Eating can be worship

We eat and drink many times a day. Islam turns these normal moments into worship, with very little effort. Allah says: eat from the good things We have given you, and be thankful to Allah¹.

• Most food is halal. The short list of what Muslims do not eat is in What Muslims do not eat, Meat and slaughter and Alcohol, drugs and smoking. This chapter is about how we eat.
• Most of these manners are sunnah, the way of Nabi ﷺ. Doing them brings reward. Forgetting one is not a sin. The few things that are clearly haram are marked plainly.
• Nabi ﷺ lived simply. Aisha said two months could pass with no fire lit for cooking in his houses. They lived on dates and water². Every full plate is a blessing.
• Never learned these? No problem. Start with three: Bismillah, the right hand, Alhamdulillah. Add the rest slowly.

Before you eat: Bismillah

Umar ibn Abi Salamah grew up in the house of Nabi ﷺ. As a boy, his hand moved all over the plate. Nabi ﷺ told him gently: young boy, say Allah's name, eat with your right hand, and eat from what is in front of you³. Umar ate that way for the rest of his life.

• Why Bismillah matters: shaytan (the devil) shares in food when Allah's name is not said over it⁴. When you say Allah's name coming home and over your food, shaytan tells his friends: no place to sleep here, and no dinner⁵.
• The ruling: most scholars say it is a strong sunnah. Some say it is required, because Nabi ﷺ said it as a command. Either way, do not leave it.
• Forgot? Nabi ﷺ said: if you forget at the start, say Bismillahi awwalahu wa akhirahu, in the name of Allah at its start and its end⁶. Say it as soon as you remember.
• Food and prayer at the same time? Nabi ﷺ said: if dinner is served and the iqamah (the call to stand for prayer) is given, start with the dinner⁷, so your mind is on your prayer. Just do not make it a habit that makes you miss prayers.
• Washing hands before and after is clean and good. A well-known hadith about blessing in washing before food is weak, so we do not cite it. Wash anyway.

How to eat

The right hand

Nabi ﷺ said: eat with your right hand and drink with your right hand, because shaytan eats and drinks with his left⁸. Once a man ate with his left hand and said he could not use his right. Only pride stopped him, and after that he could not lift his right hand to his mouth⁹.

• The ruling: most scholars say eating or drinking with the left hand without a reason is strongly disliked. Some say it is haram. All agree it is fine with a reason, like an injury or a disability.
• Left-handed? Train yourself to eat and drink with the right, little by little. Writing and everything else can stay with the left.

Other good habits

• Eat from your side of a shared plate¹⁰. And eat from the edges, because the blessing comes down in the middle¹¹.
• Sit humbly. Nabi ﷺ said: I do not eat while leaning back¹².
• Hand, spoon or fork? Nabi ﷺ often ate with three fingers¹³. That is a sunnah, but a spoon, fork or chopsticks is completely fine. So is a table or the floor.
• Hot food: do not blow into food or drink¹⁴. Let it cool or stir it.
• Eating standing: sitting is better. Most scholars say standing is not haram, only less good.

Dropped food, fingers and the plate

• If a bite falls, clean off any dirt and eat it. Do not leave it for shaytan¹⁵.
• Nabi ﷺ told us to lick our fingers and wipe the plate clean, and said: you do not know which part of your food has the blessing¹⁶.
• Do not wipe your hand until you have licked it¹⁷. This is about respecting every bit of food, done quietly and cleanly.

Never find fault with food

Abu Hurayrah said: Nabi ﷺ never found fault with any food. If he liked it, he ate it. If not, he left it¹⁸.

• Do not complain about food someone made for you. Someone worked for it, and Allah gave it.
• Praise is sunnah. Once his family had nothing to eat with bread but vinegar. Nabi ﷺ ate it and said: what a good thing to eat with bread vinegar is¹⁹.
• Not liking a food is not a sin. Nabi ﷺ was offered roasted dabb (a desert lizard) and did not eat it. Khalid ibn al-Walid asked: is it haram? He said: no, but it is not found in my people's land, so I do not like it. Khalid ate it while Nabi ﷺ watched²⁰.

So leave a food you dislike, or cannot eat for health or an allergy, quietly. And never call a halal food haram just because you do not like it.

How much to eat, and sharing

Nabi ﷺ said: a person fills no container worse than his stomach. A few bites to keep his back straight are enough. If he must eat more, then a third for food, a third for drink, and a third for breath²¹.

• It is not a strict measure. It means stop before you are too full. A big meal sometimes is not haram. Overeating as a habit is what the hadith warns against. For your own diet, ask your doctor.
• Nabi ﷺ said: food for two is enough for three, and food for three is enough for four²². And food for one is enough for two²³. So do not be afraid to share. Allah puts blessing in shared food.

