In the Name of Allah, the Merciful, the Beneficent
Introduction
Alhamdulillah… Infinite praise and thanks be to the Almighty Allah. Complete peace and blessings be upon our teacher and role model of all time, Sayyiduna Muhammad, his household, his companions, and all those who follow his guided path.
This article shares some of the ethics and etiquettes of eating and drinking in Islam, as per taught by the Messenger of Allah, ṣallā Allāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam. It’s not about halal and non-halal food. In other words, it’s not a highlight of what the Muslim is allowed to eat or drink and what he’s not. It’s rather a highlight of the technical act of eating and drinking.
If you’re curious about the halal and non-halal aspects of food and drinks, kindly, check out the video below for more on patronizing halal-certified and non-halal-certified food outlets.
Following are the sections the article covers:
- Introduction
- The Significance of the Prophet’s Guidance in the Muslim’s Life
- Two Points to Note
- The Prophet’s Guidance Regarding Eating and Drinking
- Eat or Drink and Feed Your Baby with Your Right Hand
- What About Drinking When Eating?
- What About Using a Knife with a Fork?
- What If a Person is Left-Handed?
- What If One Can’t Eat with His Right Hand at All?
- Conclusion
Now, let’s begin with the significance of the Prophet’s guidance in the Muslim’s life.
The Significance of the Prophet’s Guidance in the Muslim’s Life
The Prophet Muhammad ṣallā Allāhu ’alayhi wa sallam was sent to all humankind and jinn-kind. Muslims and non-Muslims alike. If this speaks any volumes, it says that our existence in this life is simply not for fun. It’s for a noble reason and mission. It’s for serious affairs, indeed.
وَمَآ أَرْسَلْنَٰكَ إِلَّا كَآفَّةً لِّلنَّاسِ بَشِيرًا وَنَذِيرًا وَلَٰكِنَّ أَكْثَرَ ٱلنَّاسِ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ .ـ
“We didn’t send you, except for as a bearer of glad tidings and a warner for the whole of mankind, but most people have no knowledge.” (Sūrah Saba’ 34:28)
As a conveyer of glad tidings and warner against evil, The Prophet Muhammad ṣallā Allāhu ’alayhi wa sallam is also the ultimate role model for every true Muslim.
لَّقَدْ كَانَ لَكُمْ فِى رَسُولِ ٱللَّهِ أُسْوَةٌ حَسَنَةٌ لِّمَن كَانَ يَرْجُوا ٱللَّهَ وَٱلْيَوْمَ ٱلآخِرَ وَذَكَرَ ٱللَّهَ كَثِيرًا .ـ
“You have indeed in the Messenger of Allah a good example for those of you who look to Allah and the Last Day, and remember Allah often.” (Sūrah al-Aḥzāb, 33:21).
As an ultimate role model, he taught his nation (Ummah) everything they need to survive on this earth as Muslims and meet Allah in the next life in the state that pleases Him, subḥānahū wa ta’ālā.
Unless one hasn’t learnt or asked about it, the Messenger of Allah ṣallā Allāhu ’alayhi wa sallam has taught his Ummah all the necessities of life. He has taught his Ummah what and how to do anything that preserves their human nature in a dignified way.
He taught his Ummah human development, family management, relationship management, commerce and trading, military, social coexistence, and what have you. And yes.. the Messenger of Allah also taught his Ummah how to have fun, and how to create jokes.
At a personal level, he taught how the individual Muslim keeps up with himself, from sun up to sun down. Within the period between sun up to sun down, man will need to eat. For that, the Messenger of Allah didn’t only teach him what to eat or drink (halal and non-halal), he also taught him how to eat or drink.
And as far as I know and can remember, I have yet to come across someone who leads truly a happy life while he goes against the teachings of The Prophet Muhammad. Similarly, I have yet to see someone who abides by the teachings of The Prophet Muhammad and lacks happiness or is filled with depression.
Two Points to Note
Here are two points to note though:
First, the teachings of The Prophet Muhammad are what Allah has revealed to him and commanded him to preach it to mankind and guide his Ummah with it. Hence, all his teachings carry goodness for the one who upholds them.
Second, happiness on this earth doesn’t necessarily have to translate to the accumulation of worldly possessions. The truth is that worldly possession only brings real satisfaction if it’s used in a way that pleases Allah the Almighty. And it certainly builds up more anxiety and depression if it’s perceived as an ultimate goal in life.
Now that we’re clear, and on the same page, off we go to the Prophets teachings regarding eating and drinking.
The Prophet’s Guidance Regarding Eating and Drinking
The Prophet Muhammad ṣallā Allāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam has commanded us to eat and drink with our right hands. He clarified the wisdom behind that command and said, “The Devil (Shaytan) eats with his left hand.”
