Status Updates From Al-Ghazali on the Manners R...

“Four things are part of worship: not taking a step without having made one's ablutions, making many prostrations, frequenting mosques and reciting the Qur'ān often.”

“Four things strengthen the mind: giving up talking about things that do not concern one, [using] a siwak [tooth-stick), sitting in the company of pious men and [sitting in the company] of scholars.”

“Sleep is of four kinds: sleeping while leaning on the back of the neck, like the prophets reflecting on the creation of the heavens and the earth; sleeping on one's right side, like scholars and worshippers; sleeping on the left side, like kings, to digest their food; and sleeping on one's front, like the devils.”

“Four things strengthen the sight: sitting in the direction of the gibla, wearing kohl when sleeping, looking at greenery and the cleansing of garments.”

“Four things weaken the body: to partake too frequently of the sexual act, too many worries, too much drinking of water on an empty stomach and too much eating of acid foods.”

“Four things strengthen the body: eating meat, inhaling per-fume, much washing though no sexual act [was committed] and the wearing of linen.”

“a person must not partake of the food of a transgressor. If he is compelled to do so, he must eat little and not seek out the best of the food.”

“it is desirable that food be taken to the family of a deceased person. When Ja'far in Abi Talib's death was announced, [the Emissary of God] said, 'The family of Ja far are too preoccupied with their dead to prepare their food, so take them something to eat. 24 And this is Sunna.”

“do not go out of your house until you have acquired your powers of discernment— that is, until you have had your day meal, which keeps discernment and removes rashness. It also lessens one's carnal appetite for whatever one sees in the market.”

“eat only the meat of what is in the prime of life; eat nothing cooked unless it is well done; drink medicine only for a malady; eat only ripe fruit; and do not eat food without chewing it well. Eat […] and do not drink on top of it. And if you drink do not eat anything on top of it. Do not withhold your excrement or urine. When you eat during the day go to sleep; when you eat at night walk before you sleep,”

“A full show of respect consists of being of cheerful countenance and pleasant conversation when entering or leaving, and also at table.”

“a person should not hurry to remove the dishes before [the guests] have had their fill.”

“The practice of those who indulge in luxurious living is to serve coarse food first and to rekindle the appetite by offering delicate food only afterwards; this is contrary to the Sunna, for it is a device for increasing the intake of food. It used to be the Sunna of the people of old to serve all the courses at one and the same time, and to line up the dishes of food on the table,”

“regarding the order of the foods, precedence should first be given to fruit, if there be any, for that is medically fitting. Since fruit is more quickly transmuted, it should lie at the bottom of the stomach.

The Qur'an enjoins the serving of fruit first—in God's words, ‘and fruit of their choosing;’ after which He says and ‘the meat of birds they desire.’”

“Haste is from the devil except in five cases of the [Prophet’s ﷺ] Sunna: feeding one's guest, preparing the dead for burial, marrying a virgin, paying back a debt and repenting a sin.”

“'I prefer to have an intention for every action, even for food, drink and the like.' The Emissary of God (may God bless him and grant him peace) said, 'Actions are judged] only by [their] intentions and every man shall have that which he intended.”

“When one honours a believing brother, it is as if one has honored God.”

“The third [rule of good conduct] is that a person should not abstain [from accepting an invitation] because he is fasting but should attend. For if breaking his fast will give pleasure to his brother, then let him break his fast, and let him expect a reward in the Afterlife for having broken his fast with the intention of bringing joy to his brother's heart.”

“Feeding the god-fearing is helping [them] to obey [God]” — and anyone who feeds others with that intention will be rewarded for that inshAllah

“'Eat only the food of a pious man and let no one but a pious man eat of your food's —and he had in mind the poor, in particular, rather than the rich. He said, The worst food is the food of a banquet to which the rich have been invited in place of the poor.”

“The fourth rule of good conduct is that [the host] must not say to the guest, ‘Shall I serve you food?' He ought simply to serve him if he has any food, […] If your brother visits you, do not say to him "Do you want to eat?" or "Shall I serve you food?" but serve it to him. If he eats, well and good; if not, remove it.'”

“One should begin the meal with the words 'In the name of God' and end it with 'Praise be to God'. It would be well if one were to say with every mouthful […] that greed may not distract one from mentioning the name of God. One should say with the first mouthful, […] with the second, [… and] with the third”

“No human being has ever filled a container worse than his own stomach. The son of Adam needs no more than some morsels of food to keep up his strength; doing so, he should consider that a third of [his stomach] is for food, a third for drink and a third for breathing.”

“have the intention, when eating, of strengthening oneself in obedience to God, so as to be obedient through food and not to seek gratification and luxurious living through food […] since he ate for the purpose of increasing his capacity for worship, his intention was sincere only when he ate less than what satisfied him, for repletion obstructs worship and does not increase the capacity for it.”

I’ve learned so much from this book. From how to treat guests to how to host and how to eat. It ranges from the smallest of things to things we take for granted. It’s really helped enlighten me and help me see how important the littlest of things are for not only yourself but others, as well.