Eating is one of the most repeated acts of our day. The Prophet ﷺ turned it into worship by teaching us to begin in the name of Allah and end in praise of Him. The dua before eating is one of the easiest Sunnahs to revive — and one of the first that parents teach their children.
The dua before eating
بِسْمِ اللَّهِ
Bismillah.
In the name of Allah.
(Sunan Abi Dawud 3767 — narrated by Aisha (RA), graded Sahih by Al-Albani)
If you forgot to say Bismillah
The Prophet ﷺ also taught a short correction for whoever begins eating and only remembers Allah halfway through:
بِسْمِ اللَّهِ فِي أَوَّلِهِ وَآخِرِهِ
Bismillahi fi awwalihi wa akhirihi.
In the name of Allah at its beginning and at its end.
(Sunan Abi Dawud 3767, Sunan al-Tirmidhi 1858)
The story behind the dua
Aisha (RA) reported that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: 'When 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: In the name of Allah at its beginning and at its end.' The wisdom is striking — even our forgetfulness is given a path back to Allah's mention.
Sunnahs of eating
- Wash your hands before and after eating.
- Sit on the floor where possible and eat from the side of the plate nearest to you.
- Eat with the right hand.
- Begin with 'Bismillah' and finish with 'Alhamdulillah'.
- Avoid criticising food — if you like it, eat it; if not, leave it.
Hadith reference
Reported by Aisha (RA) and recorded in Sunan Abi Dawud (3767) and Jami at-Tirmidhi (1858). Both are graded as authentic by major hadith scholars including Al-Albani.