باب استحباب الأكل بثلاث أصابع واستحباب لعق الأصابع، وكراهة مسحها قبل لعقها واستحباب لعق القصعة وأخذ اللقمة التي تسقط منه وأكلها ومسحها بعد اللعق بالساعد والقدم وغيرها
This chapter gathers the Prophet's guidance on a single attentive theme: honour your food and do not waste it. We eat with the fingers, lick them and clean the dish when finished, and if a morsel falls we pick it up, clean it and eat it rather than discarding it. Running through every hadith is one striking reason, you do not know in which part of the food the barakah lies, so no portion is treated as beneath notice.
Notice too the recurring warning not to leave a fallen morsel for Satan. Carelessness and waste are framed not as small faults but as openings the enemy is eager to exploit, while gratitude and care close that door. The chapter's spirit is reverence: treating even crumbs as a blessing worth honouring.
Hadith 747
Ibn 'Abbas (May Allah be pleased with them) reported:
عن ابن عباس رضى الله عنهما قال: قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم: "إذا أكل أحدكم طعاماً، فلا يمسح أصابعه حتى يلعقها أو يلعقها" . ((متفق عليه))
Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "When one of you finishes eating, he should not wipe his fingers until he has licked them himself or has given them to someone else to lick for him." [Al-Bukhari and Muslim].
In plain words
When you finish eating, lick your fingers, or have them cleaned, before wiping them. A small act of not wasting the food that remains on them.
Reference : Riyad as-Salihin 747 In-book reference : Book 2, Hadith 21
Hadith 748
Ka'b bin Malik (May Allah be pleased with him) reported:
وعن كعب بن مالك رضى الله عنه قال: رأيت رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم يأكل بثلاث أصابع ، فإذا فرغ لعقها.((رواه مسلم))
I saw Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) eating with three fingers (i.e., the thumb, the index finger and the middle finger) and licking them after having finished the food. [Muslim].
In plain words
He ate with three fingers and licked them when finished. A modest, unhurried way of eating that honors the food.
Reference : Riyad as-Salihin 748 In-book reference : Book 2, Hadith 22
Hadith 749
Jabir (May Allah be pleased with him) reported:
وعن جابر رضى الله عنه أن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم أمر بلعق الأصابع والصحفة، وقال: "إنكم لا تدرون في أي طعامكم البركة" .((رواه مسلم))
The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) commanded the licking of fingers and the gleaning of the dish, saying, "You do not know in which portion the blessing lies." [Muslim].
In plain words
He urged licking the fingers and cleaning the dish, because you do not know in which part of the food the blessing lies. So no portion is treated as beneath notice.
Reference : Riyad as-Salihin 749 In-book reference : Book 2, Hadith 23
Hadith 750
Jabir (May Allah be pleased with him) reported:
وعنه أن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم قال: "إذا وقعت لقمة أحدكم، فليأخذها فليمط ما كان بها من أذى وليأكلها، ولا يدعها للشيطان، ولا يمسح يده بالمنديل حتى يلعق أصابعه؛ فإنه لا يدرى في أي طعامه البركة" .((رواه مسلم))
The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "When a morsel of any of you falls, he should pick it up and remove any of the dirt on it and then eat it, and should not leave it for Satan nor should wipe his hand with towel until he has licked his fingers, for he does not know in what portion of the food the blessing lies." [Muslim].
In plain words
If a morsel falls, pick it up, wipe off any dirt, and eat it rather than leaving it for Satan, and lick your fingers before wiping them. Care and gratitude with every bite.
Reference : Riyad as-Salihin 750 In-book reference : Book 2, Hadith 24
Hadith 751
Jabir (May Allah be pleased with him) reported:
وعنه أن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم قال: "إن الشيطان يحضر أحدكم عند كل شئ من شأنه، حتى يحضره عند طعامه؛ فإذا سقطت لقمة أحدكم فليأخذها فليمط ما كان بها من أذى، ثم ليأكلها ولا يدعها للشيطان، فإذا فرغ فليلعق أصابعه؛ فإنه لا يدرى في أي طعامه البركة" .((رواه مسلم))
The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Satan appears at every thing done by you; he appears even at one's dinner. When a morsel of any of you falls, he should pick it up and remove any dirt on it, and then eat it. He should not leave it for Satan, nor should he wipe his hand with the towel until he has licked his fingers, for he does not know in what portion of the food the blessing lies." [Muslim].
In plain words
Satan is present even at your meal, so do not abandon a fallen morsel to him; clean it and eat it, and lick your fingers, since blessing may lie in any part of the food.
Reference : Riyad as-Salihin 751 In-book reference : Book 2, Hadith 25
Hadith 752
Anas (May Allah be pleased with him) reported:
وعن أنس رضى الله عنه قال: كان رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم إذا أكل طعاماً، لعق أصابعه الثلاث، وقال:"إذا سقطت لقمة أحدكم فليأخذها، وليمط عنها الأذى، وليأكلها،ولا يدعها للشيطان" وأمرنا أن نسلت القصعة وقال: "إنكم لا تدرون في أي طعامكم البركة" .((رواه مسلم))
Whenever the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) ate food, he would lick his three fingers and say, "If anyone of you drops a morsel of food, he should remove any dirt that may have stuck on it and then eat it, and should not leave it for Satan." He (ﷺ) also commanded us that we should glean the pot, saying, "You do not know in which part of your food the blessings lies." [Muslim].
In plain words
He would lick his three fingers, teach that a dropped morsel should be cleaned and eaten rather than left for Satan, and tell them to clean the pot, for blessing may be in any part of the food.
Reference : Riyad as-Salihin 752 In-book reference : Book 2, Hadith 26
Hadith 753
Sa'id bin Al-Harith reported:
وعن سعيد بن الحارث أنه سأل جابراً رضى الله عنه عن الوضوء مما مست النار، فقال: لا ، قد كنا زمن النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم لا نجد مثل ذلك الطعام إلا قليلاً، فإذا نحن وجدناه، لم يكن لنا مناديل إلا أكفنا وسواعدنا وأقدامنا، ثم نصلى ولا نتوضأ. ((رواه البخارى))
I asked Jabir (May Allah be pleased with him) whether it was obligatory to make Wudu' for Salat (prayer) after eating cooked food. He said: "No, because in the lifetime of Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), such food was rarely available. We had no handkerchiefs, so when we ate such food we would wipe our fingers against our palms, forearms or (the sole of our) feet, and would offer Salat without fresh Wudu' (for prayer)." [Al- Bukhari].
In plain words
Jabir explained that eating cooked food did not require fresh wudu before prayer; lacking cloths, they simply wiped their fingers and prayed. A glimpse of their simple, unburdened practice.
Reference : Riyad as-Salihin 753 In-book reference : Book 2, Hadith 27