I would like to know more about what our Prophet Mohammed PBUH sunnah foods were…from which vegetables, fruits, meats, drinks, etc…
I wanted say a big Jazakallah Khair for all the hard work everyone is doing with Mufti Ebrahim, answering everyone’s questions and guiding the ummah on straight path.
In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
As-salāmu ‘alaykum wa-rahmatullāhi wa-barakātuh.
Below is a listing of some foods that Rasulullah (salallahu alayhi wa sallam) is reported to have eaten or recommended to others. [i]
A more comprehensive list along with further details is mentioned in the 1st volume of Shamail-e-Kubra (written in Urdu) by Mufti Muhammad Irshad Ahmad Qasimi from which the following list was compiled. An English translation of the above is titled: The Sublime Conduct of Nabi (salallahu alayhi wa sallam) – Volume 1.
MEAT:
Camel, chicken, rabbit, antelope, mountain goat, fish, partridge and hubara (this is a bird but there is difference of opinion regarding what type of bird it is. Some have defined it as quail, others as a type of goose, and yet others have described it as a brownish bird that flies very fast).
As for beef, there is no conclusive evidence states that Rasulullah (salallahu alayhi wa sallam) ate beef.
However, it is proven that he (salallahu alayhi wa sallam) did slaughter a cow and beef was placed on his’ (salallahu alayhi wa sallam) tablecloth as stated by Mawlana Ashraf Ali Thanvi (may Allah have mercy on him) in Bawadir un Nawadir, pg. 356.
VEGETABLES:
Pumpkin, beetroot, taro (shahmah al-ard – this is a common vegetable in India and Pakistan known alternatively as arvi or arbi), cucumber with salt, and cooked onions.
FRUIT:
Dates (either by themselves or in combination with another food or drink such as: water, milk, butter, bread, cucumber, muskmelon or watermelon).
Kabath (fruit of the arak tree). This is the miswak tree. Allamah Ayni (may Allah have mercy on him) states that this was in the initial days of Islam when poverty was rife. He (salallahu alayhi wa sallam) did not eat it after the Muslims become affluent.
Other fruits that have been reported as being eaten by Rasulullah (salallahu alayhi wa sallam) include: grapes, raisins, mulberry, quince and pomegranate.
Rasulullah (salallahu alayhi wa sallam) also recommended consuming olive oil and once he (salallahu alayhi wa sallam) was brought Jummar (palm-pith of a date tree).
DRINKS:
Among the drinks that Rasulullah (salallahu alayhi wa sallam) is reported to have consumed are: Water, honey water (honey mixed in water), milk, milk and water (this mixing is allowed for personal consumption and water is mixed because in hot climates it serves to cool the milk).
Rasulullah (salallahu alayhi wa sallam) also drank nabidh (raisins or dry dates soaked in water until the water becomes sweet – but no so long that it ferments). When made in the morning it was consumed in the evening and when made in the evening it was consumed in the morning.
GENERAL FOODS & DISHES:
Sweetmeats (halwah), honey, Harisah (made from meat and pounded wheat – resembles haleem, the popular stew), Hays (a dessert made of dates, paneer (fresh cheese) and clarified butter – sometimes flour is used instead of cheese), Khazirah (meat cooked in water to which flour or bran is added), Khabis (a dessert made of dates, wheat and clarified butter), Sawiq (a mush/porridge made of barley or wheat), Dashishah (a dish made of meat or dates that are mixed with wheat and cooked) [ii], Tharid (a dish where pieces of bread are soaked in meat and cooked with gravy), Pumpkin with Tharid, cheese, vinegar, barley-flour bread, and wheat-flour bread.
Rasulullah (salallahu alayhi wa sallam) has also recommended Talbinah (a dish made of barley flour or with bran with honey optional), saying “Talbinah soothes the heart of the sick person, and it takes away some of the grief.” [iii]
And Allah Ta’āla Knows Best
Sohail ibn Arif,
Student Darul Iftaa
Chicago, USA
Checked and Approved by,
Mufti Ebrahim Desai.
شمائل كبرى ١/ ٥٩ – ٩٧ و ١٢٣ – ١٢٧ [i]
قال ابن قتيبة: الخزيرة لحم يقطع صغاراً ويصب عليه ماء كثير فإذا نضج ذر عليه الدقيق فإن لم يكن فيها لحم [ii]
فهي عصيدة. وقال الهيثم: إذا كان من دقيق فهي حريرة، وإذا كان من نخالة فهي خزيرة. وقال ابن السكيت: الخزيرة النَّفِيتة (139) من لبن أو ماء أو دقيق يتوسع به.
(139) في (ج) “النفيئة” فهي تحريف.
المعلم بفوائد مسلم، ١/ ٤٣٧
أنها كانت إذا مات الميتُ من أهلِها، فاجتمع لذلك النساءُ، ثم تفرقن إلا أهلَها وخاصتَها، أمرت ببُرمةٍ من [iii]
تلبينةٍ فطُبختْ، ثم صُنع ثريدٌ فصبَّت التلبينة عليها، ثم قالت : كُلن منها، فإني سمعتُ رسولِ اللهِ صلَّى اللهُ عليهِ وسلَّمَ يقول : التلبينةُ مُجمةٌ لفؤادِ المريضِ، تذهب ببعضِ الحزنِ
صحيح البخاري الرقم: ٥٤١٧