The Gateway of
knowledge, the Infallible Imam Ali (a.s.) told his son, the Infallible Imam
Hasan al-Mujtaba (a.s.) that whoever follows the following four traits will be
healthy:
Do not sit for food (in order to
eat) unless you are hungry.
And, do not leave the (table of)
food but you still have an appetite for it.
Chew (your food in your mouth)
well.
And, before going to bed at
night, go to wash room to ease nature.
The cardinal
principles of Islamic etiquette are based on the principles of “Respect and thankfulness
for whatever Allah has provided avoiding any kind of waste and extravagance,
respect for the feeling of the guests or others present, eschewing anything
which is repellent and repulsive and avoiding all that is unhygienic and
incompatible with Muslim conduct.”
There are certain
acts that are encouraged when taking a meal:
Take
off your shoes before eating.
Wash
hands before and after taking a meal.
Treat
the bread with respect.
Eat
with your right hand and say “Bismillah” before taking any dish of food.
Take
small portions and eat with three or more fingers.
Eat
what is in front of you.
Do
not cut bread with knife.
One
should eat slowly and chew each morsel thoroughly.
After
finishing the meals, one should praise and thank Allah, by saying “Al
Hamdulillah”
One
should collect and eat the particles of food scattered around the dining cloth
or mat.
If
any fruits are taken after meals, it should be thoroughly cleaned.
Rinse
our mouth three times with water after finishing the meal.
Manners of
drinking water:
One
should say “Bismillah” before drinking water, and say “Alhamdulillah” after
drinking.
One
should drink water slowly. During the day time, drink water while standing.
One
should drink water when thirsty and should remember Imam Husayn (a.s.) and his Ahlal-Bayt and curse their
murderers.
Acts that are
discouraged during taking a meal:
Do
not eat when not hungry.
Do
not over-eat as this leads to spiritual hardness of heart, does not listen to
advice or good counsel, leads to laziness
and lethargy.
Do
not eat food when it is very hot. Do no blow on food to cool it down.
Do
not look at other people while eating.
Do
not throw away any fruit before one has fully eaten it.
Do
not peel-off the skin of fruits that are normally eaten with skin.
The
Infallible Imam Musa al-Kazim (a.s.) said: “Eat in moderation to have strong
bodies.”
Sources used:
Simplified laws for young adults by Ayatullah
Gulpayagani, Ethical Discourses by Ayatullah Makarem Shirazi,
Islamic laws.com, Tib al-Nabiy, Makaram al-Akhlaq, Al-Wasa’il,
Al-Khisal
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