Explanation of the words of Imam al-Nawawi (may Allah have mercy on him) regarding what he quoted: "
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The Shaykh : In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful:
The author (may Allah have mercy on him) said, regarding what he quoted from 'Umar ibn Abi al-Salamah (may Allah be pleased with him), who was the foster son of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family), because he was the son of his wife Umm Salamah (may Allah be pleased with her), that he was with the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) eating food, and his hand would dart about in the dish, meaning it would go to the right and to the left. So the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) said to him:Bulugh al-Maram 8:98 : These are three etiquettes that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) taught this boy:
First: He said: : And this, when eating, at the beginning of eating, it is obligatory for a person to say: Bismillah, and it is not permissible for him to leave it out, because if he leaves it out, Satan will share in his eating, his most harmful enemy, sharing in his eating if he does not say: Bismillah. And if he adds: al-Rahman al-Rahim, there is no harm, because the saying of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him): : means mention the name of Allah.
The complete mention of the name is for a person to say: Bismillah al-Rahman al-Rahim, just as Allah began His Book with it, and just as He sent it with Sulayman (peace be upon him):[An-Naml 27:30] . If you limit it to saying: Bismillah, there is no harm, and if you add: al-Rahman al-Rahim, there is no harm. The matter is broad in this regard.
As for the mention of the name over the slaughtered animal, it is a condition of the conditions of lawful slaughter. If you do not mention the name over the slaughtered animal, it is forbidden carrion, as if it died without being slaughtered.
But the scholars say: It is not befitting to say: Bismillah al-Rahman al-Rahim, because he is now about to slaughter it, so the action contradicts the saying regarding this slaughtered animal, because it will be slaughtered. This is how some scholars reasoned it, but if he says it anyway, there is no harm.
Bulugh al-Maram 8:98 : And this is a command on the path of obligation, so it is obligatory for a person to eat with his right hand and to drink with his right hand, because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) forbade a person from eating with his left hand, or drinking with his left hand, and he said that Satan does this: Jami` at-Tirmidhi 1799Sahih (Darussalam) , and we have been forbidden from following the footsteps of Satan. Allah the Exalted said: [An-Nur 24:21] .
For this reason, the stronger position is: the obligation of eating with the right hand, and the obligation of drinking with the right hand, and that eating with the left hand or drinking with the left hand is forbidden. Then, eating with the left hand and drinking with the left hand, in addition to being from the way of Satan, is also from the way of the disbelievers, because the disbelievers eat with their left hands and drink with their left hands.
Some people say: If one is eating and wants to drink, he holds the cup with his left hand and drinks. He says: I am afraid the cup will get dirty if I drink with my right hand. So we say: Let it get dirty. If it gets dirty, it only got dirty with food, it did not get dirty with urine or feces, it got dirty with food, then wash it. And hold the cup from the bottom between your thumb and index finger, make it like a ring, and only a little will get dirty from it. And no one has an excuse for drinking with the left hand for this reason, because the matter is on the path of prohibition, and the forbidden is not permissible except in dire necessity. Dire necessity is like if the right hand is paralyzed, so it cannot be raised to the mouth, this is dire necessity, or if it is broken, so it cannot be raised to the mouth, this is dire necessity, or if it is injured so one cannot eat or drink with it.
The important thing is: if it is dire necessity, there is no harm in using the left hand, otherwise it is not permissible to drink with the left hand or to eat with the left hand.
The third etiquette: He said: : meaning do not eat from the edge of another's portion, eat from what is near you, because if you encroach on the edge of another's portion, this is bad etiquette, so eat from what is near you.
Except if the food is of different types, such as if there is meat in what is not near you, there is no harm in eating it, or if there is gourd, or something similar that is intended, there is no harm in eating from what is not near you, because Anas ibn Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) said:Sunan Abi Dawud 871Sahih (Al-Albani).
Al-Dibba': gourd. He would pick it out: meaning he would pick it up from the dish to eat it. This is not a problem.
And in this hadith, among the benefits:
That it is befitting for a person to teach his children how to eat and drink, and what they should say when eating and drinking, just as the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) did with his foster son.
And in this is the good character of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and his teaching, because he did not rebuke this boy when his hand was darting about in the dish, but he taught him gently, saying: : He called him gently: Bulugh al-Maram 8:98 .
And let him know that teaching the young such etiquettes is not forgotten, meaning the child does not forget if you teach him when he is small, but if he grows up, he may forget if you teach him, and also he may rebel against you a little if he grows up, but as long as he is small and you teach him, he will be more receptive. And whoever fears Allah in his children, they will fear Allah in him, and whoever neglects the rights of his children, they will neglect his rights when he needs them, and Allah knows best.
