Eating with the Right Hand

[Shehzad Sattar]

Eating with the Right Hand
Compiled & translated By Abbas Abu Yahya

1 – From Ibn Umar that the Messenger of Allaah -sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam- said:

إِذَا أَكَلَ أَحَدُكُمْ فَلْيَأْكُلْ بِيَمِينِهِ وَإِذَا شَرِبَ فَلْيَشْرَبْ بِيَمِينِهِ فَإِنَّ الشَّيْطَانَ يَأْكُلُ بِشِمَالِهِ

وَيَشْرَبُ بِشِمَالِهِ ولا يأخذُ بها ، ولا يُعطي بها

‘If one of you eats them he should eat with his right hand, and if he drinks then he should drink with his right hand, indeed Shaytaan eats with his left hand and drinks with his left hand. A person should not take with his left hand nor give with his left hand.’

[Collected by Muslim]


2 – From Abu Hurairah – Radi Allaahu anhu – that the Prophet -sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam- said:

ليأكل أحدكم بيمينه وليشرب بيمينه وليأخذ بيمينه وليعط بيمينه فإن الشيطان

يأكل بشماله ويشرب بشماله ويعطي بشماله ويأخذ بشماله

‘You should eat with your right hand and drink with your right hand, take with your right hand and give with your right hand, because Shaytaan eats with his left hand and drinks with his left hand and gives with his left hand and takes with his left hand.

[Taken from: ‘Silsilah Ahadeeth Saheehah’ No.1236]


A- Ibn AbdulBarr commented:

‘This Hadeeth had the manners of eating and drinking. It is not allowed for anyone to eat with his left hand, nor drink with his left hand. Whoever ate or drank with his left hand, while knowing the prohibition to do so then he is sinful against Allah, even though he does that his food and drink are not unlawful for him.’

[From: ‘al-Tamheed’ 10/42]


B- Al-Hafidh Ahmad bin Ali ibn Hajr al-Assqalani (d.852 A.H.) -Rahimullaah- said:

‘Ibn al-Arabi clearly stated that the person who ate with his left hand is sinful. The evidence he used was that every action ascribed to the Shaytaan is Haraam.’

[From: ‘Fath al-Bari’ 9/433]

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