Likewise, among people are those who do not enjoy the food settling in their stomachs, and among them are those who do not enjoy expelling this food after its benefit has dispersed throughout the body. So remember this.

In truth—and we ask Allah to forgive us and pardon us—we eat as livestock eat. Most of what we eat is merely for pleasure, without remembering these blessings in our hands, which are not of our own making. O Allah, remind us of what we have forgotten and teach us what we do not know.

This eating, to which one is naturally inclined: Allah has made acts of worship for those whom He grants success, at its beginning, during it, and at its end. First, remember that you eat in obedience to Allah’s command, for Allah commanded you, saying:

“Eat and drink.” [al-A‘raf: 31]

Second, eat in order to preserve your health and well-being. Even in worship, if you are ill and fear that water will harm you, you perform dry ablution in order to preserve your health and protect the body from illness. Third, eat in order to gain strength to obey Allah, especially at the pre-dawn meal, concerning which the Prophet ﷺ said: “Take the pre-dawn meal, for there is blessing in it.” (1)

Thus, your eating—which the soul and natural disposition call for—becomes an act of worship, one of the most eminent acts of worship.

There are then prescribed acts of worship connected with it, including saying “In the name of Allah” when eating and when drinking. The author of al-Rawd says: “It is recommended to say ‘In the name of Allah.’” (2)