Benefits of the Hadith Regarding Cutting Meat with a Knife

The Shaykh : As you have seen, this hadith mentions cutting meat with a knife. However, the word "cutting" (or "carving") implies that the meat has some degree of hardness that requires it to be cut with a knife. Therefore, reconciling this with what was mentioned earlier is as follows: If the intention behind cutting with a knife is for luxury or to avoid touching the meat, then this is prohibited, as it is the practice of the non-Arabs (Ajam). Some people do this now; it is impossible for some of them to touch their food with their hands. They hold the meat with a fork with tines, cut it with a knife, and eat with their left hand. May Allah guide them. Eating with the left hand is contrary to the guidance of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). So, if a person needs to cut the meat with a knife, there is no harm in it, and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) did so. If he does not need to, it is better for him to take it with his hand and gnaw it with his teeth. If someone asks how to reconcile this hadith with the saying of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him): , and the food is present, and indeed some of it has been cut to be eaten, yet he left the cutting and the knife and stood up to pray? The answer is that the prohibition of praying in the presence of food applies if the food occupies him and his heart is attached to it. But if it does not occupy him, there is no harm. Similarly, the presence of food that cannot be eaten does not prevent prayer. For example, if we bring the iftar meal while we are fasting in Ramadan, and we place the iftar on the table or the dining mat before the 'Asr prayer, and someone wants to go pray 'Asr, but the iftar food is on the mat or the table, and he desires it, and he says, "By Allah, I am not going to pray 'Asr. Why?" He says, "There is no prayer in the presence of food." We say, "You can pray, because the intended meaning is food that occupies you from being present in heart in your prayer, and it is permissible for you to eat it and satisfy your appetite. But as for food that you cannot eat, its presence does not excuse you from leaving your prayer." Yes.