What are the manners of eating (ādāb al-akl) in Islam?
Al-Ghazali dedicated a book to the etiquette of food — from saying Bismillāh to refusing to eat while lying down. The classical Muslim table was a place of discipline, not indulgence.
10 passages from 8 books in the library
Al-Ghazali treated the table as a place of discipline rather than indulgence, devoting attention across the Iḥyāʾ to the manners of food. He warned that eating can hinder abundant worship by consuming time in buying, cooking and eating, and praised the detachment of one who simply eats what is present 'without thought or concern.' He records the righteous who would pray two rakʿahs of gratitude over a meal or even a sip, treating every new blessing as an occasion for worship, and held that food should be received and shared with restraint, not seized as insufficient.
Drawn from the classical sources below — in the scholars' own words.
The classical approach.
These passages are drawn from 8 books by Imam al-Ghazali — part of the classical Sunni tradition that carries over a thousand years of reflection on the Qurʾān, the authentic Sunnah, and the consensus of the early community. Nothing below is a paraphrase. The words are the scholars' own, translated from the original Arabic manuscripts.
11th–12th century · Ṭūs, Khurāsān
Reviving the inner life of Islam through the Iḥyāʾ ʿUlūm al-Dīn — one of the most influential works ever written in any religious tradition.
More on Imam al-Ghazali →
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"knowledge of the objective, and means to obtain it. Eating requires food, a source for the food,"
11th–12th century · Ṭūs, Khurāsān
Reviving the inner life of Islam through the Iḥyāʾ ʿUlūm al-Dīn — one of the most influential works ever written in any religious tradition.
More on Imam al-Ghazali →
· Provenance →
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"Eating can hinder abundant worship as it requires time for eating, buying, and cooking food,"
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"one-third for food was advanced. Whenever food is present to me, I eat it without thought or concern."
11th–12th century · Ṭūs, Khurāsān
Reviving the inner life of Islam through the Iḥyāʾ ʿUlūm al-Dīn — one of the most influential works ever written in any religious tradition.
More on Imam al-Ghazali →
· Provenance →
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"Food can only be sold for non-food items in immediate exchanges and for the same food"
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"If the seller explicitly says, eat this food and then compensate me for it, eating is permissible,"
11th–12th century · Ṭūs, Khurāsān
Reviving the inner life of Islam through the Iḥyāʾ ʿUlūm al-Dīn — one of the most influential works ever written in any religious tradition.
More on Imam al-Ghazali →
· Provenance →
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"Some of the righteous would pray two rakahs upon eating a meal or drinking a sip, and so on, with every new action."
11th–12th century · Ṭūs, Khurāsān
Reviving the inner life of Islam through the Iḥyāʾ ʿUlūm al-Dīn — one of the most influential works ever written in any religious tradition.
More on Imam al-Ghazali →
· Provenance →
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"When they asked for food, she offered the sheep itself. They slaughtered it. She prepared a meal and they ate"
11th–12th century · Ṭūs, Khurāsān
Reviving the inner life of Islam through the Iḥyāʾ ʿUlūm al-Dīn — one of the most influential works ever written in any religious tradition.
More on Imam al-Ghazali →
· Provenance →
-
"Two, she becomes upset with the food and insists on eating alone, holding her share as insufficient."
11th–12th century · Ṭūs, Khurāsān
Reviving the inner life of Islam through the Iḥyāʾ ʿUlūm al-Dīn — one of the most influential works ever written in any religious tradition.
More on Imam al-Ghazali →
· Provenance →
-
"for food and will be given food that chokes them. They will remember how they used to relieve chokes"
11th–12th century · Ṭūs, Khurāsān
Reviving the inner life of Islam through the Iḥyāʾ ʿUlūm al-Dīn — one of the most influential works ever written in any religious tradition.
More on Imam al-Ghazali →
· Provenance →
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"table, and began eating. When al-Thawri returned and saw them, he said, You have reminded me of"
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