Jabir رضى الله عنه reported that Allah’s Messenger صلى الله عليه وسلم commanded the licking of the fingers and the dish, saying: “You do not know in what portion the blessing lies.” [Reported by Muslim]

This hadeeth teaches us that when we eat, we should not assume that the barakah (blessings) will be in the main part of the meal. Rather, they could be away from the main part or left on one’s fingers .This is why we have been encouraged to clean the entire plate and lick our fingers thus ensuring we do not lose the blessings wherever they may be. Similarly, in acts of worship or in performing good deeds we should not assume that blessings and our salvation lies in performing the main acts like salah or fasting. Rather, the blessings may lie hidden in the small and apparently trivial deeds. Therefore, a person should strive to act on even the smallest of sunnats and deeds of religion, especially he who seeks to perfect his imaan and reach the rank of ihsaan. Furthermore, these small deeds will provide the momentum to perform even greater deeds eventually and also they will create love for the sunnah of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم. This is why Rasulullah صلى الله عليه وسلم said “Don’t consider anything insignificant out of good things even if it is that you meet your brother with a cheerful countenance.” [Reported by Bukhari]

[This short excerpt is based on a brothers' majlis (gathering for spiritual training) held by Shaykh Abu Yusuf Riyadh ul Haq on 21st March 1998]

» Posted by Seifeddine-M on 18th February 2011

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