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Licking the fingers after eating

Question

Assalamualykum
Could you please advice about sucking of fingers after eating food.Is it sunnah?Can suck fingers during eating?or it is after finishing eating.pls advice
Regards
Khan kangazha

Answer

All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allaah exalt his mention ) is His slave and Messenger.

It is a Sunnah to lick the fingers after eating food. Ibn Al-Qayyim  may  Allaah  have  mercy  upon  him while clarifying the guidance of the Prophet  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allaah exalt his mention ) (when eating food), said: “After finishing eating food, he [Prophet] used to lick his fingers.” Moreover, Anas  may  Allaah  be  pleased  with  him narrated that the Prophet  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allaah exalt his mention ) used to lick his three fingers when he finishes eating food. [Muslim]

However, one should avoid doing this while eating food as this is improper in general. As-Saffaareeni  may  Allaah  have  mercy  upon  him from the Hanbali School of jurisprudence, said: “The dislikeability of the ignorant people for licking fingers due to them seeing it as a dirty act should not be taken into account. It is true that if this happens while one is eating, then one should avoid doing so, because if this is the case he puts again his fingers in the food while his saliva is on them.

For more benefit about the etiquettes of eating, please refer to Fatwa 116244.

Allaah Knows best.

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