Eating and Drinking

He ate with three fingers of his right hand and would lick his fingers after eating before wiping them. He said: "You do not know in which part of the food the blessing lies." He always began eating by saying "Bismillah" (In the name of Allah) and would eat from what was nearest to him on the shared plate. He instructed others to do the same, once telling a young boy: "O young man, mention the name of Allah, eat with your right hand, and eat from what is nearest to you." Abu Hurayrah reported that the Prophet never criticised any food. If he liked it, he ate it; if he did not like it, he simply left it without comment. He never ate reclining, saying: "I do not eat reclining; I am only a servant. I eat as a servant eats, and I sit as a servant sits." He ate sitting on the ground, either kneeling or sitting with one leg folded beneath him. Among his favourite foods were honey, dates, and tharid — a dish of bread soaked in broth with meat. He said about tharid: "The superiority of Aisha over other women is like the superiority of tharid over other foods." He was fond of pumpkin (dubba'), and Anas reported that once he saw the Prophet picking pieces of pumpkin from around the plate, and said: "I have loved pumpkin since that day." He liked milk and would drink it both fresh and as a yoghurt drink. He drank water in three breaths, removing the vessel from his mouth between each sip, and he forbade breathing into the vessel. He ate what was available and did not demand specific foods. Months would pass with no fire lit in his household — the family subsisting on dates and water alone. When food was abundant, he ate gratefully; when it was scarce, he bore it with patience. He said: "The son of Adam does not fill any vessel worse than his stomach. It is sufficient for the son of Adam to eat a few mouthfuls to keep him going. If he must eat more, then a third for food, a third for drink, and a third for air." He would end his meal by praising Allah with supplications such as: "All praise is due to Allah who has fed us and given us drink, and made us Muslims." His eating habits were a model of moderation, gratitude, and mindfulness — transforming every meal into an act of worship.