What Islam says about Eating Too Much?

Allah says:

And eat and drink but waste not by extravagance, certainly He (Allah) likes not Al-Musrifun (those who was to by extravagance). [Qur'an (7):31]

Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that Messenger of Allah (Peace be upon him) hosted a guest who was a disbeliever. The Messenger of Allah (Peace be upon him) ordered that a sheep be milked for him and he drank it, then another and he drank it, then another, and he drank it, until he had drunk the milk of seven sheep. Then the next morning he become Muslim, and the Messenger of Allah (Peace be upon him) ordered that a sheep be milked  for him and he drank it, then he ordered that another be milked but he did not finish it. The Messenger of Allah (Peace be upon him) said:

The believers eats in one intestine and the disbeliever eats in seven. [Sahih Muslim (2063)]

Nafi said:

Ibn Umar saw a poor man and he put some food in front of him, and put more, and he started to eat a great deal. He said: 'Do not let this man enter upon me, for I heard the Messenger of Allah (Peace be upon him) say: ''The disbeliever eats in seven intestines"' [Sahih Muslim (2060), 183]

Miqdam bin Madikarib said: "I heard the Messenger of Allah (Peace be upon him) say:

A human being fills no worse vessel than his stomach. It is sufficient for a human being to eat a few mouthfuls to keep his spine straight; but if he must (fill it), then one third for food, one third for drink and one third for air. [Sunan Ibn Majah (3349)]

i)   Overeating results in food not doing digested and leaves the body without any benefit. So, one should eat only the amount that can be digested easily and benefit the body.

ii)  The purpose of eating is only to stay alive. Hence, instead of wasting time in preparing formal and delicious dishes, one should spend his time is good and useful deeds.

Atiyyah Al-Juhani said: I heard Salman when he was forced to eat food, say: 'It is sufficient for me that I heard the Messenger of Allah (Peace be upon him) said:

The people who most eat their fill in this world will be the most hungry on the Day of Resurrection. [Sunan Ibn Majah (3351)]

i)    Whosoever consumption is little, can easily bear hunger. Enduring hunger for such a person on the Day of Judgement also becomes relatively easy.

ii)  Those who have big appetites and are eager to eat much, do not think about the lawfulness or unlawfulness of the food. Consequently, they will deserve punishment on the Day of Judgement.

iii)   Belching is a sign of eating a stomach full, which is not desirable.

The wise person eats to live and does not live to eat. The best type of food is that which is there to be used, not that which is there to be served. People indulge in making all kinds of foods (during Ramadān) and treating food preparation as a virtual art form; thus housewives and servants spend all their time in preparing the food. This keeps them away from worship, and people spend more on food during Ramadān then they ordinarily do at other times. Thus the month becomes the month of indigestion, obesity and gastic illness in which people eat like gluttons and drink like thirsty camels. When they stand to pray tarawīh they do so reluctantly, and some of them leave after the first after the first two rak'ahs.

Wednesday, July 09, 2014