Foods (Kitab Al-At'imah)

كتاب الأطعمة

Chapter 8: If a man is invited and sees something objectionable

Narrated Ali ibn AbuTalib

Safinah AbuAbdurRahman said that a man prepared food for Ali ibn AbuTalib who was his guest, and Fatimah said: I wish we had invited the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) and he had eaten with us. They invited him, and when he came he put his hands on the side-ports of the door, but when he saw the figured curtain which had been put at the end of the house, he went away. So Fatimah said to Ali: Follow him and see what turned him back. I (Ali) followed him and asked: What turned you back, Messenger of Allah? He replied: It is not fitting for me or for any Prophet to enter a house which is decorated.

Chapter 9: If two invitations come at the same time, which should be given precedence?

Narrated AbdurRahman al-Himyari

A companion of the Prophet (ﷺ) reported him as saying: When two people come together to issue an invitation, accept that of the one whose door is nearer in neighbourhood, but if one of them comes before the other accept the invitation of the one who comes first.

Chapter 10: If the time of Salat comes when supper is ready

Ibn ‘Umar reported the Prophet(ﷺ) as sayings

When the evening meal is brought before one of you and the congregational prayer is also ready, he should not get up until he finishes(eating). Musaddad’s version adds: When the evening meal was put before ‘Abd Allah b. ‘Umar, or it was brought to him, he did not get up until he finished it, even if he heard call to prayer(just before it), and even if he heard the recitation of the Qur’an by the leader-in-prayer.

Narrated Jabir ibn Abdullah

The Prophet (ﷺ) said: Prayer should not be postponed for taking meals nor for any other thing.

Narrated Abdullah ibn Umar

Abdullah ibn Ubaydullah ibn Umayr said: I was with my father in the time of Ibn az-Zubayr sitting beside Abdullah ibn Umar. Then Abbad ibn Abdullah ibn az-Zubayr said: We have heard that the evening meal is taken just before the night prayer. Thereupon Abdullah ibn Umar said: Woe to you! what was their evening meal? Do you think it was like the meal of your father?

Chapter 11: Washing the hands when wanting to eat

Narrated Abdullah ibn Abbas

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) came out from the privy and was presented to him. They (the people) asked: Should we bring you water for ablution? He replied: I have been commanded to perform ablution when I get up for prayer.

Chapter 12: Washing the hands before eating

Narrated Salman al-Farsi

I read in the Torah that the blessing of food consists in ablution before it. So I mentioned it to the Prophet (ﷺ). He said: The blessing of food consists in ablution before it and ablution after it.

Sufyan disapproved of performing ablution before taking food.

Abu Dawud said: It is weak.

Chapter 13: If eating unexpectedly

Narrated Jabir ibn Abdullah

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) came out from the valley of a mountain where he had eased himself. There were some dried dates on a shield before us. We called him and he ate with us. He did not touch water.

Chapter 14: Regarding it being disliked to criticize food

Abu Hurairah said

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) never expressed disapproval of food; if he desired it, he ate it, and if he disliked it, he left it alone.

Chapter 15: Regarding eating together (In a group)

Narrated Wahshi ibn Harb

The Companions of the Prophet (ﷺ) said: Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) we eat but we are not satisfied. He said: Perhaps you eat separately. They replied: Yes. He said: If you gather together at your food and mention Allah's name, you will be blessed in it.

Abu Dawud said: If you are invited to a wedding feast before you, do not take it until the owner of the house (i.e. the host) allows you (to eat).

Chapter 16: Saying Bismillah over food

Jabir bin ‘Abd Allah said that he heard the Prophet(ﷺ) say

When a man enters his house and mention Allah’s name on entering and on his food, the devil says: You have no place to spend the night and no evening meal; but when he enters without mentioning Allah’s name on entering, the devil says: You have found a place to spend the night, and when he does not mention Allah’s name at his food, he says: You have found a place to spend the night and an evening meal.

When we were at food with the Messenger of Allah(ﷺ) none of us put in his hand till the Messenger of Allah(ﷺ)put his hand first. Once we were at food with him. A nomad Arab came in as though he were being pushed, and he was about to put his hand in food when the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) seized him by the hand. Then a girl came in as though she were being pushed, and she was about to put her hand in the food when the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) seized her by the hand, and he said

The devil considers the food when Allah’s name is not mentioned over it, and he brought his nomad Arab that it might be lawful by means of him, so I seized his hand: then he brought this girl that it might be lawful by means of her, so I seized her hand. By Him in Whose hand my soul is, His hand is in my hand along with their hands.

Narrated Aisha, Ummul Mu'minin

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: When one of you eats, he should mention Allah's name; if he forgets to mention Allah's name at the beginning, he should say: "In the name of Allah at the beginning and at the end of it."

Narrated Umayyah ibn Makhshi

Umayyah was sitting and a man was eating. He did not mention Allah's name until there remained the last morsel. When he raised it to his mouth, he said: In the name of Allah at the beginning and at the end of it. The Prophet (ﷺ) laughed and said: The devil kept eating along with him, but when he mentioned Allah's name, he vomited what was in his belly.

Abu Dawud: Jabir bin Subh is grandfather of Sulaiman bin Harb from his mother's side.

Chapter 17: Regarding eating while reclining

Abu Juhaifah reported the Prophet (ﷺ) as sayings

I do not eat while reclining.

Narrated Abdullah ibn Amr ibn al-'As

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) was never seen reclining while eating, nor walking with two men at his heels.

Anas said

The Prophet(ﷺ) sent me(for some work), and when I returned to him found him eating dates and squatting.

Chapter 18: Eating from the top of the platter

Narrated Abdullah ibn Abbas

The Prophet (ﷺ) said: When one of you eats, he must not eat from the top of the dish, but should eat from the bottom; for the blessing descends from the top of it.

Narrated Abdullah ibn Busr

The Prophet (ﷺ) had a bowl called gharra'. It was carried by four persons. When the sun rose high, and they performed the forenoon prayer, the bowl in which tharid was prepared was brought, and the people gathered round it. When they were numerous, the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: Allah has made me a respectable servant, and He did not make me an obstinate tyrant. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: Eat from it sides and leave its top, the blessing will be conferred on it

Chapter 19: Sitting at a table on which there are some things that are disliked

Narrated Abdullah ibn Umar

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) forbade two kinds of food: to sit at cloth on which wine is drunk, and to eat by a man while lying on his stomach.

Abu Dawud said : Ja'far did not hear this tradition from al-Zuhri. His tradition is rejected.