The 365 · Sunnah · Day 70 · Food
Never Criticizing Food: Eating What Is Liked, Leaving What Is Not Without Comment
The hadith
مَا عَابَ النَّبِيُّ صلى الله عليه وسلم طَعَامًا قَطُّ، إِنِ اشْتَهَاهُ أَكَلَهُ، وَإِنْ كَرِهَهُ تَرَكَهُ
Abū Hurayrah ra. said: 'The Prophet ﷺ never criticized any food. If he liked it, he ate it; if he disliked it, he left it (without comment).' (Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 3563, Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim 2064.)
Svenska: Abu Hurayrah ra. sade: 'Profeten ﷺ kritiserade aldrig någon mat. Om han tyckte om den, åt han den; om han inte tyckte om den, lämnade han den (utan kommentar).'
The story
The famous incident: a guest was served a dish, and another in the company began criticizing the cooking. The Prophet ﷺ rebuked them by his structural pattern: never criticize food. The Companions learned this lesson and propagated it. ʿĀʼishah ra. described the Prophet's ﷺ home life: he never complained about food, never demanded specific dishes, never criticized portions. He ate what was provided with gratitude and silence about preferences.
Why it's here
The Prophet ﷺ established a structural prohibition on criticizing food. The hadith is operationally precise: he never criticized; he ate what he liked and left what he did not, in silence. The reasoning is multi-layered: the food is Allah's provision (criticizing it is a structural ingratitude); the cook has labored to prepare it (criticism is a discourtesy); the company is sharing the meal (criticism creates an unpleasant atmosphere).
Try it today
1. When food is served and you do not like it, remain silent. Eat what you can; leave what you cannot, without comment. 2. Do not say 'this is too salty,' 'this is undercooked,' 'I do not like this.' 3. If asked directly, answer briefly and politely without criticism. 4. Teach children: praise good food; do not criticize disliked food. 5. Practice gratitude verbally for the food you do like.
In your day
Modern dining culture (especially with social media food-critique) has normalized food criticism. The Prophetic standard is the inverse: silence on dislike, gratitude for like. The discipline retrains the family's eating-table atmosphere within weeks.
A reflection to carry
The prohibition of complaining about food. The Prophet ﷺ: 'The Prophet ﷺ never complained about food. If he liked it, he ate it; if he disliked it, he left it.' (Bukhārī 3563, Muslim 2064.)
Read the longer reflection
The Prophet's ﷺ eating-character was structurally non-complaining: praise the food or remain silent; do not criticize. The structural reasoning: food is rizq from Allah; complaining about it is structurally close to complaining about the rizq-source. Cure: train silence over critique when food is not preferred; if you cannot eat it, leave it without comment; if you ate it, do not complain afterward. Modern restaurant-culture often centers on food-criticism (reviews, complaints); the believer's discipline is structural silence at the personal table. Praise structurally permitted; criticism structurally avoided.
Sources: Sahih Bukhari, Sahih Muslim. The Qur'an and its translation are verified; the scholarship is retold faithfully in our own words and credited to its sources, never reproduced verbatim.
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