eats with his left hand, he loves for the children of Adam to follow him in this.

Thus, the correct view is that eating with the left hand is forbidden except in case of an excuse. A man once ate with his left hand in the presence of the Prophet ﷺ, so he forbade him and said, “Eat with your right hand.” The man replied, “I am unable to,” meaning that he was psychologically unwilling, for nothing prevented him except arrogance—may Allah protect us. The Prophet ﷺ then said, “May you never be able to!” Thereafter, the man was never able to raise his right hand to his mouth. (1) This was because Allah, Exalted is He, answered the Prophet’s supplication, since it was just. This is an unusual form of discretionary punishment: that a person be punished by a supplication against him corresponding to his sin, for disciplinary punishment and correction may take any form.

If someone were to say: If a person is eating and wishes to drink, then if he takes hold of the vessel with his right hand, the vessel will become affected by the food, and this may make others dislike drinking from it. Does this permit him to drink with his left hand?

The answer is no, because what is forbidden is not made permissible except by necessity, and this is not a necessity. A person can hold the vessel from beneath. If it is large, he may place it on his palm and drink; and if it is a cup, then it is easy, since the forefinger and thumb can encircle it. He may therefore hold it from below and drink.

Moreover, in our present time Allah has made the matter easy, and this reason has disappeared altogether with plastic cups. No one else will drink from such a cup, because it will be thrown away. Yet all of this is among Satan’s suggestions, which some people use as an excuse.