This Weeks Sunnah
Eat Together from One Plate:
It is a Sunnah of our beloved Nabi ﷺ to eat collectively and not alone. This includes:
- Eating in small or large groups, be it with family, friends or other people (to avoid eating alone)
- To share food with others
- To eat from a single plate
Some benefits of practising upon this sunnah
- The rewards and blessings of practising Sunnah
- The pleasure of Allah and his Nabi ﷺ
- More blessings in the food we eat.
- We will feel more full with less food.
- More love between family members and friends.
- If sharing food with pious and good people then the effects of good company.
- A person brings in to practice the quality of sharing with others and removes greed and selfishness.
Etiquettes of Sharing Meals:
Below are some general etiquettes we need to keep in mind when sharing meals:
- The food must be halal.
- The company is good, otherwise, it is better to eat alone.
- There are no impermissible aspects to the group, such as gender mixing, alcohol, unlawful speech (backbiting, lying, obscenities), music etc.
- Be considerate and think of others when eating. Give preference to others over yourself.
- Wash your hands before eating and do not do anything that is off-putting to others during the meal.
- If the food is of one type, then eat from your side of the plate. However, if there is a variety of food, then one may pick from different parts of the plate.
This Weeks Du'a
Du’a Before Eating:
بِسْمِ اللَّهِ وَ بَرَكَةِ اللَّهِ
Transliteration:
Bismillahi wabarakatillah
Translation:
“In the name of Allah and with the blessings of Allah I begin (eating)”
Important Note:
This is the correct du’a. There is no ‘Wa alaa’ in the dua.
What if We Forget to Read?
If we forget then to we should read:
بِسْمِ اللهِ أَوَّلَهُ وَآخِرَهُ
By reading Bismillah before or during our meal, shaytaan stays away from us (as mentioned in a Hadeeth of Saheeh Muslim)
