Is it obligatory to eat with the right hand?

In our Sharia, the rulings and etiquette for everything are explained in the Qur'an, the hadiths of the Prophet (ﷺ), and the books of our scholars. As Salman al-Farisi (may Allah be pleased with him) replied to the polytheists, the Messenger of Allah taught his ummah even the manners of entering and leaving the restroom.

For example, a person who prays knows that before praying, they must perform wudu, wear clean clothes, and ensure the place of prayer is clean. Similarly, there are certain etiquettes a Muslim should observe when eating. One of these is eating with the right hand.

Before eating, one should wash their hands. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: "Washing the hands before and after eating removes poverty, and this act is the sunnah of the prophets" (Tabarani).

It is necessary to say "بِسْمِ اللّٰهِ" before eating. In a hadith, the Prophet (ﷺ) said: "Say 'بِسْمِ اللّٰهِ' before you eat. If you forget to say it before eating, then as soon as you remember, say 'بِسْمِ اللّٰهِ فِي أَوَّلِهِ وَآخِرِهِ'".

Eating with the right hand is the sunnah of the Prophet (ﷺ). In a hadith narrated from Ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with him), the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: "When any of you eats, let him eat with his right hand, and when he drinks, let him drink with his right hand, for Satan eats and drinks with his left hand" (Muslim). In another hadith, the Prophet (ﷺ) said to Umar bin Abi Salama (may Allah be pleased with him): "O boy! Mention Allah's name, eat with your right hand, and eat from what is in front of you." Imam an-Nawawi explained regarding the prohibition of eating and drinking with the left hand: "Eating and drinking with the right hand is mustahabb, and eating and drinking with the left hand is makruh. If a person has an excuse such as disability or illness in the right hand, then eating with the left hand is not makruh." Therefore, eating and drinking with the right hand is the sunnah of the Prophet (ﷺ). Eating and drinking with the left hand without any excuse is contrary to the sunnah and is makruh. Thus, a Muslim should make it a habit to eat with the right hand in accordance with the sunnah. Only if there is a valid excuse that prevents eating with the right hand is it permitted to eat with the left hand.

Medet QURMASHULY,

"Iman" magazine, No. 3, 2023