36/16. Chapter:
Sahih Muslim 2028a — Drinking in Three Breaths
It is disliked to breathe into the vessel, and it is recommended to take three breaths, outside the vessel
Drinking in Three Breaths: A Sunnah Drinking Hadith
Sahih Muslim : 2028a
Sahih MuslimHadith Number 2028a
وَحَدَّثَنَا قُتَيْبَةُ بْنُ سَعِيدٍ، وَأَبُو بَكْرِ بْنُ أَبِي شَيْبَةَ قَالاَ حَدَّثَنَا وَكِيعٌ، عَنْ عَزْرَةَ، بْنِ ثَابِتٍ الأَنْصَارِيِّ عَنْ ثُمَامَةَ بْنِ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ أَنَسٍ، عَنْ أَنَسٍ، أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم كَانَ يَتَنَفَّسُ فِي الإِنَاءِ ثَلاَثًا .
Anas Narrated from:
Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) used to breathe three times in the course of a drink (i. e. he drank in three gulps).
[1] "The meaning here is not that he would breathe into the vessel, because that would contradict the Hadîth before it, rather the meaning is that he would breathe while drinking from the vessel three times." ( Minnat Al-Mun'im )Reference : Sahih Muslim 2028aIn-book reference : Book 36, Hadith 160USC-MSA web (English) reference : Book 23, Hadith 5029
Summary of Sahih Muslim Hadith 2028a
This Hadith about drinking in three breaths reports a regular practice of Allah's Messenger صلى الله عليه وسلم. Anas said that the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم used to breathe three times in the course of a drink, meaning he drank in three gulps. The wording is brief, so the safe explanation is also simple. It points to a measured way of drinking instead of taking everything in one go. Many people search for drink in three sips hadith or Prophet drank in three gulps because this is a daily Sunnah they can understand. The report does not mention a speech from the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم in this version. It only describes his practice, and that practice is the heart of the lesson here.
What we learn from this hadith
- The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم used to drink in three breaths in this report.
- The narration describes a calm and measured way of drinking.
- Anas preserved this daily practice from the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم.
- The text focuses on the manner of drinking, not on a long legal discussion.
