Revive a Sunnah

In the name of Allah

Revive a Sunnah: Using the Right Hand

Hafsah [radi Allahu anha], the wife of the Prophet [sallaAllahu ‘alayhi wasallam], reported that the Prophet [sallaAllahu ‘alayhi wasallam] used to use his right hand for eating, drinking and getting dressed and his left hand for everything else. [Abu Dawood]

Imam Nawawi [rahimahullaah] explains that every honorable thing should be performed with the right hand, and everything that is not honorable should be performed with the left hand. For example, eating should be done with the right hand, whereas cleaning ourselves after using the washroom should be done with the left hand.

Also, the inverse of something honorable should be done with the left hand or left side. For example, putting shoes, we should begin with the right shoe and taking them off, we should begin with the left shoe. And so on.

Some things we should do (or begin with) the right hand:

eating

putting on shoes (right shoe first, then left)

clothes (right side first, then left side)

glasses (open the right flap first, then the left…and close the left first and then the right)

brushing teeth

receiving something

giving something