Buruja
All dhikr & du'a

Dhikr & Du'a · Through the day

Food & Drink

أذكار الطعام والشراب

The remembrances of the table

Say Bismillah as you begin, and if you forget, say the words for that as soon as you remember. When you finish, give the praise. If someone has fed you, turn back to them with a du'a before you leave their table. None of it takes more than a breath.

These are everyday words. Keep the short ones on your tongue until they come without thinking, and let the meaning sit in your heart so that gratitude, not habit, is what is moving.

  1. 1

    When you break your fast

    ذَهَـبَ الظَّمَـأُ، وَابْتَلَّـتِ العُـروق، وَثَبَـتَ الأجْـرُ إِنْ شـاءَ الله

    Dhahabaẓ-ẓama', wabtallati ‘l-`urūq, wa thabata ‘l-'ajru in shā Allāh.

    The thirst is gone, the veins are moistened, and the reward is confirmed, if Allah wills.

    sahihAbu Dawud 2/306 and others

    Said as the fast is broken. The thirst gone, the body restored, and the reward, by Allah's leave, written down. A small line at sunset that gathers the whole day of fasting into a word of hope.

  2. 2

    Asking forgiveness before iftar

    اللّهُـمَّ إِنَّـي أَسْـأَلُـكَ بِرَحْمَـتِكَ الّتي وَسِـعَت كُلَّ شيء، أَنْ تَغْـفِرَ لي

    Allāhumma innī as'aluka bi raḥmatika ‘l-latī wasi`at kulla shay' an taghfira lī.

    O Allah, I ask You by Your mercy, which encompasses all things, that You forgive me.

    hasanIbn Majah 1/557 from a supplication of Abdullah bin 'Amr

    The hour of breaking the fast is a time when du'a is answered, so the fasting person asks Allah, by the mercy that encompasses all things, to forgive.

  3. 3

    Saying Bismillah before eating

    إِذَا أَكَلَ أَحَدُكُمْ طَعَاماً فَلْيَقُلْ بِسْمِ اللَّهِ، فَإِنْ نَسِيَ فِي أَوَّلِهِ فَلْيَقُلْ بسمِ اللَّهِ فِي أَوَّلِهِ وَآخِرِهِ

    When anyone of you begins eating, say:

    When anyone of you begins eating, say: With the Name of Allah. And if you forget then, when you remember, say: With the Name of Allah, in the beginning, and in the end.

    sahihAbu Dawud 3/347, At-Tirmidhi 4/288

    Begin with the Name of Allah, and if you forget at the start, say it as soon as you remember: in the beginning and in the end. The Prophet ﷺ taught that this keeps the food from being shared by Shaytan.

  4. 4

    After food, and after milk

    مَنْ أَطْعَمَهُ اللَّهُ الطَّعَامَ فَلْيَقُلْ: "اللَّهُمَّ بَارِكْ لَنَا فِيهِ وَأَطْعِمْنَا خَيْراً مِنْهُ"، وَمَنْ سَقَاهُ اللَّهُ لَبَناً فَلْيَقُلْ "اللَّهُمَّ بَارِكْ لَنَا فِيهِ وَزِدْنَا مِنْهُ"

    Whomever Allah has given food, should say:

    Whomever Allah has given food, should say: O Allah, bless us in it and provide us with better than it. Whomever Allah has given milk to drink, should say: O Allah, bless us in it and give us more of it.

    sahihAt-Tirmidhi 5/506
  5. 5

    Praise for the food and the strength to receive it

    الْحَمْـدُ للهِ الَّذي أَطْعَمَنـي هـذا وَرَزَقَنـيهِ مِنْ غَـيْرِ حَوْلٍ مِنِّي وَلا قُوَّة

    Alhamdu lillāhi ‘l-ladhī aṭ`amanī hādhā, wa razaqanīhi min ghayri ḥawlin minnī wa lā quwwah.

    Praise is to Allah Who has given me this food, and sustained me with it though I was unable to do it and powerless.

    sahihAt-Tirmidhi 3/159

    To thank Allah not only for the provision but for the ability to take it, admitting you were powerless to provide it yourself. A reported reward is that past sins are forgiven.

  6. 6

    Abundant, good and blessed praise

    الْحَمْـدُ للهِ حَمْـداً كَثـيراً طَيِّـباً مُبـارَكاً فيه، غَيْرَ مَكْفِيٍّ وَلا مُوَدَّعٍ وَلا مُسْتَغْـنىً عَنْـهُ رَبَّـنا

    Alhamdu lillāhi ḥamdan kathīran tayyiban mubārakan fīh, ghayra makfiyyin wa lā muwadda`in, wa lā mustaghnan `anhu Rabbanā.

