Serving From Your Right Hand Side

[Shehzad Sattar]

Serving From Your Right Hand Side
By the Muhaddith, Shaykh, Allamaa’ Muhammad Nasir uddeen al-Albaani

Taken from ‘Silsilah Ahadeeth As-Saheehah’

Translated by Abbas Abu Yahya

No. 1771 – From Anas bin Malik that the Messenger of Allaah -sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam- was brought some milk that was blended with water and on his right was a Bedouin and on his left was Abu Bakr, so he drank from it then he gave it to the Bedouin and said:

‘On the right on the right.’

And in another narration: ‘those on the right, those on the right, you should give it on the right hand side.’

No. 1771

[Collected by Bukhari, Muslim, Abu Dawood]

Shaykh Albaani said:

‘In this hadeeth, the one who was serving the drinks began with the Prophet -sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam- because the Prophet -sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam- was the one who requested a drink. Therefore, it is not correct to use this hadeeth as an evidence to prove that the Sunnah is to essentially begin with the eldest of the people as is widespread nowadays.

How can this be the case when the Prophet -sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam- himself did not do this, on the contrary the Prophet -sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam- gave the drink to the Bedouin who was on his right hand side and not to Abu Bakr who was on his left hand side, then the Prophet -sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam- explained by saying: ‘On the right hand side then the next one after him.’

[Taken from Silsilah Ahadeeth as-Saheehah by Shaykh al-Albaani (No.1771)]

Source: https://followingthesunnah.wordpress.co ... hand-side/