This is understood from the hadith narrated by ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar raḍiya Allāhu ‘anhu, as reported by Imām Muslim (2020), in which Rasulullah ṣallā Allāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam says:
إذا أكَلَ أحَدُكُمْ فَلْيَأْكُلْ بيَمِينِهِ، وإذا شَرِبَ فَلْيَشْرَبْ بيَمِينِهِ فإنَّ الشَّيْطانَ يَأْكُلُ بشِمالِهِ، ويَشْرَبُ بشِمالِهِ.ـ
“When one of you eats he should eat with his right hand, and when he drinks he should drink with his right hand, for the Shayṭān eats and drinks with his left hand.”
In upholding the teaching of our ultimate role model, the Muslim should only eat or drink with his right hand. And also, feed his baby or child with his right hand.
Eat or Drink and Feed Your Baby with Your Right Hand
In addition to the need for the Muslim to eat and drink only with his right hand, here, I find it important to highlight the importance for the Muslim parent to use his right hands too when feeding his little ones.
This is because feeding one's baby or child with the left hand only normalizes the practice and habit of eating with the left hand to them. And the Messenger of Allah just told us in the hadith above, that it’s the Shayṭān who eats and drinks with his left hand.
In another hadith narrated by ‘Umar ibn Abi Salamah raḍiya Allāhu ’anhu as reported by Imām al-Bukhārī (5376) and Muslim (2022), ibn Abī Salām says,
“I was a boy under the care of Messenger of Allah ṣallā Allāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam, and my hand would wander about in the dish. For that, The Messenger of Allah said to me
يا غُلَامُ، سَمِّ اللَّهَ، وكُلْ بيَمِينِكَ، وكُلْ ممَّا يَلِيكَ فَما زَالَتْ تِلكَ طِعْمَتي بَعْدُ.ـ
“Dear child, mention Allah's Name, and eat with your right hand. And eat from what is before you.”
Ibn Abī Salamah continues and says, “That remained my practice of eating ever since.”
What About Drinking When Eating?
What if I’m eating with my right hand, and need to drink? Can I use my left hand as my right hand will be dirty with food?
If we reflect upon the practice of the Messenger of Allah ṣallā Allāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam, we learn two things. The Prophet ṣallā Allāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam didn’t eat and drink at the same time. He would either eat or drink at a time.
However, if you really have to drink, you can lift up your cup or glass with your left hand, and support it with the back of your right hand as it gets to your mouth. This is with no intention to drink with the left hand whatsoever. This is although, the safest way is to lift your drink (cup/glass) with your right hand, even if your hands are soaked with food and gravy.
And this shouldn’t be a problem if you’re using a spoon to eat. With a dry hand, you can lift the cup or glass at any time.
What About Using a Knife with a Fork?
Another frequent question is, “Can one use his left hand to eat or drink when using a knife and fork, as his right hand is needed to cut the meat or whatsoever?”
The answer is: nope. Just because the inventors of a knife and fork use the right hand to cut and the left to lift the food to the mouth doesn’t mean you, the Muslim must do the same.
While we can adopt other’s tools, we must learn to adapt them to our religious teachings and cultural values if relevant. So we should avoid the bad practices that come with foreign inventions. Thus, use your left hand to cut, and with the fork or spoon in your right hand to eat.
What If a Person is Left-Handed?
Yes, this is another question that may be raised. “What does the left-handed person do?”
The truth is that left-handedness is an exception in human nature. And exceptions don’t change rules.
To make sense of this claim, as you read this line, take a moment and think of how many left-handed people you know personally. I’m sure, they are a handful in comparison to the people you deal with in your daily life. However, how many of those left-handed people eat with their left hands?
Let me put it differently from my personal experience. The number of right-handed people I know, who eat or drink with their left hands is way bigger than the number of left-handed people I know. Surprisingly, all the left-handed people I know eat with their right hands.
This means left-handedness isn’t a problem when it comes to eating and drinking. The real question remains, and that is “How much does one care to uphold the teaching of the Prophet Muhammad, ṣallā Allāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam?”
What If One Can’t Eat with His Right Hand at All?
If a person can’t eat with his right hand, for disability or amputation (may Allah preserve your limbs for you), he certainly can eat with his left hand. This is because, by default, his left hand becomes his right hand.
In fact, similar to that is the one who doesn’t have both right and left hands. He can certainly use his most active leg to eat. Just as he would use it to help himself.
Conclusion
This article presented the Prophet’s guidance pertaining to eating and drinking. While it covered the technical act of eating, it didn’t highlight the Prophet’s eating habits, and how much should the Muslim eat. This may be a topic for another article, insha Allah.
It’s important to remind myself and the good reader, that this is a significant ingredient each of us will need, as a Muslim, in Cooking His Own Nasi Lemak.
If you are interested in a certain teaching of the Messenger of Allah, ṣallā Allāhu ’alayhi wa sallam, feel free to comment below, and I’ll be glad to share them here, on GSalam.Net, Insha Allah.
Until we meet again, I leave you in Allah’s protection.
See you, and see you in Jannah.
Allah knows best.
Allahu Hafiz ☺
Be the first to comment on "Eating With the Right Hand: The Prophet’s Guidance in Eating"