🌿Assalamu Alaikum, Dallas!

This week’s issue is packed with community events that cover every age and every vibe. Tonight, MAS Dallas wraps up the State of the Ummah series with what might be the most relatable topic yet, Beating Brain Rot, and if your teenagers have been doomscrolling their way through October, this is exactly the conversation they need. Tomorrow is the big one: VRIC’s annual Fall Fest is back with food, games, rides, and full family fun from 4:00–9:00 PM. And if you have little ones with special needs, don’t miss the Hearts & Hands painting workshop at IACC tomorrow evening, a beautiful, inclusive event put together as a Girl Scout Gold Award project. Sunday brings a smoky backyard BBQ with Burgers with Baba at Grapevine for dads and toddlers, and a weekly teen hangout at ICF with Ustadh Safi Khan. We’re also continuing Week 3 of our Sunnah Habits series, this week it’s all about eating and drinking the Prophetic way, and there are some habits in there that might just change your relationship with food forever. Let’s get into it! 🌿

We’ve covered how the Prophet ﷺ started his mornings and how he ended his nights. This week we’re talking about something we do multiple times every single day, eating and drinking, and the Prophetic habits that transform these ordinary moments into acts of worship, gratitude, and even healing.

In our culture, eating has become something we do distracted. Standing at the counter, scrolling through our phones, watching something on a screen, rushing between commitments. We eat fast, we eat a lot, and we rarely think twice about it. But the Prophet ﷺ approached every meal with intention and the habits he taught us around food are not just spiritual guidance. Many of them have been confirmed by modern nutrition science as genuinely beneficial for the body.

Here is what the Prophetic table looked like:

1. Say Bismillah — and say it out loud.
The Prophet ﷺ said: “When one of you eats, let him mention the name of Allah. If he forgets to mention Allah at the beginning, let him say: Bismillahi awwalahu wa akhirahu (In the name of Allah at its beginning and its end.)” (Abu Dawood) This single habit transforms eating from a biological function into an act of remembrance. It also, according to hadith, prevents Shaytan from sharing in your meal.

2. Eat with your right hand.
Ibn Umar reported: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “When one of you eats, let him eat with his right hand. When he drinks, let him drink with his right hand. Verily, Shaytan eats and drinks with his left hand.”(Muslim)

3. Eat from what is in front of you.
The Prophet ﷺ advised a young companion: “O young man, mention the name of Allah, eat with your right hand, and eat from what is nearest to you.” (Bukhari & Muslim) This is both an etiquette of the table and a reminder against greed, take what is in front of you, don’t reach across for the best piece.

4. Do not eat while reclining.
The Prophet ﷺ said “I do not eat while reclining.” (Bukhari) The Prophet ﷺ sat upright to eat. Nutritionists today confirm that sitting upright during meals aids digestion, prevents overeating, and helps the body process food correctly.

5. Stop before you are full.
This may be the most counter-cultural habit of all. The Prophet ﷺ said: “The son of Adam does not fill any vessel worse than his stomach. It is sufficient for the son of Adam to eat a few morsels to keep him alive. If he must fill it, then one third for food, one third for drink, and one third for air.” (Tirmidhi) One third. In a world of supersized everything, this hadith is a complete dietary philosophy in a single sentence.

6. End with Alhamdulillah.
“Allah is pleased with His servant who says Alhamdulillah when he eats and Alhamdulillah when he drinks.” (Muslim) Begin with Bismillah. End with Alhamdulillah. Let every meal be wrapped in the remembrance of the One who provided it.

Notice the complete picture this paints: sit down, say Bismillah, use your right hand, eat from what is in front of you, don’t overeat, don’t blow into your drink, and end with gratitude. That is a complete, healthy, God-conscious relationship with food — in seven habits.

This week’s action items:

🌿 Action 1 — Sit down for at least one meal this week. No screens, no standing at the counter, no eating in the car. Just sit, say Bismillah out loud, and eat with your right hand. Do this for one meal a day for seven days and notice how differently you feel afterward physically and spiritually.

🌿 Action 2 — Practice the one-third rule at one meal this week. Before you take your second helping, pause. Ask yourself: am I still hungry or am I eating out of habit? The Prophet ﷺ said one third for food is sufficient. Try it once this week, stop slightly before you feel full and notice how your body responds. This single habit, done consistently, is one of the most powerful health practices in all of the Sunnah.

❝ “The food of two people is enough for three, and the food of three is enough for four.” (Bukhari & Muslim) Barakah in food is real. Eat with others, share what you have, and watch Allah put more in it than you put in. 🌿

Here's a quick look at what's inside this issue — don't miss any of it: