Table Manners

The Prophet (SAWA) said, ‘A man who is eating and is being watched by another, to whom he does not offer to share his food will be afflicted with an incurable disease.

The Prophet (SAWA) said, ‘The believer eats according to the desire of his family, while the hypocrite makes his family eat according to his own desires.

Imam Ali (AS) said, ‘Whoever mentions the name of Allah at the beginning of [eating his] food or drink and thanks Allah at the end will never be asked about the favor of this food.

Imam Ali (AS) said, ‘Start with salt before you eat. If people knew what [benefits] salt has, they would prefer it to tested medicine.

Imam Ali (AS) said, ‘Set hot food aside until it cools off, for when the Prophet (SAWA) was given hot food, he said, ‘Set it aside until it cools down, for Allah, Mighty and Exalted, would not feed us fire when blessings lie with that which is cool.

Imam al-Hasan (AS) said, ‘There are twelve things that every Muslim should know about the table [manners]; four are mandatory, four are recommended, and four are general manners. The mandatory are: knowledge [of the food], to be content with it, mentioning the name of Allah [before it], and offering thanks to Him [afterwards]. The recommended acts are: ablution before eating, sitting on ones left side, eating with three fingers, and licking the fingers [after the meal]. And the general manners are: eating from the closest spot to you, taking small bites, chewing well, and rarely looking at peoples faces [while eating].

Imam al-Sadiq (AS) said, ‘He who washes his hands before and after eating will be blessed at the beginning and at the end of his food. As long as he lives, he will be in comfort, and he will be cured of the ills of his body.

Imam al-Sadiq (AS) narrated, on the authority of his fathers about the tradition entailing certain prohibitions of the Prophet (SAWA), ‘He prohibited blowing on food or drink.

Imam al-Sadiq (AS) said, ‘Do not leave your plates uncovered for Satan spits on uncovered plates and takes from them what he wants.

Imam al-Kazim (AS), when he was asked who the contemptible person was, replied, ‘The one who eats in the marketplaces.

Prolong your seating at the dinnertable, for these are times that will not [need to] be accounted for as part of your lives.