Food and Eating Habits According to the Sunnah

 بـسـم الله والحـمـد لله والـصلاة والـسـلام عــلى رسـول الله، وبـعـد

By Imaam Ibnul-Qayyim al-Jawziyyah رحمه الله

Comprehensive notes covering the most important qualities of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم in regards to food and diet. [Zaadul-Ma’aad (p. 2/397-406)]

FOOD:

Follow the Sunnah & Allaah will facilitate you towards it

 بـسـم الله والحـمـد لله والـصلاة والـسـلام عــلى رسـول الله، وبـعـد

أَخْبَرَنَا أَبُو الْمُغِيرَةِ، حَدَّثَنَا الْأَوْزَاعِيُّ، عَنْ حَسَّانَ، قَالَ: " مَا ابْتَدَعَ قَوْمٌ بِدْعَةً فِي دِينِهِمْ إِلَّا نَزَعَ اللَّهُ مِنْ سُنَّتِهِمْ مِثْلَهَا ثُمَّ لَا يُعِيدُهَا إِلَيْهِمْ إِلَى يَوْمِ الْقِيَامَةِ "

Imaam al-Daarimee reports in his Sunan that Abu al-Mugheerah informed us, that al-Awza`ee narrated to us, on the authority of Hassaan (bin `Attiyah) said: “People do not introduce a bid`ah (innovation) in their religion except that Allaah takes away from them (by causing them to forget or be negligent about) the Sunnah equivalent to it, and then it will not be returned back to them till the Day of Judgment.”

Removing The Doubts: Hadeeth on "Completion of 100 Years"

بـسـم الله والحـمـد لله والـصلاة والـسـلام عــلى رسـول الله، وبـعـد

The Hadeeth:

Narrated `Abdullaah bin `Umar: Once the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم led us in the `Ishaa’ prayer during the last days of his life and after finishing it (the prayer) (with Taslim) he صلى الله عليه وسلم said: “Do you realize (the importance of) this night? Nobody present on the surface of the earth tonight will be living after the completion of one hundred years from this night.” [Saheeh al-Bukhaaree (116, 564, 601) & Saheeh Muslim (4611)]

Importance of Greeting and the state of the Muslim Ummah

 بـسـم الله والحـمـد لله والـصلاة والـسـلام عــلى رسـول الله، وبـعـد

Question: Should we still greet those who do not reply back to us?

Answer: The greeting of Salaam and the reply to it is a right of one Muslim upon another. There are many Aayaat in the Qur’aan where we have been commanded to greet each other, for e.g.:

{When you are greeted with a greeting, greet in return with what is better than it, or (at least) return it equally. Certainly, Allaah is Ever a Careful Account Taker of all things.} [Surah al-Nisaa’ (4): 86]

The Bold Statement

بـسـم الله والحـمـد لله والـصلاة والـسـلام عــلى رسـول الله، وبـعـد

Allaah تعالى says:

﴿ادْعُ إِلِى سَبِيلِ رَبِّكَ بِالْحِكْمَةِ وَالْمَوْعِظَةِ الْحَسَنَةِ وَجَـدِلْهُم بِالَّتِى هِىَ أَحْسَنُ إِنَّ رَبَّكَ هُوَ أَعْلَمُ بِمَن ضَلَّ عَن سَبِيلِهِ وَهُوَ أَعْلَمُ بِالْمُهْتَدِينَ ﴾

{Invite to the way of your Lord with wisdom and fair preaching, and argue with them with that which is best. Truly, your Lord best knows who has strayed from His path, and He best knows those who are guided} [Surah al-Nahl (16): 125]

Leave off that which does not concern you

بـسـم الله والحـمـد لله والـصلاة والـسـلام عــلى رسـول الله، وبـعـد

On the authority of Abu Hurairah: The Messenger of Allaah صلى الله عليه وسلم said: “Part of someone's being a good Muslim is his leaving alone that which does not concern him.” [Tirmidhee (2317) and Ibn Majah (3976) and Authenticated by Shaikh al-Albaanee]

A question was asked to Shaikh al-`Uthaymeen:

Islaam between abandonment and extremism

بـسـم الله والحـمـد لله والـصلاة والـسـلام عــلى رسـول الله، وبـعـد

Apart from misunderstanding or misinterpreting the Texts (the Qur’aan and the Ahaadeeth), the causes for deviation in the Deen can be summed up to two Major reasons:

1. Extremism

2. Abandonment (negligence/leniency)

And both of these habits lead one to go against the teachings of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم. Both of these habits only cause harm to Islaam and Muslims.

1. The Extremists:

Being an extremist or overzealous makes a person to exceed the limits and then eventually it leads to disobedience and not properly follow the Sunnah. The biggest example is that of the Khawaarij. In order to have a “perfect society” they went into extremes and overburdened themselves and others with undue hardship to the point where one of them didn’t even believe in the justice of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم (as mentioned in the Hadeeth reported in the Saheehain), nor in the justice of the Companions and they killed `Uthmaan, `Alee and the other Companions رضي الله عنهم; and in the present era they are still upon their evil methodology of revolting against the rulers and causing destruction amongst the Muslims and to the Muslims. And as the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said: “and they would pass clean through their religion just as the arrow passes through the prey, and they would never come back to it.”

2. The Negligent:

Then there are those who are at the other end of the spectrum. People who are so lenient that the obligations of Islaam carry no weight with them and the prohibitions in Islaam are manipulated to suit their desires. An example is of those who make the unlawful such as music, adultery, intoxicants etc. as lawful, and those who abandon the prayers and give little importance to learning the religion. An example of such a group is the Soofees, who are lenient about the rules set by the Muhadditheen, and accept any narration, even if it is weak or fabricated, as long as it supports their beliefs. And they’ll reject a narration, even if it is authentic, if it goes against their beliefs. They give little importance to the matters of `Aqeedah. They care less if their actions are according to the Sunnah or if they are Bid`ah.

Allaah protect us all from falling into these two extremes; and that He guide us towards the Wasatiyyah (the middle path) and make us among the righteous.

What follows is a series of Ahaadeeth which warn against extremism and abandonment in Religion.

Tafseer: The Aayah which contains relief

Allaah تعالى says:

﴿وَمَن يَتَّقِ اللَّهَ يَجْعَل لَّهُ مَخْرَجاً - وَيَرْزُقْهُ مِنْ حَيْثُ لاَ يَحْتَسِبُ وَمَن يَتَوَكَّلْ عَلَى اللَّهِ فَهُوَ حَسْبُهُ إِنَّ اللَّهَ بَـلِغُ أَمْرِهِ قَدْ جَعَلَ اللَّهُ لِكُلِّ شَىْءٍ قَدْراً ﴾

{And whosoever fears Allaah and keeps his duty to Him, He will make a way for him to get out (from every difficulty). And He will provide him from (sources) he never could imagine. And whosoever puts his trust in Allaah, then He will suffice him.}

[Surah Al-Talaq 65:2-3]

Difference between al-Kursi and al-`Arsh

بـسـم الله والحـمـد لله والـصلاة والـسـلام عــلى رسـول الله، وبـعـد

In the saying of Allaah سبحانه وتعالى:

﴿وَسِعَ كُرْسِيُّهُ السَّمَـوَاتِ وَالاٌّرْضَ﴾

{His Kursi extends over the heavens and the earth}