Seadet-i Ebediyye - Endless Bliss Sixth Fascicle

emaining one-third must be reserved for vacuum. This
arrangement is the lowest grade of diet. The ideal grade is to eat
little and sleep little. It is stated as follows in the book entitled
Teshîl-ul-menâfi’: “The ideal of meal timetable is to eat three
times every two days plus two nights.” [That is, one should eat
three times every two days, not every day. In other words, eating
must be done at every other meal time, like breakfast, ... supper, ...
lunch, ... breakfast.] Food intended for one person will be
sufficient for two people. A guest should not expect anything in
addition to salt and bread from the host. A host should (be so kind
as to) hold out the morsel of food to his guest. He should wait on
his guest as he washes his hands, (by pouring water for him if
necessary.) Hârûn-ur-reshîd ‘rahmatullâhi ta’âlâ ’alaih’, (148 – 193
[809 A.D.], Tus [Mashhad in Iran as of today], the earliest Abbâsî)
Khalîfa, had made it a habit to pour water out of an ewer for his
guest. A host should (try to sense what food his guest likes and)
kindly feed his guest with the food he likes by politely holding the
morsels out towards the guest’s mouth. When his guest drops a
piece of food on something clean, he should pick it up and give it
back to him. If the place whereon the piece of food has been
dropped is not clean, it should be put aside for the pet cat or other
domestic animals. These things will add barakat to a Muslim’s
home; so much so that the barakat will survive throughout
generations. If the crumbs dropped onto the follor are not
gathered, the devil will eat them. It is sunnat to wipe the food
remains on the dish and eat them. It brings plenty of thawâb to
drink the remains of beverages such as stewed fruit and ayran, (i.e.
yoghurt diluted with water,) after pouring some water and shaking
the mixture. It is permissible to leave food or drink in your bowl or
glass. Rasûlullah ‘sall-Allâhu ’alaihi wa sallam’ like eating the
remnants of food left by a Believer.
It is sunnat to cleanse your teeth with a miswâk [or with
toothpicks] after meals. It is cleanly behaviour. Cleanliness will
add firmness to one’s îmân. Pieces removed from between the
teeth with a toothpick should not be swallowed. [Handbasin
should be used for this cleansing lest the people at the table should
be disgusted and so that the crumbs removed should go down the
sink.] What is gathered by moving the tongue inside the mouth can
be swallowed. Toothpicks should not be made from sweet basils,
from pomegranate branches, from reeds, from fig branches, from
tamarisk twigs, or from sticks of treeheath. At the end of the meal
blessings should be invoked on the host, and prayers should be
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