CHAPTER 16 – STARTING A MEAL WITH "BISMILLAH"
Câbir ibn ‘Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated:
I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings upon him) say: “When a person enters his home and begins with saying Bismillah when entering and eating, the devils’ helpers say, ‘We have no place to stay and no dinner tonight.’ But if he does not mention Allah when he enters his home, the devils’ helpers say, ‘You have found a place to stay.’ And if he does not remember Allah at the time of eating, they say to their companions, ‘You have found a place to stay and dinner.’”
Hudayfa (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated: When we were with the Messenger of Allah ﷺ eating, none of us would place his hand (on the food) until the Messenger of Allah ﷺ began. We were with the Messenger of Allah ﷺ in a meal when a Bedouin came running as if pursued. He reached out his hand to the food. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ seized his hand, then a slave girl came running as if pursued. She reached out her hand to the food. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ seized her hand also and said: “The food eaten without reciting Bismillah, Satan finds an opportunity to eat with it.” Satan came with this Bedouin, and he sought an opportunity to eat with him. I held his hand, and then the slave girl came, and Satan found an opportunity to eat with her. I seized her hand, and I swear by Allah in Whose Hand is my soul that both their hands were in my hand along with Satan’s hand.” [423]
Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) related that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings upon him) said: “Whenever one of you eats, let him mention (the name of) Allah [recite the blessing].” If he forgets to recite the blessing at the beginning, then when he remembers, he should say, ‘In the Name of Allah, with which I begin.’”
Umayy ibn Mahshi, may Allah be pleased with him, reported: A man of the Companions of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, was sitting while another was eating, and he did not say "In the name of Allah" until the last mouthful of his food. When he raised the last morsel to his mouth, he said, “I begin with the name of Allah, in its beginning and end.” Upon that, the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, smiled and said: “Shaytan was eating with him; but when he said Bismillah, Shaytan expelled everything from his belly.”
Abu Dawud said: Jabir ibn Subh is the grandson through the mother of Sulayman ibn Harb.