What is the ruling on drinking and eating while standing?

The Shaykh: And the examples of this are numerous, but most people do not know. Perhaps it is fitting for me, in concluding the answer to this question, to give another sensitive example related to our social life in this age; for we contradict his saying (peace and blessings be upon him) while arguing with his action, even though what I mentioned of the three possibilities applies to it. That is the drinking of many people while standing, and they know that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) "forbade drinking while standing," as it came in Sahih Muslim from the hadith of Anas ibn Malik (may Allah be pleased with him), who said: "The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) forbade drinking while standing." And in another narration: "The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) warned against drinking while standing." So it was said to him: What about eating? He said: ; meaning: eating while standing is worse than drinking while standing.
We see many people being lenient and drinking while standing. And when you bring up this hadith to them, reminding them of his prohibition, rather his warning (peace and blessings be upon him) us, the Muslims, against drinking while standing, they rush to say: Did not the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) drink while standing?
Our answer: Yes, it is established from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) in more than one hadith, and in more than one situation, that he drank while standing. But what is to be done when we have a hadith of his saying (peace and blessings be upon him), which is his warning against drinking while standing, and we also have his action (peace and blessings be upon him), which is his drinking while standing?
If you know the previous rule, and try to reconcile his prohibition and his action, you must find yourselves, if you submit to the knowledge, saying that perhaps the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) drank while standing because he was unable to drink while sitting. This is observed by researchers who are well-versed in the hadiths of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) in some of the hadiths in which it came that he (peace and blessings be upon him) drank while standing. In this hadith, which is in Sunan al-Tirmidhi and others, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) came to a suspended water skin, untied its knot, and drank from it while standing ; meaning: the water skin was suspended, and it is not easy to lower the water skin and drink from it while he (peace and blessings be upon him) is sitting. The imagination of this story suffices us from attempting to force an explanation of the reason why he (peace and blessings be upon him) drank while standing.
So the hadiths in which the reason is not specified are to be understood either on this basis, which is the excuse, or on a second basis, which is that the drinking was before the prohibition, or on the final basis that it was a ruling specific to him (peace and blessings be upon him).
Some of the scholars who addressed this issue tried to reconcile the action and the saying, and the attempt is originally a required matter; but on the condition that the attempt does not involve forcing an interpretation, and does not involve negating his saying (peace and blessings be upon him) in any way of interpretation, as you will see in what follows:
They said, in reconciling his action (peace and blessings be upon him) between his drinking while standing and his prohibition of drinking while standing: We understand the prohibition as a recommendation; meaning the ruling is that drinking while standing is disliked and not forbidden, so it is better for the drinker to drink while sitting. This is what some of the scholars of knowledge said, including Imam al-Nawawi. But this reconciliation stopped at the word "forbade." However, if the view of the aforementioned reconciler had extended to the other narration that says: "The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) warned against drinking while standing," he would have found himself unsuccessful in that reconciliation; because warning is stronger than forbidding. Warning is as if the text said: The Messenger of Allah forbade drinking while standing. In that case, there is no way to interpret the prohibition as a recommended dislike. And so the previous interpretation could have been permissible and acceptable were it not for the other narration: "The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) warned against drinking while standing." But since it is also authentic and in Sahih Muslim, it is established that that interpretation is a weak interpretation that should not be relied upon.
The aforementioned interpretation becomes weaker upon weakness if we remember another hadith narrated by Imam Muslim—excuse me—Imam Muslim narrated its meaning in his Sahih, while the wording was narrated by Imam Ahmad in his Musnad. That the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) saw a man drinking while standing and said to him: . He said: No, O Messenger of Allah. He said: , the devil drank with you! Because you drank while standing. Then he said to him (peace and blessings be upon him), or to another of those who drank while standing: ; ordering him to expel the water he drank while standing. Is this the ruling of what is disliked with a recommended dislike, that one who commits a disliked act is required to make it difficult for himself and expel the water from his stomach? This is not the way of disliked acts, but rather the way of forbidden acts. And if the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) explicitly stated that the devil had participated with this drinker in drinking while standing; would this also be disliked with a recommended dislike? The answer: No, then no, then no.
And the conclusion of the speech: that this is a valid example of how, or why, the scholars of knowledge said that when the saying conflicts with the action, the saying is given precedence over the action. This is a matter in which there is no doubt for one who follows the rulings of the Shari'ah in the hadiths of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him); for he will find himself compelled to say what these scholars said: that "when his action (peace and blessings be upon him) conflicts with his saying, the saying is given precedence over the action." This is when it is not possible to reconcile his action and his saying, as we gave you earlier; such as drinking while standing, and such as marrying more than four.
And this is sufficient, and praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds.