As Muslims, we know the best way to live our lives is by following the sunnah of the Prophet ﷺ. Following the Sunnah of the Prophet ﷺ can help us achieve the love of Allah swt, as the Quran tells us:

قُلۡ اِنۡ كُنۡتُمۡ تُحِبُّوۡنَ اللّٰهَ فَاتَّبِعُوۡنِىۡ يُحۡبِبۡكُمُ اللّٰهُ وَيَغۡفِرۡ لَـكُمۡ ذُنُوۡبَكُمۡؕ​ وَاللّٰهُ غَفُوۡرٌ رَّحِيۡمٌ

“Say, ˹O Prophet,˺ “If you ˹sincerely˺ love Allah, then follow me; Allah will love you and forgive your sins. For Allah is All-Forgiving, Most Merciful.”

Surah Ali-Imran, Ayah 31

The lifestyle of RasoolAllah ﷺ is one filled with many blessings and wisdom, especially regarding health and wellbeing. As there are many narrations about how the Prophet ﷺ ate that are important to learn and apply to our everyday lives, here are 4 simple sunnah of the Prophet ﷺ you can start doing today that will add barakah to your meals inshaAllah.

1. Wash hands before/after eating

The Prophet ﷺ said: ‘Blessing in food lies in washing the hand before and after eating.”

(Sunan Tirmidhi, Hadith: 1846, Sunan Abi Dawud, Hadith: 3755, Musnad Ahmad, vol. 5 pg. 441)

In a day and age where many of us are conscious of proper hygiene and sanitary practices, we are all well aware of the benefits of washing our hands before and after eating. This was something that the Prophet ﷺ had instructed us to do, and is the best way to wash away any harmful germs/bacteria from your hands to reduce your risk of getting sick.

2. Mention the name of Allah before eating

The Messenger of Allahﷺ said, “When one of you eats a meal, let him begin in the name of Allah.” Source: Sunan al-Tirmidhī 1858

Mentioning the name of Allah before you begin your meals is actually a form of mindful eating, which is known to have lots of health benefits. When you slow down and take the time to be mindful, aware and intentionally appreciative of your food, you are more likely to be conscious of your body’s physical fullness and hunger cues, and therefore less likely to overeat and experience digestive issues or discomfort after meals. 

3. Eat in moderation

The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: ‘A human being fills no worse vessel than his stomach. It is sufficient for a human being to eat a few mouthfuls to keep his spine straight. But if he must (fill it), then one third of food, one third for drink and one third for air.’”

Sunan Ibn Majah 3349, Book 29, Hadith 99

Eating balanced meals and being moderate with our diets is one of the best ways to achieve good health. This particular hadith makes mention of not overeating during our meals, which is the number one culprit of the “food coma”, and negative health issues. If you are feeling tired and extremely full after eating, it is a sign that your meals are not balanced and that you need to make some changes to the way you are eating. Read our blog post on How To Tell If Your Meals Are Nutritionally Balanced for some tips on addressing this issue.

4. Do not waste food

The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said when one is eating, they “should not wipe his hand with towel until he has licked his fingers, for he does not know in what portion of the food the blessing lies”

Sahih Muslim 2033b, Book 36, Hadith 175

There are many narrations and even Quranic verses that highlight the importance of not being wasteful in our religion. Billions of tons of edible food gets wasted around the world each year, as globally around ⅓ of all food produced goes to waste. A lot of the food waste happens in our own homes, and the Prophet ﷺ wouldn’t let any morsel of food go to waste to the point where he licked his fingers to ensure he received all the blessings in the food. Remembering that our deen does not encourage food waste is a great way to begin being more mindful of the food we waste in our homes each day.

May we all be able to adapt the sunnah of the Prophet ﷺ in our daily lives, and experience the blessings, forgiveness and love of Allah swt.

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