الشرب في ثلاثة أنفاس
A reported practice of drinking in three separate breaths/sips rather than a single continuous gulp, removing the cup from the mouth between each.
كَانَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ يَتَنَفَّسُ فِي الشَّرَابِ ثَلَاثًا
“The Messenger of Allah ﷺ would take three breaths [pauses] while drinking.” (meaning, not a literal translation)
He is reported to have said this was more thirst-quenching, more wholesome, and easier on the body (Sahih Muslim 2028) — a stated rationale rather than a bare instruction, distinguishing it from purely etiquette-based guidance elsewhere in the corpus.
Ibn al-Qayyim connects this to broader digestive advice against consuming anything, food or drink, too quickly for the stomach to process comfortably. He describes rapid gulping as prone to causing hiccups, bloating, or discomfort, treating this pacing instruction as a preventive measure rather than a cure for an existing complaint.
Some modern digestive-health guidance similarly cautions against rapid fluid consumption, particularly cold drinks consumed quickly, as a trigger for discomfort in sensitive individuals — a loosely related but independently arrived-at observation.