I wanted to know how many times can a person eat during the whole day. In the Quran it reads “O Children of Adam! Take your adornment to every Masjid, and eat and drink, but waste not by extravagance, certainly He (Allah) likes not the wasteful” [7:31]. Also in the Hadith Imam Ahmad recorded that Al-Miqdam bin Ma`dikarib Al-Kindi said that he heard the Messenger of Allah saying, The Son of Adam will not fill a pot worse for himself than his stomach. It is enough for the Son of Adam to eat a few bites that strengthens his spine. If he likes to have more, then let him fill a third with food, a third with drink and leave a third for his breathing. An-Nasai and At-Tirmidhi collected this Hadith, At-Tirmidhi said, “Hasan or “Hasan Sahih” according to another manuscript.
So does it mean we can only eat once a day? And if we eat more than once will we be considered as the wasteful, whom Allah does not like? If that is the case what about fasting? Do we only eat during Sehri and at the time of Iftar we only eat three dates and nothing more?
I myself drink only milk mixed with honey for breakfast, then for lunch have naan with meat curry and before going to sleep have a fruit. Is this being extravagant? Will Allah dislike me because I am eating this way?.
Praise be to Allaah.
Firstly:
Extravagance is blameworthy in eating and other things. Allah
says (interpretation of the meaning):
“And eat and drink but waste
not by extravagance, certainly He (Allâh) likes not Al-Musrifûn (those who
waste by extravagance)”
[al-A‘raaf 7:31]
“And waste not by extravagance.
Verily, He likes not Al-Musrifûn (those who waste by extravagance)”
[al-An‘aam 6:141]
“And let not your hand be tied
(like a miser) to your neck, nor stretch it forth to its utmost reach (like
a spendthrift), so that you become blameworthy and in severe poverty”
[al-Isra’ 17:29]
“And give
to the kinsman his due and to the Miskîn (poor) and to the wayfarer. But
spend not wastefully (your wealth) in the manner of a spendthrift .
Verily, spendthrifts are
brothers of the Shayatîn (devils), and the Shaitân (Satan) is ever
ungrateful to his Lord”
[al-Isra’ 17:26-27].
The difference between extravagance and wasteful spending is
that extravagance means spending on something appropriate in an excessive
manner, whereas wasteful spending means spending on something that is not
appropriate. This was stated by al-Manaawi in Fayd al-Qadeer, 1/50
Secondly:
Extravagance leads overstepping the mark, which means eating
beyond the point of fullness. This is not limited to one or two or three
meals a day. A person may eat one meal a day and eat extravagantly during
that meal. Or he may eat three meals without being extravagant.
The hadeeth of al-Miqdaad encourages eating small amounts of
food and being content with that which is enough to keep one going. It does
not suggest the number of meals. These few mouthfuls may be eaten at three
times, at breakfast, lunch and dinner, and he will be eating little in these
meals. If he wants to eat more than a few mouthfuls – in his meal – he
should leave one third (of his stomach) for his food, one third for his
drink, and one third for air. If he needs another meal – as is the case for
most people – there is nothing wrong with that, but he should pay attention
to the same points noted above. The same applies if he needs to have three
or four meals. The number of meals varies from one person to another, the
type of food and the effort necessary to prepare it.
What matters is taking care of the body and not causing any
harm, whether by overeating or starving.
What also matters is eating to have strength to carry out
acts of worship, which is achieved by eating moderate amounts, not by eating
heavy amounts or going too hungry.
It says in al-Mawsoo‘ah al-Fiqhiyyah (25/332): Part of
the etiquette of eating is to be moderate in eating and not to fill the
stomach. The most that is acceptable in this regard is for the Muslim to
divide his stomach into three parts: one third for food, one third for drink
and one third for air, because of the hadeeth: “The son of Adam does not
fill any vessel worse than his stomach. It is enough for the son of Adam to
eat a few mouthfuls to keep him going, but if he must (fill his stomach),
then one third for his food, one third for his drink and one third for air.”
That will lead to a lean and light body, because eating one’s full leads to
heaviness, which makes one too lazy to do acts of worship and strive. When
we say one third of the stomach, it means limiting oneself to one third of
what one would have to eat one’s fill, and it was said that this may be done
by limiting it to one half of a mudd. But al-Nafraawi favoured the former
view, because of differences among people. All of this applies to one who
will not become weak as a result of eating less than his fill, otherwise it
is better for him to eat that which will give him energy to worship and will
be physically appropriate for him.
