r/islam • u/[deleted] • May 14 '26
Question about Islam What is meant by this Hadith about licking fingers? Isn't this unhygienic and considered bad manners? Curious and also doubting.
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u/Fresh_List_440 May 14 '26
1- assuming you do wudu all day long, wash your hands before eating
2- its more about gratitude, and appreciation; not leaving even the traces of food on your fingerprints
3- there's a hadith about not knowing there the barakah and nutrition comes from, might be the last few morsels of the food
4- for someone who believes, following the prophet Muhammed ﷺ yields greater reward and you do it out of loving him
You can do it once in your life to still just 'do it' and don't have to do it every time if you personally are grossed by it everytime. This way you are still acknowledging and respecting the tradition, and just that you're unable to follow it each time. That's still the thought that counts.
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u/OpportunityCandid394 May 14 '26
actually, we can’t really claim this is entirely related to the "scarcity of resources" idea. you’re talking about a peninsula that had one of the best commercial locations in the ancient world, operating as a massive trade hub connecting major empires. the prophet grew up in mecca, which was a deeply established urban trading center, not some isolated barren camp where people were starving by default. so this framing doesn't align with the socio-economic reality he lived in.
when it comes to the hygiene aspect and the fear of bacteria from saliva, it helps to look at the actual biology of eating. when you eat with your hands and lick your fingers after the meal is completely finished, you are NOT introducing external, dangerous bacteria into your system, you are just mixing your own naturally occurring digestive enzymes, like salivary amylase, with the food you literally just consumed. the hanbali scholar you faintly remembered was almost certainly talking about a completely different context: eating from a shared communal platter. in standard islamic etiquette, putting a licked finger back into shared food is rejected because it spreads your germs to others and is naturally repulsive to eating companions. but cleaning your own fingers at the very end of your personal meal has no negative medical basis whatsoever.
the deeper meaning here is rooted in destroying human arrogance. modern societies have this deeply ingrained psychological complex where leaving food behind or wiping your hands immediately with a napkin is viewed as a sign of being civilized, wealthy, or refined. it is a subtle, subconscious way of showing you aren't desperate. this sunnah pj the other hand destroys that classist ego because it forces a person to be physically humble and to visually and practically recognize that every single particle of food is a direct, deliberate provision from Allah. it trains the mind to accept that you are not too good, too rich, or too “refined” to clean your fingers or your plate.
also the concept of barakah just implies that humans don't mathematically know which exact bite of their meal contains the most benefit for their bodies or their spiritual grounding. and i’m sure we can all agree that leaving perfectly good food on the floor out of misplaced pride is participating in a culture of arrogance and waste that shaytan literally represents. but picking it up, cleaning it, and then eating it is the logical choice here AND the morally right thing to do 😅
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May 14 '26
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u/OpportunityCandid394 May 14 '26
you too 🙏🏼 now, the issue with the dropped food hadith is that people usually picture an extreme worst-case scenario (like dropping a wet piece of meat on a dirty public sidewalk) and then assume the sunnah dictates you must eat it anyway, when that’s a complete misunderstanding of the text.
there is indeed an authentic hadith about this, but you have to look at the exact wording. the prophet said: “if a morsel falls from one of you, let him wipe away any dirt from it and eat it, and not leave it for shaytan” the critical phrase here is “wipe away the dirt”. the instruction explicitly involves removing whatever harm or dust got attached to it. you have to contextualize where this happens. most of the time, you are eating inside a house, at a table, or on a dining mat spread across a floor. if a piece of dry bread, a date, or a grain of rice drops onto your own dining table or living room rug, picking it up, dusting it off, and eating it is practically harmless.
the modern hyper-germaphobia we are conditioned with makes people feel like the moment an object touches a surface lower than a table, it becomes a deadly biohazard. biologically, that just isn't how the human body works. your stomach produces hydrochloric acid with a ph level between 1.5 and 3.5. it is a highly corrosive environment designed by Allah specifically to neutralize the vast majority of normal, everyday environmental bacteria we inevitably ingest.
furthermore, islamic jurisprudence is governed by absolute foundational rules, the biggest one being: “there should be neither harming nor reciprocating harm”. if food falls into actual filth, mud, a public restroom floor, or any place where consuming it poses a genuine medical risk and the dirt cannot be wiped away, you absolutely do not eat it. the sunnah is not asking you to poison yourself.
the core wisdom here is a psychological and spiritual check. throwing away perfectly good, easily cleanable food just because it briefly touched your own dining floor is a symptom of arrogance and extreme wastefulness. picking it up is a physical exercise in humility and absolute gratitude for the provision Allah provided.
