🥖Eating Right:Adab Ut-Ta'am
Allah has given us many foodsto eat. He has given us mouths,teeth, tongues, and stomachs sothat we can enjoy the food weeat. As Muslims, it is importantfor us to remember this everytime we eat.
Waiting for Food
When we are waiting for breakfast, lunch, dinner, or snack time,and we are very, very hungry, we should do several things:
🔹We should remember that there are people in the world, just like us, who don't even have food to eat when it is time for a meal.
🔹We should also remember that Rasoolullah and his companions rarely had enough food to eat.They lived mainly on dates, milk, and water. Sometimes they would go hungry for days on end.
🔹We should say "Alhamdulillah"when we are waiting to eat and bepatient, because at least we willhave food to eat, soon.
Before Eating
Right before we eat, there are certain things we should check for:
1. Have a good intention.
Before we eat we should have a good niyyah, or intention, in our hearts. Our niyyah should be that we eat to stay healthy, fit and live to worship Allah and serve his religion very well.
2. Eat only what is halal
Islam teaches us to eat the good food that is halal, or lawful. Allahsays in the Qur'an:
﴿يا أَيُّهَا الَّذينَ آمَنوا كُلوا مِن طَيِّباتِ ما رَزَقناكُم وَاشكُروا لِلَّهِ إِن كُنتُم إِيّاهُ تَعبُدونَ﴾ [البقرة: ١٧٢]
"O you who believe! Eat of the good lawful things that We have given you, and give thanks to Alla hit is truly Him that you worship."[2:172]
A Muslim should only eat what Allah made halal and avoid all haram or prohibited food. Also, a Muslim would only eat the food that he bought or that was givento him or her. He or she wouldnever eat a food that is stolen orataken without proper permission.
3. Eat only when hungry
Prophet Muhammad ﷺ taught us to eat only when we are hungry. When you do not feel hungry,you know that your body does notneed food. Eating while full is nothealthy and it is against the Sunnah.
4. Wash our hands
We should make sure we areclean and that our hands are washed.
5. Eat while sitting
We should also remember that the Prophet taught us to eat while sitting down. Muhammad did not eat while standing or walk- ing, and we should follow his example to please Allah.
6. Say Bismillah and the dua"a of eating
Just before we take our first bite, we should remember that every action we engage in can be a form of worship. This means that anything we do can earn good deeds for us if we do it to please Allah. So, we should say the following dua'a before eating:
اللهم بارك لنا فيما رزقتنا وقنا عذاب النار بسم الله
"Allahumma, baarik lana, feema. razaqtana, waqina athab-an-nar. Bismillah."
This means, "Oh Allah, bless us with what you have provided for us, and protect us from the punishment of the fire. In the name of Allah."
While Eating
While we eat, there are certain etiquettes, or rules and manners, that we should keep in mind. The best etiquette is to follow the Sunnah, or the way of the Prophet ﷺ.
Here are some eating manners that we learned from our beloved Prophet ﷺ:
1. Use the right hand:
When we eat, we should use our right hands. Muslims perform all good deeds with their right hands (except cleaning ourselves). Therefore, it is the Sunnah to eat with the right hand.
2. Eat politely
We should eat the food that is Dear us or eat from our own plates. If a certain food is beyond our reach, we should politely ask our parents or other adults to help us. We should not compete with others in getting the food we like. Rather, we should be considerate and allow others to choose what they want before we do. Also, we should not talk too much or play around when we are eating.
3. Eat thankfully
Appreciate the food, even if you do not like it. While we are eating, we should remember to be thankful for whatever we have, even when it's not our favorite food, and doesn't taste wonderful. When the food isn't enough, we should eat humbly, without complaint. We should be thankful, keeping in mind that many people don't have any food at all.
4. Eat safely
We should not eat the food if it is too hot. We should patiently wait until we can eat it. We should not blow on the food to make it colder, as some children do. This is against the Sunnah of the Prophet ﷺ, and it might lead to unintentionally spitting on the food. That would disturb those who are eat- ing with you.
5. Eat moderately
If we have a lot of food in front of us, it is important for us to con- trol how much we eat. We should not take too much food, and we do not have to fill our stomachs up completely. Do not take more than you can eat. Actually, it is the Sunnah to leave your stomach a lit tle bit empty. The Prophet ﷺ instructed us to fill one third of the stomach with food, one third for drink, and one third is for air.
Even when the Prophet and his companions had enough food to eat, they sometimes chose to remain hungry. This helped them remember Allah more, and stay healthy and fit.
6. Eat healthy
We should select nutritious foods to eat. Vegetables, meats, and fruit are good for our health. Prophet Muhammad ﷺ recommended certain foods for us, such as honey, dates, milk, olive oil and vinegar. You might not like the taste of certain good foods, but they are excellent for your health. Children like to eat starches and sweets, but they are not the best foods. In fact, too many carbohydrates, sugars and fats are bad for our health. Allah has given us our bodies, and we should take care of them by eating things that are good for our health.
After Eating:
There are also things we should check for after we eat.
1. Finish your plate
We should make sure we have finished everything on our plates. We are Muslims, and this means we should not waste anything. The worst thing you can do to food is to throw it in the garbage. Rasoolullah ﷺ used to eat every bite and wipe off his plate. He once said: "You do not know which part of your food has the blessings in it."
2. Say Alhamdulillah and the du'aa'
We should thank Allah for provid ing us with the food and say the du'aa after eating:
الحمد لله الذي أطعمنا وسقانا وجعلنا من المسلمين
"Alhamdulillahi allathi at'amana, wa saqaana, wa ja'alana minal mus Limeen."
This means "Praise be to Allah, the One who allowed us to eat and drink, and made us among the Muslims."
Allah promised to give us more of His gifts if we thank Him for what He gave us.
3. Thank your parents or those who bought and made the food.
We should also thank the person who gave us the food, and the person who prepared the food for us. Children should thank their parents for earning the money for the food and for cooking the food. Husbands and wives should thank each other for the same things. We should also thank persons from whom we buy food, such as fast food clerks, waiters, and waitresses.
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