that at the beginning? Because we say that the phrase indicates that this is the case, thus the one who utters this phrase becomes like one who sought help at the beginning and will get the same blessing as one who sought help at the beginning. End quote. The Sunnah for the one who has finished eating is to praise Allaah for it in different ways, such as the following.



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It was narrated from Abu Umaamah (may Allaah be pleased with him) that when his meal was cleared away, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) would say: “Al-hamdu Lillaahi hamdan katheeran tayyiban mubaarakan fihi ghayri makfiyyin wa laa muwadda’ wa laa mustaghni ‘anhu Rabbanaa (Allaah be praised with an abundant, beautiful, blessed praise. He is the One Who is Sufficient, Who feeds and is never fed, The One Who is longed for, along with that which is with Him, and the One Who is needed. He is Our Lord. Narrated by al-Bukhaari (5458). So if a person forgets to say Bismillaah when he starts to eat, then he remembers it when he has finished eating, it is mustahabb for him to say Bismillaah fi awwalihi wa aakhirihi (In the name of Allaah at the beginning and the end) and then praise Allaah. Thus he will have acted in accordance with both hadeeths, and obeyed the command of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). There is no contradiction in saying both dhikrs after one has finished eating, and it seems that there is nothing wrong with saying al-hamdu-lillaah before saying Bismillaah fi awwalihi wa aakhirihi (In the name of Allaah at the beginning and the end), in sha Allaah, because the aim is to say both dhikrs, the Tasmiyah (saying Bismillaah) and praising Allaah, so it does not matter which of them one starts with. And Allaah knows best. Islam Q&A

16. Ruling on drinking whilst standing http://islamqa.com/en/ref/21147 Detailed Question: I have read some ahaadeeth which say that it is forbidden to drink whilst standing. Does this mean that drinking whilst standing is prohibited? Praise be to Allaah. There are ahaadeeth which say that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) forbade drinking whilst standing. For example, Muslim (2024, 2025) narrated from Anas and Abu Sa’eed al-Khudri (may Allaah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) forbade drinking whilst standing. But there are other ahaadeeth which say that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) drank whilst standing, such as the following: Al-Bukhaari (1637) and Muslim (2027) narrated that Ibn Mas’ood (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: I brought water to the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) from Zamzam and he drank whilst standing. Al-Bukhaari (5615) narrated from ‘Ali (may Allaah be pleased with him) that he drank whilst standing then he said: Some people say it is makrooh for one of you to drink whilst standing, but I saw the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) doing what you have seen me do. Ahmad (797) narrated that ‘Ali ibn Abi Taalib (may Allaah be pleased with him) drank whilst standing, and the people looked at him as if they objected to that. He said: “What are you looking at? If I drink whilst standing, I saw the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) drink whilst standing, and if I drink sitting, I saw the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) drink whilst sitting.” Ahmad Shaakir said in Tahqeeq al-Musnad: its isnaad is saheeh.



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Al-Tirmidhi (1881) narrated that Ibn ‘Umar (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: “We used to eat at the time of the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) whilst walking, and we used to drink whilst standing.” Classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Tirmidhi. The scholars reconciled these hadeeth by stating that the forbidding mentioned here does not mean that it is haraam, rather it is to be understood as advice, and that it is better to drink whilst sitting. The ahaadeeth which describe the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) drinking whilst standing indicate that it is permissible to do that. Al-Nawawi (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: There is no contradiction in these ahaadeeth, praise be to Allaah, and none of them are da’eef (weak). Rather they are all saheeh. The correct view is that the forbidding mentioned in them is to be understood as meaning that it is disliked. The fact that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) drank whilst standing indicates that it is permissible to do so. This is all that needs to be said on the matter. If it is asked: How come it is makrooh to drink whilst standing when the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) did that? The answer is that if what he (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) did was to show that it is permissible, then it is not makrooh, rather he (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) was obliged to show and explain that, so how can it be makrooh? It is proven that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) did wudoo’ washing each part only once, and that he circumambulated the Ka’bah (i.e., did tawaaf) riding a camel – even though there is scholarly consensus that it is better to do wudoo’ washing each part three times and that it is better to do tawaaf walking. There are many similar examples. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) was demonstrating that something is permissible one time or many times, but he persisted in following the better option. So usually when he did wudoo’ he washed each part three times, and he usually did tawaaf walking, and he usually drank whilst sitting. This is clear and is not confusing to anyone who has the slightest claim to knowledge. And Allaah knows best. This reconciliation between the ahaadeeth was suggested by al-Khattaabi, Ibn Battaal, al-Tabari and others. Al-Haafiz said in Fath al-Baari: This is the best and soundest explanation, and the farthest removed from contradiction. It says in Fataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa’imah (22/133): The basic ruling is that one should drink whilst sitting, which is better, but one may drink whilst standing. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) did both to demonstrate that there is a lot of room for manoeuvre in this matter. Islam Q&A

