The BEST Dua For Eating

We spend a significant portion of our day thinking about, preparing and eating food. In fact Allah has given us foods of varying tastes, flavours and origins in order to give us sustenance, and he has made certain foods halal and certain foods haram (not permissible).

As Muslims, we strive to remember God before, during and after we eat His sustenance and one way to practice this remembrance and to give thanks for what He has provided, is through dua or supplication.

The best dua to recite before eating 🍔

There are many ahadith which tell us the one simple thing we should recite before eating and that is to say Bismillah or "In the name of Allah".

Some mathabs recommend saying Bismillah wala barkatullah however numerous ahadith recount that merely saying Bismillah is enough.

بِسْمِ اللهِ
Transliteration: Bismillah
Translation: "In the name of Allah."

4 more duas you can recite 🗣

1. Dua after eating

الحَمْدُ للهِ الَّذِي أَطْعَمَنَا وَسَقَانَا وَجَعَلَنَا مُسْلِمِينَ
Transliteration: Alhamdulillah alladhee at'amana wa saqana, waja'alana muslimin.
Translation: Praise be to Allah, who has fed us and quenched our thirst and made us Muslims.

Narrated in numerous sources (Tirmidhi, Abu Dawud and Ibn Majah), Abu Sa'id al-Khudri said that when the Prophet (pbuh) finished his food he said the above dua to express his gratitude to Allah.

2. Dua for the host

أَفْطَرَ عِنْدَكُمُ الصَّائِمُونَ، وَأَكَلَ طَعَامَكُمُ الأَبْرَارُ، وَصَلَّتْ عَلَيْكُمُ الْمَلائِكَةُ
Transliteration: Aftara 'indakumus sa'imun, wa akala ta'amakumul abraaru, wa sallat 'alaikumul mala'ikah.
Translation: "The fasters have broken their fast with you, the pious have eaten your food, and the angels have prayed for your blessing."

This is a dua you can make when breaking your fast or eating in someone else's home and has been verified in Hisn al-Muslim.

3. Dua when breaking your fast

ذَهَبَ الظَّمَأُ، وَابْتَلَّتِ الْعُرُوقُ، وَثَبَتَ الأَجْرُ إِنْ شَاءَ اللَّهُ
Transliteration: Zhahabaz-zama'u, wabtallatil-urooqu, wa thabatal-ajru inshaAllah.
Translation: "The thirst has gone, the veins have moistened, and the reward is confirmed, if Allah wills."

This is a dua commonly heard at Iftar time during Ramadan at the end of a day's fast. 

4. Another dua when eating outside your home

اللَّهُمَّ بَارِكْ لَهُمْ فِيمَا رَزَقْتَهُمْ، وَاغْفِرْ لَهُمْ وَارْحَمْهُمْ
Transliteration: Allahumma barik lahum fima razaqtahum, waghfir lahum warhamhum.
Translation: "O Allah, bless them in what You have provided them with and forgive them and show mercy to them."

This dua expresses gratitude to whomever hosts you and asks Allah to forgive their sins.