Foods

I was a boy under the protection of God’s messenger, and as my hand used to roam at large in the dish he said to me, “Mention God’s name, eat with your right hand, and eat from what is next you.”

Hudhayfah reported God’s messenger as saying, “The devil considers food lawful for him when God’s name is not mentioned over it.”

Jabir reported God’s messenger as saying that when a man enters his house and mentions God’s name on entering and when at his food, the devil says, “You* have no place to spend the night and no evening meal; ‘ but when he enters without mentioning God’s name on entering the devil says, ‘You have found a place to spend the night; ‘ and when he does not mention God at his food he says, ‘You have found a place to spend the night and an evening meal.’ *The pronoun is plural. The devil is said to be addressing his assistants.’’’”

Ibn Umar reported God’s messenger as saying, “When any of you eats he should eat with his right hand, and when he drinks he should drink with his right hand.”

He reported God’s messenger as saying, “None of you must ever eat or drink with his left hand, for the devil eats and drinks with his left hand.”

God’s messenger used to eat with three fingers and lick his hand before wiping it.

Jabir said the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) ordered people to lick their fingers and the dish, saying, “You do not know in what portion blessing lies.”

The Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) said:, “When one of you eats he must not wipe his hand till he licks it, or gives it to someone to lick.”

Jabir told that he heard the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) say, “The devil is present with one of you in everything he does, even being present when he is at food; so if any of you drops a mouthful he should wipe away anything injurious on it and eat it and not leave it for the devil; and when he finishes he should lick his fingers, for he does not know in what part of the food the blessing lies.”

The Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) said:, “I do not eat reclining.”

Qatada quoted Anas as saying that the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) never ate at a low table or from a small bowl* and that thin bread was not baked for him. Qatada was asked what they ate off and replied that it was off leather cloths. *This would have indicated pride throngh keeping himself apart, or niggardliness.

Anas said he was not aware of the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) having seen a thin loaf till he met God, nor did he ever see with his eye a sheep roasted in its skin.

God’s messenger never saw white bread from the time God commissioned him till God took him. He also said that God’s messenger did not see a sieve from the time God commissioned him till God took him. He was asked how they could eat unsifted barley and replied that they ground it and blew it, and when some of it had flown away they moistened and ate what was left.

The Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) never expressed disapproval of food; if he desired it he ate it and if he disliked it he left it alone.

He told that a man who used to eat a great amount accepted Islam and began to eat little. When that was mentioned to the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) he said, “The believer eats in one intestine but the infidel in seven.”* *This is explained as a figure of speech to indicate the greed of the infidel and the lack of greed on the part of the believer. Bukhari transmitted it.

Muslim transmitted on the authority of Abu Musa and Ibn Umar only the part which quotes the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam). In another version by him on the authority of Abu Hurayrah it says that a man who was an infidel was entertained by God’s messenger. He ordered a sheep to be milked and the man drank what was drawn from it, then another and he drank it, then another and he drank it, till he had drunk the milk drawn from seven sheep.

In the morning the man accepted Islam and God’s messenger ordered a sheep to be milked for him. When he had drunk what was drawn from it he ordered another to be milked, but when he did not finish all the milk God’s messenger said, “ The believer drinks in one intestine, but the infidel drinks in seven.”

He reported God’s messenger as saying, “Two people’s food is enough for three and three people’s is enough for four.”

Jabir told of hearing God’s messenger say, “One person’s food is enough for two, two persons food is enough for four, and four persons food is enough for eight.”

Aishah told that she heard God’s messenger say, “Talbina* gives rest to an invalid’s heart and removes some of his grief.” *A kind of gruel made of flour or bran and milk, sometimes having honey mixed with it.

A tailor invited the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) to a meal which he had prepared and I went along with the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam). He presented barley bread and soup containing pumpkin and dried sliced meat, and I saw the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) going after the pumpkin round the dish, so I have always liked pumpkin since that day.

Amr ibn Umayya told that he saw the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) cutting slices from a shoulder of mutton in his hand. He was summoned to prayer, and after throwing it and the knife with which he was slicing it away, he stood up and prayed without performing ablution.

Aishah said God’s messenger liked sweetmeats and honey.

Jabir told th at when the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) asked his family for condiments and was told that they had only vinegar, he called for it and as he was using it in his food he said, “Vinegar is a good condiment; vinegar is a good condiment.”

The Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) said:, “Truffles are a kind of manna, and their juice is a medicine for the eye.” (Bukhari and Muslim.) A version by Muslim has, “a kind of the manna which God most high sent down to Moses.”

Abdallah ibn Jafar told that he saw God’s messenger eating fresh dates with cucumber.

Jabir told that when they were with God’s messenger at Marr az-Zahran and were plucking the fruit of the arak tree he said, “Keep to its black ones, for they are the most pleasant.” He was asked if he had shepherded sheep and replied, “Yes; has there been a prophet who did not shepherd them?”

Anas told that he saw the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) squatting and eating dates. A version says he was eating some quickly.

Ibn Umar said God’s messenger prohibited anyone taking two dates together before asking permission from his companions.

Aishah reported the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) as saying, “A family which has dates will not be hungry.” A version reports him as saying twice or three times, “A family which has no dates, Aishah, will be hungry.”

Sad told of hearing God’s messenger say, “He who has a morning meal of seven ‘ajwa* dates will not suffer harm that day through poison or magic.’ *The name of a good quality of Medina dates.”

Aishah 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.”

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.

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.

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

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.

When food was brought to the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) 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.”

The Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) said:, “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 (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam), 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.

The Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) said:, “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.

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 maida 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.

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.”

We were with the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) 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.

Aishah 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’.”

Umayya ibn 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 (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) 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 Said 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.”

Abu Hurayrah 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 ibn 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.”

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 (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) he said, “The blessing of food consists in ablution before it and ablution after it.”

Ibn Abbas told that when food was presented to the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) 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 Nasai transmitted it, and.

Ibn Abbas told that the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) 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 ibn Amr said God’s messenger was never seen reclining while eating, nor walking with two men at his heels.”

God’s messenger was brought some bread and meat when he was in the mosque, and he ate and we ate along with him. He then stood up and prayed and we prayed along with him, doing no more than wiping our hands with pebbles.

Abu Hurayrah told that God’s messenger was brought some meat, and when the foreleg, which was a part he liked, was offered to him he took a bite of it.

Aishah reported God’s messenger as saying, “Do not cut meat with a knife, for it is a foreign practice, but bite it, for that is more beneficial and wholesome.” Abu Dawud and Baihaqi, in Shuab al-iman, transmitted it, both saying it is not strong.

God’s messenger came in to visit me accompanied by Ali when we had some ripening dates hung up. He began to eat, and Ali along with him, but God’s messenger said to Ali, “Stop, Ali, for you are convalescing.” I then prepared some beetroot and barley for them and the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) said, “Take some of this, Ali, for it will be more beneficial for you.”

Anas said God’s messenger liked what was at the bottom of the pot.* *Mirqat, iv, 381 has quite a long discussion of the meaning of thufl. It means ‘dregs’, or ‘what sinks to the bottom’. The preference for the meaning in the translation above is said to “be either because what is in the bottom of the pot is cooked longer and so is better than the rest, or because the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) liked others to be served first.

It is also suggested that here thufl means tharid. Tirmidhi and Baihaqi, in Shuab al-iman, transmitted it.”

Nubaisha reported God’s messenger as saying, “If anyone eats from a dish and licks it, the dish will ask forgiveness for him.”

Abu Hurayrah reported God’s messenger as saying, “If anyone spends the night with grease on his hand which he has not washed away, he can blame only himself if some trouble comes to him.”

Ibn Abbas said the food God’s messenger liked best was tharid made from bread and tharid made from hais.

Abu Usaid al-Ansari reported God’s messenger as saying, “Eat olive oil and anoint yourselves with it, for it comes from a blessed tree.”

The Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) came in to visit me and asked whether I had anything. When I replied that I had nothing but some dry bread and vinegar he said, “Produce it; a house in which there is vinegar is not devoid of condiments.”

Yusuf ibn Abdallah ibn Salam said he saw the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) take a piece of barley bread and put a date on it. Saying, “This is the condiment of this,” he ate it.

When I was ill the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) came to visit me, and putting his hand between my nipples so that I felt its coolness on my heart, he said, “You are suffering from a heart disease. Go to al-Harith ibn Kalada who belongs to Thaqif, for he practices medicine, and get him to take seven of the ‘ajwa dates of Medina and pound them together with their stones, then administer them to you.’”

