Etiquettes of eating and drinking:
What to do:

Eat and drink while sitting.

Saying Bismillah before eating.

Ayesha (r.a) relates that the Prophet (s.a.w) said:
“When anyone of you starts eating, he should say
‘Bismillah’. If he forgets in the beginning (and he
remembers it later) he should say ‘Bismillahi
awwalahu wa akhirahu’.
What not to do:
 Eat and drink while standing.
 Anas bin Malik (r.a) relates that the
Prophet (s.a.w) has forbidden a person
from drinking while standing.
Qatadah (r.a) asked Anas (r.a), “What are
the orders about drinking? He said, “ that
would still be worse.”
(Muslim)
 Start eating without saying Bismillah.
(Abu Dawood and Tirmidhi)

Eat and drink with right hand.

Umar (r.a) relates that the Prophet (s.a.w) said:
“When one of you eats, then let him eat with his
right (hand), and when one of you drinks, then let
him drink with his right (hand), for verily, Shaitan
eats with his left (hand) and drinks with his left
(hand)”.
(Muslim)
 Eat and drink with left hand.
 Jaabir ibn Abdullah (r.a) relates that the
prophet (s.a.w) said: “Do not eat with the
left (hand), for indeed Shaitaan eats with
the left (hand)”.
(Muslim)
What to do:
What not to do:
 Eat from the side of the vessel.
 Ibn Abbas (r.a) relates that the Prophet
(s.a.w) said: “Blessing comes down upon
food in its middle, so eat from the sides of
the vessel and do not eat from its centre.”
 Eat from the middle of the vessel.
(Abu Dawood and Tirmidhi)
 Eat from your own side when sharing.
 Umar bin Abusalma (r.a) narrates that the
Prophet (s.a.w) told me, “Say Bismillah
and eat with your right hand and eat from
your side.”
 Eat with three fingers and lick them.
 Ka’ab bin Malik (r.a) says that he saw the
Prophet (s.a.w) eating with three fingers
and after having finished eating, he
would lick them.
(Muslim)
 Eat from others side when sharing.
 Eat with all the fingers and to wash them
without licking them.
What to do:

Eat the dropped bit of dry food.


Jabir (r.a) narrates that if anyone drops a bit of food,
he should eat it after cleaning it and not leave it for
shaitan.
To appreciate food and not to find fault in it.

Abu Hurairah (r.a) narrates that the Prophet (s.a.w)
never found fault with any food. If he liked it, he
would eat it and if he disliked it, he would leave it.
What not to do:

Leave the dropped bit of dry food.

Complain and find fault in food (make faces
that express disgust or dislike).

To eat while leaning (against something).

Eat very hot food or blow over it so as to cool
it.
(Bukhari and Muslim)

To sit upright while eating.

Abu Juhaifa (r.a) narrates that while he was with the
Prophet (s.a.w), he (s.a.w) said to a man who was
with him, “I do not take meals while leaning.”
(Bukhari)

Wait for very hot food to cool before eating it.

Abu Hurairah (r.a) said, “Food should not be eaten
until its steam goes away”.
(Al-Baihaqee)
What to do:
What not to do:

 Drink water in one installment while

Drink water in two to three installments with
breaks for breaths.
 Ibn Abbas (r.a) relates that the Prophet
(s.a.w) said: “Do not drink water in one
gulp (or one breath) like a camel, but take
it in two or three installments (with break
for breaths). Say Bismillah when you start
drinking and Alhamdulillah when you
finish.
(Tirmidhi)
Pour drinking water from the water bottle into
a glass before drinking.
breathing inside the drinking vessel or blow
over the drinking water.

Ibn Abbas (r.a) relates that the Prophet
(s.a.w) prohibited from breathing in the
pot and blowing upon it.
(Tirmidhi)
 To drink directly from the water bottle.
 Abu Hurairah (r.a) relates that the
Prophet (s.a.w) has forbidden drinking
water directly from a water-skin or pot.
(Bukhari and Muslim)

Praise Allah upon completing their meal by
saying, “Alhamdulillah.”
 Complete their meal without praising
Allah.