Together or alone

• Some Companions said: we eat but never feel full. Nabi ﷺ asked: maybe you eat separately? They said yes. He said: eat together and say Allah's name, and your food will be blessed²⁴.
• Eating alone is not haram and not disliked. Allah says: there is no blame on you whether you eat together or separately²⁵. Students, night-shift workers and travelers can eat in peace.
• Feeding people is one of the best deeds. Asked which part of Islam is best, Nabi ﷺ said: feed people, and say salam to those you know and those you do not²⁶.
• People who serve you: if your servant brings your food, sit him with you, or at least give him a bite or two, since he made it²⁷. Today: be kind to a cleaner, a driver or a helper at home.

Manners of drinking

• Bismillah and the right hand, as with food²⁸.
• Drink in three breaths. Nabi ﷺ used to breathe three times while drinking²⁹: drink, move the cup away, breathe, drink again.
• Do not breathe into the cup³⁰.
• Pass it to the right. Nabi ﷺ drank milk with a Bedouin on his right and Abu Bakr on his left. He gave it to the Bedouin and said: the right, then the right³¹.
• The one serving drinks last³².

Drinking while standing

Anas said Nabi ﷺ discouraged drinking while standing³³, and another hadith is stronger still³⁴. But Nabi ﷺ drank Zamzam standing³⁵. And Ali drank standing and said: I saw Nabi ﷺ do what you saw me do³⁶.

• Most scholars: sitting is better, and standing is allowed. Nabi ﷺ drank standing to show it is not haram.
• Some scholars: the warning came first and was later lifted.
• A few scholars: avoid drinking standing without a need, because of the strong wording.

So sit when you easily can. At a fountain, a gym or a crowded event, standing is fine. Do not make anyone feel bad about it.

Gold and silver plates and cups

This is one of the few things here that is clearly haram. Nabi ﷺ said: do not drink from gold and silver cups, and do not eat from their plates. They are for those who do not believe in this world, and for us in the Hereafter³⁷. He warned that whoever drinks from a silver cup fills his stomach with the fire of Jahannam³⁸.

• Haram for men and women. All four schools agree. Gold jewelry is allowed for women, but plates and cups of gold or silver are not allowed for anyone.
• A small silver repair is fine. Nabi's ﷺ wooden cup broke and was mended with silver³⁹.
• Gold-plated or gold-rimmed items: scholars differ. Many allow a thin coating or a rim. Others avoid it. Paint, brass or steel that only looks gold is fine.
• Other uses of solid gold or silver items, like a gold pen: most scholars say avoid them too. Some limit the ban to eating and drinking.
• Crystal, fine china and glass are allowed, however expensive.

After you eat: Alhamdulillah and the duas

Nabi ﷺ said: Allah is pleased with a servant who eats a meal and praises Him for it, or drinks a drink and praises Him for it⁴⁰. The simplest way is Alhamdulillah (all praise is for Allah). Nabi ﷺ also taught these:

• Alhamdulillahil-ladhi at'amani hadha wa razaqanihi min ghayri hawlin minni wa la quwwah. All praise is for Allah, who fed me this and gave it to me, with no power or strength from me. Whoever says it after eating, his past sins are forgiven⁴¹.
• Alhamdulillahi kathiran tayyiban mubarakan fihi, ghayra makfiyyin wa la muwadda'in wa la mustaghnan 'anhu, rabbana. All praise is for Allah, much praise, good and blessed. We can never repay it, never leave it, and never do without it, our Lord⁴².
• Alhamdulillahil-ladhi at'ama wa saqa, wa sawwaghahu, wa ja'ala lahu makhraja. All praise is for Allah, who gave food and drink, made it easy to swallow, and made a way out for it⁴³.

A dua for the person who fed you

• Allahumma barik lahum fima razaqtahum, waghfir lahum, warhamhum. O Allah, bless them in what You gave them, forgive them, and have mercy on them⁴⁴.
• Afatara 'indakumus-sa'imun, wa akala ta'amakumul-abrar, wa sallat 'alaykumul-mala'ikah. May fasting people break their fast with you, may good people eat your food, and may the angels pray for you⁴⁵.
• Allahumma at'im man at'amani, wa asqi man asqani. O Allah, feed the one who fed me, and give drink to the one who gave me drink⁴⁶.

More daily duas are on our duas page.

Guests and hosting

Nabi ﷺ said: whoever believes in Allah and the Last Day, let him honor his guest⁴⁷.

• How long: a guest's special right is one day and night of your best welcome. Hosting goes up to three days, and more than that is charity. A guest should not stay so long that it becomes hard for the host⁴⁸.
• The ruling: most scholars say hosting is a strong sunnah. Hanbalis say hosting a traveler for one day and night is required.
• Ibrahim, the great host: he went quietly to his family, brought a fat roasted calf, put it near his guests, and said: will you not eat?⁴⁹. Serve quickly, bring your best, and offer kindly.
• No showing off, no debt. A simple meal with a happy face beats a feast with a heavy heart.

