Is it sunnah to sit and eat snacks or fruit and to cover the head while eating?

Q: Please clarify...

1. I know that it's sunnat to sit and eat and drink. Does eating fruits, chocolates, chips, ice cream, snacks, etc. all fall under the sunnat of sitting and eating, or is it only referred to eating as eating food?

2. Also, is it sunnat to cover ones head when eating and drinking?

A:

1. If it is a meal that one is consuming, then the sunnah is that one should be seated at the time of consuming the meal. However, if one is consuming something small (e.g. snacks), then one does not have to sit at the time of consuming it within one's home. It is not in keeping with nobility and respect for one to eat while walking on the street or in a public area. The Fuqaha mention that if a person has a habit of eating in this manner on the street or in public areas, his shahaadat (testimony) will not be accepted in an Islamic court of law. Hence, one should refrain from eating an ice cream or a packet of chips etc. while walking in public.

2. Refer to https://muftionline.co.za/node/648

And Allah Ta'ala (الله تعالى) knows best.

 

Answered by:

Mufti Zakaria Makada

Checked & Approved:

Mufti Ebrahim Salejee (Isipingo Beach)