*Riyāḍ al-Ṣāliḥīn* from the words of the Master of the Messengers, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.
The Book of the Etiquette of Eating.
Chapter: Saying "Bismillāh" at the beginning and praising Allah at the end.
On the authority of 'Umar ibn Abī Salamah, may Allah be pleased with them both, who said:
The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said to me:
"Mention the name of Allah, eat with your right hand, and eat from what is directly in front of you." Agreed upon.
And on the authority of 'A'ishah, may Allah be pleased with her, who said:
The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said:
"When one of you eats, let him mention the name of Allah the Exalted;
and if he forgets to mention the name of Allah the Exalted at the beginning,
let him say: 'Bismillāhi awwalahu wa-ākhirahu' (In the name of Allah, at its beginning and its end)."
Narrated by Abu Dawud and al-Tirmidhi.
Among the benefits derived from the hadith:
The Sunnah in saying the name of Allah is using the phrase "Bismillāh",
and there is no textual proof for those who say "Bismillāhir-Raḥmānir-Raḥīm".
Some scholars claimed
that the basmalah should be said over every single morsel,
but this is invalid;
for saying the name of Allah is at the beginning of the meal,
and there is no repetition.
Through mentioning the name of Allah, blessing is attained,
and Satan is deprived of sharing in the food.
Man is prone to frequent forgetfulness;
so whoever does not say "Bismillāh" at the beginning of the meal out of forgetfulness,
there is no blame upon him,
but he must say the name of Allah once he remembers,
saying:
"Bismillāhi awwalahu wa-ākhirahu" (In the name of Allah, at its beginning and its end).
And on the authority of Jabir, may Allah be pleased with him, who said:
I heard the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, say:
"When a man enters his home
and mentions Allah the Exalted upon entering and over his food,
Satan says to his companions:
'You have no lodging tonight and no dinner.'
But when he enters and does not mention Allah the Exalted upon entering,
Satan says:
'You have found lodging.'
And when he does not mention Allah the Exalted over his food,
he says:
'You have found both lodging and dinner.'"
Narrated by Muslim.
Among the benefits derived from the hadith:
Everything over which the name of Allah
is mentioned,
Satan despairs of it.
Satan closely observes the son of Adam
in his actions and conduct,
and in all his affairs;
so whenever he becomes heedless,
Satan takes advantage of his heedlessness and achieves
his desired goal through him.
Satan stays overnight in homes
wherein Allah the Exalted is not mentioned,
and he eats from the food
of its occupants if the name of Allah is not mentioned
over it.
Every devil has followers
and allies who rejoice
at his word and obey
his command.
And on the authority of Hudhayfah, may Allah be pleased with him,
who said: "Whenever
we were present with the Messenger of Allah,
peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, at a meal,
we would not put
our hands forward until
the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, had begun
and placed his hand.
Once, we were present with him at a meal,
and a young girl rushed in
as if she were being pushed,
and she went to place
her hand into the food;
but the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, took
her by the hand.
Then there came
a Bedouin as if he were being pushed,
so he took him by his hand.
Then the Messenger of Allah,
peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said:
'Indeed, Satan
considers food lawful for himself
unless the name of Allah the Exalted is mentioned
over it;
and he brought this girl
in order to make it lawful through her,
but I took her by the hand;
then he brought this Bedouin
in order to make it lawful through him,
but I took him by the hand.
By the One in Whose hand is my soul,
his hand was in my hand
along with their two hands.'
Then he mentioned the name of Allah the Exalted
and ate."
Narrated by Muslim.
This contains
a clear demonstration of the manners of the Companions of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him,
namely, their waiting
for the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him,
until
he commenced eating.
Among the table manners
is that the younger person should wait
until the elder begins,
as well as the person of virtue, before eating.
Satan is unable to partake
of the food of the people of faith
except when the name of Allah is not mentioned
over it.
He pushes some heedless individuals toward actions
that please him,
in order to gain access
to his objective.
The obligation to change an evil deed
for whoever is knowledgeable regarding it.
