916 – Abu Qatadah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, “When one of you drinks, he must not breathe into the vessel.” Agreed upon. (1)

Abu Dawud also related, from Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both), a similar report with the added wording, “or blow into it,” and al-Tirmidhi declared it authentic. (2)

Vocabulary of the hadith:
• “must not breathe”: the verb appears in the active voice and is jussive because of the prohibitive lā; breathing is the intake and expulsion of air by the lungs.
• “or blow”: in the accusative and rendered in the passive, for it is coordinated with the phrase “He forbade breathing into the vessel.” Blowing is the expulsion of air from the mouth.

Lessons derived from the hadiths:
These noble traditions collectively set forth the etiquette of eating and drinking so that the Muslim, by observing them, follows the Sunnah of his Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) even in refined everyday habits. Among the benefits and rulings they convey are the following:

1. One characteristic of the Prophet’s posture while eating is that he would not eat while reclining. Reclining here refers to sitting cross-legged over the food, for such a position prompts a person to eat excessively, whereas the instruction is to lighten one’s intake and suffice with what is needed. Accordingly, this posture is disliked in the Law.

Likewise, eating while leaning in one’s seat conveys an air of arrogance when taking [food]