Etiquette of Eating in Islam

After Finishing the Meal
Imam al-Reza (a.s) said: " After you finish eating, lay on your back and put your right leg on the left one." (Reference: Al-Wasa`il, from the book of foods and drinks)
Imam `Ali (a.s) said: " Eat what falls off the table for it is, by God's leave, a remedy for every malady to whoso wants to use it (as a remedy)." (Reference: Al-Wasa`il, from the book of foods and drinks)
Al-Hasan Bin Mo`awiya reported on the authority of his father: " We had a meal at Imam al-Sadiq's (a.s) place. When the table was lifted, he picked up what fell off it and ate it and said, 'It keeps away poverty and increases offsprings'. (Reference: Al-Wasa`il, from the book of foods and drinks)
The Prophet (s.a.w) said: " Eating a piece of bread after coming across it is counted as a single righteous deed; and washing a piece of bread and lifting it from dirt, is counted as seventy righteous deeds." (Reference: Al-Wasa`il, from the book of foods and drinks)
Imam al-Reza (a.s) said: " He who eats something inside of his house and some of it falls off, let him pick it up; and he who eats something in the desert or outdoors, let him leave it for the birds and the wild animals." (Reference: Al-Wasa`il, from the book of foods and drinks)
The Prophet (s.a.w) said: " He who traces what falls off his table and eats it, will have poverty deport him, his offsprings and the offsprings of his offsprings until the seventh (generation)." (Reference: Al-Wasa`il, from the book of foods and drinks)
The Prophet (s.a.w) said: " What falls off the table is the wide-eyed houris' dowries." (Reference: Al-Wasa`il, from the book of foods and drinks)
The Prophet (s.a.w) said: "Indeed; the guest has a right to be treated hospitably and for toothpicks to be prepared for him." (Reference: Al-Wasa`il, from the book of foods and drinks)
On the authority of Imam al-Sadiq (a.s): " As for what is in the gum, eat it and swallow it; and as for what is in between the teeth, throw it away." (Reference: Al-Wasa`il, from the book of foods and drinks)
The companions of Imam Ali (a.s) reported that:" Ameer al-Momineen (a nickname of his) used to command us when we cleaned in between the teeth, not to drink water until we had rinsed our mouths thrice." (Reference: Makarim al-Akhlaq)

Valuing Bread
On the authority of Imam al-Sadiq (a.s): " Treat bread with dignity, for Almighty Allah sent it down from the blessings of heaven." Someone asked: " How is that done?" Imam al-Sadiq replied: " By starting eating as soon as it is put on the table. Were it not for bread, we would not (be able to) pray nor fast nor perform the duties imposed by Allah."
The Messenger (s.a.w) said: " Be careful not to smell bread as predators do, because bread is blessed; Allah poured out rain from the sky in abundance for its sake; He made pasturage grow for its sake; and by it you prayed, fasted and made the pilgrimage to your Lord's house (Kaaba). (Reference: Al-Wasa`il, from the book of foods and drinks)
The Messenger (s.a.w) said: " When you are offered bread and meat, start with the bread and ally the hunger, then eat the meat." (Reference: Al-Wasa`il, from the book of foods and drinks)
Imam al-Reza (a.s) said: " Do not cut bread with the (steal) knife, but rather break it with the hand, be different from the Non-Arabs." (Reference: Al-Wasa`il, from the book of foods and drinks)
The Messenger (s.a.w) said: " Make your loaves small, because with every loaf there comes a blessing." (Reference: Al-Wasa`il, from the book of foods and drinks)

Preferring some Foods over Others
Imam al-Sadiq (a.s) said: " Noah complained to his Lord of being distressed, so Allah inspired him to; eat grapes for it takes away distress.
Another narration cites 'black grapes' instead. (Reference: Al-Jawahir al-Assaniyya Fi al-Ahadith al-Qodsiyya)
The Prophet (s.a.w) said: " Those who eat the bone marrow are the evil ones of my (Muslim) community." (Reference: Tib al-Nabiy)
The Prophet (s.a.w) said: " (eating) Meat make the flesh grow; and he who omits eating it for forty days will have his body condition deteriorate." (Tib al-Nabiy)
The Prophet (s.a.w) said: " Whosoever eats fruit one by one, won't be harmed by it." {Eating fruit one by one does not bring harm}. (Reference: Al-Wasa`il, from the book of foods and drinks)
The Prophet (s.a.w) said: " Whosoever wants to memorize things well, let him eat honey." {Eating honey helps the memory}.
The Prophet (s.a.w) said: " Do have fruit at the beginning of their season, because they make the body sound and put away sadness; and discard them at the end of their season, for they make the body ill."
The Prophet (s.a.w) said: " Do have pomegranate and eat its pulp, for it tans the stomach; and no seed falls into the belly of anyone of you but it enlightens his heart and keeps him away from the Devil and the wicked thoughts for forty days."
The Prophet (s.a.w) said: " Eat grapes seed by seed, because it is more beneficial (healthful)."
The Prophet (s.a.w) said: " Whosoever eats a pomegranate until he finishes it, will have Allah enlighten his heart for forty days." (Tib al-Nabiy)

