I was a boy under the protection of God’s messenger, and as my hand used to roam at large in the dish he said to me, “Mention God’s name, eat with your right hand, and eat from what is next you.” (Bukhari and Muslim.)

Ibn ‘Abbas reported the Prophet as saying, “When one of you eats he must not wipe his hand till he licks it, or gives it to someone to lick.” (Bukhari and Muslim.)

Jabir told that he heard the Prophet say, “The devil is present with one of you in everything he does, even being present when he is at food; so if any of you drops a mouthful he should wipe away anything injurious on it and eat it and not leave it for the devil; and when he finishes he should lick his fingers, for he does not know in what part of the food the blessing lies.” Muslim transmitted it.

Sahl b. Sa‘d said that God’s messenger never saw white bread from the time God commissioned him till God took him. He also said that God's messenger did not see a sieve from the time God commissioned him till God took him. He was asked how they could eat unsifted barley and replied that they ground it and blew it, and when some of it had flown away they moistened and ate what was left. Bukhari transmitted it.

Abu Huraira said that the Prophet never expressed disapproval of food; if he desired it he ate it and if he disliked it he left it alone.(Bukhari and Muslim.)

A tailor invited the Prophet to a meal which he had prepared and I went along with the Prophet. He presented barley bread and soup containing pumpkin and dried sliced meat, and I saw the Prophet going after the pumpkin round the dish, so I have always liked pumpkin since that day. (Bukhari and Muslim.)

Jabir told th at when the Prophet asked his family for condiments and was told that they had only vinegar, he called for it and as he was using it in his food he said, “Vinegar is a good condiment; vinegar is a good condiment.” Muslim transmitted it.

Sa'id b. Zaid reported the Prophet as saying, “Truffles are a kind of manna, and their juice is a medicine for the eye.” (Bukhari and Muslim.) A version by Muslim has, “a kind of the manna which God most high sent down to Moses.”

Jabir told that when they were with God’s messenger at Marr az-Zahran and were plucking the fruit of the arak tree he said, “Keep to its black ones, for they are the most pleasant.” He was asked if he had shepherded sheep and replied, “Yes; has there been a prophet who did not shepherd them?” (Bukhari and Muslim.)

‘A’isha reported the Prophet as saying, “A family which has dates will not be hungry.” A version reports him as saying twice or three times, “A family which has no dates, ‘A’isha, will be hungry.” Muslim transmitted it.

Abu Umama told that when the Prophet's cloth* was removed he said, "Praise be to God abundantly and sincerely, of such a nature as is productive of blessing, is not insufficient, abandoned, or ignored, O our Lord." *The word ma'ida means a piece of leather or some other material spread on the ground for the food, and it comes to mean the food itself. It is often translated ‘table’, but this is misleading with reference to the early days of Islam.Bukhari transmitted it.

Anas reported God’s messenger as saying, “God most high is pleased when a man eats something and praises Him for it, or drinks something and praises Him for it." Muslim transmitted it.

We were with the Prophet when food was presented to him, and I never saw food which had greater blessing when we began to eat, or less when we finished. We asked God’s messenger how that was, and he replied, “We mentioned God’s name when we ate, then one who ate sat down without mentioning God's name and the devil ate with him.” It is transmitted in Sharh as-sunna.

‘A’isha reported God’s messenger as saying, “When one of you eats and forgets to mention God over his food he should say, ‘In the name of God at the beginning and at the end of it’.” Tirmidhi and Abu Dawud transmitted it.

Abu Huraira reported God’s messenger as saying, “The one who eats and is grateful is like the one who fasts and shows endurance.”Tirmidhi transmitted it, and Ibn Majah and Darimi transmitted it on the authority of Sinan b. Sanna on his father’s authority.

Ibn ‘Abbas told that when food was presented to the Prophet or, his coming out from the privy and he was asked whether they should bring him water for ablution, he replied, “I have been commanded to perform ablution only when I get up for prayer.” Tirmidhi, Abu Dawud and Nasa’i transmitted it, and Ibn Majah transmitted it on Abu Huraira’s authority.

God’s messenger came in to visit me accompanied by ‘Ali when we had some ripening dates hung up. He began to eat, and ‘Ali along with him, but God’s messenger said to ‘Ali, “Stop, Ali, for you are convalescing.” I then prepared some beetroot and barley for them and the Prophet said, “Take some of this, ‘Ali, for it will be more beneficial for you.” Ahmad, Tirmidhi and Ibn Majah transmitted it.

Nubaisha reported God’s messenger as saying, “If anyone eats from a dish and licks it, the dish will ask forgiveness for him.” Ahmad, Tirmidhi, Ibn Majah and Darimi transmitted it, Tirmidhi saying this is a gharib tradition.

Ibn ‘Abbas said the food God’s messenger liked best was tharid made from bread and tharid made from hais. [See p. 439.] Abu Dawud transmitted it.

Salman told that when God’s messenger was questioned about clarified butter, cheese and wild asses he replied, “What is lawful is what God has declared lawful in His Book, what is unlawful is what God has declared unlawful in His Book, and what He has said nothing about belongs to the things He ignores.”Ibn Majah and Tirmidhi transmitted it, Tirmidhi saying this is a gharib tradition which, according to the soundest opinion, is mauquf.