Satan eats in a real, literal sense
and drinks in a real, literal sense,
and he possesses two hands that he uses
for his needs.
And on the authority of Umayyah ibn Makhshi,
the Companion, may Allah be pleased with him,
who said:
The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him,
was sitting
while a man was eating
without mentioning the name of Allah,
until nothing remained of his food
except a single morsel.
When he raised it to his mouth,
he said:
"Bismillāhi awwalahu wa-ākhirahu" (In the name of Allah, at its beginning and its end).
The Prophet, peace be upon him, laughed
and then said:
"Satan continued eating with him,
but when he mentioned the name of Allah,
he vomited up whatever was in his stomach."
Narrated by Abu Dawud and al-Nasa'i.
Among the benefits derived from the hadith:
It is permissible for people of knowledge
to observe those below them
in order to benefit them in their religious affairs.
The permissibility
of informing people about a mistake
that occurred and correcting it,
if there is a benefit in doing so
and a legitimate interest,
provided it involves no public shaming.
Satan shares in the food
of whoever does not mention the name of Allah.
Indeed, mentioning Allah over food,
even if nothing remains of it
except a small portion,
deprives Satan of everything
he had eaten before.
The Sunnah for one who forgets
to mention the name of Allah at the beginning of the meal
is to mention the name of Allah
whenever he remembers,
by saying:
"Bismillāhi awwalahu wa-ākhirahu."
The permissibility of marveling at or lightheartedly addressing
careless behavior
when something happens that warrants it.
Satan literally vomits.
And on the authority of 'A'ishah, may Allah be pleased with her,
who said:
The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him,
was eating food
among six of his Companions,
when a Bedouin came
and devoured it in two morsels.
Thereupon,
the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said:
"As for him,
had he mentioned the name of Allah, it would have sufficed you all."
Narrated by al-Tirmidhi.
Among the benefits derived from the hadith:
The recommendation of gathering together
over food,
even if it is little.
The permissibility of joining others
in eating their food after
seeking their permission.
The remembrance of Allah the Exalted brings blessing
into everything.
The participation of Satan
and his minions in anything
eradicates its blessing.
Therefore, it is incumbent upon the people of faith
to ward off harmful
and evil influences by lawful, prescribed means.
And on the authority of Abu Umamah,
may Allah be pleased with him,
that whenever
the Prophet, peace be upon him,
finished his meal and the tablecloth was lifted, he would say:
"Al-ḥamdu lillāhi
Abundant, good, and blessed [praise],
insufficient though it may be,
never to be departed from,
nor left behind,
Our Lord.
Narrated by al-Bukhari.
"Insufficient" means
He is in no need of any of His creation,
for He is the One who feeds
and is not fed.
"Departed from"
means not abandoned.
Among the benefits of the hadith:
Allah Almighty alone
is deserving of praise, to the exclusion of all others,
for He is the Owner of blessings
and the Bestower of good
upon His servants.
No one can fulfill the needs of His servants
except Allah.
All servants are in need
of Him,
while He is independent of them, showing favor upon them.
The obligation
of offering thanks to every
benefactor according to what is necessitated by
the situation.
On the authority of Mu'adh ibn Anas
(may Allah be pleased with him), who said:
The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said:
"Whoever eats
food and says,
'Praise be to Allah,
Who fed me this
and provided it for me without any power from me
nor strength,'
his past sins shall be forgiven
for him."
Narrated by Abu Dawud and at-Tirmidhi.
Among the benefits of
the hadith:
A clarification of Allah Almighty's immense favor
upon His servants,
for He opened the door of mercy for them
and rewarded them with His immense
generosity.
Attaining provision is not achieved
through the servant's own strength,
but rather through the grace of Allah Almighty.
All blessings are entirely from Allah, the Mighty and Sublime,
and are not attained through their own power
nor strength.
Yet despite all this,
if they thank Him, He increases them
in bounty and goodness.
Glad tidings for the people of faith:
whenever they abound in gratitude,
their sins are forgiven.
Chapter: On Not Faulting Food
and the Recommendation to Praise It.
