Dua After finishing a meal In Arabic – 1
الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ الَّذِى اطْعَمَنَا وَسَقَانَا ، وَجَعَلنَا مُسْلِمِينَ
Dua After finishing a meal In English transcription – 1
Alhamdulilahil ladhi at’amana, wasaqana, waj’alna min-al Muslimeen
Dua After finishing a meal In English – 1
Praise be to Allah Who has fed us and given us drink and made us Muslims.
Abu Dawud
What should a person say when he realizes after he has finished eating that he forgot to say Bismillaah?
Question
After I finished eating my meal and wanted to praise Allah after I finished eating, I remembered that I had not said Bismillaah. Should I say Bismillaah awwalahu wa aakhirahu, alhamdulillaah (In the name of Allah at the beginning and end, praise to Allah)? Or should I say Alhamdu-Lillaah only? Or what? Please let us know, may Allah reward you with good.
Answer
Praise be to Allaah.
What is prescribed to one who forgets to say Bismillaah when he begins to eat is to say when he remembers, Bismillaah awwalahu wa aakhirahu (In the name of Allah at the beginning and at the end) or to say Bismillaah fi awwalihi wa aakhirihi ( In the name of Allah at the beginning and end).
It was reported by ‘Aa’ishah (May Allah be pleased with her) that the Apostle of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said:
“When one of you eats, let him remember Allah at the beginning, and if he forgets to remember Allah at the beginning, let him say Bismillaah fi awwalihi wa aakhirihi (In the name of Allah in beginning and end).
” by al-Tirmidhi (1857), and he said: it’s hasan saheeh.
The phrase “and if he forgets to remember Allah in the beginning, he says …” includes both the one who remembers to have said Bismillaah while eating, or at the end, or shortly after finished eating, because of the general meaning of the hadith. It is said in Kashshaaf al-Qinaa ‘(5/173): The apparent meaning is even if it is after he has finished eating. It is written in Mughni al-Muhtaaj (4/411):
If he forgets to do it (ie, says Bismillaah) at the beginning, he can say it mid-way and if he forgets it halfway through, he can say it at the end.
End quote.
We can read in Nihaayat al-Muhtaaj (1/184):
He should not say it (ie Bismillaah) after finishing wudoo ‘, which is not the case for eating, where he can say it later.
End quote. In al-Haashiyah, ala Nihaayat al-Muhtaaj: Which means that if the time between finishing his meal and remembering is not too long, he can say it. What is too long must be determined by what is usual. End quote. The hadith also states that saying Bismillaah fi awwalihi wa aakhirihi (In the name of Allah at the beginning and at the end) takes the place of saying Bismillaah at the beginning, and the reward for seeking the help of Allah when beginning to eat will be recorded for the Muslim, as an honor and reward of Allah, be blessed and exalted. Al-Munaawi said in Fayd al-Qadeer (1/296):
How can it be true that someone asked Allah for help at the beginning when he did not do it at first? Because we say that the sentence indicates that it is so, so the one who utters this sentence becomes like the one who asked for help at the beginning and will receive the same blessing as the one who asked for help at the beginning. End quote.
The sunnah for the one who has finished eating is to praise Allah for it in different ways, such as the following. Abu Umaamah (may Allah be pleased with him) said that when his meal was over, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) would say:
laa muwadda ‘wa laa mustaghni’ anhu Rabbanaa (Allah be praised with an abundant, beautiful and blessed praise, He is the one who is sufficient, who nourishes and is never nourished, the one who is desired, with what is with him and whoever needs us, he is our Lord,
narrated by al-Bukhaari (5458).
So, if a person forgets to say Bismillaah when he starts eating, then she remembers when he has finished eating, he is obliged to say Bismillaah fi awwalihi wa aakhirihi (In the name of Allah at the beginning and at the end ) and then praise Allah. Thus, he will have acted in accordance with the two hadiths and obeyed the command of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). There is no contradiction in saying the two dhikrs after finishing eating, and there seems to be nothing wrong with saying al-hamdu-lillaah before saying Bismillaah fi awwalihi wa aakhirihi (On behalf from Allah at the beginning and end), in sha Allah, because the purpose is to say both dhikrs, tasmiyah (say Bismillaah) and to praise Allah, so no matter by which one begins.
And Allah knows better.
