Etiquette & Sunnahs of Eating & Drinking in the Quran & Sunnah

1. Eat only what is lawful and good (halalan tayyiban).

Allah says:

يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلنَّاسُ كُلُوا۟ مِمَّا فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ حَلَـٰلًا طَيِّبًا وَلَا تَتَّبِعُوا۟ خُطُوَٰتِ ٱلشَّيْطَـٰنِ ۚ إِنَّهُۥ لَكُمْ عَدُوٌّ مُّبِينٌ

O people, eat permissible good things out of what lies in the earth, and do not follow the footsteps of ShaiTān (Satan); indeed, he is an open enemy for you. (Surah al-Baqarah 2:168)

Lesson: The first etiquette of the table is the food itself: it must be earned lawfully and be pure and wholesome.

2. Eat of the good things Allah provided — and be grateful to Him.

Allah says:

يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ كُلُوا۟ مِن طَيِّبَـٰتِ مَا رَزَقْنَـٰكُمْ وَٱشْكُرُوا۟ لِلَّهِ إِن كُنتُمْ إِيَّاهُ تَعْبُدُونَ

O you who believe, eat of the good things We have provided to you and be grateful to Allah, if it is He whom you worship (in real terms). (Surah al-Baqarah 2:172)

Lesson: Gratitude is part of eating: the blessing is acknowledged as coming from Allah, before and after the meal.

3. Eat and drink, but do not be excessive.

Allah says:

۞ يَـٰبَنِىٓ ءَادَمَ خُذُوا۟ زِينَتَكُمْ عِندَ كُلِّ مَسْجِدٍ وَكُلُوا۟ وَٱشْرَبُوا۟ وَلَا تُسْرِفُوٓا۟ ۚ إِنَّهُۥ لَا يُحِبُّ ٱلْمُسْرِفِينَ

O children of ’Ādam, take on your adornment at every mosque. Eat and drink and do not be extravagant. Surely, He does not like the extravagant. (Surah al-A’raf 7:31)

Lesson: Enjoyment of food has a limit set by Allah Himself: no extravagance and no filling beyond need.

1. Begin with Bismillah, eat with your right hand, and eat from what is in front of you.

The Prophet ﷺ taught the boy ‘Umar ibn Abi Salamah at the table: “O boy, mention the name of Allah, eat with your right hand, and eat from what is in front of you.”

2. If you forget Bismillah at the start, say it when you remember.

بِسْمِ اللَّهِ أَوَّلَهُ وَآخِرَهُ

Bismillahi awwalahu wa akhirahu — In the name of Allah, at its beginning and its end.

3. Never eat or drink with the left hand.

The Prophet ﷺ commanded eating and drinking with the right hand, for Shaytan eats and drinks with his left.

4. Eat together and mention Allah’s name — there is blessing in the shared meal.

The companions complained that they ate but were not filled; the Prophet ﷺ told them to gather together over their food and mention the name of Allah, so that it would be blessed for them.

5. Leave room: a third for food, a third for drink, and a third for breath.

The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said that no vessel filled by a human is worse than his stomach; a few mouthfuls are enough to keep his back straight — and if he must eat more, then a third for food, a third for drink and a third for breath.

6. Do not blow into food or drink.

Lesson: Blowing into a vessel was prohibited; let hot food cool on its own, and keep the drink of others clean.

7. Drink in breaths — do not gulp it down in one go.

Anas ibn Malik reported that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ used to breathe three times while drinking.

8. Do not drink from gold or silver vessels.

The Prophet ﷺ forbade drinking from gold and silver vessels, for whoever drinks from them in this world will not drink from them in the Hereafter.

9. Do not drink directly from the mouth of a waterskin.

Lesson: The Prophet ﷺ prohibited drinking from the spout of the skin — what is inside cannot be seen, and the water is shared with others.

10. When a drink is passed around, begin with the one on the right.

A drink was brought to the Prophet ﷺ; he drank from it and then gave the remainder to the boy on his right, ahead of the elders on his left, after seeking the boy’s permission.

11. Do not eat while reclining.

The Prophet ﷺ said: “I do not eat while reclining.” Sitting properly at the meal is the Sunnah posture.

12. Never criticize the food.

The Messenger of Allah ﷺ never criticized food at all: if he liked it he ate it, and if he disliked it he left it — without a word against it.

13. Lick the fingers before wiping them — do not waste the food on them.

Anas reported that when the Messenger of Allah ﷺ ate, he would lick his three fingers, and he said that one does not know in which part of the food the blessing lies.

14. Rinse your mouth after drinking milk.

The Prophet ﷺ drank milk and then rinsed his mouth, saying that it contains fat.

15. Share your food — the food of two is enough for three.

The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “The food of two suffices three, and the food of three suffices four.” Sharing stretches every meal.

16. End the meal by praising Allah with the taught dua.

الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ الَّذِي أَطْعَمَنِي هَٰذَا وَرَزَقَنِيهِ مِنْ غَيْرِ حَوْلٍ مِنِّي وَلَا قُوَّةٍ

Alhamdu lillahil-ladhi at‘amani hadha wa razaqanihi min ghayri hawlin minni wa la quwwah — All praise is for Allah, who fed me this and provided it for me, with no might or power of my own.

Lesson: The Prophet ﷺ promised that whoever says this after eating will have his past sins forgiven — the meal ends by returning the blessing to its Giver.

17. Make dua for the one who hosted and fed you.

أَفْطَرَ عِندَكُمُ الصَّائِمُونَ، وَأَكَلَ طَعَامَكُمُ الأَبْرَارُ، وَصَلَّتْ عَلَيْكُمُ الْمَلَائِكَةُ

Aftara ‘indakumus-sa’imun, wa akala ta‘amakumul-abrar, wa sallat ‘alaykumul-mala’ikah — May the fasting break their fast at your home, may the righteous eat your food, and may the angels send blessings upon you.

18. In the evening, cover the vessels and tie the waterskins, mentioning Allah’s name.

The Prophet ﷺ instructed that when night falls, the vessels be covered and the mouths of the waterskins be tied, with the name of Allah mentioned over them.

19. Do not take two dates at once from the shared dish — unless your companions permit it.

Ibn ‘Umar reported that the Prophet ﷺ forbade eating two dates together at one time unless one first takes the permission of his companions sharing the meal. Even in small things, the shared dish has rights.

20. Do not eat from the top of the shared dish — take from your own side.

The Prophet ﷺ said: “When one of you eats, he must not eat from the top of the dish, but should eat from the part nearest him; for the blessing descends from the top of it.”

21. Seat your servant with you at the food he prepared.

Abu Hurayrah reported the Prophet ﷺ as saying: “If the servant of one of you prepares food for him and brings it to him, having borne its heat and its smoke, let him make him sit with him to eat. And if the food is scanty, let him put a morsel or two into his hand.”