Say Bismillah before eating

The practice: Say 'Bismillah' before you start eating
When: Start of every meal
In daily life: Say it in the moment between the plate landing and the first bite: at the family table, over a desk lunch, even with a snack on the bus. Say it so your kids can hear, and they'll pick it up from you.

The source

كُنْتُ غُلاَمًا فِي حَجْرِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم وَكَانَتْ يَدِي تَطِيشُ فِي الصَّحْفَةِ فَقَالَ لِي رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم ‏ "‏ يَا غُلاَمُ سَمِّ اللَّهَ، وَكُلْ بِيَمِينِكَ وَكُلْ مِمَّا يَلِيكَ ‏"‏‏.‏ فَمَا زَالَتْ تِلْكَ طِعْمَتِي بَعْدُ‏.

“I was a boy under the care of Allah's Messenger ﷺ and my hand used to go around the dish while I was eating. So Allah's Messenger ﷺ said to me, 'O boy! Mention the Name of Allah and eat with your right hand, and eat of the dish what is nearer to you." Since then I have applied those instructions when eating”

Narrated by `Umar bin Abi SalamaSahih al-Bukhari 5376

The full hadith, with its chain and grading →

Arabic: ara-bukhari · Translation: Muhsin Khan (eng-bukhari), from the eng-bukhari edition of hadith-api (public domain), sunnah.com numbering.

Part of: At the Table

More Sunnahs like this

Eat from what is nearest youEating from a shared dish Don't eat while recliningDuring meals Don't criticize foodWhen served food Drink in three breathsEach time you drink Pass drinks to the right firstServing or passing a drink Pick up a dropped bite and eat itWhen a bite of food falls while you eat

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Sources: Sahih al-Bukhari, Sahih Muslim, and narrations of Jami at-Tirmidhi graded sahih or hasan sahih by al-Albani.