by Asma bint Shameem
1. It was part of the practice of the Prophet ﷺ that he used his RIGHT hand to eat and drink and do ALL GOOD things.
🍃 Aaishah radhi Allaahu anhaa said:
“The right hand of the Messenger of Allaah ﷺ was for his purification and food, and his left hand was for using the toilet and anything that was dirty.”
(Abi Dawood 33 ;saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh Abi Dawood)
🍃 Imaam Al-Nawawi said:
“This is a fixed rule in Sharee’ah.
It has to do with honorable things such as putting on ones shirt, trousers and shoes, entering the masjid, using siwaak, applying kohl, combing and styling ones hair, shaving the head, giving salaam at the end of prayer, washing oneself in ghusl or wudhu, leaving the toilet, eating, drinking, shaking hands, acknowledging the Black Stone, and other things where we are encouraged to use the right hand or start with the right.
As for the opposite [things that are not honorable], such as entering the toilet, leaving the masjid, blowing ones nose, washing oneself after using the toilet, taking off one's shirt, trousers and shoes, and so on, then we should start with the left or use the left hand.
All of this has to do with honoring the right hand or right side.”
2.Not only did the Prophet ﷺ himself use his right hand for eating and drinking and all other good things: but it was his instructions of for me and you to do the same.
🍃 The Prophet ﷺ said:
“When one of you eats, let him eat with his right hand. When he drinks, let him drink with his right hand.
Verily, the devil eats and drinks with his left hand.” (Muslim)
🍃 Shaikh Ibn al-Uthaymeen said:
“Taking with the left hand and giving with the left hand is resembling the Shaytaan, opposing the chivalry/manliness, and good etiquette” (Sharh Riyadus-Saliheen 6/378)
🍃 Imaam an-Nawawi said:
“The Shaytaan eats with his left hand so the person who eats with his left hand resembles the Shaytaan, indeed the Shaytaan is sharing his food with him.”
3. As Muslims we’re supposed to obey the Prophet ﷺ and do our best not to go against his instructions.
But one time a man ate with his left hand in front of the Prophet ﷺ for no valid reason.
🍃 The Prophet ﷺ told him:
“Eat with your right hand.”
He said: I cannot.
But nothing was preventing him from obeying the Prophet ﷺ except that he was too arrogant to obey him.
So the Prophet ﷺ said:
“May you never be able to! Nothing was stopping him but his stubborn arrogance, and he never raised his right hand to his mouth after that.”
(Saheeh Muslim, 3776)
🍃 The scholars explained:
“The Prophet ﷺ prayed against him so that what he claimed of not being able to do it would come true, because he was too arrogant to follow the truth and he did not observe proper etiquette with the Prophet ﷺ and his excuse was a lie, and lying to the Prophet ﷺ is not like lying to anyone else.”
(Islamqa Fatwa # 82120)
🍃 Imaam an-Nawawi said:
“In this hadeeth we have an indication that it is allowed to pray against a person who breaks a shar’ee rule with no excuse.
We also see the principle of enjoining what is good and forbidding what is evil in all situations, even with regard to eating.
It encourages us to teach proper manners of eating to a person who is eating if he is doing something wrong.”
(Tuhfat al-Ahwadhi, commentary on hadeeth 1721)
4. We’re even supposed to count tasbeeh on the right hand.
🍃 Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen said:
“It hasn’t been affirmed from the Prophet ﷺ that he used to do tasbeeh with his left hand.
Rather it has only come that he used to perform tasbeeh through his right hand.”
🍃 And Shaykh al-Albaani said about using the left hand:
“As for the left hand, then this is the way of the disbelievers.”
(Silsilatul-Huda wan-Nur no. 842)
🍃 The scholars explained why it’s preferred to use the right hand for eating and all other good things.
They said:
1-That is differing from the shaytaan, as in the case of eating and drinking.
2-It is honoring the right hand over the left.
3-It is using proper etiquette with people, so that one does not shake hands with them, take things from them or give things to them with the hand with which one removes impurities.
4-It is a sign of hope that Allaah will make us among those who are on the right hand (ahl al-yameen).”
5. What about born “Lefties”?
If a person is “born” a leftie, or there’s some valid excuse that a person cannot use the right hand, then there’s no blame on him.
🍃 The scholars said about using the right hand:
“This applies if one is “able” to eat with the right hand.
But if one is unable to do so, there is no sin in that.”
(Islamqa Fatwa # 82120)
🍃 Imaam Al-Nawawi said:
“The objection to eating and drinking with the left hand applies so long as there is no excuse.
If there is an excuse which prevents one from eating and drinking with the right hand because of sickness, injury etc, then it is not makrooh.”
[Sharh Muslim (13/191)]
🍃 A new Muslim asked Shaikh Abdullah Bin Muhammad Bin Humaid about being a lefty and how important it is to eat with his right hand.
The Shaikh said:
“There is no harm in this (in using your left hand) besides the Istinjaa [i.e. when using water to clean your private parts after using the toilet].
There is no harm if you were to use your right hand to wipe over your head, wash your face, forearms and feet whilst carrying the water with your left hand.
However, when performing Istinjaa, it is the left hand that should touch the private parts and the right hand is used to pour the water for cleaning oneself; for indeed the Prophet ﷺ said:
“Do not breathe in the drinking utensil”, meaning, when drinking; ”And he [i.e. the person] should not [touch or clean his private parts] with his right hand whilst in the khalaa (i.e. in the place of urination or defecation)]”.
(al-Bukhaari 153, 154, Muslim 267)
So Istinjaa is performed with the left hand and it is what is to touch [the private parts] and the right hand is used to pour the water.
As for the other affairs [i.e. writing, siwaak], there is no harm [in using the left hand] In-Shaa-Allaah.”
(Al-Fataawaa Wad-Duroos Fil Masjid Al-Haraam Pages 151-152)
And Allaah knows best
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