Sunnah of picking up a dropped morsel of food

Sunnah of picking up a dropped morsel of food and cleaning one’s plate and fingers

Every crumb of food given to us is a blessing from Allah Ta’ala and our beloved Nabi ﷺ has taught us never to waste it. For this, there are three very easy sunan we should all practice while eating.

1) Whilst eating, if any morsel, grain or crumbs from the food fall out of our plate, we should pick it up, clean it and eat it. (following the Sunnah of eating on a dining mat will help, as that way the food will easily be cleaned)

2) Whilst eating and especially after eating we should lick our fingers and not leave any food particles on them. (it should be noted that it is also sunnah to eat with 3 fingers where possible, this way it is easier to lick the fingers at the end)

3) Clean the plate or utensil properly with your fingers and not leave any food behind. We must eat all of what is in our plate and never have leftovers when we finish. Even small grains, droplets of curry, or strands of meat left on bones etc. should be eaten and not left behind. (To ensure we have no food leftover, it is good practice to take only a little food at a time and not show greed and take too much. If we require then we can always take more).