Allaah says in Q 59 v 7:…And whatever the Messenger has given you- take; and what he has forbidden you -refrain from…
The verse above is one of those that Allaah certified Prophet Muhammad for us as a role model in all spheres of life. Here is one of his teachings regarding eating:
The hadith above enunciates three etiquettes of eating. These are:
- Mentioning the name of Allaah before eating.
- Eating with the right hand, and
- Eating from what is near especially when dining with others.
This hadith also depicts the excellence of inculcating good manners into the children from early childhood as the narrator explicitly stated in another narration that he was a boy at that time and eventually grew up with those manners especially that of eating from what is near!
I was a boy under the care of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), and my hand would wander about in the dish. Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said to me “Mention Allah’s Name (i.e., say Bismillah before you start eating), eat with your right hand and eat from what is near to you”. I always followed this way of eating after this incident.
[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].
Riyadhus-Saliheen Book 1, Hadith 299
Therefore, every Muslim, parent, and guardian should strive towards implementing and inculcating the teachings of the Prophet (s.a.w) so that the younger generation could follow suit in sha Allaah.
REFERENCE
Ateeq, A. & Mohamed, S.,2013. 30 Hadith for Children 1st Edition, Malaysia: Dakwah Corner Publications. Sdn. Bhd.
Riyadus-Saliheen: Accessed from https://sunnah.com
Saodat Alimi holds an ijaaza in Qur’an Memorization, a higher diploma in Arabic and Islamic studies and a Bachelor degree in Chemistry education.
Her works include Quran Arabic for Beginners , Qur’an Reading Made Easy and Arabic Reading Course 101 among others.
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