Before eating: Bismillah
The Prophet ﷺ taught the young ‘Umar ibn Abi Salamah three manners of eating:
يَا غُلَامُ، سَمِّ اللَّهَ، وَكُلْ بِيَمِينِكَ، وَكُلْ مِمَّا يَلِيكَ“Young boy, mention the name of Allah, eat with your right hand, and eat from what is in front of you.”
Mentioning the name of Allah means saying “bismillāh” (بِسْمِ اللَّهِ), “in the name of Allah”, before the first bite.
If you forget to say Bismillah
‘A’ishah reported that the Prophet ﷺ said that if someone forgets to mention Allah’s name at the start of a meal, they should say when they remember:
بِسْمِ اللَّهِ أَوَّلَهُ وَآخِرَهُBismillāhi awwalahu wa ākhirahu
“In the name of Allah, at its beginning and its end.”
Awwal (أَوَّل) means first or beginning, and ākhir (آخِر) means last or end. The same pair appears in two of Allah’s names: Al-Awwal, the First, and Al-Ākhir, the Last (Quran 57:3).
After eating
Mu‘adh ibn Anas reported that the Prophet ﷺ said that whoever eats food and then says the following will have their past sins forgiven:
الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ الَّذِي أَطْعَمَنِي هَٰذَا وَرَزَقَنِيهِ مِنْ غَيْرِ حَوْلٍ مِنِّي وَلَا قُوَّةٍAl-ḥamdu lillāhil-ladhī aṭ‘amanī hādhā wa razaqanīhi min ghayri ḥawlin minnī wa lā quwwah
“All praise is for Allah, who fed me this and provided it for me without any might or power on my part.”
At the very least, saying “alḥamdulillāh” after eating follows the Sunnah. The Prophet ﷺ said that Allah is pleased with a servant who eats something and praises Him for it, or drinks something and praises Him for it (Sahih Muslim 2734).
Key words
- أَطْعَمَنِي (aṭ‘amanī): He fed me, from ṭa‘ām (طَعَام), food
- رَزَقَنِيهِ (razaqanīhi): He provided it for me, from rizq (رِزْق), provision; Ar-Razzāq is a name of Allah
- حَوْل (ḥawl): might, the ability to change things
- قُوَّة (quwwah): strength, power
The phrase “without any might or power on my part” is a reminder that even food we bought or cooked ourselves reached us only because Allah provided it.
Teaching children
Children pick these up quickly when the whole family says them aloud at the table. Start with “bismillāh” and “alḥamdulillāh”, then add the longer dua once the short words are a habit.
