What is the ruling on eating and drinking while standing?
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The questioner : May Allah reward you, O esteemed Shaykh.The Shaykh : How do we reconcile the statement of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) regarding Ibn 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both), who said: Jami` at-Tirmidhi 1880Sahih (Darussalam), narrated by al-Tirmidhi, who said: "It is a good, authentic hadith", with the statement of Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) regarding the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): Riyad as-Salihin 770, narrated by Muslim?
The Shaykh : Reconciling them is easy, because the prohibition of drinking while standing is not for the sake of prohibition, but rather it is a matter of etiquette; a person should not drink while standing. It is disliked (makruh). The scholars said that a pressing need (hajah) makes it permissible, meaning that dire necessity (darurah) is not a condition for it. Therefore, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) drank from a hanging water skin while standing. Tell me about the water skin? Stand up, what is a "shan"? You don't know what a "shan" is? Yes.
The student: ... .
The Shaykh : Well done. It is an old, worn-out water skin. An old water skin is called a "shan." Generally, an old water skin is cooler than a new one. He (peace and blessings be upon him) drank from it while standing. He also drank from the water of Zamzam while standing, even though this was not a dire necessity, as he was able to sit down.
So, what al-Tirmidhi narrated about them eating and drinking while walking is for a pressing need, fearing that if they sat down, for example, while walking as a group for a purpose, that purpose would be missed. In that case, it is permissible.
We would eat during the time of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) while we were walking, and we would drink while we were standing.
كنا نأكل على عهد رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم ونحن نمشي، ونشرب ونحن قيامThe Prophet (ﷺ) forbade us from drinking while standing. Qatadah reported: "We asked him: 'What about eating?"' He said: "That is even worse, (or may be he said) more detestable."
أنه نهى أن يشرب الرجل قائما قال قتادة : فقلنا لأنس : فالأكل ؟ قال : ذلك أشر أو أخبثThe Shaykh : Reconciling them is easy, because the prohibition of drinking while standing is not for the sake of prohibition, but rather it is a matter of etiquette; a person should not drink while standing. It is disliked (makruh). The scholars said that a pressing need (hajah) makes it permissible, meaning that dire necessity (darurah) is not a condition for it. Therefore, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) drank from a hanging water skin while standing. Tell me about the water skin? Stand up, what is a "shan"? You don't know what a "shan" is? Yes.
The student: ... .
The Shaykh : Well done. It is an old, worn-out water skin. An old water skin is called a "shan." Generally, an old water skin is cooler than a new one. He (peace and blessings be upon him) drank from it while standing. He also drank from the water of Zamzam while standing, even though this was not a dire necessity, as he was able to sit down.
So, what al-Tirmidhi narrated about them eating and drinking while walking is for a pressing need, fearing that if they sat down, for example, while walking as a group for a purpose, that purpose would be missed. In that case, it is permissible.