• Masnoon Dua
• By: Rezaul Karim Roney

This prayer should be recited at the beginning of eating:

بِسْمِ اللّهِ وَ عَلى بَرَكَةِ اللهِ

Pronunciation:- Bismillahi wa'ala barakatillah

Meaning: In the name of Allah, I begin, seeking His blessings.

If you forget to recite the dua at the beginning of a meal, you should recite this dua after remembering it in the middle of the meal:

بِسْمِ اللهِ أَوَّلَه وَاخِرَه

Pronunciation: - Bismillahi awya Allahu wa akhirah.

Meaning: I begin my meal in the name of Allah. The name of Allah is at the beginning, and the name of Allah is at the end. (Shamā’il at-Tirmidhi, Abu Dawud, Ahmad, Darimi).

This prayer should be recited after eating:

اَلْحَمْدُ لِلّهِ الَّذِيْ اَطْعَمَنَا وَ سَقَانَا وَ جَعَلَنَا مِنَ الْمُسْلِمِيْن

Pronunciation: - Alhamdulillah, may Allah be pleased with us, and may He grant us success.

Meaning: All praise is due to Allah, who has fed us, given us to drink, and made us Muslims.

* It is essential to wash hands before and after eating, otherwise various diseases may occur.

* The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) ordered to wash both hands up to the wrists before and after eating and drinking. Nowadays, we wash one hand, which is against the Sunnah. (Shamail/Musnad Ahmad and Ibn Majah)

* Eating food while spreading the tablecloth. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) always ate food while spreading the tablecloth. (Bukhari Sharif: Hadith No. 5386)

* Saying 'Bismillah' at the beginning of a meal and 'Alhamdulillah' at the end. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) used to say Bismillah at the beginning of a meal and Alhamdulillah at the end (and he used to say, "The blessings for which Bismillah is said at the beginning and Alhamdulillah is said at the end will not be counted." (Muslim, Bukhari, Ibn Hisham)

* Start eating hot food when it has cooled down.

* Do not eat or drink while standing.

* Eat with your right hand.

* The Prophet (peace be upon him) ate with his right hand throughout his life. He forbade eating with his left hand, because Satan eats and drinks with his left hand. (However, if absolutely necessary, such as if he does not have a right hand, he can eat with his left hand.) (Source: Bukhari, Hadith No. 5376; Muslim, Hadith No. 2022)

* Eating by licking hands.

* The Prophet (peace be upon him) always licked his hands while eating. ' (Bukhari, Hadith No.: 5245)

* The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) used to pick up food that fell from the table or from a cup and eat it, saying, "O people, do not leave it for the devil."

* While eating, sometimes one or two pieces of rice, bread, or other food fall from the plate. If possible, pick them up and eat them cleanly. [Source: Tirmidhi, Hadith No.: 1915; Ibn Majah, Hadith No.: 3403]

* The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) used to start eating from the front and forbade touching the middle of the meal, and he used to say that there is blessing in the middle of the meal. (Bukhari Sharif, Tirmidhi Sharif, Ibn Majah Sharif)

* Do not eat while leaning.

He forbade eating while leaning on something. Eating while leaning on something causes the stomach to become large. In many cases, it manifests arrogance. (Source: Bukhari, Hadith No. 5190; Tirmidhi, Hadith No. 1986)

#Not finding fault with food.

It is natural that there will be flaws in food despite a hundred efforts. But it is completely inappropriate to argue with your family about it. The Prophet (peace be upon him) never found fault with food. He would eat it if he liked it, and if he did not like it, he would not eat it. (Source: Bukhari, Hadith No. 5198; Ibn Majah, Hadith No. 3382)

* Do not blow on food.

* Blowing on food and drink can cause many diseases. (Source: Ibn Majah, Hadith No.: 3413)

* Eat food from the right side.

* Eat with small bites.

* Do not eat from broken utensils.

This prayer should be recited after eating a meal.

اَللّهُمَّ اَطْعِمْ مَنْ اَطْعَمَنِيْ وَ اَسْقِ مَنْ سَقَانِيْ

Pronunciation:- Allahumma at-'a'im man at-'a'ami wa asqi man saqani.