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Al Minah Al `Aliyyah (30)

‘Abdullah bin Hamoud al-Furaih

Published On: 25/4/2015 A.D. - 6/7/1436 H. Visited: 10356 times

7. It is Sunnah to take three breaths

in the course of drinking :

This means to drink in three gulps and breathe after each gulp. What demonstrates this is the hadith of Anas t who said, “Allah's Messenger r used to breathe three times during the course of a drink and used to say that drinking in this manner is more acceptable, more thirst quenching and more wholesome.” Anas t said, “And I breathe three times when drinking.”^{^[1]} In Abu Dawud's narration we find, “more pleasing” instead of "more wholesome."^{^[2]} The meaning here is that one should breathe out of the vessel as breathing inside it is disliked because of what is reported in Abu Qatadah's hadith in the two sahihs, when Allah's Messenger r said, “When one of you drinks from a vessel, he should not breathe into it.”^{^[3]} An-Nawawi said, "The Prophet's r saying, 'more wholesome' means more thirst quenching." It is said it is more beneficial and also prevents diseases that might come as a result of a person breathing into the vessel. Besides, 'more acceptable' also means more palatable and Allah knows best.^{^[4]}

8. Thanking Allah, the Almighty ,

after finishing the food :

It is Sunnah to praise Allah, the Almighty, after finishing the food and drink. What establishes this is the hadith narrated by Anas t that the Prophet r said,

"Indeed Allah is pleased with His servant who, when he eats a morsel, praises Him for it, or drinks a sip and then praises Him for it .”^{^[5]}

Thus, if a person just says,

“Praise be to Allah,”

after eating or drinking, he will gain Allah's pleasure.

There are numerous formulae in which to thank Allah, the Almighty, such as:

“All praise is due to Allah, praise which is abundant, pure, and full of blessings, which is indispensable and to which one cannot be indifferent.” ^{^[6]}

“Praise be to Allah our Lord. Your favour cannot be compensated, nor can be left, nor can be dispensed with, O our Lord.”^{^[7]}

9. To share food with others :

It is Sunnah to gather while eating. Abu Hurairah t narrated:

"That Allah’s Messenger r said,

"The food of two people suffices for three people and the food of three people suffices for four people.'"^{^[8]}

Ibn Hajar (may Allah have mercy on him) said, “The hadith of Ibn 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) – reported by At-Tabarani presents the reason for this. It says that it is better to eat together and not scatter, as the food for one is enough for two.” Thus, we can conclude that blessings can be attained by having many people share food. The more people there are, the more blessing there is.^{^[9]} Ibn al-Qayyem (may Allah have mercy on him) said, “Tasmiyah at the beginning and thanking Allah at the end of eating and drinking have a great effect. They make food useful and nourishing. Imam Ahmad said: ‘If food combines four things it will be perfect: to mention Allah's name at the beginning, to praise Him at the end, to have many people share the food, and ensure it was gained through legal ways.’”^{^[10]}

10 . Praising the food if a person likes it :

It is Sunnah to praise one's food if a person likes it. What ascertains this is the hadith of Jabir ibn 'Abdullah y. He narrated, “The Prophet r asked for sauce and was told that there was nothing except vinegar. He then asked for it and began to eat from it saying, 'How excellent is vinegar when eaten as sauce! What a good condiment vinegar is, what a good condiment vinegar is.'”^{^[11]} It should be noted that the vinegar they used was sweet and not sour like the one we use today. An-Nawawi (may Allah have mercy on him) classified a chapter in his book and called it, "Don't criticize food and the recommendation to praise it."

Sheikh bin 'Uthaimeen said, “This is also from the Prophet's Sunnan that if one likes food or bread, they should praise it. It is therefore recommended to do the same and by doing so you would have followed the Sunnah.”^{^[12]}

The one who contemplates over our current situation will find that a lot of people do not follow the Sunnah. Rather, they oppose it by dishonouring food in many cases. This is not following the guidance of the Prophet r as we are told by Abu Hurairah's hadith collected in the two sound collections, “The Prophet r never dishonored any food. If he liked it, he would eat it; if not he would leave it.”^{^[13]}

11 . Making du'a for the host :

What supports this hadith is the following: “Abdullah ibn Busr narrated that Allah's Messenger r came to my father and we brought to him a meal and a preparation from dates, cheese and butter. He ate out of that. He was then given dates which he ate but he placed their stones between his fingers, and he joined his forefinger and middle finger.” Shu'bah reported: “I think that this hadith, Allah willing, also contains (these words): ‘Putting of date stones between two fingers. Then a drink was brought for him and he drank it, and then he gave it to the one who was on his right side.’ He (the narrator) said: “My father took hold of the rein of his riding animal and requested him to supplicate for us. Thereupon he said: ‘O Allah, bless them in what You have provided them with as a sustenance; and forgive them and have mercy upon them.’”^{^[14]} The hadith indicates that the Prophet r used to pick up the date stones using the index finger and middle finger.

It is also Sunnah to accept a dinner invitation if a person is fasting, even if a person will not eat. The person should also make a du’a for the host. What assures this is the following hadith. Abu Hurairah t narrated that Allah’s Messenger r said, “If one of you is invited, let him accept the invitation. If he is fasting, he should make du’a for them. If he is not fasting, then he should eat.”^{^[15]}