Is the Sunnah of eating with three fingers general for all food, or is it specific to tharid only?
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The questioner : On the occasion of breaking the fast now, has the Sunnah been reported regarding eating with three fingers generally for all food, or is it only for tharid?
The Shaykh : There is nothing in the Sunnah reported from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that helps us answer this question. All there is is that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) used to eat with three fingers. However, what we should discuss regarding this hadith is its jurisprudence. This hadith does not mean at all that it is not permissible for a Muslim to eat with another utensil, such as the spoons known today. Rather, it means that if a Muslim eats food that can be eaten with three fingers, he should not appear to be greedy for food, eating with his whole fist when he is able to eat as the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) used to eat with three fingers. This is the first point. Second, it is known that meat broth cannot be eaten with three fingers, so another utensil is necessary to eat it. This is a matter of worldly affairs. This is a matter of worldly affairs, not a matter of religion, for which the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) was tasked to convey to people all the rulings of the religion. Regarding worldly affairs, he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: I see that we should stop here now, because the time for speaking has begun now.
The questioner : The time for breaking the fast has entered.
The Shaykh : It has entered, but it has not entered.
The questioner : But it has not entered.
The Shaykh : Heh, meaning it has entered religiously, but not officially. Well, you see the sun here usually.
The questioner : If the weather is cloudy, you do not see it.
The Shaykh : No, I am not saying that now. I am saying generally, what is the difference?
The questioner : Eight minutes.
The Shaykh : Eight minutes.
The questioner : May Allah preserve you.
The Shaykh : May Allah keep you safe. What Allah willed, blessed. Well done. Sometimes caution is good. Not bad.
The Shaykh : There is nothing in the Sunnah reported from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that helps us answer this question. All there is is that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) used to eat with three fingers. However, what we should discuss regarding this hadith is its jurisprudence. This hadith does not mean at all that it is not permissible for a Muslim to eat with another utensil, such as the spoons known today. Rather, it means that if a Muslim eats food that can be eaten with three fingers, he should not appear to be greedy for food, eating with his whole fist when he is able to eat as the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) used to eat with three fingers. This is the first point. Second, it is known that meat broth cannot be eaten with three fingers, so another utensil is necessary to eat it. This is a matter of worldly affairs. This is a matter of worldly affairs, not a matter of religion, for which the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) was tasked to convey to people all the rulings of the religion. Regarding worldly affairs, he (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
You know better about the matters of your religion than I do.
أنتم أعلم بأمور ديناكم منيThe questioner : The time for breaking the fast has entered.
The Shaykh : It has entered, but it has not entered.
The questioner : But it has not entered.
The Shaykh : Heh, meaning it has entered religiously, but not officially. Well, you see the sun here usually.
The questioner : If the weather is cloudy, you do not see it.
The Shaykh : No, I am not saying that now. I am saying generally, what is the difference?
The questioner : Eight minutes.
The Shaykh : Eight minutes.
The questioner : May Allah preserve you.
The Shaykh : May Allah keep you safe. What Allah willed, blessed. Well done. Sometimes caution is good. Not bad.
Source
www.al-albany.com
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.