Food, Meals

كتاب الأطعمة

Chapter 1: Eat of the lawful things that We have provided you with..."

And he said: {Outlook from the goodness of what you have earned} and his saying: {Eat from the good things and do righteousness, I am what you do. ”
Narrated Abu Musa Al-Ash`ari

The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "Give food to the hungry, pay a visit to the sick and release (set free) the one in captivity (by paying his ransom).

Narrated Abu Huraira

The family of Muhammad did not eat their fill for three successive days till he died.

Narrated Abu Huraira

Once while I was in a state of fatigue (because of severe hunger), I met 'Umar bin Al-Khattab, so I asked him to recite a verse from Allah's Book to me. He entered his house and interpreted it to me. (Then I went out and) after walking for a short distance, I fell on my face because of fatigue and severe hunger. Suddenly I saw Allah's Apostle standing by my head. He said, "O Abu Huraira!" I replied, "Labbaik, O Allah's Messenger (ﷺ), and Sadaik!" Then he held me by the hand, and made me get up. Then he came to know what I was suffering from. He took me to his house, and ordered a big bowl of milk for me. I drank thereof and he said, "Drink more, O Abu Hirr!" So I drank again, whereupon he again said, "Drink more." So I drank more till my belly became full and looked like a bowl. Afterwards I met 'Umar and mentioned to him what had happened to me, and said to him, "Somebody, who had more right than you, O 'Umar, took over the case. By Allah, I asked you to recite a Verse to me while I knew it better than you." On that Umar said to me, "By Allah, if I admitted and entertained you, it would have been dearer to me than having nice red camels.

Chapter 2: Mention the Name of Allah on starting to eat, and eat with the right hand.

Narrated `Umar bin Abi Salama

I was a boy under the care of Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) and my hand used to go around the dish while I was eating. So Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said to me, 'O boy! Mention the Name of Allah and eat with your right hand, and eat of the dish what is nearer to you." Since then I have applied those instructions when eating.

Chapter 3: To eat of the dish what is nearer to you

Anas said: The Prophet, may God’s prayers and peace be upon him, said: “Remember the name of God, and to eat every man from what he follows.”
Narrated `Umar bin Al Salama

Who was the son of Um Salama, the wife of the Prophet: Once I ate a meal with Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) and I was eating from all sides of the dish. So Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said to me, "Eat of the dish what is nearer to you."

Narrated Wahb bin Kaisan Abi Nu'aim

A meal was brought to Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) while his step-son, `Umar bin Abi Salama was with him. Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said to him, "Mention the Name of Allah and eat of the dish what is nearer to you."

Chapter 4: Eating from around the dish while taking meal with someone else.

Narrated Anas bin Malik

A tailor invited Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) to a meal which he had prepared. I went along with Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) and saw him seeking to eat the pieces of gourd from the various sides of the dish. Since that day I have liked to eat gourd. `Umar bin Abi Salama said: The Prophet, said to me, "Eat with your right hand."

Chapter 5: To eat with right hand, and to start with the right side in doing other things.

Omar ibn Abi Salamah said: The Prophet, may God’s prayers and peace be upon him, said to me.
Narrated `Aisha

The Prophet (ﷺ) used to love to start doing things from the right side whenever possible, in performing ablution, putting on his shoes, and combing his hair. (Al-Ash'ath said: The Prophet (ﷺ) used to do so in all his affairs.)

Chapter 6: Whoever ate till he was satisfied

Narrated Anas bin Malik

Abu Talha said to Um Sulaim, "I have heard the voice of Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) which was feeble, and I think that he is hungry. Have you got something (to eat)?" She took out some loaves of barley bread, then took her face-covering sheet and wrapped the bread in part of it, and pushed it under my garment and turned the rest of it around my body and sent me to Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) . I went with that, and found Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) in the mosque with some people. I stood up near them, and Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) asked me, "Have you been sent by Abu Talha?" I said, "Yes." He asked, "With some food (for us)?" I said, "Yes." Then Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said to all those who were with him, "Get up!" He set out (and all the people accompanied him) and I proceeded ahead of them till I came to Abu Talha. Abu Talha then said, "O Um Sulaim! Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) has arrived along with the people, and we do not have food enough to feed them all." She said, "Allah and His Apostle know better." So Abu Talha went out till he met Allah's Messenger (ﷺ). Then Abu Talha and Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) came and entered the house. Allah's Apostle said, "Um Sulaim ! Bring whatever you have." She brought that very bread. The Prophet (ﷺ) ordered that it be crushed into small pieces, and Um Sulaim pressed a skin of butter on it. Then Allah's Apostle said whatever Allah wished him to say (to bless the food) and then added, "Admit ten (men)." So they were admitted, ate their fill and went out. The Prophet (ﷺ) then said, "Admit ten (more)." They were admitted, ate their full, and went out. He then again said, "Admit ten more!" They were admitted, ate their fill, and went out. He admitted ten more, and so all those people ate their fill, and they were eighty men.

