Second: he said, “Eat with your right hand.” Eating with the right hand is obligatory; whoever eats with his left hand is sinful and has disobeyed the Messenger ﷺ. Whoever disobeys the Messenger has disobeyed Allah, and whoever obeys the Messenger has obeyed Allah.

Third: he said, “Eat from what is directly in front of you,” that is, when you share a dish with others, restrict yourself to the portion that lies before you. Do not reach into the area in front of someone else, for that is bad manners. The scholars add an exception when the dish contains different kinds of food—pumpkin, eggplant, meat, and so on—in which case it is permissible to reach for whatever variety you prefer, just as the Prophet ﷺ used to follow the pieces of pumpkin around the platter and eat them; al-dubbaʾ means pumpkin.

Likewise, if you are eating alone, there is no harm in eating from another side of the dish, since you are not inconveniencing anyone. However, do not eat from the top-center of the platter, for the blessing descends upon its upper part; instead, eat from the sides.

This ḥadith is evidence that we should teach children and youngsters the etiquettes of eating and drinking, and also the etiquettes of sleeping—let alone other matters such as prayer—for the Messenger ﷺ said, “Command your children to pray at seven, and discipline them for it at ten.”