17. What is your opinion on taking my wife to a restaurant, if there are

booths? Please note that we are committed Muslims. http://islamqa.com/en/ref/32736 Praise be to Allaah. Nowadays there has appeared among some Muslim families and Muslim woman a phenomenon that is foreign to the conservative Muslim society that seeks to protect and



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shield women. It is the phenomenon of going to family restaurants or restaurants with family sections. The one who examines the situation through the lens of sharee’ah and with proper insight will see that this involves a number of dangers and things that are forbidden according to sharee’ah. For example: 1 – The barriers that are present in many of these restaurants do not conceal women properly as required by sharee’ah and screen them completely from non-mahram men. That is either because the barriers are too short or because there is a gap at the bottom through which their feet and legs can be seen, or they are too transparent, so that it is possible to see something of the woman’s body; or parts of the wall or screen are cut away in a design so that it is possible to see through it. In the family sections of some of these restaurants there are no divisions at all between the family tables, rather the walls are between the place where men sit and the place where families sit. Undoubtedly this arrangement makes it possible for the members of one family to see any member of another family. 2 – It is well known that many of the woman who sit in these family sections are careless about proper Islamic hijab, and they show their faces, hair, feet or even more than that, and even most of the women who wear hijab uncover their faces when eating, so if the walls are as described above, then people will see that which Allaah has forbidden them to uncover. 3 – In most of these restaurants the waiters – who are men – enter the place where women are sitting to take down their orders or to bring the food, and not all of them seek permission to enter, and not all of the women cover themselves every time a waiter comes in. Rather many woman do not care about wearing hijab in front of men of different nationalities. 4 – These places have become frequented by some immoral people, who may get to know a girl and take her to these restaurants, pretending that she is his wife, so these family sections become a convenient place for those who seek to do haraam things. 5 – Some girls from rich families have started to hold parties for their classmates from school or college on various occasions in these restaurants, and it is well known that many of them do not adhere to proper Islamic hijab, and some of their guardians are lenient with these girls, on the grounds that they are young, even though their physical appearance is sufficient for there to be fitnah (temptation). So each girl has a driver who takes her to the family restaurant where the party is being held, even though that involves a great evil. 6 – In view of the large amount of money that is spend in these meals – especially since most of these restaurants charge a great deal – we see that eating in these restaurants is a kind of extravagance (israaf), in addition to the fact that leftover food is usually thrown away, unlike what would happen if these people were to eat at home. Being economical is, as the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, one of the twenty-seven parts of Prophethood. (Narrated by al-Tirmidhi, no. 2010; this is a saheeh hadeeth). 7 – When women visit family restaurants this leads to an increase in their going out of their houses for no need. This goes against the words of Allaah (interpretation of the meaning): “And stay in your houses, and do not display yourselves like that of the times of ignorance” [al-Ahzaab 33:33] It is well known that sharee’ah does not want women to have the habit of coming and going all the time, because that leads to evil consequences, one of the greatest of which is the gradual loss of modesty.


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8 – The cleanliness and health benefits of food made at home are much better than those of food cooked in restaurants, since many of the cooks in the so-called refined restaurants are kaafirs who do not pay any attention to matters of purity and impurity. Visitors to restaurants often suffer from diarrhoea and food poisoning. More important than all that is the fact that those who eat in these restaurants do not know what kind of meat is used in the food, unlike food cooked at home, which is made where a person can see it and know what it is. Because of these concerns and others, the Muslim should keep his family away from these places and obey the words of Allaah (interpretation of the meaning): “O you who believe! Ward off yourselves and your families against a Fire (Hell) whose fuel is men and stones, over which are (appointed) angels stern (and) severe, who disobey not, (from executing) the Commands they receive from Allaah, but do that which they are commanded” [al-Tahreem 66:6] Some may claim that this going out is for the purpose of leisure and a change of scene, and that the woman’s husband or guardian will be with her, and she will turn her back to the door and the waiters in the restaurant will ask permission before entering, and that she will cover her face when they come in, and that she will be wearing full hijab, or the staff will be women, and that there will be no music in the restaurant, or that the place where families sit is a closed-off room, and that this going out happens only once a month and will not become a habit, and that the money that will be spent is a moderate amount. I do not want to be too strict in refuting these claims, because there may in fact – albeit rarely – some places where these precautions are taken. But I will say that if we want to be honest with ourselves and do the right thing then what – I wonder – is the result of if we compare what really happens with these precautions. What is the ratio of those who apply these precautions in real life? Even if some good people do that in some restaurants, what will the masses make of that? I do not deny that there may sometimes be cases of necessity – and not the laziness of the housewife – when food from restaurants is needed, such as when one is travelling, or because of circumstances affecting the housewife, but there are solutions which spare us the need to take our womenfolk into the restaurants, such as using home delivery services, or bringing instant food to the house or hotel room, whilst asking the women what they want to have brought to them from the menu or buffet. In general, going to the restaurant when needed is completely different from the results when one goes there by choice or for leisure. I ask Allaah to help us to protect our families and to help us to follow the truth and to guide us to the straight path. May Allaah send blessings and peace upon our Prophet Muhammad and his family and companions. Shaykh Muhammad Saalih al-Munajjid


