By Binish Qadri
10 June 2019
Islam is a background for the illumination of the body and soul in order to develop a better Muslim way of life. If justice, even handedness and truthfulness are the lifelines of every upright state, an arrangement of different manners or Aadaab are essential for the purification of the soul. Islam doesn’t make us aware about our different rights and duties only but makes us familiar with different etiquettes(Aadaab) beautifully mentioned in ‘Muslim Way of Life’ by Maulana Ashraf Ali Thanvi: The Aadaab of Salam (Greeting),The Aadaab of Majlis (Gathering),The Aadaab of Kalaam (Speech), The Aadaab of Nasihat (Advices), The Aadaab of Mehmaan (Guest), The Aadaab of Khidmat (Service to society/others),The Aadaab of Eating, The Aadaab of Parents, The Aadaab of friends, The Aadaab of elders and so on. The different Aadaab are not just about being well-educated and knowledgeable about them but about the realization of their importance in everyday life. The Aadaab of the Muslim way of life are about obtaining spiritual knowledge that is useful in everyday life and the inclination for making best use of that knowledge. And the Quran is a way towards comprehensive and complete Aadaab.
As far as the Aadaab of Eating are concerned, they are many in number such as not sharing things you eat while you are in a group and not cleaning or spiting nose while you are in close juxtaposition with people eating. It is very important to wash hands before and after eating and recite Bismillāh when embarking upon the journey to eat and drink that too with your right hand. When a guest has come we should greet and treat him well together by offering food and other necessary things. In case there is a need for more food, we should not feel reluctant in offering it.Self-effacementor humbleness is what our religion imparts us. It is better to eat in unassuming nature and not to lean against something in the big headed manner when eating. There is more Barkat when we eat and dine together. The basic goalmouth of Islamic education is to develop good manners in us so that they will reflect in our interactions and behaviour at both micro (household) as well as macro level (society).
Jihad in Islam is beyond what is seen and observed. It is not just a religious war. It is comprehensive and not limited to the physical performance of a spiritual battle and rituals only. It embraces all features of religious zeal, faith, right action, right belief, and right feeling. The different facets of Jihad are better explained in our holy book Quran which is a complete package for a complete way of life. It enables and empowers a man to understand his Creator in the proper sense and supports him to identify the ways and paths of his Creator in the cosmos.
In addition, it facilitates us to walk around the earth and explore its resources in order to meet the needs of the present generation without compromising the needs of future generation and reinforces conviction. Once we understand the nature and significance of Jihad, we can do justice with our way of living in general and manners in particular. It is very important for every Muslim to have his fundamentals of Islam clear for they are the key to success here and hereafter. The holy month of Ramadan is a welcome step or an opportunity for a Muslim to develop his Islamic fundamentals and mend his behaviour and Aadaab, eating in particular, in the right manner. By way of fasting during the month of Ramadan, we Muslims control our Nafs and at the same time develop good eating habits.
Binish Qadri is an ICSSR Doctoral Fellow at the Department of Economics, Central University of Kashmir and Guest Faculty, NIFT, Srinagar.
Source: Kashmir Reader
URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-society/etiquettes-islamic-life-background-illumination/d/118991
https://kashmirreader.com/2019/06/10/the-etiquettes-aadaab-of-eating-in-islam/