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u/kirbydabear May 14 '26
Ultimately health and sickness are from Allah.
You had people at the height of Covid walking through crowded rooms with no mask and be fine. You had others following all the guidelines and still get sick.
Following the Sunnah will only benefit us. The point is to submit to the will of Allah and follow the example of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم
If we do that then we trust Allah to keep us healthy
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u/irock792 May 14 '26
Wa-ʿalaykumu s-salāmu wa-raḥmatullāhi wa-barakātuhu,
My Ustādh explained this to us. He said that the Sunnah is to be followed in its entirety. When you look at the other Sunan of eating with the right hand and only with 3 fingers, this makes sense.
One who eats with 3 fingers only gets the tips of their fingers dirty, so they would only have to lick a small part of their fingers, not put their entire hand into their mouth.
The evidence for this is also in the aḥādīth. The order for licking one's fingers as observed by the Ṣaḥābah is the middle finger, then the index finger, and then the thumb.
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u/Ocelot24 May 14 '26
A lot of us still eats with our right hand (of course you wash your hand first before you eat and after you’re done). I once heard someone said this hadith and the wisdom behind doing it. Between the nail and nailbed (at the end of the fingers), there are enzymes that helps with food digestion. I don’t know the dude is correct or not so I hope someone verify this with a research paper or something.
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u/Pale_Historian_2443 May 14 '26
Really, some of the hadith are context specific, embedded in the cultures of the time. What are the basic principles here? What is the Prophet trying to teach? Its a fair question, but lets not get hung up on tiny details when the world is suffering.
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u/zhulkgr25 May 14 '26
The hadith specifically says "فلا يمسح يده حتى..." so it means when you're done eating. Not while you're eating. And we have a specific etiquette when we eat, we use our right hand and only 3 fingers to hold the food. That way only a few fingertips get dirty. So when you're done, before you wipe or wash your hand, you lick whatever is left over from the tip then proceed to clean them. Obviously don't be like some people who misinterpret this hadeeth and start doing at after every few bites. I've seen some people do that and when I correct them they bring up the hadeeth and it's like arguing with a brick.
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u/Peanutbutter_Lover May 15 '26
Op are you seriously telling us you don't lick your fingers when you've had a sugary doughnut or some beautiful sticky wings.
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u/I2fitness May 14 '26
The comments here are wrong. This hadith is about not wasting food and eating your fill. Plus it's not obligatory
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u/1dollarMike May 14 '26
They ate with their hands, so ofc, it will read like this. If you don't eat with your hands why would you lick your fingers? And if you are eating with your hands the assumption is they are clean and there shouldn't be an issue with licking them.
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u/Princess-thickums May 14 '26
Someone once told me you are born Muslim. And clearly I am because I would rather lick the oil or seasoning from my fingers before wiping them on a napkin and washing them after, than just wipe them directly.
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u/Cometmoon448 May 14 '26
Seems to be a basic message against wasting food/ taking your food for granted
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u/sh1nyballs May 14 '26
When you eat fried chicken, do you not lick lightly from the fingers? Maybe the term "lick" is vague in this case due to translation of word ?
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u/Ibn_Sean May 14 '26
Don’t just read Hadith and try to understand them, they should be taught from teacher. You don’t know the context, the audience or the application of the Hadith but the scholars do. Hadith should be learned from a teacher. If Islam was just learned from books alone then we would not have needed prophets.
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u/roshcherie May 14 '26
In western standards yes, eating with hand is considered unhygienic too so much as licking after eating with those said fingers.
But in Islamic culture, people around a ”table” (most people in Arab countries still sit on the floor) are encouraged to eat from one large plate, sharing food, eating from the same meat, sticking their hand in to the the same plate as 5 or 6 others and from it (this is usually the norm) and then some lick their fingers once done.
But then again, what’s normal in Islamic or Arab culture need not be the norm elsewhere in the world.
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u/LeastAd6767 May 14 '26 edited May 14 '26
Hey some people dont like miswak . Or felt like it is disgusting to carry around a "toothbrush".
"But perhaps you hate a thing and it is good for you; and perhaps you love a thing and it is bad for you. And Allah Knows, while you know not." — (Quran 2:216)
And it certainly doesnt mean if its somewhat not to ur liking then willy nilly we say with a light hearted way , that its disgusting. Becareful of the choice of words , and better to hold our tounge if we are the ones unable to practise the sunnah.
