Trivial Table Manners That Allah Despises

A plate of leftover rice on the dining table is often considered a trivial matter. So too is a side dish discarded because it does not suit one’s taste. Yet in the Islamic view, such seemingly small habits can become major issues when they lead to wastefulness and a loss of gratitude for Allah’s blessings. The phenomenon of throwing away food is no longer an unfamiliar sight. At home, in restaurants, at wedding parties, and at various large events, a great deal of food ends up in the bin even though it is still fit for consumption. Meanwhile, many others struggle to meet their daily food needs. Islam views such behaviour as ‘tabdzir’, which is squandering blessings and wealth on something improper. Scholars have long paid serious attention to this matter. Imam Syafi’i, as quoted by Imam Al-Qurthubi in Al-Jami’ li Ahkam Al-Qur’an, explained that tabdzir is spending or using wealth inappropriately. The great exegete Ahmad Mustafa Al-Maraghi further explained that excessive behaviour in worldly matters, to the point of crossing limits, is prohibited. This prohibition is affirmed by Allah SWT in the Qur’an: ‘And give the relative his right, and [also] the poor and the traveller, and do not spend wastefully. Indeed, the wasteful are brothers of the devils, and ever has Satan been to his Lord ungrateful.’ (QS Al-Isra: 26-27). This verse uses very strong language. Allah does not merely forbid wastefulness, but calls the wasteful ‘brothers of the devils’—a warning that shows how seriously Islam views the misuse of the blessings Allah has bestowed. However, the issue does not stop at wastefulness. Often, a person throws away food simply because they find its taste less agreeable. Some taste a little and then abandon it. Others comment on the food in a demeaning tone before eventually discarding it. It is here that Islam teaches a higher standard of etiquette. The Prophet Muhammad SAW never criticised food served to him. If he liked it, he ate it. If he had no appetite for it, he simply left it without belittling or insulting the food.