In al-Fataawa al-Hindiyyah it says: Eating falls into
different categories:
Obligatory – which is that which will ward off death. If a
person stops eating and drinking until he dies, then he has committed a sin.
That which is rewarded – which is what will give him more
energy so that he is able to pray standing up and makes it easy for him to
fast.
Permissible – which is more than that, to the point of eating
one’s fill, so that he will have more physical strength. There is no reward
for this and it is not regarded as sinful. He will be brought to account for
it but the reckoning will be light if the food was halaal.
Haraam – this refers to eating more than one’s fill unless
the intention is to have the strength to fast the following day or so as not
to embarrass a guest, in which case there is nothing wrong with eating more
than one’s fill.
Ibn al-Haaj said: Eating in and of itself falls into
different categories: obligatory, recommended, permissible, disliked and
forbidden.
That which is obligatory is that which will keep him going so
that he can fulfil his obligatory duties towards his Lord, because that
which is essential to doing something obligatory is also obligatory.
That which is recommended is that which will help him to do
naafil acts of worship, acquire knowledge and do other acts of obedience.
That which is permissible is that which enables one to fill
one’s stomach in the manner prescribed in sharee‘ah.
That which is disliked is that which is a little more than is
enough to fill the stomach but does not harm one.
That which is forbidden is eating a great deal that is
harmful to the body.
Al-Nawawi said: It is makrooh to eat more halaal food than is
enough to satisfy one.
The Hanbalis said: It is permissible to eat a great deal so
long as it does not harm one. In al-Ghuniyah it says: It is makrooh when
there is the fear of indigestion. It was narrated from Ibn Taymiyah that it
is makrooh to eat that which leads to indigestion; it was also narrated from
him that doing this is haraam. End quote.
Thirdly:
From the above it is clear that there is nothing wrong with
eating more than one meal a day and that that on its own is not regarded as
extravagance; rather extravagance is eating more than is enough to fill
one’s stomach even if that is in one meal.
Among the evidence that it is permissible to eat enough to
fill one’s stomch and that what is makrooh or haraam is going beyond that
limit is the report narrated by al-Bukhaari (5381) and Muslim (2040) from
Anas ibn Maalik (may Allah be pleased with him) who said: Abu Talhah said to
Umm Sulaym: I have heard the voice of the Messenger of Allaah (blessings and
peace of Allah be upon him) sounding weak, and I know that he is hungry. Do
you have anything? … This is a story of food being increased in quantity by
virtue of the supplication of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be
upon him), in which he said: “Give permission for ten to enter.” He gave
them permission and they ate until they were full, then they left. Then he
said: “Give permission for ten to enter.” He gave them permission and they
ate until they were full, then they left. Then he said: “Give permission for
ten to enter.” He gave them permission and they ate until they were full,
then they left. Then he gave permission to ten more to enter, and all the
people ate, and ate their fill, and there were eighty men.
Al-Bukhaari included this report in a chapter of his
Saheeh entitled: Chapter on one who eats his fill.
In this chapter he also narrated that ‘Aa’ishah (may Allah be
pleased with her) said: The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon
him) died when we had eaten our fill of the two black ones: dates and
water.
Al-Haafiz Ibn Hajar (may Allah have mercy on him) said: Ibn
Battaal said: From these hadeeths we see that it is permissible to eat one’s
fill, although not doing so sometimes is preferable. … al-Tabari said: But
eating one’s fill, even though it is permissible, has its limits, and
anything beyond that is extravagance. That which is permissible of it is
that which helps the eater to obey his Lord and it is heaviness does not
distract him from doing what is enjoined upon him. al-Qurtubi said in
al-Mufhim, after mentioning the story of Abu’l-Haytham, when he
slaughtered a sheep for the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon
him) and his two Companions and they ate until they were full: In (this
report) there is evidence that it is permissible to eat one’s fill, and the
reports which say that it is not allowed are to be understood as referring
to fullness that weighs heavily in the stomach and makes a person slow to do
acts of worship, and leads to feeling sleepy and lazy. The prohibition on
doing that (which is makrooh) may go so far as being haraam according to the
negative consequences that result from it.
End quote from Fath al-Baari.
Fourthly:
The way you described your breakfast, lunch and dinner is not
regarded as extravagance; rather they may be small, compared to what people
are used to. But you know yourself best and what is best suited to your
body’s needs.
And Allah knows best.
