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Utensils used at time of Prophet, sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam

Question

What kind of utensils were used in the era of Prophet Muhammad, sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam? Did they use ceramic ware?

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.

The utensils used during the lifetime of the Prophet  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allaah exalt his mention ) were made of diverse materials such as wood, stone, copper, silver, or other materials. The usage of a number of such utensils has been authentically mentioned in ahaadeeth, some of which are the following:

- It has been narrated that 'Aa'ishah  may  Allaah  be  pleased  with  her said, "The Messenger of Allaah  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allaah exalt his mention ) entered upon me when the meat was boiling in the mirjal..." [Ahmad]

The Arabic word 'mirjal' means cauldron or cooking pot made of stone or copper; it is also said that marjal is a pot made of copper only.

- It has been reported that 'Aa'ishah  may  Allaah  be  pleased  with  her said, "If any member of the family of the Messenger of Allaah  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allaah exalt his mention ) was sick, the burmah (earthenware pot) would remain on the fire until one of two things happened; either the person recovered or he died." [Ibn Maajah]

The Arabic word 'burmah' means an earthenware pot made of stone.

- Ibn ʻAbbaas  may  Allaah  be  pleased  with  him narrated, "A man from Banu Sahm set out with Tameem Ad-Daari and ʻAdiyy ibn Baddaa'. The man from Sahm died in a land in which there were no Muslims. When they arrived with what he left behind, they were missing a jaamm (bowl) made of silver which was inlaid with gold..." [Al-Bukhari]

These were examples of the utensils used during the lifetime of the Prophet  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allaah exalt his mention ).

Among the ceramic ware used then was the 'mirkan', which is a ceramic washtub in which the Prophet  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allaah exalt his mention ) took baths with some of his wives, as was established in the hadeeth cited by Al-Bukhari  may  Allaah  have  mercy  upon  him.

Allaah knows best.

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