Eat with your right hand. He said: I cannot do that, whereupon he (the Holy Prophet) said: May you not be able to do that. It was vanity that prevented him from doing it, and he could not raise it (the right hand) up to his mouth.
The Book of Drinks - Sahih Muslim 2021
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. All praise is to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and may peace and blessings be upon our Master Muhammad, his family, and companions.
Textual Analysis
This noble hadith from Sahih Muslim relates the incident where the Prophet (peace be upon him) commanded a man to eat with his right hand. When the man claimed inability, the Prophet invoked against him, saying: "May you not be able to do that." The narration concludes that vanity prevented him, and he indeed lost the ability to raise his right hand to his mouth.
Legal Rulings
The scholars have derived from this hadith that eating with the right hand is obligatory (wajib), not merely recommended. The Prophet's command establishes this obligation, and his invocation against the disobedient man indicates the gravity of neglecting this sunnah.
Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani states in Fath al-Bari that using the right hand for pure and honorable acts is from the comprehensive guidance of the Prophet, while reserving the left hand for cleaning impurities.
Spiritual Dimensions
The incident reveals how arrogance can lead to divine deprivation. The man's refusal stemmed from vanity, which the Prophet identified and against which he invoked. This teaches us that disobedience to prophetic guidance, especially when rooted in pride, may result in losing the very capacity to obey.
Al-Nawawi comments in his Sharh Sahih Muslim that this demonstrates how sins can become barriers to obedience, and how Allah may deprive a person of the ability to perform good deeds as a consequence of persistent disobedience.
Practical Application
Muslims should conscientiously use the right hand for eating, drinking, giving and receiving, while using the left hand for cleaning and removing impurities. This physical practice cultivates spiritual discipline and adherence to the prophetic way.
If one is naturally left-handed, scholars differ regarding obligation, but the preferred view is that one should train oneself to use the right hand for these honorable acts, as the prophetic guidance is universal.
Conclusion
This hadith emphasizes the importance of following prophetic commands without arrogance or hesitation. The consequences suffered by the man serve as a warning against allowing pride to prevent obedience to Allah's messenger. We ask Allah to grant us humility and consistency in following the sunnah.