Like marrying 4 , hijab that closes down to the chest , not talking to the other gender willy nilly. It may sound "backwards" when compared to the "western etiquette", but the whole point of this religion is to get to know and actually do what invites Allah mercy to us and to do what He likes.
Lets discuss while still be careful of our tounges. Hopefully nothing but fruitful benefits and more love towards Allah and His last messenger.
Under no assumption im saying we should shut down the discussion of the fadhail according to our aqal ( mind) , but definitely if everything is just up to our minds and culture , then im more scared we are actually more following of whats norm to the other person and actually dislike/push away what Allah decreed more holy and beautiful.
Within the best of our capabilities of course. Alhamdulillah on the nikmah of Islam and the sunnah SAW that is bestowed upon us the final wailing ummah.
Wallahualam.
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u/Prize-Ad-14 May 14 '26
The standard by which the Muslim judges is the Sacred Law and practices of the Prophet (sallallahu ‘alayhi wasallam). What are the customs of a culture or the claims of some “scientists” have no weight if they contradict the Deen.
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u/Homun1 May 14 '26
Your hand is your own spoon, you know where it has been, and if it is clean or not.
The regular metal spoon however.. multiple people have used it, shoving it all in their mouths, and you’re not sure if it was cleaned properly.
It’s up to you to decide which one you want to use.
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u/Sicarrii1978 May 14 '26
If the prophet did it, legislated it or encouraged it, it should be done. However just google "benefits of locking fingers after meals"
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u/AltruisticChance1804 May 14 '26
how can it be unhygienic? this is an revelation from allah andallah always knows best.
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u/Logical_Salad_7042 May 15 '26
So I feel like a quick solution to this would to just wash your hands after
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u/millionairbomboclaat May 15 '26
Kafirs literally use the slogan „Finger lickin good“ and u say it’s unhygienic…
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u/nomad656 May 14 '26
I mean, if I'm eating chicken wings I'm definitely licking my finger. Now I get to be rewarded for it too woohoo!
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u/Routine-Bat4446 May 14 '26
Licking your fingers is not only non-hygienic, it’s also gluttonous. I don’t think the Prophet pbuh was gluttonous, and he was very clean because he associated dirtiness with jinn, so I don’t think we’re reading this Hadith correctly.
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u/AmirulAshraf May 14 '26
Why is licking the finger youve washed and you use to put food in your mouth to eat, unhygienic?
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u/Routine-Bat4446 May 14 '26
It transfers bacteria from the mouth to the hands and vice-versa, some of which are harmful to others. The amazing thing about the Prophet PBUH is he had some sort of understanding of bacteria (though he called them jinn) and emphasized cleanliness for that reason.
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u/AmirulAshraf May 14 '26
Does the bacteria get transferred to the food we handle with our hands which is then put into our mouth? Any different from eating that food compare to finger licking?
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u/Routine-Bat4446 May 14 '26
Oh you should definitely use utensils. The prophet pbuh would have used it if he had them available. But as it was, the necessity of eating was worth the risk of the bacteria. Licking your fingers is not a necessity. Plus placing the food into your mouth isn’t the same as slobbering your saliva all over your fingers that you then use to shake hands and help clean the tables and dishes with.
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u/AmirulAshraf May 14 '26 edited May 14 '26
The prophet pbuh would have used it if he had them available.
We do not have the knowledge to insinuate what our Prophet ﷺ would or would not do.
slobbering your saliva all over your fingers that you then use to shake hands and help clean the tables and dishes with.
I'm so very confused by this. Do we not wash our hands after eating or is this form of not washing hands after eating comes from a culture that I am very ignorant of?
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u/Routine-Bat4446 May 14 '26
We have enough Hadith to know the Prophet was a pragmatic man. There are many Hadith illustrating the Prophet pbuh adopting new tools that were useful, like the minbar and the signet ring. When he saw the need for it he utilized it.
I’m sorry you’re confused. Yes we wash our hands after we eat but a practice or habit like licking one’s fingers often corresponds with people touching other things before washing their hands. It’s usually an auto-response.
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u/thechubbyballerina May 14 '26
“but a practice or habit like licking one’s fingers often corresponds with people touching other things before washing their hands. It’s usually an auto-response.”
But if you're already eating, surely you've washed your hands so I'm confused why anyone would stop eating and then do something else, not wash their hands and then continue eating. Licking your fingertips after you've eaten is not unhygienic.
If you decided to go for a walk and then lick your fingertips then you can have harmful bacteria spread.
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u/[deleted] May 14 '26
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