Islam is not only a religion - but it is a complete way of life. It dwells on every facet of human life, from individual responsibilities to that of parents and living in a society. In fact, there is not facet of life which falls beyond the purview of Islam.
The Holy Qur'an lays down the basic guidelines for Muslims as per the commandments of Allah. And living by these commandments of Allah was practically exhibited by the Prophet of Allah (ﷺ) so that others could emulate his life and live a life as commanded by Allah in the Holy Qur'an.
Etiquettes is the basics Islamic teachings. One is told how to live, eat, dress up and meet others. Etiquette also dwells on the way we carry ourselves in a society and how to respond to invitations and greetings. The way a person eats speaks of his grooming and one's thankfulness to Allah for having provided us with food to eat.
“And eat and drink but waste not by extravagance, certainly He (Allâh) likes not Al-Musrifûn (those who waste by extravagance)” [Surah al-A‘raaf 7:31]Therefore, while we eat, we must respect the food and not waste it away. It is a shame that many of us throw away excess food in the dustbins rather than giving it away to those who have been hungry for days. Eating together also fosters bonding between the ones present with us. Even making faces in front of a host is against the very etiquette of eating and norms.
Whenever one is getting ready to eat, one must follow the etiquettes as exhibited and taught to us by Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ). The Prophet of Allah advised his companions to eat less rather than filling to their fullest:
The Son of Adam will not fill a pot worse for himself than his stomach. It is enough for the Son of Adam to eat a few bites that strengthen his spine. If he likes to have more, then let him fill a third with food, a third with drink and leave a third for his breathing.The Prophet of Allah (ﷺ) always washed hands before settling down to eat, so as not to be harmed by any dirt that may be on them. He always hastened to eat when food was served to him by the host, for the Prophet of Allah always advised that a guest’s honouring the host is to hasten to accept his food and eat from it. If the host sees the guest not eating, he may think badly of him. So the guest has to reassure his hosts by hastening to eat his food, because that will reassure him.
One must ensure that one is eating the food as prescribed in the Holy Qur'an as Halal. Therefore, whenever the Prophet of Allah went to someone's house, he would always ask as to what was being presented to him. Sometimes, he would desist from eating things that were not generally eaten by Arabs. It has been attributed to Khaalid ibn al-Waleed in Bukhari that once he and the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) his [Khalid’s] maternal aunt and found that she had some roasted lizard that her sister had brought from Najd. She offered the lizard to the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) who stretched forth his hand. At that instant one of the women who were present said, “Tell the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) that what has been offered to him is lizard.” The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) withdrew his hand from the lizard, and Khalid ibn al-Waleed asked, “Is lizard haraam, O Messenger of Allaah?” He said, “No, but it is not found in the land of my people and I feel that I would have no liking for it. Khalid said, then I chewed it and ate it, and the Messenger of Allah was looking at me. [1]
The Prophet of Allah always mentioned the name of Allah “Bismillah (in the name of Allah)” before eating. He always advised: “When any one of you eats, let him mention the name of Allah. If he forgets to mention the name of Allah at the beginning, then let him say ‘Bismillahi awwalahu wa aakhirahu (In the name of Allah at the beginning and at the end).’”
Watch a demonstration of eating the way Prophet of Islam always ate and advocated others to emulate:
May Allāh (سبحانه و تعالى) help us understand Qur'ān and follow the Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, which is embodiment of commandments of Allah contained in the Qur'ān. May Allah help us to be like the ones He loves and let our lives be lived helping others and not making others' lives miserable or unlivable. May all our wrong doings, whether intentional or unintentional, be forgiven before the angel of death knocks on our door.
وَمَا عَلَيۡنَاۤ اِلَّا الۡبَلٰغُ الۡمُبِيۡنُ
(36:17) and our duty is no more than to clearly convey the Message.”
That is Our duty is only to convey to you the message that Allah has entrusted us with. Then it is for you to accept it or reject it. We have not been made responsible for making you accept it forcibly, and if you do not accept it, we shall not be seized in consequence of your disbelief, you will yourselves be answerable for your actions on Day of Resurrection.
May Allah forgive me if my posts ever imply a piety far greater than I possess. I am most in need of guidance.
Reading the Qur'ān should be a daily obligation of a Muslim - Reading it with translation will make it meaningful. But reading its Exegesis / Tafsir will make you understand it fully. It will also help the Muslims to have grasp over social issues and their answers discussed in the Qur'an and other matter related to inter faith so that they are able to discuss issues with non-Muslims with authority based on refences from Qur'an.
Note: When we mention God in our posts, we mean One True God, we call Allah in Islam, with no associates. Allah is the Sole Creator of all things, and that Allah is all-powerful and all-knowing. Allah has no offspring, no race, no gender, no body, and is unaffected by the characteristics of human life.
Please refer to our exclusive reference page Etiquettes taught by Prophet Muhammad ﷺ for more etiquettes attributed to Prophet Muhammad.
You may also refer to our reference page: Sunnah and Hadith of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ to know more about sunnah of Prophet of Allah. You may also refer to our Reference Pages for knowing more about Islam and Qur'ān.
Disclaimer: The material for this post has been collected from the references as given below. If anyone differs with the material contained in this post, one may consult the references and their authors. If someone has more material about the subject, he/she is most welcome to share in the comments box to make the post all encompassing.
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