Rasul Allah (sal Allahu alaihi wa sallam) said: “Mention Allah's Name (i.e., say 'Bismillah' before starting to eat), eat with your right hand, and eat from what is near you.” [Bukhari]
For every act that a Muslim does, there is a chance for him to earn some reward for it from Allah (subhana wa ta’ala). These rewards and blessings can be attained only by those keen to follow the guidance and example of Prophet Muhammad (sal Allahu alaihi wa sallam), thereby seeking nothing but the pleasure of their Creator. The entire life of such a person can become an act of worship. Even eating and drinking upon which all living things depend, can become acts of worship. Thus, by acquainting ourselves with the Sunnah of eating and drinking, we can turn this mundane exercise into a source of hasanaat (reward) for the Akhirah and blessing for this world.
There are three things we are told in this hadith:
1. We should start eating or drinking by saying 'Bismillah'. Once a bedouin came and ate the food available in two mouthfuls. Allah’s Messenger (sal Allahu alaihi wa sallam) said that had he said 'Bismillah' before eating, the food would have been sufficient for six people. Taking the name of Allah (subhana wa ta'ala) before starting to eat puts blessing in the food.
2. We should use our right hand for eating and drinking. The left hand is used to clean ourselves with in the bathroom.
3. We should eat from our side of the dish, without stretching our hand to the side where someone else is eating from. This is the case when more than one person is eating the same kind of food from a single dish. But in case a variety of foods or fruits are lying before us on the table, we are free to take our pick.
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Jabir (radi Allahu anhu) reported that he heard the Messenger of Allah (sal Allahu alaihi wa sallam) saying, "If a person mentions the Name of Allah upon entering his house or eating, Shaytaan says addressing his followers: 'You will find nowhere to spend the night and no dinner.' But if he enters without mentioning the Name of Allah, Shaytaan says (to his followers); 'You have found (a place) to spend the night in.' And if the person does not mention the Name of Allah at the time of eating, Shaytaan says: 'You have found (a place) to spend the night in as well as food.'" [Muslim]
What might happen if an evil person entered your house? He might steal, plant false evidence, anger relatives against each other, cause fights, hurt people, make people abuse their time on sinful activities... Shaytaan is the most evil entity. If you allow him and his followers to enter your house with you, don't be surprised if the harmony of family life goes missing. To prevent this from happening, the Prophet (sal Allahu alaihi wa sallam) told us to recite the following dua when entering our house:
“Allahumma inni as'aluka khairal-mawliji wa khairal-makhraji. Bismillahi wa lajna, wa bismillahi kharajna, wa `ala rabbina tawakkalna.” (O Allah! I ask you for what is good of entrance and what is good for exit. With the Name of Allah do we enter, and with the Name of Allah do we leave, and upon our Lord Allah have we put our trust).
If one doesn't know or remember the dua, one should at least say 'Bismillah'. By taking Allah's name we seek His protection. We should say 'Bismillah' when starting any activity.
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