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18. Ruling on Eating from a table http://islamqa.com/en/ref/21917 Detailed Question: What should a muslim do who wants to follow the sunnah, but the people you are visiting are not following the sunnah, for example they are eating from a dining table. Do I have the right to sit on the floor or should I follow the housefolk? Praise be to Allaah. It was narrated that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) never ate at a table. In Saheeh al-Bukhaari (6450) it was narrated that Anas (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: “The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) never ate at a table (khiwaan) until he died and he never ate soft bread until he died.” It says in ‘Awn al-Ma’bood: “The khiwaan is a table made of wood with legs on each side; eating from such a table is the habit of those who live a life of luxury, so that they do not have to bend over and tilt their heads when eating.” There is no doubt that it is permissible to eat at a khiwaan or at a high table, and to eat soft bread. But the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) refrained from those things out of humility and as a sign of his giving up the pleasures of this world. Al-Haafiz Ibn Hajar said: “The fact that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) refrained from eating at tables and eating soft bread meant that he was giving up the pleasures of this world in return for the pleasures of the abiding world (of the Hereafter).” This does not justify denouncing those who do things like that. If a person visits people and finds them eating at a table, there is nothing wrong with him eating with them at the table. They would find it very strange indeed if he were to go away and sit on the floor on his own; he should not make them do that, rather he should accept their invitation and eat with them. If he explains to them what the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, and reminds them of asceticism (zuhd), that is very good. And Allaah knows best. Islam Q&A Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid

19. Ruling on using newspapers as a “tablecloth” http://islamqa.com/en/ref/30761 Detailed Question: Is it permissible to use newspapers as a “tablecloth” to eat from? If that is not permissible, what should we do with them after reading them? Praise be to Allaah. It is not permissible to use newspapers as a “tablecloth” to eat from, or to wrap things in, or to treat them in any other kind of abusive manner, if they contain any verses from Qur’aan or mention of Allaah. If that is the case they should be kept in a suitable place, or burned, or buried in clean ground. Majmoo’ Fataawa wa Maqaalaat Mutanawwi’ah li’l-Shaykh Ibn Baaz, 6/347 But if the newspapers are in a language other than Arabic and there is no mention of Allaah in them, then it is permissible to use them. And Allaah knows best.




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Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid`

20. Is it permissible to drink in one breath? http://islamqa.com/en/ref/21652 Praise be to Allaah. It was narrated from Abu Sa’eed al-Khudri that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) forbade breathing into one’s drink. A man said to him, “O Messenger of Allaah, my thirst is not quenched in one breath.” The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said to him: “Remove the cup from your mouth, then take a breath.” He said, “What if I see specks in it?” He said, “Then pour them out.” (Narrated by al-Tirmidhi, 1887; classed as saheeh by Shaykh al-Albaani in al-Silsilat al-Saheehah, 385). Shaykh al-Albaani said, discussing what we learn from this hadeeth: It is permissible to drink in one breath, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) did not denounce the man when he said, “My thirst is not quenched in one breath.” If drinking in one breath were not permissible, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) would have explained that to him, and he would have said, for example, “And it is permissible to drink in one breath?!” That would have been more appropriate than saying, “Remove the cup from your mouth…” if that were not permissible. What he did say indicates that it is permissible to drink in one breath, and that if he wants to take a breath he should do so outside the vessel. This is what is clearly stated in the hadeeth of Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him), who said: “The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: ‘When any one of you drinks, let him not breathe into the vessel. If he wants to take a breath, then let him remove the cup from his mouth, then if he wants to drink more he may do so.” (al-Saheehah, 386). Al-Haafiz said in al-Fath: “Maalik used this as evidence to indicate that it is permissible to drink in one breath. Ibn Abi Shaybah narrated that doing so is permissible from Sa’eed ibn al-Musayyib and a group [of scholars+. ‘Umar ibn ‘Abd al-‘Azeez said: what he forbade was breathing into the vessel, but if a person does not breathe into the vessel, if he wishes he may drink in one breath.” Furthermore, what was said above about it being permissible to drink in one breath does not contradict the fact that the Sunnah is to drink in three breaths. Both are permissible, but the latter is preferable, because of the hadeeth of Anas ibn Maalik (may Allaah be pleased with him) who said: “When he drank he would take a breath three times, and he said, that is more enjoyable and more healthy.” (Narrated by Muslim. Al-Silsilah al-Saheehah, hadeeth no. 385, 386. Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid



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***21. Will he be rewarded in following the sunnah? Will it be a sin if

he discard the sunnah? Is it Sunnah to sit on the floor to eat? http://islamqa.com/en/ref/9894 Detailed Question: i have a confusion regarding sunnah. two knowledgeable men in usa said two different things. i heard that sunnah is an action that if you do it you are rewarded and if you don;t do it , then there is no sin upon you. so about the issue of following the Prophet in details such as sitting on the floor to eat. the question was posed to two different people here, both knowledgeable, one of them said if you are sitting on the floor to eat with the intention of following the rasool then you will be rewarded for it. the other shaykh said no there is no reward for it because it is a worldly matter. What is the correct opinion ? this is important because if there is no reward i'd rather sit on the table and eat or wear non-sunnah clothes if it is merely a wordly matter. Praise be to Allaah. 1. The Muslim is required to follow the example of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) because he is the best example for this ummah. 2. The scholars have divided the actions of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) into a number of categories: a. Thoughts and ideas that cross the mind, and physical movements such as how one moves one's limbs and body. These are matters in which there is no command to follow him and there is no prohibition against doing so. b. Matters which have nothing to do with worship and have to do with human nature, such as how one stands, sits, etc. It is not commanded to follow the Prophet’s example in these matters, but according to the majority of scholars it is permissible to do so. c. Matters which may move beyond spontaneous human actions to the field of legislation (being prescribed in Islam) because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) persisted in doing them in a certain manner. These include matters of eating, drinking, dressing and sleeping, especially those concerning which the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) gave specific guidance. The correct view is that these are included in matters which are prescribed in Islam. This is the view of al-Shaafa'i and was regarded as more correct by al-Shawkaani in his book Irshaad al-Fuhool. This category includes the matters asked about in the question. d. Matters which are known to be applicable only to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), such as continual fasting [i.e., fasting for more than one day without breaking the fast at night] and having more than four wives. These apply only to him and not to anyone else. And there are other categories… (Irshaad al-Fuhool by al-Shawkaani, p. 160). 3. It was narrated that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to eat (sitting) on the ground. And it was narrated that he said: “I eat as a slave eats and I sit as a slave sits.” (Narrated by Abu Ya’laa, 8/318) This hadeeth was classed as saheeh by al-‘Allaamah al-Albaani (may Allaah have mercy on him) in al-Silsilat al-Saheehah, 544.



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It was also narrated that Anas ibn Maalik said: “The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) never ate at a khiwaan or a sikrujjah, and he never had any soft bread.” I said to Qutaadah: “What did he used to eat from?” He said, “A cloth (spread on the floor).” (Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 5099). A khiwaan is a kind of tray on which food is placed. A sikrujjah is a vessel in which appetizers are placed. In such matters it is not obligatory for the Muslim to follow the example of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), but he may still do so. If a Muslim eats at a table, there is no sin on him. With regard to clothing, we are obliged to dress differently from the people of the Book and all other kaafirs, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) issued commands to that effect, and warned against dressing like the kuffaar. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever imitates a people is one of them.” (Narrated by Abu Dawood, 4031) This hadeeth was classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Irwaa’ al-Ghaleel, 8/49. And he (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said to ‘Abd-Allaah ibn ‘Amr ibn al-‘Aas: “This is one of the garments of the kuffaar, do not wear it.” Narrated by Muslim, 2077. ‘Umar ibn al-Khattaab (may Allaah be pleased with him) told ‘Utbah ibn Farqad: “Beware of the manner of dressing of the people of shirk.” (Narrated by Muslim, 2069). Conclusion: It is mustahabb (recommended, encouraged) for the Muslim to follow the example of the Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) in the matters mentioned in the question, i.e., eating and drinking (seated) on the ground, but there is no sin in eating at a table. With regard to clothing, the Muslim is commanded to dress in Muslim clothes and to dress differently than the mushrikeen. And Allaah knows best. Islam Q&A Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid

islamqa ruling compilation on eating etiquettes

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