The Prophet's guidance regarding food and drink

The Prophet's guidance regarding food and drink[1]

A- The Prophet's guidance (peace be upon him) regarding food:

1- He never refused food and never asked for a certain food. Nothing of the lawful foods were given to him but he ate it unless he hated it (out of a personal instinct). Then he would abandon it without prohibition and he never forced himself to eat it something he hated. Moreover, he never criticized food but if he desired it, he would eat else he would leave it as he left the eating of Dabb (a type of lizards) which he had never eaten it before.

2- He used to eat whatever is possible but if he did not find any, he would tie a rock around his belly out of severe hunger. Furthermore, he would see a crescent after a crescent after a crescent (three consecutive months) and no food is cooked in his house.

3- It was not part of his Sunnah to eat one specific food without eating other foods.

4- Eating candy and honey which he loved as well as camel's meat, sheep, hens, bustard, zebra, rabbits, seafood, barbecue, fresh and dry dates, porridge, eating bread with oil, eating cucumber with fresh dates, eating Al Dubba' [pumpkin] which he liked, ate the salty meat, and ate fresh dates with butter.

5- He loved meat especially the forearm.

6- He used to eat from the fruit known in his country but never hasted to it.

7- Most of his food was put on the ground without a dining table.

8- He used to instruct the people to eat with the right hand as he forbade people to eat with the left hand. He said: "Verily, Satan eats with his left hand and drinks with his left hand." [Sahih Muslim].

9- He used to eat with three fingers and lick his fingers when he finished.

10- He used not to eat while leaning on something. Leaning is of three types:

The first is: Leaning on one's side.

The second is: Putting the right leg under the left thigh and the left leg under the right thigh.

The third is: Reclining on one hand and eating with the other. And the three positions are disgraced. However, he used to eat while sitting on his buttock and stretching out his legs. The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: "I only sit as a servant sits and I eat as a servant eats."

11- When he started his food, he used to say: "In the name of Allah." and commanded the eater to say "Besm Allah [in the name of Allah]." The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: He said: When someone eats, he should mention the name of Allah but if he forgets to mention the name of Allah in the beginning, he should say: "In the name of Allah in the beginning and at the end." [At-Tirmidhi].

12- The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: "Verily, Satan can eat the food which the name of Allah was not mentioned at its beginning." [Sahih Muslim].

13- He used to talk while eating and would offer food many times to his guests as generous people do.

14- When he lift the food to his mouth, he used to say: "Allah be praised with an abundant beautiful blessed praise, a never-ending praise, a praise which we will never bid farewell to and an indispensable praise, He is our Lord." [Sahih Al Bukhari].

15- When he ate food at some people, he did not get out until he invoke Allah for them, He said: "May the fasting break their fast in your home, and may the dutiful and pious eat your food, and may the angels send prayers upon you." [Abu Dawud].

16- He used to invoke Allah for the needy whom he praised.

17- He never refused to eat with a young or old, a free or a slave, a Bedouin or emigrant.

18- When food was offered for him while fasting, and a soul that is more pure than ice he used to say: I am fasting. [Al Bukhari and Muslim]. Furthermore, he instructed the fasting one to whom food is presented to invoke Allah for the giver After US declared its failure in pressing on the Zionist entity but if he is not fasting, he would eat.

19- When he was invited to some food and one of the Companions went with him, he would inform the lord house first. The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: "This man has followed us. Do you allow him to share the meal?" [Sahih Al Bukhari].

20- Moreover, he instructed the people who complained to him that they do not feel full to eat together and do not eat separately and to mention the name of Allah in order to bless it.

21- The Messenger of Allah (peace 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 morsels to keep him alive. If he must fill it, then one-third for his food, one-third for his drink, and one-third for his breath." [At-Tirmidhi, Ibn Majah].

22- Once he entered his house searching for some food but he could not find any, because he married two daughters of the Messenger of Allah "O Allah! Feed those who feed us and provide drink for those who give me water." [Sahih Muslim].

B- The Prophet's guidance(peace be upon him) regarding drink[2]:

1- His guidance regarding drink was the best to maintain health. The most beloved drink for him was the cold and the sweet. Sometime he would drink milk alone and other times he would drink it mixed with water. He said: "O Allah! Bless this for us and increase it for us because nothing will replace food and drink but milk."

2- It was not part of his Sunnah to drink during his food He used to put dates in water and drank it in the beginning of the night, in the next morning, the following night and the second day and its night until the third day afternoon. If something is left over, he would give it to his servant.

Nabidh is a syrup prepared by soaking dates or raisins in water for sometime and drunk fresh without being allowed to ferment which he did not drink after three days for fear of fermentation.

3- His guidance was to drink while sitting and warned people against drinking while standing. However, once he drank while standing and it was said: there was an excuse for that. Others said: It was an abrogation to his prohibition. Others said: It was for the permissibility of both matters.

4- He used to breathe outside the glass in three gulps. He said: "It is more thirst-quenching, healthier and more wholesome. Anas said: So I also breathe three times in the course of a drink." [Sahih Muslim]. The meaning is: He would put down the glass and breathe outside as was reported in his saying: "If anyone drinks, he should not breathe in the glass, but he should put it down (first)". [At-Tirmidhi, Ibn Majah]. Furthermore, he prohibited people to drink from the mug notch and from the water carrier mouth.

5- He used to mention the name of Allah when he drank and would praise Allah at the end. The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: "Verily, Allah would be pleased with a person who eats a meal then thanks Allah for it and drinks then thanks Allah for it." [Sahih Muslim].

6- He used to ask for sweet water which is not salty and would choose the old one.

7- When he drank, he would give the one on his right even if the one on the left is older.

8- He instructed that utensils should be covered and tying the utensils and would mention the name of Allah upon it.