Get together over your food and mention the name of Allah, so that it will be blessed for you
Narrator in the source: Wahshiyy ibn Harb
Wahshiyy ibn Harb (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: They said: O Messenger of Allah, we eat but we do not get satiated. He said: "Perhaps you eat separately." They said: Yes. He then said: "Get together over your food and mention the name of Allah, so that it will be blessed for you."- Grade in the source
- Hasan
- Reported by
- Narrated by Abu Dāwūd, Ibn Mājah, and Ahmad
- Source entry
- HadeethEnc · 4212 ↗
Original Arabic wording
عَنْ وَحْشِيِّ بْنِ حَرْبٍ رَضيَ اللهُ عنه: أَنَّهُمْ قَالُوا: يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ، إِنَّا نَأْكُلُ وَلَا نَشْبَعُ، قَالَ: «فَلَعَلَّكُمْ تَأْكُلُونَ مُتَفَرِّقِينَ؟» قَالُوا: نَعَمْ. قَالَ: «فَاجْتَمِعُوا عَلَى طَعَامِكُمْ، وَاذْكُرُوا اسْمَ اللَّهِ عَلَيْهِ، يُبَارَكْ لَكُمْ فِيهِ».Understand this hadith
Some of the Companions asked the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him), saying: We eat, but we do not get satiated. Thereupon, the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said to them: Perhaps you eat separately, and each of you eats alone. They said: Yes. He said: Gather together and do not eat separately, and mention the name of Allah when eating by saying: Bismillāh—it will be blessed for you, and you will feel satisfied.
Lessons from the hadith
- Gathering for food and saying the name of Allah before eating are means of bringing blessings to the food and feeling satisfied with it.
- Division is entirely evil, and unity is entirely good.
- Encouragement to eat together and to mention Allah's name before eating food.
- As-Sindi said: Through gathering (to eat), blessings descend upon the food provisions; and by mentioning the name of Allah Almighty, the devil is prevented from reaching the food.
References (original Arabic)
سنن أبي داود (5/ 588) (3764). سنن ابن ماجه (4/ 418) (3286). مسند أحمد (25/ 485) (16078). شرح رياض الصالحين، لابن عثيمين (4/ 217). نزهة المتقين بشرح رياض الصالحين، لمجموعة من الباحثين (1/ 607). بهجة الناظرين شرح رياض الصالحين، لسليم الهلالي (2/ 59).