Aishah said the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) used to eat melon with fresh dates. Tirmidhi transmitted it. Abu Dawud added that he used to say, “The heat of the one is broken by the coolness of the other, and the coolness of the one by the heat of the other.” Tirmidhi said this is a hasan gharib tradition.

Anas told that when the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) was brought some old dates he began to examine them and remove the worms from them.

Ibn Umar told that when the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) was brought a piece of cheese in Tabuk he called for a knife, and after mentioning God’s name, he cut it.

Salman told that when God’s messenger was questioned about clarified butter, cheese and wild asses he replied, “What is lawful is what God has declared lawful in His Book, what is unlawful is what God has declared unlawful in His Book, and what He has said nothing about belongs to the things He ignores.”

The Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) said:, “I wish I had a white loaf made from tawny wheat and softened with clarified butter and milk.” A man who was present rose up and getting one brought it. He asked what it had been in, and when he was told it had been in a lizard skin, he told him to take it away.

Ali said God’s messenger forbade eating garlic unless it was cooked.

Abu Ziyad told that when he asked Aishah about onions she replied that the last food God’s messenger ate was some which contained onions.

The two Sulami sons of Busr* told that when God’s messenger came in to visit them they offered him butter and dates, for he liked butter and dates. *These are said to have been Abdallah andAtlya. But each is called Mizini. Ibn Abd al-Barr, Istiab, p. 67, mentions Busr as-Sulami, saying he is also called al-Mazini. Tahdhib, v, 158 calls Abdallah al-Mazini al-Qaisi and vii, 223 calls Atiya al-Mazini al-Hilali.

We were brought a platter with a large amount of tharid and slices of boneless meat and I plunged in my hand in all directions, but God’s messenger ate what was in front of him.

He seized my right hand with his left and said, “Eat from one place, Ikrash, for it is all one kind of food.” Afterwards we were brought a plate containing various kinds of dates and I began to eat what was.in front of me while God’s messenger’s hand went round in the plate.

He then said, “Eat where you wish, Ikrash, for it is not all one kind.” Next water was brought to us and when God’s messenger had washed his hands and wiped his face, forearms and head with the moisture on the palms of his hands, he said, “This, Ikrash, is the ablution for what has been changed by fire.”

Aishah said that when his family were exhausted by fever God’s messenger ordered some hasa* to be prepared and then ordered them to sip some of it; and he used to say, “It heartens the sad and clears the heart of the invalid as one of you clears dirt away from her face with water.” *A kind of soap made of flour, water and either oil or clarified butter.

Abu Hurayrah reported God’s messenger as saying, “The ‘ajwa dates come from paradise and contain a cure for poison; truffles are a kind of manna and their juice is a medicine for the eye.’”

I was a guest one night along with God’s messenger and he ordered a haunch to be roasted, then took a broad knife and began to cut off slices for me. Bilal then came to tell him the time for prayer had come, and he threw down the knife saying, “What is the m atter with him! May his hands be covered with dust!”* My moustache was long, so he said, “I shall clip it for you over a tooth-stick,” or, “Clip it over a tooth-stick.” *Taribat yadahu.

I have here translated the phrase literally, but cf. p. 658. It is not normally to be taken literally. In this tradition the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) is evidently displeased because the call to prayer has been made so soon, but it should not be understood that he is calling down a curse on Bilal. In its use here it may indicate some degree of displeasure, but nothing more.

When we were at food with the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) we did not put in our hands till he had put his in first. Once when we were at food with him a girl came in as though she were being impelled and was about to put her hand in the food when God’s messenger seized her by the hand. Then a nomadic Arab came in as though he were being impelled and he seized his hand.

God’s messenger then said, “The devil considers food lawful when God’s name is not mentioned over it, and he brought this girl th at it might be lawful by means of her, so I seized her hand; then he brought this nomadic Arab that it might be lawful by means of him, so I seized his hand. By Him in whose hand my soul is, the devil’s hand is in mine along with hers.” He added in a version, ‘Then he mentioned God’s name and ate.’

Aishah told that God’s messenger wanted to buy a young slave, so he threw some dates in front of him, but when the youth ate greedily he said, “Voracious eating is ominous,” and ordered him to be sent back. Baihaqi transmitted it in Shuab al-iman.

