Mishkat al-Masabih

Abu Sa'id al-Khudri said God’s messenger forbade the ikhtibath of water-skins, adding in a version that this means having their heads inverted and then being drunk from. (Bukhari and Muslim.)

Anas said the Prophet forbade that a man should drink standing. Muslim transmitted it.

Abu Huraira reported God’s messenger as saying, "None of you must drink standing, and if anyone forgets he must vomit." Muslim transmitted it.

Ibn 'Abbas told that when he brought the Prophet a bucket of Zamzam water he drank it while standing. (Bukhari and Muslim.)

‘Ali prayed the noon prayer, then held a session to attend to the people’s needs in the open square of Kufa till the time of the afternoon prayer came. He was then brought water, drank some, washed his face and hands, the transmitter also mentioning his head and his feet, then stood up and drank what was left while standing. He then said, "Some people disapprove of drinking while standing, but the Prophet did as I have done." Bukhari transmitted it.

Jabir told that the Prophet went in to visit a man of the Ansar accompanied by one of his companions. He gave a salutation, and the man, who was watering his garden, responded to it. The Prophet said, “If you have any water which has remained overnight in an old skin we should like it, otherwise we shall sip some from a streamlet.” He told him he had water which had been in old skins overnight, then went to the trellis and poured some water into a jug to which he added some milk which he drew from a domestic sheep, and the Prophet drank. He repeated this and the man who had accompanied him drank. Bukhari transmitted it.

Umm Salama reported God’s messenger as saying, “If anyone drinks from silver vessels the fire of jahannam will bubble in his belly.” (Bukhari and Muslim.) A version by Muslim has, “He who eats and drinks from vessels of silver and gold.”

Hudhaifa told that he heard God’s messenger say, “Do not wear silk or brocade, do not drink from gold and silver vessels, and do not eat from gold and silver dishes, for others have them in this world, but you will have them in the next.” (Bukhari and Muslim.)

Anas told that a domestic sheep was milked for God’s messenger and its milk was mixed with water from a well in Anas’s house. God’s messenger was then given a cup and drank, Abu Bakr being on his left and a nomadic Arab on his right. ‘Umar asked God’s messenger to give it to Abu Bakr, but he gave it to the nomadic Arab who was on his right saying, “He who is on the right, then he who is on his right.” A version has, “Those on the right, then those on their right; go to the right.”* *This tradition indicates that people should band a drink to the one on their right irrespective of the relative importance of the people present. The tradition immediately following brings this out clearly. (Bukhari and Muslim.)

Sahl b. Sa'd told that the Prophet was brought a cup from which he drank, and on his right was a youth who was the youngest present, while the old men were on his left. He asked the youth to permit him to give it to the old men, but he replied, “I am not one to give anyone preference in a favour from you, messenger of God.” So he gave it to him. (Bukhari and Muslim.)

In the time of God’s messenger we used to eat while walking and drink while standing. Tirmidhi, Ibn Majah and Darimi transmitted it, Tirmidhi saying this is a hasan sahih gharib tradition.

‘Amr b. Shu'aib, on his father’s authority, said his grandfather told that he saw God’s messenger drink both standing and sitting. Tirmidhi transmitted it.

Ibn ‘Abbas said God’s messenger forbade breathing or blowing into a vessel. Abu Dawud and Ibn Majah transmitted it.

He reported God’s messenger as saying, “Do not drink without stopping as a camel does,* but divide your drink into two or three sections; mention God’s name when you drink and praise Him when you finish.” *This is to avoid blowing into the vessel. Tirmidhi transmitted it.

Abu Sa'id al-Khudri told that the Prophet forbade blowing into a drink. When a man said he saw specks in the vessel he told him to pour them out, and when he said his thirst was not quenched in one breath he told him to remove the cup from his mouth and take a breath. Tirmidhi and Darimi transmitted it.

He told that God’s messenger forbade drinking from a broken place in a cup and blowing into a drink. Abu Dawud transmitted it.

God’s messenger came in to visit me and drank standing from the mouth of a water-skin which was hung up, whereupon I went and cut off its mouth. Tirmidhi and Ibn Majah transmitted it, Tirmidhi saying this is a hasan gharib sahih tradition.

Zuhri, on ‘Urwa’s authority, told that ‘A’isha said the drink God’s messenger liked best was cold sweet water. Tirmidhi transmitted it, saying the sound version is what was transmitted by Zuhri from the Prophet in mursal form.

Ibn ‘Abbas reported God’s messenger as saying, “When one of you eats food he should say, ‘O God, bless us in it and give us good nourishment from it', and when he is given a drink of milk he should say, ‘O God, bless us in it and prosper us from it’, for no food or drink satisfies like milk.” Tirmidhi and Abu Dawud transmitted it.

