Fatwa ID: 09378
Answered by Mufti Sakib Shadman
Question:
السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته
Are the following sunan?
Eating with your hands
Eating with 3 fingers
If they’re sunan, are they independent of each other, or is the reward for the hand sunnah only awarded if eat with 3 fingers.
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful
Answer:
The Sunnah of eating with one’s right hand and the Sunnah of eating with three fingers are two separate Sunnahs which are connected to each other. In other words, one will be fulfilling the Sunnah by eating with one’s right hand; however, one will be fulfilling both Sunnahs by eating with the thumb, index, and middle fingers of the right hand.
One must specifically endeavour to eat with three fingers of the right hand (and to lick these fingers after eating),[1] if possible, to attain the maximum reward of fulfilling both Sunnahs. If the food is such that it cannot easily be eaten with three fingers (e.g., rice) then one is excused if they utilise all five fingers to eat it. Similarly, if the food is such that it must be eaten with a spoon (e.g., cereal, soup, or yoghurt) then one will still be fulfilling the Sunnah by holding the spoon with the right hand.
In summary, one should try to eat food with the thumb, index, and middle fingers of the right hand. If this is not possible due to the runny nature of the food, they may utilise all five fingers. There is a much greater warning/prohibition against eating with the left hand (i.e. Shaytan eats with his left hand, and Rasulullah (ﷺ)’s statement that the only thing preventing a person from eating with the right hand is pride (Kibr)), compared to eating with all five fingers of the right hand, which is less disliked.[2] There are many more narrations related to eating with the right hand than to eating with three fingers.
Thus, eating with the right hand is an extremely fundamental Sunnah. Eating with three fingers is also a blessed and rewarding Sunnah; however, one will still be fulfilling a Sunnah even if they do not eat with three fingers.[3] In any case, one will be fulfilling both Sunnahs by eating with the three fingers of the right hand.
Only Allah ﷻ knows best.
Written by Mufti Sakib Shadman
Checked and approved by Mufti Mohammed Tosir Miah
Darul Ifta Birmingham
References:
[1]
وَحَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ نُمَيْرٍ، حَدَّثَنَا أَبِي، حَدَّثَنَا هِشَامٌ، عَنْ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ، بْنِ سَعْدٍ أَنَّ عَبْدَ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنَ كَعْبِ بْنِ مَالِكٍ، – أَوْ عَبْدَ اللَّهِ بْنَ كَعْبٍ – أَخْبَرَهُ عَنْ أَبِيهِ، كَعْبٍ أَنَّهُ حَدَّثَهُمْ أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم كَانَ يَأْكُلُ بِثَلاَثِ أَصَابِعَ فَإِذَا فَرَغَ لَعِقَهَا .
Sahih Muslim 2032c
[2]
س: هل الأكل بالشمال محرم أم مكروه؟
جـ: عندي أن الأكل بالشمال محرم لتشبيه النبي صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم للآكل بشماله بالشيطان في حديث (لَا يَأْكُلَنَّ أَحَدٌ مِنْكُمْ بِشِمَالِهِ وَلَا يَشْرَبَنَّ بِهَا، فَإِنَّ الشَّيْطَانَ يَأْكُلُ بِشِمَالِهِ وَيَشْرَبُ بِهَا) وللذي قال له (كُلْ بِيَمِينِكَ، قَالَ: لَا أَسْتَطِيعُ، قَالَ: لَا اسْتَطَعْتَ: مَا مَنَعَهُ إِلَّا الْكِبْرُ، قَالَ: فَمَا رَفَعَهَا إِلَى فِيهِ) (٢)
س: هل الأكل بثلاث أصابع سنة؟
جـ: نعم الأكل بثلاث أصابع سنة لحديث (كَانَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ يَأْكُلُ بِثَلَاثِ أَصَابِعَ، وَيَلْعَقُ يَدَهُ قَبْلَ أَنْ يَمْسَحَهَا) (٣) وفي رواية (أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ كَانَ يَأْكُلُ بِثَلَاثِ أَصَابِعَ، فَإِذَا فَرَغَ لَعِقَهَا) (٤
Kitab Nil al-Amani, Abdullah Qasim Zhibyan, 2nd ed., 2022. Vol.2 p.335.
[3]
عَنْ عُمَرَ بْنِ أَبِي سَلَمَةَ قَالَ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: “ادْنُ بُنَيَّ، فَسَمِّ الله، وكل بيمينك، وكل مما يليك” ١. [٧٨:١
Kitab Nil al-Amani, Muassasat Al-Resalah, 2nd ed., 1993. Vol.12 p.15.
ص15 – كتاب الإحسان في تقريب صحيح ابن حبان – ذكر الأمر لمن واكل غيره أن يأكل من بين يديه باليمين مع ابتداء التسمية – المكتبة الشاملة