8 Etiquette Arts that we Learn from Prophet Mohammad 

Our beloved Prophet ‘peace be upon him’ was the first person to set up a school of etiquette for the whole world to learn from, for more than a millennium. As many believe that etiquette is a protocol or Western behavior, I tell you this is not the truth. In all his actions, the prophet dealt with a great manner, and he taught us in many of his attitudes good handling, management and behavior. One of the global experts in etiquette, and after his knowledge of the Western schools in this art, he was impressed and influenced the most by the school of the Prophet and his way of dealing with others.

Allah’s messenger is a role model to us in all our life aspects, and he set rules for every little detail in our life, on the personal and social level, yet he also transmitted it to us through his manners. He ‘peace be upon him’ said:

So, we provide you in this article with 8 Etiquette that we learn from the prophet and we must adopt in our life: 

1. Eating Rules 

The etiquette in eating is not about where to place the knife and the fork on the table, yet it is in the way you eat, appropriately.

He taught us to eat from what’s directly in front of us, especially in a sharing plate, using our right hand. Of course, this is after saying Bismillah before starting to eat.

It is Sunnah to eat with three of your fingers, and another rule that is no very familiar is the following:

2. Etiquette of Drinking 

Next to saying Bismillah and Alhamdulillah when drinking, and dividing the drink into 3 sips, the prophetic etiquette forbids drinking from the bottle or vessel nor breathing in the cup.

If you want to breathe while drinking, you should breathe away from the vessel while holding it in your hand. One also must not drink from a sharing bottle, because others want to drink from it as well, so it is more decent to use a cup.

3. Take Permission before Entering a Home or a Room 

Allah and his prophet ‘peace be upon him’ taught us to ask for permission before entering a home, a Majlis or even a Room. No invasion of privacy takes place if permission was asked. 

It is not right to stand directly facing the door when visiting someone, especially that the prophet used to stand on one side of the door, giving his shoulder to the receiver, in a very respectful manner. He also requested us to ask for permission 3 times, and to wait between them for the amount of 2 Rakaat. 

Respectfully and religiously, you are not allowed to enter a room nor a house if you were not given permission, because it might hold embarrassment or comfortability for the people inside. You also need to give some time for the people inside to open, perhaps they are praying or thy need some time to prepare themselves to receive visitors!

4. The Etiquette of Dealing with People & Neighbors 

The prophet ‘peace be upon him’ was the best person in dealing with people and showing the best manner. He ordered us to treat people in a good way and be nice to others. Among the etiquette that we have learned from him is that when we greet a person, we must meet him with a cheerful and fluent face, without a grin, just as he did.

He also recommended us to consider the rights of our neighbors, and he elaborated much on this topic. In one of his hadiths, he said:

5. Etiquette of a Group of 3

It is not appropriate to have side talks or have some whispering with a person, if you are a company of three, as the prophet forbade.

6. Thank people

It is not only from the discipline to thank people when needed, yet it is also a source of reward and a form of obedience. 

7. Invitation Etiquette 

Inviting you for an event, a feast or any kind of invitation (that does not have anything that outrages Allah), means that you are appreciated by the people who are inviting you and that there is a mutual cordiality among you, so it is important to accept the invitation and attend it. 

On the other hand, the prophet considers gifting as a form of showing love and he defined exchanging flowers as an act of gifting that must not be rejected. 

8. The Dispute Etiquette

Every one of us might be in a dispute with one of our friends or family members. The prophet ‘peace be upon him’ determined three days to solve the problem and get back to the normal relation, and he defined the first person to salute and break the problem barrier to be the better of the two. 

Etiquette doesn’t lie in the look and appearance, yet in the good way of dealing with people. The beauty in following our prophet is not limited to only having better connections with others, and being in a good image, yet it also grants us reward (Ajer) for every act that we perform with the intention of taking the Prophet ‘peace be upon him’ as a role model.

🌷 May Allah always guide us to perform the right actions and gather us with the prophet ‘peace be upon him’ in the highest ranks of paradise. 🌷