‘A’isha said the water from as-Suqya was considered sweetest by the Prophet. It is said it was a well two days’ journey from Medina. Abu Dawud transmitted it.

Ibn ‘Umar reported the Prophet as saying, “If anyone drinks from a vessel of gold or silver, or one containing something of that nature, the fire of jahannam will bubble in his belly.” Daraqutni transmitted it.

I have given God’s messenger in this cup of mine all kinds of drink: honey, nabidh, water and milk. Muslim transmitted it.

We used to steep dates for God’s messenger in a skin which was tied at the top and had a mouth. What we steeped in the morning he would drink in the evening, and what we steeped in the evening he would drink in the morning. Muslim transmitted it.

Ibn ‘Abbas told that dates were steeped for God’s messenger at the beginning of the night and he would drink it in the morning and the night after, the following day and the night after, and the next day up to the afternoon. If anything remained, he gave it to the servant to drink, or gave orders and it was poured out. Muslim transmitted it.

Jabir said dates were steeped for God’s messenger in a skin, but when they could not find a skin they were steeped for him in a small stone vessel. Muslim transmitted it.

Ibn ‘Umar said God’s messenger forbade the use of pumpkins, green jars, vessels smeared with pitch and hollow stumps, giving command that dates should be steeped in skins. Muslim transmitted it.

Buraida reported God’s messenger as saying, “I have forbidden you receptacles, for while a receptacle does not make anything lawful or unlawful, every intoxicant is unlawful.” In a version he said, “I have forbidden you drinks except from skin vessels, but now you may drink from any kind of vessel, but do not drink an intoxicant.” Muslim transmitted it.

Abu Malik al-Ash'ari told of hearing God’s messenger say, “Some of my people will assuredly drink wine calling it by another name.” Abu Dawud and Ibn Majah transmitted it.

God’s messenger forbade nabidh in green jars, and when I asked whether we might drink it from white ones he replied that we might not. Bukhari transmitted it.

Jabir reported God’s messenger as saying, “When the darkness of night comes, or in the evening, collect your children, for the devil is abroad at that time, and when an hour of the night has passed let them free and shut the doors, making mention of God’s name, for the devil does not open a shut door. Tie up you buckets, mentioning God's name; cover up your vessels, mentioning God’s name, even though you should just put something on them, and extinguish your lamps.” (Bukhari and Muslim.) In a version by Bukhari he said, “Cover up the vessels, tie the water-skins, shut the doors, and gather your children in the evening, for the jinn are abroad and seize them; and extinguish the lamps when you go to sleep, for a mouse often drags a wick and burns a household.” In a verison by Muslim he said, “Cover the vessel, tie up the water-skin, shut the doors and extinguish the lamp, for the devil does not loosen a water-skin, or open a door, or uncover a vessel. If all one can do is to put a piece of wood over his vessel and mention God's name let him do so, for a mouse sets a house on fire over its inhabitants.” In a version by him he said, “Do not let your animals and children go at large when the sun sets till the first and darkest part of the night has passed, for the devil is sent out; from the time the sun sets till the first and darkest part of the night is past.” In a version by him he said, “Cover the vessel and tie up the water-skin, for there is a night in the year when pestilence descends, and it does not pass an uncovered vessel or an untied water-skin without some of that pesti- lence descending into it.”

He told that when Abu Humaid, one of the Ansar, brought a vessel of milk to the Prophet from an-Naqi'* the Prophet said, “Why did you not cover it up, even by putting a piece of wood on it?” *A place in the wadi al-'Aqiq where camels which had been given in sadaqa were kept. (Bukhari and Muslim.)

Ibn ‘Umar reported the Prophet as saying, “Do not leave a fire burning in your houses while you are asleep.” (Bukhari and Muslim.)

Abu Musa said that when a house in Medina was burned down during the night over its inhabitants and the Prophet was told, he said, “This fire is just an enemy to you, so when you go to sleep extinguish it.” (Bukhari and Muslim.)

Jabir told of hearing God’s messenger say, “When you hear the barking of dogs and the braying of asses at night seek refuge in God from the accursed devil, for they see what you do not see. Do not go out much when there are few people about, for God who is great and glorious scatters abroad such of His creatures as He wishes at night* Shut the doors, making mention of God's name, for the devil does not open a door which has been shut accompanied by mention of God’s name. Cover up jars, invert vessels and tie up buckets.” It is transmitted in Sharh as-sunna.

Ibn ‘Abbas told that when a mouse came dragging a wick and dropped it in front of God’s messenger on the mat on which he was sitting with the result th at it burned a hole in it about the size of dirham, he said, “When you go to sleep extinguish your lamps, for the devil guides a creature like this to do thus and sets you on fire.” Abu Dawud transmitted it.