Eating, Drinking & Hosting

If You Forget to Say Bismillah at the Beginning

Repetition guidance: 1x

بِسْمِ اللّٰهِ أَوَّلَهُ وَآخِرَهُ.

Transliteration

Bismi-llāhi awwalahū wa ākhirah.

Translation

In the Name of Allah at the beginning and at the end of it.

Virtue and context

Aishah (raḍiy Allāhu ʿanha) narrated that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ instructed people to mention Allah’s name when eating. If someone forgets at the beginning, the Prophet ﷺ taught them to mention Allah’s name for both the beginning and the end of the meal. Umayyah reported that the Prophet ﷺ once watched a man eat without mentioning Allah until only one morsel remained. When the man finally recited the displayed words, the Prophet ﷺ smiled and explained that Shaytan had been eating with him, but had vomited what was in his stomach when Allah’s name was mentioned.

Sources

Sunan Abi Dawud 3767 on Sunnah.com
Jami at-Tirmidhi 1858 on Sunnah.com
Sunan Abi Dawud 3768 on Sunnah.com