An Ansari family once hosted a hungry stranger when they had almost nothing⁵⁰.

When you are invited

• Nabi ﷺ said: if you are invited, accept. If you are fasting, make dua for them. If not, eat⁵³.
• Wedding feasts: Nabi ﷺ said to go⁵⁴. Most scholars say accepting a wedding invitation is required unless you have a good excuse, like illness or haram things at the event. Other invitations are a strong sunnah.
• Do not leave out the poor. The worst food is a wedding feast where the rich are invited and the poor are left out⁵⁵.
• Ask before bringing someone. When a sixth man followed Nabi ﷺ to a meal for five, he asked the host: if you allow him, he comes in, and if not, he goes back. The host allowed him⁵⁶.

Do not waste food

Allah says: eat and drink, but do not waste. He does not love those who waste⁵⁷. And: those who waste are brothers of the devils⁵⁸. We will be asked about every blessing⁵⁹.

• Take small portions, especially at a buffet. You can always go back.
• Cook what you need. Leftovers are not shameful. They are tomorrow's lunch.
• Share extra food with neighbors, coworkers or a food bank before it spoils. At weddings and iftars, plan ahead where the extra will go.
• Throwing away food that has truly gone bad is not a sin. The sin is careless waste of good food.

Eating with non-Muslims and at work

Eating with people of other faiths is allowed, and it can show Islam beautifully.

• Their food: Allah says the food of the People of the Book (Jews and Christians) is halal for you, and your food is halal for them⁶⁰. Bread, vegetables, fruit and fish are halal from anyone. Meat has its own rules, and scholars differ on it today: see Meat and slaughter and halal vs zabihah.
• Their dishes: asked about eating from the dishes of the People of the Book, Nabi ﷺ said: use others if you find them. If not, wash them and eat from them⁶¹. Scholars explain this is about dishes used for pork or alcohol. Clean dishes at a friend's home or the office are fine.
• Feed them too. Invite neighbors and coworkers to your Eid meal or iftar. Feeding people is not only for Muslims⁶².
• Ask kindly, say no gently. Choose the vegetarian or fish option, or ask what is in a dish. "Thank you, I do not eat pork" is enough. At a potluck, bring a dish to share.
• Fasting during a team lunch? You may still sit with them and make dua for them⁶³.

When alcohol is on the table

Nabi ﷺ said: whoever believes in Allah and the Last Day, let him not sit at a table where alcohol is passed around⁶⁴.

• All scholars agree: never drink it, serve it, or toast with it.
• Work events where some people drink: scholars differ. Many say you may go for a real work need, if you keep away from the table where people are drinking and leave when it turns into a drinking party. Others say stay away fully. Both are held by real scholars. Follow a scholar you trust.

Things people think are haram, but are not

Spoons and forks, eating at a table, eating alone, drinking standing, and leaving a food you dislike are all allowed, as shown above. A few more:

• Talking during a meal. Allowed. Nabi ﷺ praised the vinegar while eating⁶⁵. Keep the talk good.
• Garlic and onions. Halal. Nabi ﷺ said: I cannot forbid what Allah has made halal⁶⁶. Just do not go to the masjid with the smell on your breath⁶⁷.
• Fish with milk, and other food mixes people call haram. No such rule exists in the Quran or the sunnah.
• Holding a plate or passing the salt with your left hand. Allowed. The sunnah is about putting food and drink into your mouth with the right.

More in things you think are haram and are not.

Common questions

I remembered halfway through my meal that I did not say Bismillah.

Say Bismillahi awwalahu wa akhirahu right away⁶⁸. There is no sin.

My wedding plates have a gold-colored rim. Can I use them?

Gold-colored paint or trim is not gold, so yes. A real thin gold layer: scholars differ, and many allow it. Solid gold or silver plates and cups are haram for everyone⁶⁹. If you used them before, stop, ask Allah to forgive you, and move on.

A relative keeps staying with us for weeks. Do I have to keep hosting?

The guest's right is one day and night of your best welcome, and hosting goes up to three days. After that it is charity from you, and a guest should not make it hard for the host⁷⁰. You may talk about it kindly.

I was invited to a wedding but I am fasting. Should I still go?

Yes, if you can. Go, greet them, and make dua for the family. You do not have to eat⁷¹.

Do I have to finish everything on my plate even when I am full?

No. Do not force yourself to overeat. Take less to begin with, and save or share the rest so it is not wasted.

How do I teach my kids these manners?

The way Nabi ﷺ taught young Umar: gently, at the table, in a few short words⁷². Praise them when they remember. Never shame a child in front of others.