The Sunnahs of Eating

1- mentioning allah’s name. (saying: in the name of allah).

2- using the right hand.

3- eating from what is (placed) in front of the eater.
these sunnahs are gathered in this hadith: (o boy, mention allah’s name, use your right hand and eat from what is (placed) in front of you). narrated by muslim.

4- rubbing the bite, if it falls, and eating it: the hadith (if a bite falls from anyone of you, he should rub the dirt off it, then eat it…).  narrated by muslim.

5- using three fingers in eating: (he (pbuh) used to eat using three fingers) narrated by muslim. this is what he (pbuh) often did and this is better, except when necessary.

6- the way one sits while eating: kneeling on his knees and the upper face of his feet, or extending the right leg and sitting on the left one, this is the preferable as stated by al-hafedh in “al-fat’h”.

And there are sunnahs after eating:

1- licking the dish and the fingers: the prophet (pbuh) ordered (us) to lick the fingers and the dish and said: (you do not know in which of them the blessing lies).

2-Praising allah after eating: (allah is satisfied with the slave, who eats a meal, then praises him for it), narrated by muslim.  one of the prophet’s (pbuh) supplications after eating: (all praise is to allah, who has fed me and provided me with this without any strength or power on my part).                                                          

the fruit of this supplication: (all his precedent sins are forgiven), narrated by abu-dawoud, at-termithi, ibn-majah and al-havedh and al-albani said it is good.  

* the total of sunnahs, which the muslim should keep when eating is not less than [15] sunnahs, supposing that he eats three meals per day and night, and this is what most people have.  one may increase these sunnahs, if there are snacks between these three meals.