Anas ibn Malik reported God’s messenger as saying, “The lord of your condiment is salt.”* *Probably meaning that salt is necessary to make food palatable, while other condiments are extras.

He reported God’s messenger as saying, “When food is set down take off your sandals, for it gives more rest to your feet.”

Asma daughter of Abu Bakr told that when she was brought tharid she ordered it to be covered until the force of its steam had gone, saying she had heard God’s messenger say it is more effective in producing a blessing. Darimi transmitted the two traditions.

Nubaisha reported God’s messenger as saying, “If anyone eats from a dish and licks it, the dish will express to him the wish that God may free him from hell as he has freed it from the devil.” Razin transmitted it.

Abu Hurayrah reported God’s messenger as saying, “He who believes in God and the last day should honour his guest; he who believes in God and the last day should not annoy his neighbour; and he who believes in God and the last day should say what is good, or keep silent.” In a version instead of speaking of the neighbour he said, “He who believes in God and the last day should join ties of relationship.”

The Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) said:, “He who believes in God and the last day should honour his guest. Provisions for the road are what will serve for a day and a night; hospitality extends for three days; what goes beyond that is sadaqa; and it is not allowable that a guest should stay till he makes himself an encumbrance.”

Uqbah ibn Amir told that he said to the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam), “You send us out and we come to people who do not give us hospitality, so what is your opinion?” He replied, “If you come to people who order for you what is fitting for a guest accept it; but if they do not, take from them what is fitting for them to give to a guest.”

Al-Miqdam ibn Madikarib heard the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) say, “If any Muslim is a guest of people and is given nothing, it is the duty of every Muslim to help him to the extent of taking for him from their property and crops the amount of entertainment he should have received.” Darimi and Abu Dawud transmitted it.

A version by the latter has, “If anyone is a guest of people who provide no hospitality for him, he is entitled to take from them the equivalent of the hospitality due him.”

Abul Ahwas al-Jushami quoted his father to the effect that he said, “Messenger of God, tell me, if I come to a man who gives me no entertainment or hospitality and he afterwards comes to me, shall I give him entertainment or treat him as he treated me?” He replied, “No, give him entertainment.”

Anas or someone else told that God’s messenger asked permission to enter the house of Sad ibn Ubada saying, “Peace and God’s mercy be upon you,” and Sad replied, “And upon you be peace and God’s mercy,” but did not speak loud enough for the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) to hear. He gave the salutation three times and Sad responded three times, but did not speak loud enough for him to hear, so the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) went away.

Sad went after him and said, “Messenger of God, for whom I would give my father and mother as ransom, you did not give a salutation without my hearing it and responding to you, but I did not speak loud enough for you to hear because I wanted to receive many of your salutations and so receive great blessing.” They then entered the house and he offered him raisins which God’s prophet ate.

Then when he finished he said, “May the righteous eat your food, may the angels invoke blessings on you, and may those who have been fasting break their fast with you!” It is transmitted in Sharh as-sunna.

The Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) said:, “The believer and faith are like a horse with the stake to which it is tethered, which moves round and then returns to its stake, for the believer is negligent and then returns to faith. Feed the pious with your food and confer your kindness on the believers.” Baihaqi, in Shuab al-iman, and Abu Nuaim, in al-Hilya, transmitted it.

Abdallah ibn Busr told that the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) had a dish called al-gharra 1 which was carried by four men, and when they had offered the forenoon prayer that dish in which tharid had been prepared was brought and the people gathered round it. When they were numerous God’s messenger knelt down, and when a nomadic Arab asked what kind of sitting that was, God’s messenger replied, “God has made me a kindly servant and not a refractory tyrant.”

He then said, “If you eat from its sides and leave the top a blessing will be conferred on it.” 1. Meaning the white one.

Wahshi ibn Harb, on his father’s authority, said his grandfather told of God’s messenger’s Companions saying, “Messenger of God, we eat but are not satisfied.” He suggested that they ate separately, and when they replied that that was so he said, “If you gather together at your food and mention God’s name you will be blessed in it.”

Ibn Umar reported God’s messenger as saying, “When the cloth is set down a man must not get up till it is removed, nor must he withdraw his hand even if he has had enough till the people have finished, but if he does he should make his excuse, for that embarrasses his companion and he does not stretch out his hand although he may perhaps require the food.” Ibn Majah and Baihaqi, in Shuab al-iman, transmitted it.

