Sunnats and Aadaab of Eating – Part 1

1. One should sit and eat on the floor.

2. One should spread out a cloth (dastarkhaan) on the floor before eating.

عَنْ أَنَسٍ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ، قَالَ: مَا عَلِمْتُ النَّبِيَّ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ أَكَلَ عَلَى سُكْرُجَةٍ قَطُّ، وَلاَ خُبِزَ لَهُ مُرَقَّقٌ قَطُّ، وَلاَ أَكَلَ عَلَى خِوَانٍ قَطُّ قِيلَ لِقَتَادَةَ: فَعَلاَمَ كَانُوا يَأْكُلُونَ؟ قَالَ: عَلَى السُّفَرِ. (البخاري رقم 5386)

Hadhrat Anas (Radhiallahu Anhu) reports: I cannot remember Rasulullah (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) ever eating from a small utensil (in the manner and style of the non Arab, non Muslims of that time), nor was thin, fine bread ever baked for him (i.e. he only ate the thick, coarse bread), nor did he ever eat on a raised table. Hadhrat Qataada was asked: What would they (i.e. Rasulullah (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) and the Sahaabah) eat upon? Qataada (Rahmatullahi Alaihi) replied: “They used to eat on the dastarkhaan (spread out on the floor).” 

3.  Wash both hands up to the wrist before eating.

عن سلمان رضي الله عنه قال : قرأت في التوراة أن بركة الطعام الوضوء بعده فذكرت ذلك للنبي صلى الله عليه سولم فأخبرته بما قرأت في التوراة فقال رسول الله صلى الله عليه و سلم بركة الطعام الوضوء قبله والوضوء بعده (ترمذي رقم 1846)

Hadhrat Salmaan Farsi (Radhiallahu Anhu) narrates: “I read in the Taurah that the blessings of food lie in washing the hands after meals. I mentioned this to Rasulullah (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam). Rasulullah (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) replied: “The blessings of food lies in washing the hands before eating and after eating.”

عن ابن عباس رضي الله عنهما عن النبي صلى الله عليه و سلم قال: الوضوء قبل الطعام وبعده مما ينفي الفقر وهو من سنن المرسلين (مجمع الزوائد رقم 7913) ^[1]

Hadhrat Abdullah ibn Abbaas (Radhiallahu Anhu) reports that Rasulullah (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) said: “Washing the hands before and after meals repels poverty, and it is from the sunnah of all the Ambiyaa.

A pious man narrated that he once had a debt of three hundred Rupees, and due to straitened circumstances, he could not imagine how he could ever be relieved of this burden. Sitting one day in the discourse of an Aalim, he heard him say that whoever washes his hands before and after eating, in view of it being a sunnah of Rasulullah (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam), will Insha Allah be relieved of his debts in a short span of time. The pious man adopted the above procedure, and through the grace of Allah Ta’ala, he was absolved of all his debts in a few days time.  (The Sublime Conduct of Nabi (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) vol.1)

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