Narrated `Abdur-Rahman bin Abu Bakr

We were one hundred and thirty men sitting with the Prophet. The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "Have anyone of you any food with him?" It happened that one man had one Sa of wheat flour (or so) which was turned into dough then. After a while a tall lanky pagan came, driving some sheep. The Prophet (ﷺ) asked, 'Will you sell us (a sheep), or give (it to) us as a gift?" The pagan said, "No, but I will sell it " So the Prophet bought from him a sheep which was slaughtered, and then the Prophet (ﷺ) ordered that the liver, the kidneys, lungs and heart, etc., of that sheep be roasted. By Allah, none of those one hundred and thirty men but had his share of those things. The Prophet (ﷺ) gave to those who were present, and also kept a share for those who were absent He then served that cooked sheep in two big trays and we all ate together our fill; yet there remained a part of it in those two trays which I carried on the camel.

Narrated `Aisha

The Prophet (ﷺ) died when we had satisfied our hunger with the two black things, i.e. dates and water.

Chapter 7: "There is no restriction on the blind..."

Narrated Suwaid bin An-Nu`man

We went out with Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) to Khaibar, and when we were at As-Sahba', (Yahya, a sub-narrator said, "As-Sahba' is a place at a distance of one day's journey to Khaibar)." Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) asked the people to bring their food, but there was nothing with the people except Sawiq. So we all chewed and ate of it. Then the Prophet (ﷺ) asked for some water and he rinsed his mouth, and we too, rinsed our mouths. Then he led us in the Maghrib prayer without performing ablution (again).

Chapter 8: Thin bread and eating at a dining table.

Narrated Qatada

We were in the company of Anas whose baker was with him. Anas said, The Prophet (ﷺ) did not eat thin bread, or a roasted sheep till he met Allah (died).

Narrated Anas

To the best of my knowledge, the Prophet (ﷺ) did not take his meals in a big tray at all, nor did he ever eat well-baked thin bread, nor did he ever eat at a dining table.

Narrated Anas

The Prophet (ﷺ) halted to consummate his marriage with Safiyya. I invited the Muslims to his wedding banquet. He ordered that leather dining sheets be spread. Then dates, dried yoghurt and butter were put on those sheets. Anas added: The Prophet (ﷺ) consummated his marriage with Safiyya (during a journey) whereupon Hais (sweet dish) was served on a leather dining sheet.

Narrated Wahb bin Kaisan

The People of Sham taunted `Abdullah bin Az-Zubair by calling him "The son of Dhatin-Nataqain" (the woman who has two waist-belts). (His mother) (Asma, said to him, "O my son! They taunt you with "Nataqain". Do you know what the Nataqain were? That was my waist-belt which I divided in two parts. I tied the water skin of Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) with one part, and with the other part I tied his food container."

Narrated Ibn `Abbas

that his aunt, Um Hufaid bint Al-Harith bin Hazn, presented to the Prophet (ﷺ) butter, dried yoghurt and mastigures. The Prophet (ﷺ) invited the people to those mastigures and they were eaten on his dining sheet, but the Prophet (ﷺ) did not eat of it, as if he disliked it. Nevertheless. if it was unlawful to eat that, the people would not have eaten it on the dining sheet of the Prophet (ﷺ) nor would he have ordered that they be eaten.

Chapter 9: As-Sawiq

Narrated Suwaid bin An-Nu`man

that while they were with the Prophet (ﷺ) at As-Sahba' which was at a distance of one day's journey from Khaibar the prayer became due, and the Prophet (ﷺ) asked the people for food but there was nothing with the people except Sawiq. He ate of it and we ate along with him, and then he asked for water and rinsed his mouth (with it), and then offered the (Maghrib) prayer and we too offered the prayer but the Prophet did not perform ablution (again after eating the Sawiq.).

Chapter 10: The Prophet (saws) never used to eat anything unless it was named for him so that he might know what it was

Narrated Khalid bin Al-Walid

That he went with Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) to the house of Maimuna, who was his and Ibn `Abbas' aunt. He found with her a roasted mastigure which her sister Hufaida bint Al-Harith had brought from Najd. Maimuna presented the mastigure before Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) who rarely started eating any (unfamiliar) food before it was described and named for him. (But that time) Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) stretched his hand towards the (meat of the) mastigure whereupon a lady from among those who were present, said, "You should inform Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) of what you have presented to him. O Allah's Messenger (ﷺ)! It is the meat of a mastigure." (On learning that) Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) withdrew his hand from the meat of the mastigure. Khalid bin Al-Walid said, "O Allah's Messenger (ﷺ)! Is this unlawful to eat?" Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) replied, "No, but it is not found in the land of my people, so I do not like it." Khalid said, "Then I pulled the mastigure (meat) towards me and ate it while Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) was looking at me.