    All praise is to Allah, praise in abundance, good and blessed. It cannot [be compensated for, nor can it] be left, nor can it be done without, our Lord.

    sahihAl-Bukhari 6/214, At-Tirmidhi 5/507
  7. 7

    A du'a for those who provided the food

    اللّهُـمَّ بارِكْ لَهُمْ فيما رَزَقْـتَهُم، وَاغْفِـرْ لَهُـمْ وَارْحَمْهُمْ

    Allāhumma bārik lahum fī mā razaqtahum, wagh’fir lahum warḥamhum.

    O Allah, bless them in what You have provided for them, and forgive them and have mercy on them.

    sahihMuslim 3/1615
  8. 8

    For whoever fed you or gave you drink

    اللّهُـمَّ أَطْعِمْ مَن أَطْعَمَني، وَاسْقِ مَن سقاني

    Allāhumma aṭ`im man aṭ`amanī wasqi man saqānī.

    O Allah, feed the one who has fed me, and give drink to the one who has given me drink.

    sahihMuslim 3/126
  9. 9

    The fasting guest's du'a for the host

    أَفْطَـرَ عِنْدَكُم الصّـائِمونَ وَأَكَلَ طَعامَـكُمُ الأبْـرار، وَصَلَّـتْ عَلَـيْكُمُ الملائِكَـة

    Afṭara `indakumuṣ-ṣā'imūn, wa akala ṭa`āmakumu ‘l-'abrār, wa ṣallat `alaykumu ‘l-malā'ikah.

    With you, those who are fasting have broken their fast, you have fed those who are righteous, and the angels recite their prayers upon you.

    sahihAbu Dawud 3/367, Ibn Majah 1/556, An-Nasa'i, 'Amalul-Yawm wal-Laylah 296-8

    When a fasting person eats at someone's table, this is the du'a left for the host: that the fasting have broken their fast with them, the righteous have eaten their food, and the angels have prayed for them.

  10. 10

    Answering an invitation to eat

    وَمَعْنَى فَلْيُصَلِّ أَيْ فَلْيَدْعُ

    When you are invited (to eat) then reply to the invitation. If you are fasting then invoke Allah's blessings (on your host), and if you are not fasting then eat.

    sahihMuslim 2/1054

    The Prophet ﷺ taught that when you are invited you should respond: if you are fasting, pray for your host, and if not, then eat.

Why we say these

To eat without a thought is to treat provision as something owed. To begin with His name and end with His praise is to eat as a guest at a table you did not set, honest about Who set it. The same hand that made the food made the body that needs it, and even your ability to be grateful is a gift on top of the gift.

O Allah, bless us in what You have provided, make us grateful for every mouthful, and feed those who have fed us. Let no meal pass our lips without Your name upon them.

Questions

What do you say before eating?
Say Bismillah, 'With the Name of Allah,' as you begin. The Prophet ﷺ taught that if you forget to say it at the start, then when you remember you say: Bismillahi fi awwalihi wa akhirih, 'With the Name of Allah, in the beginning and in the end.'
What do you say after finishing a meal?
Praise Allah for the food. A simple form is Alhamdulillahil-ladhi at'amani hadha wa razaqanihi, 'Praise is to Allah Who has given me this food and sustained me with it,' acknowledging that the provision and the strength to receive it both came from Him.
What is the du'a for breaking a fast?
When the fast is broken there is the du'a Dhahabaz-zama', 'The thirst is gone, the veins are moistened, and the reward is confirmed, if Allah wills.' There is also a du'a to ask before iftar, by Allah's mercy which encompasses all things, that He forgive you. Both are gathered here.
How do you pray for someone who feeds you?
Turn back to your host with a du'a before you leave. The Prophet ﷺ taught: Allahumma at'im man at'amani wasqi man saqani, 'O Allah, feed the one who has fed me and give drink to the one who has given me drink,' and to ask Allah to bless them, forgive them and have mercy on them.

Prophetic adhkar transcribed verbatim from Hisn al-Muslim (Sa'eed al-Qahtani) via sunnah.com; al-Bukhari and Muslim taken as sahih, jayyid/reliable as hasan. Recitation audio: the official Hisn al-Muslim audio (hisnmuslim.com) for the adhkar. Selection follows Hisn al-Muslim, with thanks to lifewithallah.com; framing is Buruja's own. FOR SCHOLAR REVIEW: confirm every Arabic text, reference, repetition count and grading before publication.

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