1263 – Ibn ʿUmar (may Allah be pleased with them both) reported that the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said: “When any of you eats, let him eat with his right hand; and when he drinks, let him drink with his right hand. Satan eats with his left hand and drinks with his left hand.” Recorded by Muslim (1).

Points derived from the hadith

1 – We have already seen in the authentic report of ʿĀʾishah: “The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, loved to begin with the right side when putting on his sandals, combing his hair, performing purification, and in all of his affairs” (al-Bukhari 168; Muslim 268). Among those affairs in which he preferred the right side are eating and drinking; his noble habit was never to eat or drink except with his right hand. He said to ʿUmar ibn Abi Salamah: “Young man! Mention Allah’s name, eat with your right hand, and eat from what is directly in front of you” (al-Bukhari 5376; Muslim 2022). To a man who was eating with his left hand he said, “Eat with your right hand.” The man replied, “I cannot”—nothing prevented him but pride—so he said, “May you never be able,” and thereafter the man could not raise his hand to his mouth.

2 – The hadith contains a command to eat and drink with the right hand, which indicates obligation, for the default sense of a command is that it is mandatory; therefore, its opposite—eating and drinking with the left hand—is forbidden.

3 – The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, made it clear that eating and drinking with the left hand is the practice of Satan. Whoever imitates a people is counted among them, and imitating Satan is unquestionably prohibited.

4 – It is stated in Sharḥ Manẓūmat al-Ādāb that the right hand is recommended for engaging in acts of goodness,