The Table's Etiquette
The Prophet (s.a.w) said: " There are twelve qualities regarding the table a Muslim must learn; four of them are obligatory, four of them are customary and four of them are good manners. As for the obligatory, they are: Knowing what is being eaten, pronouncing the name of God (by saying 'Bismillah'), thankfulness and content. The customary ones are: Sitting on the left leg, eating with three fingers, eating from what is next to you and sucking the fingers. The good manners are: Taking smaller bites, chewing hard, minimal looking at other people's faces and washing the hands." (Reference: Al-Khisal)
The Prophet (s.a.w) prohibited eating while in a state of major ritual impurity (jonaba), and said it cause poverty. (Reference: Man-la- yahdhoroho al-Faqeeh P.4, pp.4)
The Prophet (s.a.w) prohibited eating with the left hand and eating while reclining. (Reference: Man-la- yahdhoroho al-Faqeeh P.4, pp.4)
The Prophet (s.a.w) prohibited blowing on foods or beverages or blowing on the prostration site.
The Prophet (s.a.w) said: " Eat when you feel the appetite, and stop eating when you still feel the appetite." (Reference:Tib al-Nabiy-Prophetic Medicine)
The Prophet (s.a.w) said: " A meal most shared is a meal most liked by Allah." {The meal Allah likes most is the one shared by many hands}. (Reference:Tib al-Nabiy)
The Prophet (s.a.w) said: " Eating with one finger is the way Satan eats; eating with two fingers is the way tyrants eat; and eating with three fingers is the way prophets eat." (Reference:Tib al-Nabiy)
The Prophet (s.a.w) said: " Cool the meal off, because the hot meal lacks the blessing (it does not ally hunger)." (Reference:Tib al-Nabiy)
The Prophet (s.a.w) said: " Take off your sandals when you are eating because it is more comfortable to your feet and also it is a nice custom." (Reference:Tib al-Nabiy)
The Prophet (s.a.w) said: " Eating with the servants is modesty; and Paradise longs for whosoever eats with them." (Reference:Tib al-Nabiy)
The Prophet (s.a.w) said: " Eating in the market place is lowly." (Reference:Tib al-Nabiy)
The Prophet (s.a.w) said: " When the table is put down, let each of you eat from what is next to him, and let him not start with the meal's summit, because the blessing comes through the table's highest portion; and let no one of you rise or take his hand off even if he is sated until the others have taken their hands off, because it embarrasses the table companions." {Eat from what is next to you; don't start from the summit; don't stop eating until others have done so}. (Reference:Tib al-Nabiy)
The Prophet (s.a.w) said: " The blessing lies in the centre of the meal, so start eating from the brim on, not the reverse." (Reference:Tib al-Nabiy)
The Prophet (s.a.w) said: " The bowl asks for God's forgiveness for the one who licks it out." (Reference:Tib al-Nabiy)
The Prophet (s.a.w) said: " Eat in a group not individually for the blessing is with the group." (Tib al-Nabiy)
The Prophet (s.a.w) said: " Bread is the best of all food, and grapes is the best of all fruit." (Tib al-Nabiy)
The Prophet (s.a.w) said: " Three bites with salt taken before the meal turn away from the son of Adam seventy-two kinds of affliction including madness and leprosy (in all its forms)." (Tib al-Nabiy)

Overeating
Imam al-Sadiq (a.s) said: " Three things cause Allah's hatred: Sleeping without sleeplessness, laughing without wonder (a cause), and eating on fullness." (Reference: Al-Khisal V.! pp.89)
Johayfa said: " I visited the Messenger of Allah (PBUH&HH) and I was belching. So, he said: ' O, Johayfa! Put down your belching! The more sated man is in this world, the longest his hunger will last on the Day of Resurrection'. (Reference: Makarim al-Akhlaq)
Imam al-Sadiq (a.s) said: " It is inescapable that man eats a meal to maintain his strength. So, when you eat, leave a third of your stomach for food, a third for drink and a third for air; and do not become fat as hogs fattened for slaughter." (Reference: Al-Wasa`il, from the book of foods and drinks)
Pronouncing Allah's name before, and thanking Him after the meal.
Imam al-Sadiq (a.s) said: " When the messengers (angels) came to Abraham (a.s), he brought them the (roasted) calf and said: 'Go ahead and eat'. They said: 'We won't eat until you tell us what is its price!' He said: 'When you start eating say; In Allah's name (Arabic, Bismillah), and when you finish say; Praise be to Allah (Arabic, Alhamdo lillah)'. (Reference: Al-Wasa`il, from the book of foods and drinks)
According to Imam al-Sadiq (a.s), about pronouncing Allah's name upon eating, I (anonymous) said: " What if I forgot to pronounce Allah's name?" He (Imam al-Sadiq) said: " You say; In the name of Allah (Bismillah) upon its beginning and its end." (Reference: Al-Wasa`il, from the book of foods and drinks)
Imam al-Sadiq (a.s) said: " When the table is set and one of you pronounces Allah's name (before starting to eat), it would serve instead of all of them doing it." (Reference: Al-Wasa`il, from the book of foods and drinks)
I complained to Imam al-Sadiq (a.s) about the pain I am having when I eat. He said: " Do you pronounce Allah's name upon eating? I said: " I surely do, and it still hurts. He said: " When you interrupt pronouncing Allah's name by speaking, do you do it upon resuming eating? I said: " No." He said: " This is why; had you pronounced Allah's name upon resuming eating, it wouldn't have hurt you." (Reference: Al-Wasa`il, from the book of foods and drinks)