Licking the fingers after eating
Question:-
Which is the correct sunnah way to clean the fingers..does a person just lick the finger, or place the finger in the mouth and suck the fingers?
Answer:-
It is recorded in the Hadith:
كان رسول الله صلي الله عليه وسلم يأكل بأصابعه الثلاث ويلعقهن (رواه الترمذي)
Ka’ab bin Maalik Radiallahu Anhu narrates, “Rasulullah Salallahu Alaihi Wasallam used to eat with his three fingers, and he used to lick them”.
It is recorded in another narration narrated by Ka’ab Bin Maalik Radiallahu Anhu that Rasulullah Salallahu Alaihi Wasallam would lick his fingers thrice. [Tirmidhi]
After eating, licking the fingers is Mustahab before washing the hands. According to some authorities, due to this narration, it is Mustahab to lick the fingers thrice. Mullah Ali Qari Rahimahullah says three times is not meant here, but that three fingers should be licked, as will be stated in another Hadith
The above-mentioned Hadith of Hadrat Ka’ab Radiallahu Anhu is also mentioned in this chapter. Some commentators of Hadith say that it is a separate etiquette to lick the fingers thrice, so that it becomes completely clean, and in another Hadith where three fingers are mentioned, is also one of the etiquettes.
Further, Hadrat Sheikh-ul-Hadith Maulana Muhammad Zakariyyah Saheb Rahimahullah explains, “It is recorded in some narrations that Rasulullah Salallahu Alaihi Wasallam would first lick the middle finger, then the Shahaadah finger, then the thumb. He further states, “It was the noble habit of my master to use these three fingers (to eat). The Ulama have mentioned many benefits in adopting this method (sequence).”
The first is that the licking of the fingers will run in a manner where it goes to the right. The Shahaadah finger will be on the right of the middle finger. The second is that the middle finger is long, therefore it will be more contaminated. Thus, it is appropriate to begin with this finger. Khattaabi Rahimahullah says, ‘Some foolish people do not like to lick the fingers and think it disgraceful. They do not reason that the food on the finger is what they have been eating, there is nothing new on it’. Hafez Ibn Hajar Rahimahullah says: ‘If someone thinks of his own deed as disgraceful, it could be discussed. But to think of any act of Sayyidina Rasulullah Salallahu Alaihi Wasallam as disgraceful, could be dangerous and may even lead to Kufr. [Jam’ul Wasaa-il].
Indeed, these things have a lot to do with habit. If one has a habit of something, it does not matter, and one will not even take notice of it. That is why if one naturally feels these deeds to be disgraceful, then too one should try to form a habit of it, (and should remind oneself that it is a Sunnah of Sayyidina Rasulullah Salallahu Alaihi Wasallam.
Once when this humble servant went to Hijaaz (Saudi Arabia), a few who had not been to India asked me surprisingly and with great astonishment, that we hear that there is a fruit in India known as the Mango. We hear such disgusting things about it, that it surprises us. It is put to the mouth and sucked, it is removed then put to the mouth again and sucked again, it is again removed looked at, and sucked again. They were describing it with such disgust that it seemed they were about to vomit. An Indian will not feel anything disgusting about it. There are many such examples. One takes a spoonful of custard and puts it into the mouth, then puts the same spoon which has some saliva on it, into the plate again, eating from it a second and third time. There are countless other instances where a person is accustomed to a certain way and manner and does not consider it disgusting. [Re: Shamaa’il Tirmidhi with commentary Khasaa-il Nabawi Pg:158]
ALLAH TA’ALA KNOWS BEST!
ANSWERED BY:
Maulana Ahmed Saeed
Date: 01 Rajab 1445 / 13 January 2024
CHECKED AND APPROVED BY:
Mufti Mohammed Desai Saheb