5/58. Chapter:
Sunan Ibn Majah 1014 — Garlic Onion and Mosque Etiquette
“Whoever eats garlic, let him not come near the mosque”
Garlic Onion and Mosque Etiquette: A Hadith on Smell
Sunan Ibn Majah : 1014
Sunan Ibn MajahHadith Number 1014
حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو بَكْرِ بْنُ أَبِي شَيْبَةَ، حَدَّثَنَا إِسْمَاعِيلُ ابْنُ عُلَيَّةَ، عَنْ سَعِيدِ بْنِ أَبِي عَرُوبَةَ، عَنْ قَتَادَةَ، عَنْ سَالِمِ بْنِ أَبِي الْجَعْدِ الْغَطَفَانِيِّ، عَنْ مَعْدَانَ بْنِ أَبِي طَلْحَةَ الْيَعْمُرِيِّ، أَنَّ عُمَرَ بْنَ الْخَطَّابِ، قَامَ يَوْمَ الْجُمُعَةِ خَطِيبًا - أَوْ خَطَبَ يَوْمَ الْجُمُعَةِ - فَحَمِدَ اللَّهَ وَأَثْنَى عَلَيْهِ ثُمَّ قَالَ يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ إِنَّكُمْ تَأْكُلُونَ شَجَرَتَيْنِ لاَ أُرَاهُمَا إِلاَّ خَبِيثَتَيْنِ هَذَا الثُّومُ وَهَذَا الْبَصَلُ وَلَقَدْ كُنْتُ أَرَى الرَّجُلَ عَلَى عَهْدِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ـ صلى الله عليه وسلم ـ يُوجَدُ رِيحُهُ مِنْهُ فَيُؤْخَذُ بِيَدِهِ حَتَّى يُخْرَجَ إِلَى الْبَقِيعِ فَمَنْ كَانَ آكِلَهَا لاَ بُدَّ فَلْيُمِتْهَا طَبْخًا .
Ma’dan bin Abu Talhah Al-Ya’muri Narrated from:
‘Umar bin Khattab stood up one Friday to deliver a sermon, or, he delivered a sermon one Friday. He praised Allah, then he said: “O people, you eat two plants that I find are nothing but obnoxious; this garlic and this onion. At the time of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), if a foul odour was detected from a man, I would see him seized by the arm and taken out to Al-Baqi’. Whoever must eat them, let him cook them to death.”
[1] The area where the graveyard of Al-Madinah is located.Reference : Sunan Ibn Majah 1014In-book reference : Book 5, Hadith 212English translation : Vol. 1, Book 5, Hadith 1014
Summary of Sunan Ibn Majah Hadith 1014
This hadith about garlic, onion, and mosque etiquette comes from a Friday sermon of Umar bin Khattab. He spoke about two plants, garlic and onion, and described their smell as offensive. He said that during the time of the Messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه وسلم, when the smell was found on a man, he would be taken out to Al-Baqi'. Then Umar said that whoever must eat them should cook them thoroughly. The teaching is about not harming people in the mosque with bad smells. This hadith does not ban food in general. It focuses on the smell that disturbs worshippers, especially when people gather for prayer.
What we learn from this hadith
- Strong food smells should not disturb people in the mosque.
- Garlic and onion are named in the narration because of their odor.
- Umar advised cooking them thoroughly if someone needed to eat them.
- Mosque etiquette includes care for others during worship.
