It’s that time of year again when many resolve to make positive changes to their diet. This usually involves some variation of a crash diet that will unsurprisingly be abandoned by the second week of the new year. If this sounds familiar to you, I invite you to try a different approach — a more gentle and sustainable approach to your diet goals. Read on to see what the Quran and Hadith have to say about this subject.
The information that can be found on food in the Quran and Hadith has to do with the types of food, the amount of food that should be eaten, and the manner in which food should be eaten. These three aspects combined are the key to having a healthy, realistic and holistic relationship with food.
Types of Food
The Quran mentions two main types of verses about food: one that mentions what food is permissible and another that introduces the concept that what has been made halal is consequently good for us. The second type of verse is seen here:
“O you who have believed, eat from the good things which We have provided for you and be grateful to Allah if it is [indeed] Him that you worship.” (2:172)
Contrary to how this verse is incorrectly understood, Allah is not saying to eat only “the good things” and avoid the bad foods, but He is saying that all of the foods that He has made halal are “good things”.
This is great news for us Muslims! As long as we eat halal foods, we can be sure that we are eating foods that are good for us. There’s no need to exclude entire food groups to be healthy (as is often seen in the countless modern day diets), our Creator knows what is good for us and has made those things permissible. Now, before we go off and indulge in an entire chocolate cake (it’s halal right?), we need to look deeper into our sources to understand what food choices to make.
Note that the Quran mentions the following foods by name:
Drinks
- Water (mentioned 100+ times)
- Milk (2)
- Honey (2)
- Wine that exists in Paradise (2)
- Olive oil (1)
Plants
- Dates (22)
- Fruit (14)
- Grapes (11)
- Grains in general (7)
- Olives (6 or 7)
- Buckthorn (4)
- Pomegranate (3)
- Mustard seed (2)
- Onion (1)
- Herbs, beans and vegetables (1)
- Cucumbers (1)
- Garlic or wheat (1)
- Lentil (1)
- Gourd (1)
- Banana (1)
- Herbage, or Abb (1)
- Fig (1)
Halal Animals
- Cattle (34)
- Birds in general (18)
- Camels (11)
- Calves (10)
- Cows (9)
- Sheep (8)
- Seafood (5)
- Quails (3)
- Goats (1)
- Hoopoes (1)
- Meat in general (1)
Notice that all of these foods are unprocessed, whole foods. Sweets and other indulgent foods existed at the time, however, they are not mentioned in the Quran as part of the good foods granted to us by Allah. Not to say those processed foods are not halal, but by excluding those foods from the Quran and highlighting natural foods, we can assume that the latter are more beneficial for us. After all, the Quran is meant to be guidance for all aspects of our lives, so it is only fitting that the best of Allah’s bounties be mentioned.
Amount of Food
The second aspect with regards to the Islamic approach to food can be found in the hadith about the eating habits of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). There are several hadith that describe the quantity of food that Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) would consume.
Ibn ‘Umar narrated that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “The believer eats in one stomach whilst the kaafir eats in seven.” Narrated by al-Bukhari (5081) and Muslim (2060)
He said: “The son of Adam does not fill any vessel worse than his stomach. It is sufficient for the son of Adam to eat a few mouthfuls, to keep him going. If he must do that (fill his stomach), then let him fill one third with food, one third with drink and one third with air.” Narrated by al-Tirmidhi (1381), Ibn Maajah (3349); classed as saheeh by al-Albani in al-Silsilah al-Saheehah (2265)
The Quran also addresses this concept of balanced restraint:
“and eat and drink but waste not by extravagance, certainly He (Allah) likes not Al‑Musrifoon (those who waste by extravagance)” (7:31)
As we can see, not only do we need to eat what is halal and ideally whole and natural foods, but we need to practice moderation in quantity and fill no more than two thirds of our stomachs with food and drink. This is known in our days as “portion control” and is the single, major contributing factor to staying trim and healthy. Even too much of a good thing can make you ill, cause indigestion, and other unpleasant effects so controlling our consumption is crucial to achieving lasting health.
Manners with Food
In the Hadith are many examples of the manners the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) exhibited while eating.
It was described by Ibn al-Qayyim as follows: When he put his hand in the food, he would say, “Bismillaah (in the Name of Allah), and he told people to say this when eating. He said, “When any one of you eats, let him mention the name of Allah. If he forgets to mention the name of Allah at the beginning, let him say Bismillaahi fi awwalihi wa aakhirihi (in the name of Allah at its beginning and at its end).” Saheeh hadeeth, narrated by al-Tirmidhi (1859) and Abu Dawood (3767)
This Hadith tells us to give thanks before and after each meal. By doing so we slow down and acknowledge the blessing of the meal and understand it’s value to our health and well-being. Once we truly internalize the meaning of this Hadith we will naturally choose meals that we know are truly good for us and are the best of Allah’s bounties.
He never criticized food at all. If he liked it, he would eat it, and if he did not like it, he would leave it and not say anything. Narrated by al-Bukhaari (3370) and Muslim (2064)
Here, we learn that it is fine to have preferences for certain foods but to not criticize any food that is not to our liking. Again, this highlights the position of gratitude that we need to practice with all halal food.
He commanded people to eat with their right hands and forbade them to eat with their left hands. He said, “The Shaytaan eats with his left hand and drinks with his left hand.” Narrated by Muslim (2020)
This Hadith discusses the unseen consequences of eating and drinking with the left hand. However, from a practical standpoint, by eating and drinking with only the right hand, it consequently causes us to slow down our consumption during meal times. Eating slowly has a whole host of benefits and it also allows the stomach to communicate to the brain when it is full before it reaches maximum capacity and also is better for digestion.
It was also reported that he said, “I do not eat reclining.” Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 5083
What is understood by this Hadith according to an-Nawawi is: “I do not eat like one who wants to eat a great deal and sits comfortably; rather I sit like one who is going to get up quickly and I eat little.” We are instructed to not eat in a manner that is too relaxed that may lead to overeating.
While there is more detailed information that can be explored about the consumption of food according to the Quran and Hadith, this is meant to provide the most significant points about the Islamic approach to diet. As you can see there is no such concept as a “diet”, but instead, there are daily practices and choices that are made at each meal. This is a very liberating idea in this society where there is an obsession with finding new and improved ways to eat. The Islamic approach is not a fad but are a collection of healthy habits that once put into practice, will become second nature to implement. Surely the information provided in this post will help us reflect upon our patterns of eating and permanently improve them in a way that is blessed and recommended by the One who knows us best.
So Remember Me 