As a Muslim, eating the right food in the right way brings barakah, knowing you are following the way Allah SWT and our Prophet Muhammed (Peace Be Upon Him) wanted to eat. The following etiquettes each have a beautiful hadith associated with them, we should try our best to follow a few if not all of them in our daily life as much as possible, Insha Allah. 

• Wash hands before eating- “Indeed, Allah loves those who are constantly repentant and loves those who purify themselves” [Quran, 2:222]

In this verse, we are reminded of the importance of cleanliness and maintaining good hygiene, which medical science also encourages us to prevent illnesses and diseases.

• 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). Thus, for all those people who are unsure whether a food is halal when eating out, or you have any doubts when purchasing a food and are unsure of its ingredients, it is completely acceptable to ask for further clarification before consuming the food.

(The Messenger (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) used not to eat food until he had been told about it or told what it was called, so that he would know what it was. Al-Bukhari narrated from Khalid ibn al-Walid that he and the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) entered upon Maymunah, who was his [Khalid’s] maternal aunt and the maternal aunt of Ibn ‘Abbas, and found that she had some roasted lizard that her sister Hafidah bint al-Harith had brought from Najd. She offered the lizard to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), but he would rarely stretch forth his hand to food until he had been told what it was.  The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) stretched forth his hand, then one of the women who were present said, “Tell the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) that what has been offered to him is lizard.” The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) withdrew his hand from the lizard, and Khalid ibn al-Walid asked, “Is lizard haram, O Messenger of Allah?” 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. Khalid said, Then I chewed it and ate it, and the Messenger of Allah was looking at me. (Narrated by al-Bukhari, 5391; Muslim, 1946) 

• Eat and drink with the right hand and mention Allah;s name before eating.

‘Umar bin Abu Salamah (May Allah be pleased with him) reported:

Messenger of Allah, (Peace be upon him) said to me, “Mention Allah’s Name (i.e., say Bismillah before starting eating), eat with your right hand, and eat from what is near you.” [Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

• Nowadays we see many Muslims eating some foods for example a steak with their left hand after cutting it with a knife in their right hand or drinking a glass of water with their left hand. Remember, one of the most emphasized sunnah is to eat and drink with your 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 Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “No one among you should eat with his left hand, or drink with it, for the Shaytan eats with his left hand and drinks with it.” (Narrated by Muslim, 2020) 

• Washing the hands after eating. The Sunnah may be done by washing with water only. Ibn Raslan 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 wudu. 

• Rinsing the mouth after eating. 

It is mustahabb to rinse the mouth after eating, because Bashir ibn Yasar narrated that Suwayd ibn al-Nu’man told him that they were with the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah 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 sawiq (barley mush). So he ate some and we all ate with him. Then he called for water and rinsed out his mouth, and then he prayed, and we prayed, and he did not do wudu. (Narrated by al-Bukhari, 5390)

• 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-Bari, 9/578)

• If a piece of food that is not muddy or dirty falls on the ground, the 5-second rule applies, and remember, it is a Sunnah as well!

Anas ibn Malik narrated that when the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah 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 Shaytan.’ 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). 

• Do not recline while eating.While this a beautiful Sunnah, medically, is also causes the stomach to stretch and expand, causing you to eat more than you need leading to obesity and other chronic disease conditions.

That is because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “I do not eat whilst I am reclining.” (Narrated by al-Bukhari, 5399). 

• Do not criticize any food. 

Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah 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-Bukhari, 3370; Muslim, 2046) 

• Avoiding eating and drinking from vessels of gold and silver, because that is haram. 

The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah 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-Bukhari, 5426; Muslim, 2067) 

• Share your food with your neighbors.

Narrated Abu Huraira: Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) said, “The food for two persons is sufficient for three, and the food of three persons is sufficient for four persons.” Sahih al Bukhari

Abu Dharr (RAA) narrated that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: “When you make some soup, make a good amount by adding plenty of liquid, and give some to your neighbors.” Related by Muslim.

I hope you enjoyed reading this post on the correct way of eating in Islam. Do share this with your friends and family, and let me know in the comments which etiquette is the most easy or difficult for you to follow. 

Until then, Eat Mindfully and Live Healthy!