HandyQuran

Before Eating

بِسْمِ اللَّهِ

Bismillah.

In the name of Allah.

What it means

The shortest of all the daily adhkar, and the one most often forgotten. It turns an ordinary meal into an act done with Allah in mind, and it keeps Shaytan from sharing the food.

When and how

Say it before your first bite. If you remember only halfway through, say Bismillahi awwalahu wa akhirah. The Prophet ﷺ also taught a young boy to eat with his right hand and from what is in front of him, reported in Sahih al-Bukhari 5376.

Its virtue

The Prophet ﷺ said that when one of you eats he should mention the name of Allah, and if he forgets at the start he should say: In the name of Allah, at its beginning and its end, reported in Sunan Abi Dawud 3767 and Jami at-Tirmidhi 1858.

Source

Abu Dawud 3767; At-Tirmidhi 1858sahih