Mishkat al-Masabih

‘A’isha reported God’s messenger as saying, "The 'ajwa dates of al-‘Aliya* contain healing, and they are an antidote first thing in the morning." *A name applied to some villages a few miles east of Medina. Muslim transmitted it.

She said that sometimes a month would come in which they did not kindle a fire, having only dates and water, unless a little meat was brought. (Bukhari and Muslim.)

She said Muhammad’s family did not have a full meal of wheaten bread on two successive days, but would have dates on one of them. (Bukhari and Muslim.)

She said that up to the death of God’s messenger they did not have a full meal of dates and water. (Bukhari and Muslim.)

Do you not have the food and drink you desire? I have seen your Prophet unable to get enough poor dates to fill his belly. Muslim transmitted it.

Abu Ayyub said that when food was brought to the Prophet he ate some of it and sent him what was left over. One day when he sent him a dish from which he had eaten nothing because it contained garlic, he asked him whether it was unlawful and he replied, “No; but I dislike it because of its odour;” so he said, “I dislike what you dislike." Muslim transmitted it.

Jabir reported the Prophet as saying, “He who eats garlic or onions must keep away from us.” Or he said, “must keep away from our mosque,” or, “must sit in his house.” A pot containing green vegetables was brought to the Prophet, but on noticing that it had an odour he told them to give it to one of his Companions, to whom he said, "Eat, for I hold intimate converse with one with whom you do not."* *The reference is here said to be to angels, or particularly to Gabriel. Cf. Mirqat, iv, 373 (Bukhari and Muslim.)

Al-Miqdam b. Ma'dikarib reported the Prophet as saying, “If you measure out your food* you will be blessed in it." *This is said to refer to such matters as buying and selling, and taking care that suitable portions are given to one’s children. Bukhari transmitted it.

Abu Umama told that when the Prophet's cloth* was removed he said, "Praise be to God abundantly and sincerely, of such a nature as is productive of blessing, is not insufficient, abandoned, or ignored, O our Lord." *The word ma'ida means a piece of leather or some other material spread on the ground for the food, and it comes to mean the food itself. It is often translated ‘table’, but this is misleading with reference to the early days of Islam. Bukhari transmitted it.

Anas reported God’s messenger as saying, “God most high is pleased when a man eats something and praises Him for it, or drinks something and praises Him for it." Muslim transmitted it.

We were with the Prophet when food was presented to him, and I never saw food which had greater blessing when we began to eat, or less when we finished. We asked God’s messenger how that was, and he replied, “We mentioned God’s name when we ate, then one who ate sat down without mentioning God's name and the devil ate with him.” It is transmitted in Sharh as-sunna.

‘A’isha reported God’s messenger as saying, “When one of you eats and forgets to mention God over his food he should say, ‘In the name of God at the beginning and at the end of it’.” Tirmidhi and Abu Dawud transmitted it.

Umayya b. Makhshi told that a man who was eating and had not mentioned God’s name said when he raised the last morsel to his mouth, “In the name of God at the beginning and at the end of it.” The Prophet laughed and said, “The devil kept eating along with him, but when he mentioned God’s name he vomited what was in his belly.” Abu Dawud transmitted it.

Abu Sa'id al-Khudri told that when God’s messenger finished his food he said, “Praise be to God who has given us food and drink and made us Muslims.” Tirmidhi, Abu Dawud and Ibn Majah transmitted it.

Abu Huraira reported God’s messenger as saying, “The one who eats and is grateful is like the one who fasts and shows endurance.” Tirmidhi transmitted it, and Ibn Majah and Darimi transmitted it on the authority of Sinan b. Sanna on his father’s authority.

Abu Ayyub told that when God’s messenger ate or drank he said, “Praise be to God who has given food and drink, made it easy to swallow, and provided an exit for it.” Abu Dawud transmitted it.

Salman said he read in the Torah that the blessing of food consists in ablution after it, and when he mentioned that to the Prophet he said, “The blessing of food consists in ablution before it and ablution after it.” Tirmidhi and Abu Dawud transmitted it.

Ibn ‘Abbas told that when food was presented to the Prophet or, his coming out from the privy and he was asked whether they should bring him water for ablution, he replied, “I have been commanded to perform ablution only when I get up for prayer.” Tirmidhi, Abu Dawud and Nasa’i transmitted it, and Ibn Majah transmitted it on Abu Huraira’s authority.

Ibn ‘Abbas told that the Prophet was brought a dish containing tharid* and said, “Eat from its sides and not from the middle, for the blessing descends in the middle of it.” *Bread crumbled and mixed with soup which may have pieces of meat in it. Tirmidhi, Ibn Majah and Darimi transmitted it, Tirmidhi saying this is a hasan sahih tradition. In Abu Dawud’s version he said, “When one of you eats he must not eat from the top of the dish, but from the bottom, for the blessing descends from the top of it.”

“Abdallah b. 'Amr said God’s messenger was never seen reclining while eating, nor walking with two men at his heels. Abu Dawud transmitted it.