التسمية والأكل باليمين
Guidance to say 'Bismillah' before eating, use the right hand, and eat from the food nearest to oneself on a shared plate.
يَا غُلَامُ، سَمِّ اللَّهَ، وَكُلْ بِيَمِينِكَ، وَكُلْ مِمَّا يَلِيكَ
“My boy, say Allah's name, eat with your right hand, and eat from what is nearest to you.” (meaning, not a literal translation)
This guidance was given directly to a young boy ('Umar ibn Abi Salamah) whose hand was reportedly moving all over the shared dish — a fairly ordinary childhood eating habit the Prophet ﷺ corrected gently and specifically, rather than as an abstract rule.
Commentators note the practical hygiene logic of the 'eat from what is nearest' instruction on a shared dish, alongside its etiquette dimension — reducing repeated reaching across a communal plate. Ibn al-Qayyim discusses the right-hand instruction as part of a broader pattern in the tradition reserving the right hand for eating, greeting, and other favorable acts, with the left generally reserved for personal hygiene.
Eating from a shared dish without reaching across others remains standard etiquette in many food cultures today for the same practical reason — it reduces cross-contact between diners' hands and food not directly in front of them.