36/13. Chapter:
Sahih Muslim 2017b — Saying Allah's Name Before Eating
The etiquette of eating and drinking, and rulings thereon
Mention Allah Before Eating: A Hadith on Proper Food Manners
Sahih Muslim : 2017b
Sahih MuslimHadith Number 2017b
وَحَدَّثَنَاهُ إِسْحَاقُ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ الْحَنْظَلِيُّ، أَخْبَرَنَا عِيسَى بْنُ يُونُسَ، أَخْبَرَنَا الأَعْمَشُ، عَنْ خَيْثَمَةَ بْنِ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ، عَنْ أَبِي حُذَيْفَةَ الأَرْحَبِيِّ، عَنْ حُذَيْفَةَ بْنِ الْيَمَانِ، قَالَ كُنَّا إِذَا دُعِينَا مَعَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم إِلَى طَعَامٍ . فَذَكَرَ بِمَعْنَى حَدِيثِ أَبِي مُعَاوِيَةَ وَقَالَ " كَأَنَّمَا يُطْرَدُ " . وَفِي الْجَارِيَةِ " كَأَنَّمَا تُطْرَدُ " . وَقَدَّمَ مَجِيءَ الأَعْرَابِيِّ فِي حَدِيثِهِ قَبْلَ مَجِيءِ الْجَارِيَةِ وَزَادَ فِي آخِرِ الْحَدِيثِ ثُمَّ ذَكَرَ اسْمَ اللَّهِ وَأَكَلَ .
Hudhaifah bin Al-Yaman Narrated from:
When we were invited to a dinner with Allah's Messenger (ﷺ); the rest of hadith is the same but there is a slight variation of wording (and the variation is) that in that hadith the desert Arab precedes the arrival of that girl, and at the conclusion there is an addition (to this effect):" He (the Holy Prophet) then mentioned the name of Allah and ate."
Reference : Sahih Muslim 2017bIn-book reference : Book 36, Hadith 134USC-MSA web (English) reference : Book 23, Hadith 5005
Summary of Sahih Muslim Hadith 2017b
This narration reports the same food etiquette Hadith with a slight change in order. In this version, the desert Arab comes before the girl, and the ending adds that the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) then mentioned the name of Allah and ate. That final detail makes the lesson very clear. Eating should begin with Allah's name. The narration also shows that the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) stopped hands from reaching the food before the name of Allah was mentioned. This is why many people search for this as the Hadith about saying Bismillah before eating. The teaching is simple: do not rush to food, remember Allah first, and begin eating in a respectful way.
What we learn from this hadith
- The Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) mentioned Allah's name before eating.
- Food manners include not rushing to put the hand into the meal.
- The narration preserves a wording difference in the order of events.
