Inevitable Flaw

Chapter 31: Convinced

If you are drinking a beverage or eating, do so sitting down.  

Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that, 'Once the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) saw a person drinking whilst standing, the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) asked him to vomit it back out', the person ask 'Why shall I vomit it out!' the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) said 'Surely who drank with you is worse than a cat, that is the devil'.'

Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) states that, 'The Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) forbade drinking water standing up. It was asked, 'What about eating'' he said, 'That (i.e. eating whilst standing) is even worse'.'
We see Muslims' walking in the town centres today eating and drinking whilst standing. Even at gatherings some eat and drink whilst standing and are ignorant of the Sunnah way. Let us take the sayings of the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) seriously and start practising them wherever we are.

Manners Of Drinking
1. Pray 'Bismillah Hirahma Niraheem' and drink with your right hand as the devil drinks and eats with the left hand.
2. To sit and drink.
3. Drink by taking three separate sips and not all at once. Separate the utensil from the mouth each time.
4. Whilst drinking, suck the drink and do not make a noise.
5. Do not blow into any drink for cooling (Blowing has proven to increase bacterium in the drink. These bacteria's  increase in the stomach and will create more illness in the stomach. )
6. Say 'Alhamdulillahi Rabbil 'Aalameen' after drinking.
7. It is not permissible to throw away the left over drink.
8. Always cover the water that is left in a glass, jug or pot.                                                                                 9. Drink where you can see in the container.         

--

"Lets take a break," Cici huffs. The intolerable sun glistens the beaded sweat on her forehead as I look up at her.

I move up from the cold dirt and follow her to the patio. It's incredible how the temperature is cool on this side of her backyard. She sighs heavily when she takes a seat on the chair and it is nothing but obvious that she is exhausted. I smile at her colourful attire of blue and pink gardening wear because it is so novel a dress form for her. She pours me some lemonade and I stare at the glass for a long time before leaning in to reach it. One hold of the beverage decreases the temperature of my body instantly.

"It's looking good, don't you think?" Cici remarks through her second glass. I glance over at the little space that was once bare and abandoned, covered in multicoloured flowers. It appears breathtakingly uniformed with the rest of the theme she has going.

"It's beautiful," I compliment our hard work. Just being a part of this marvellous sanctuary of nature behind her house is reward enough, but helping build it further was too good for words. The trickles of water dropping from the fountain nearby, whistling of bell ornaments, and singsongs of birds all fused together, sounded like the best-combined symphony.

And if I closed my eyes and focused on the sounds, I would forget everything just for a couple seconds.

But only a couple.

And the smell of multiple tones of lovely fragrances seeping through my nose every second, hypnotized me. It was the most incredible scent and so rich in its content that I was sure I would never find it elsewhere.

"I appreciate your help Aamirah," I hear her direct towards me while I am absorbed in my surroundings.

"It's no trouble at all," I reassure her and remember the first time she called to ask of my availability. I had not hesitated a second when she mentioned gardening with her. I was relived actually because I knew it would keep me away from my thoughts. And now that I had been in her backyard for a while, I was saddened by the idea of not being here often once we were finished.