It contains the Hadīth in which the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said: “and eat from what is near you.” [Narrated by Al-Bukhāri and Muslim] This Hadīth was cited above.
744/1 - Ibn ‘Abbās (may Allah be pleased with him and his father) reported that the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Blessing descends in the middle of the food. So eat from the sides, and do not eat from the middle.” [Narrated by Abu Dāwūd and Al-Tirmidhi, who classified it as Hasan Sahīh (sound and authentic)]
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1) Eating from the middle of the food removes blessing therefrom. The proper etiquette in eating is that one should eat from the side of the bowl.
2) It shows how perfect the Prophet’s guidance is in teaching the Ummah the eating etiquette. How excellent it is!
745/2 - ‘Abdullāh ibn Busr (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) had a large bowl called Al-Gharrā’, which needed four men to carry it. One day, when they finished the Duha (forenoon) Prayer, that bowl was brought full of bread sopped in broth, and they sat down around it. When their number increased, the Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) knelt down. A Bedouin said: “What sort of sitting is that!” Thereupon, the Messenger said: “Verily, Allah has made me a noble servant, not an obstinate tyrant.” Then he said: “Eat from its sides and leave its summit so that your food would be blessed.” [Narrated by Abu Dāwūd, with a good Isnād]
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Al-Gharrā’: The bowl was called as such because of its white color.
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1) It shows the Prophet’s generosity towards his Companions and his care for them and for those sitting with him, as well as his extreme modesty.
2) Blessing lies in the middle of the food and it affects the whole food.
Some people commonly believe that it is Sunnah to eat while sitting like the sitting for Tashahhud. This, however, is not Prophetic Sunnah. It is only permissible for anyone who wants to do it. But people should not be obliged to follow a certain opinion or action and treat this as a Prophetic practice unless it is clearly indicated by the Sunnah.
The rule governing our following of the Prophet’s Sunnah is that we do what he did, in the manner he did it, and because he did it, and that we abandon what he abandoned, in the manner he abandoned it, and because he did it.