What is the ruling on speaking while eating, and the authenticity of the hadith prohibiting it?

The questioner : Regarding this, O Shaykh, if there is a group eating and they are talking, and one of them says, "Do not speak," the other says, "No, eating is food."

The Shaykh : "No speaking over food."

The questioner : Yes, is this authentic?

The Shaykh : No, this has no basis. There is no specific Sunnah regarding speaking over food, whether negatively or positively. Speaking over food falls under the general hadith If he is speaking about the food in a way that benefits those present or some of them, then it is a recommended practice (sunnah). As for intentionally remaining silent over food, that is a religious innovation (bid'ah), and intentionally speaking any kind of speech is likewise. And as you heard in the hadith There is a hadith that I call, where I currently reside in Jordan, a Jordanian hadith. I say this is a Jordanian hadith, and it is not known in Syria, nor have I heard it in other lands. It is famous among them, and many of their students ask about it: "Speak over your food, even with the price of your weapons." I say that this is a fabricated Jordanian hadith, because it has no source. As for the legal ruling, it is as you heard .