On the authority of Abu Hurayrah
(may Allah be pleased with him), who said:
The Messenger of Allah
(peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) never
faulted any food at all.
If he desired it, he ate it;
and if he disliked it, he left it.
Agreed upon.
Among the benefits of the hadith:
Any permissible food,
the Prophet
(peace be upon him)
would never fault it.
As for unlawful food, he would criticize it,
censure it, and forbid it.
The greatness of the noble character of the Messenger of Allah
(peace be upon him),
as he used to be considerate of
the feelings of the makers and cooks,
never disparaging their work,
nor hurting
their feelings, nor breaking
their hearts.
Demonstrating good etiquette,
as a person might not desire
a certain food, while someone else desires it.
Everything permitted
by the Islamic law
contains no defect.
Teaching people how
to deal with food they dislike,
which is simply to leave it.
On the authority of Jabir
(may Allah be pleased with him):
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)
asked his family for condiment,
and they said,
"We have nothing except
vinegar."
So he called for it,
and began eating, saying,
"What an excellent condiment is vinegar!
What an excellent condiment is vinegar!"
Narrated by Muslim.
Condiment refers to anything eaten with bread,
whether liquid
or solid.
Among the benefits of the hadith:
Praising moderation in eating,
for it is half of one's livelihood.
Restraining the soul
from everything it desires,
for a person should not buy and eat
everything he craves.
Praising vinegar,
whether for its own sake
or to comfort the feelings of his family.
Chapter: What Should Be Said by One
Who Attends a Meal While He Is
Fasting, if He Does Not Break His Fast.
On the authority of Abu Hurayrah
(may Allah be pleased with him), who said:
The Messenger of Allah
(peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said:
"When one of you is invited,
he should accept [the invitation].
If he is fasting,
he should pray [for the host];
and if he is not fasting,
he should eat."
Narrated by Muslim.
The scholars said:
"He should pray" means he should supplicate for them,
and "he should eat"
means he should partake of the food.
Among the benefits of the hadith:
The obligation of responding to an invitation,
whether one is fasting
or not fasting.
A voluntary faster
is the master of his own decision:
he may break his fast, or he may complete
his fast.
A fasting person, if he does not eat,
occupies himself with supplicating for the host
for blessings and goodness.
Fasting does not prevent one
from attending a banquet,
even if he does not eat;
for the host and attendees may feel blessed
by his presence,
they may take pride in his attendance,
and they may benefit
from his supplication or his advice.
Chapter: What Should Be Said by One
Who Is Invited to a Meal
and Someone Else Follows Him.
On the authority of Abu Mas'ud
(may Allah be pleased with him), who said:
A man invited the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)
to a meal he had prepared for five people, he being the fifth of five.
But another man followed them,
and when he reached the door,
the Prophet
(peace be upon him) said:
"This man has followed us;
if you wish, you may permit him,
and if you wish,
he will return."
The host said, "Rather, I permit him,
O Messenger of Allah."
Agreed upon.
Among the benefits of the hadith:
The prescribed nature of hospitality,
and its strong recommendation
for those whose need for it is paramount.
Whoever prepares food
for another
has two choices:
either to send it to him,
or to invite him to his home.
Whoever invites someone
is recommended to invite along with him
those he considers his close companions
and associates.
The recommendation that a leader,
a noble person, or a prominent figure accept
the invitation of those below them in status.
Whoever prepares food
for a group of people
should prepare it according to their capacity,
if he is unable to provide more.
If someone uninvited joins an invitation,
the host has the right
to turn him away;
and if he enters without permission,
the host may ask him to leave.
whoever intends to come uninvited
is not turned away at the outset,
since the man followed the Prophet,
peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
and he did not send him back,
allowing for the possibility that the host might graciously grant him permission.
An invited person is not permitted
to bring someone else along
unless he knows that the host
would be pleased with that.
An invited guest should not
refuse to attend
if the host declines
to grant permission to some of his companions.
It is proper for the host, when asked for such
permission, to grant it
to the uninvited guest,
as this is part of noble character.
*Riyad al-Salihin*
*Riyad al-Salihin*.