Jafar ibn Muhammad told on his father’s authority that when God’s messenger ate along with people he was the last to finish eating. Baihaqi transmitted it in Shuab al-iman in mursal form.

The Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) was brought some food which he offered to us, and when we said we did not want it he replied, “Do not combine falsehood with hunger.”

Umar ibn al-Khattab reported God’s messenger as saying, “Eat together and not separately, for the blessing is associated with the company.”

The Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) said:, “It is a part of the sunna that a man should accompany his guest to the door of the house.”

Ibn Abbas reported God’s messenger as saying, “Good comes more quickly to the house in which food is provided than the knife comes to the camel’s hump.” 1 1. This tradition speaks of a hospitable house, the camel’s hump is mentioned because it is the first part of the animal from which meat is cut off, as it is considered the most pleasant part of its meat.

Al-Fujai al-Amiri told that he came to the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) and asked what animals which had died a natural death might be eaten. He asked what they ate, and on receiving the reply niaghtabiq wa-nastabih, which was explained to Abu Nuaim by Uqba as meaning that they drank a cup in the morning and a cup in the evening, he said, “That, by my father, is hunger,” and permitted them in such circumstances to eat what had died a natural death.

Abu Waqid al-Laithi told that a man said, “Messenger of God, we live in a land where we are afflicted by hunger, so when may we eat animals which have died a natural death?” He replied, “As long as you do not have a morning drink or an evening drink or gather vegetables you may eat them,” meaning that when you do not find a morning drink or an evening drink, or find a vegetable to eat, animals which have died a natural death are allowable to you.

God’s messenger used to breathe three times in the course of a drink. (Bukhari and Muslim.) In a version Muslim added that he used to say, “It is more thirst-quenching, healthier and more wholesome.”

Ibn Abbas said God’s messenger forbade drinking from the mouth of a water-skin.

Abu Said al-Khudri said God’s messenger forbade the ikhtibath of water-skins, adding in a version that this means having their heads inverted and then being drunk from.

Anas said the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) forbade that a man should drink standing.

Abu Hurayrah reported God’s messenger as saying, “None of you must drink standing, and if anyone forgets he must vomit.”

Ibn Abbas told that when he brought the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) a bucket of Zamzam water he drank it while standing.

Ali prayed the noon prayer, then held a session to attend to the people’s needs in the open square of Kufa till the time of the afternoon prayer came. He was then brought water, drank some, washed his face and hands, the transmitter also mentioning his head and his feet, then stood up and drank what was left while standing. He then said, “Some people disapprove of drinking while standing, but the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) did as I have done.”

Jabir told that the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) went in to visit a man of the Ansar accompanied by one of his companions. He gave a salutation, and the man, who was watering his garden, responded to it.

The Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) said, “If you have any water which has remained overnight in an old skin we should like it, otherwise we shall sip some from a streamlet.”

He told him he had water which had been in old skins overnight, then went to the trellis and poured some water into a jug to which he added some milk which he drew from a domestic sheep, and the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) drank. He repeated this and the man who had accompanied him drank.

Umm Salamah reported God’s messenger as saying, “If anyone drinks from silver vessels the fire of jahannam will bubble in his belly.” (Bukhari and Muslim.) A version by Muslim has, “He who eats and drinks from vessels of silver and gold.”

Hudhayfah told that he heard God’s messenger say, “Do not wear silk or brocade, do not drink from gold and silver vessels, and do not eat from gold and silver dishes, for others have them in this world, but you will have them in the next.”

Anas told that a domestic sheep was milked for God’s messenger and its milk was mixed with water from a well in Anas’s house. God’s messenger was then given a cup and drank, Abu Bakr being on his left and a nomadic Arab on his right.

Umar asked God’s messenger to give it to Abu Bakr, but he gave it to the nomadic Arab who was on his right saying, “He who is on the right, then he who is on his right.” A version has, “Those on the right, then those on their right; go to the right.”* *This tradition indicates that people should band a drink to the one on their right irrespective of the relative importance of the people present. The tradition immediately following brings this out clearly.

