We have already clarified that eating and drinking with the right hand is obligatory, and that it is unlawful for a person to eat or drink with the left hand. Whoever eats or drinks with his left hand is disobedient and sinful—disobedient to Allah and His Messenger, sinful, and resembling Satan and the allies of Satan among the unbelievers. A Muslim, therefore, must eat with his right hand unless he has a legitimate excuse, such as paralysis of the right hand or something similar. So fear Allah as much as you can.

For this reason the author cites the ḥadīth of Salama ibn al-Akwaʿ (may Allah be pleased with him): the Prophet ﷺ said to a man who was eating with his left hand, “Eat with your right hand.” The man replied, “I cannot.” The Prophet ﷺ said, “May you never be able!”—a supplication that he become incapable of lifting his right hand to his mouth, for nothing prevented him but arrogance, Allah’s protection be sought. The Messenger ﷺ prayed against him, and afterward he was never able to raise that hand to his mouth.

The phrase “nothing prevented him but arrogance” may mean arrogance toward the command of the Messenger ﷺ, or it may simply mean that pride itself kept him from eating with his right hand. In either case, the Prophet’s ﷺ invocation, which resulted in the paralysis of the man’s hand so that he could no longer bring it to his mouth, is clear evidence that eating with the left hand is forbidden. Moreover, the Prophet ﷺ informed us that Satan eats and drinks with his left hand.