The author (may Allah have mercy on him) said, regarding what he quoted from 'Umar ibn Abi al-Salamah (may Allah be pleased with him), who was the foster son of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family), because he was the son of his wife Umm Salamah (may Allah be pleased with her), that he was with the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) eating food, and his hand would dart about in the dish, meaning it would go to the right and to the left. So the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) said to him:
Dear child, mention Allah's Name, eat with your right hand, and eat from what is next to you.
يا غلام، سمِّ الله، وكل بيمينك، وكل مما يليكFirst: He said:
In the name of Allah.
سمّ اللهIn the name of Allah
سم اللهThe complete mention of the name is for a person to say: Bismillah al-Rahman al-Rahim, just as Allah began His Book with it, and just as He sent it with Sulayman (peace be upon him):
Indeed, it is from Solomon, and indeed, it reads: 'In the name of Allah, the Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful,
إِنَّهُ مِنْ سُلَيْمَانَ وَإِنَّهُ بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمAs for the mention of the name over the slaughtered animal, it is a condition of the conditions of lawful slaughter. If you do not mention the name over the slaughtered animal, it is forbidden carrion, as if it died without being slaughtered.
But the scholars say: It is not befitting to say: Bismillah al-Rahman al-Rahim, because he is now about to slaughter it, so the action contradicts the saying regarding this slaughtered animal, because it will be slaughtered. This is how some scholars reasoned it, but if he says it anyway, there is no harm.
Dear child, mention Allah's Name, eat with your right hand
يا غلام سم الله ، وكل بيمينكfor indeed Ash-Shaitan eats with his left hand and drinks with his left hand
فإن الشيطان يأكل بشماله ويشرب بشمالهO you who have believed, do not follow the footsteps of Satan. And whoever follows the footsteps of Satan - indeed, he enjoins immorality and wrongdoing
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا لا تَتَّبِعُوا خُطُوَاتِ الشَّيْطَانِ وَمَنْ يَتَّبِعْ خُطُوَاتِ الشَّيْطَانِ فَإِنَّهُ يَأْمُرُ بِالْفَحْشَاءِ وَالْمُنْكَرِFor this reason, the stronger position is: the obligation of eating with the right hand, and the obligation of drinking with the right hand, and that eating with the left hand or drinking with the left hand is forbidden. Then, eating with the left hand and drinking with the left hand, in addition to being from the way of Satan, is also from the way of the disbelievers, because the disbelievers eat with their left hands and drink with their left hands.
Some people say: If one is eating and wants to drink, he holds the cup with his left hand and drinks. He says: I am afraid the cup will get dirty if I drink with my right hand. So we say: Let it get dirty. If it gets dirty, it only got dirty with food, it did not get dirty with urine or feces, it got dirty with food, then wash it. And hold the cup from the bottom between your thumb and index finger, make it like a ring, and only a little will get dirty from it. And no one has an excuse for drinking with the left hand for this reason, because the matter is on the path of prohibition, and the forbidden is not permissible except in dire necessity. Dire necessity is like if the right hand is paralyzed, so it cannot be raised to the mouth, this is dire necessity, or if it is broken, so it cannot be raised to the mouth, this is dire necessity, or if it is injured so one cannot eat or drink with it.
The important thing is: if it is dire necessity, there is no harm in using the left hand, otherwise it is not permissible to drink with the left hand or to eat with the left hand.
The third etiquette: He said:
And eat from what is near you.
وكل مما يليكExcept if the food is of different types, such as if there is meat in what is not near you, there is no harm in eating it, or if there is gourd, or something similar that is intended, there is no harm in eating from what is not near you, because Anas ibn Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) said:
Hudhaifah said that he prayed along with the Prophet (ﷺ), and that he said when bowing, “Glory be to my mighty Lord, “ and when he prostrated himself, “Glory be to my most high Lord," when he came to a verse which spoke of mercy, he stopped and made supplication, and when he came to a verse which spoke of punishment, he stopped and sought refuge in Allah.
أَكلت مع النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم فكان يتتبع الدباّءAl-Dibba': gourd. He would pick it out: meaning he would pick it up from the dish to eat it. This is not a problem.
And in this hadith, among the benefits:
That it is befitting for a person to teach his children how to eat and drink, and what they should say when eating and drinking, just as the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) did with his foster son.
And in this is the good character of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and his teaching, because he did not rebuke this boy when his hand was darting about in the dish, but he taught him gently, saying:
O boy
يا غلامDear child, mention Allah's Name, eat with your right hand
يا غلام سمِّ الله، وكل بيمينكAnd let him know that teaching the young such etiquettes is not forgotten, meaning the child does not forget if you teach him when he is small, but if he grows up, he may forget if you teach him, and also he may rebel against you a little if he grows up, but as long as he is small and you teach him, he will be more receptive. And whoever fears Allah in his children, they will fear Allah in him, and whoever neglects the rights of his children, they will neglect his rights when he needs them, and Allah knows best.