Sahl ibn Sad told that the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) was brought a cup from which he drank, and on his right was a youth who was the youngest present, while the old men were on his left. He asked the youth to permit him to give it to the old men, but he replied, “I am not one to give anyone preference in a favour from you, messenger of God.” So he gave it to him.

In the time of God’s messenger we used to eat while walking and drink while standing.

Amr ibn Shuaib, on his father’s authority, said his grandfather told that he saw God’s messenger drink both standing and sitting.

Ibn Abbas said God’s messenger forbade breathing or blowing into a vessel.

He reported God’s messenger as saying, “Do not drink without stopping as a camel does,* but divide your drink into two or three sections; mention God’s name when you drink and praise Him when you finish.” *This is to avoid blowing into the vessel.

Abu Said al-Khudri told that the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) forbade blowing into a drink. When a man said he saw specks in the vessel he told him to pour them out, and when he said his thirst was not quenched in one breath he told him to remove the cup from his mouth and take a breath.

He told that God’s messenger forbade drinking from a broken place in a cup and blowing into a drink.

God’s messenger came in to visit me and drank standing from the mouth of a water-skin which was hung up, whereupon I went and cut off its mouth.

Zuhri, on Urwa’s authority, told that Aishah said the drink God’s messenger liked best was cold sweet water.

Ibn Abbas reported God’s messenger as saying, “When one of you eats food he should say, ‘O God, bless us in it and give us good nourishment from it’, and when he is given a drink of milk he should say, ‘O God, bless us in it and prosper us from it’, for no food or drink satisfies like milk.”

Aishah said the water from as-Suqya was considered sweetest by the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam). It is said it was a well two days journey from Medina.

The Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) said:, “If anyone drinks from a vessel of gold or silver, or one containing something of that nature, the fire of jahannam will bubble in his belly.” Daraqutni transmitted it.

I have given God’s messenger in this cup of mine all kinds of drink: honey, nabidh, water and milk.

We used to steep dates for God’s messenger in a skin which was tied at the top and had a mouth. What we steeped in the morning he would drink in the evening, and what we steeped in the evening he would drink in the morning.

Ibn Abbas told that dates were steeped for God’s messenger at the beginning of the night and he would drink it in the morning and the night after, the following day and the night after, and the next day up to the afternoon. If anything remained, he gave it to the servant to drink, or gave orders and it was poured out.

Jabir said dates were steeped for God’s messenger in a skin, but when they could not find a skin they were steeped for him in a small stone vessel.

Ibn Umar said God’s messenger forbade the use of pumpkins, green jars, vessels smeared with pitch and hollow stumps, giving command that dates should be steeped in skins.

Buraydah reported God’s messenger as saying, “I have forbidden you receptacles, for while a receptacle does not make anything lawful or unlawful, every intoxicant is unlawful.” In a version he said, “I have forbidden you drinks except from skin vessels, but now you may drink from any kind of vessel, but do not drink an intoxicant.”

Abu Malik al-Ashari told of hearing God’s messenger say, “Some of my people will assuredly drink wine calling it by another name.”

God’s messenger forbade nabidh in green jars, and when I asked whether we might drink it from white ones he replied that we might not.

He told that when Abu Humayd, one of the Ansar, brought a vessel of milk to the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) from an-Naqi* the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) said, “Why did you not cover it up, even by putting a piece of wood on it?” *A place in the wadi al-Aqiq where camels which had been given in sadaqa were kept.

The Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) said:, “Do not leave a fire burning in your houses while you are asleep.”

When a house in Medina was burned down during the night over its inhabitants and the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) was told, he said, “This fire is just an enemy to you, so when you go to sleep extinguish it.”

Jabir told of hearing God’s messenger say, “When you hear the barking of dogs and the braying of asses at night seek refuge in God from the accursed devil, for they see what you do not see. Do not go out much when there are few people about, for God who is great and glorious scatters abroad such of His creatures as He wishes at night* Shut the doors, making mention of God’s name, for the devil does not open a door which has been shut accompanied by mention of God’s name. Cover up jars, invert vessels and tie up buckets.” It is transmitted in Sharh as-sunna.

Ibn Abbas told that when a mouse came dragging a wick and dropped it in front of God’s messenger on the mat on which he was sitting with the result th at it burned a hole in it about the size of dirham, he said, “When you go to sleep extinguish your lamps, for the devil guides a creature like this to do thus and sets you on fire.”