Shaykh al-Islam, may Allah have mercy on him, held that this is forbidden, and that is the correct view. It is not permissible for a person to eat in a manner that harms him.

His statement, “or a small amount that harms him”: limited eating requires consideration. If the body receives nourishment from it, then this is good, for the Prophet said: “A few mouthfuls sufficient to keep his back straight are enough for the son of Adam. But if he must eat more, then one third for his food, one third for his drink, and one third for his breath.” (1)

Thus, eating a small amount and then returning to eat again soon afterwards is better than eating a great deal and then delaying before eating again. We hear, therefore, that some nations eat small amounts and then return to food after a short while; you find them eating five times during the day and night. They say that this is healthier for the body, and this is not far-fetched, for the preceding hadith indicates it. When the food is little, the stomach digests it with ease and facility, without being burdened. Once it has digested it and you feel the need for food, then eat; it will not harm you.

However, most people are unable to do this. When they sit down to eat, they must fill their stomachs. At times there is nothing wrong with this—that is, with filling one’s stomach with food until there is no room left for more food—as mentioned in the hadith of Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him. He was poor, and he kept the Prophet company in order to fill his stomach. One day, people left the mosque, and whenever he met one of them, he would ask, “What comes after such-and-such a verse?” He meant by this that one of them might invite him, but no one invited him to his home, until