The dua before eating in Islam is simply Bismillah: “In the name of Allah.” It is the one before-meal wording that every source in this guide agrees on, and it is the only one a leading Islamic Q&A site says is clearly established for the start of a meal.
Many Muslims also grew up learning a longer prayer, such as “Allahumma barik lana fima razaqtana wa qina ‘adhab an-nar.” Others say “Allahumma barik lana fihi wa at’imna khayran minhu.” Where do these come from, and how strong are they? This guide sets out what a Muslim says before eating, the hadith behind it, and where scholars differ, so you know what is firmly established and what is weak, disputed or unsourced.
The fuller form. Many people say the complete basmala instead:
Sheikh Ibn Baz taught that the Sunnah is to say either “Bismillah” or “Bismillahir-Rahmanir-Rahim” and so allowed both. Another Arabic guide calls the longer form good (hasan) and says there is no harm in it, while noting that the reported wording is “Bismillah” alone.
Do you need anything after Bismillah? One questioner asked Ibn Baz for duas said “after the word Bismillah” and before the first bite. His answer named no extra dua at the start of the meal. He gave Bismillah for the beginning and several wordings of praise for the end (covered in our guide to the dua after eating).
Aloud or silent? One guide says it is enough to say it so that you can hear yourself, or even in your heart, though it is better to hear yourself. That is a single source’s view, not a ruling quoted from a named scholar.
Before drinking. The same Bismillah applies to the first sip; see our guide to Islamic eating etiquette for the manners of drinking.
يَا غُلَامُ، سَمِّ اللهَ، وَكُلْ بِيَمِينِكَ، وَكُلْ مِمَّا يَلِيكَ
“O boy, mention Allah’s name, eat with your right hand, and eat from what is near you.”
This is the hadith scholars use to show that the Prophet taught naming Allah at the start of a meal, even to a child. (Its right-hand and near-you points belong to our guide to Islamic eating etiquette.)
Most popular guides simply call it Sunnah, but the books record a real difference of opinion.
So the Hanbali school is itself split into two views, with Ibn al-Qayyim favouring obligation. The sources reviewed here name no scholar who spells out the opposing “Sunnah only” argument, and a related fatwa titled “Schools of the jurists on saying Bismillah at meals” was listed but its text was not available.
In daily practice the two views agree on the action: say Bismillah every time. If you do forget, see our guide to what to say and do when you forget Bismillah.
This is the best-known reported dua that is not just Bismillah. It is for when Allah gives you food or milk.
For food
For milk
Sources.
Another wording. Al-Munawi’s Fayd al-Qadir, commenting on a hadith in al-Jami’ al-Saghir, gives “Allahumma barik lana fihi wa abdilna khayran minhu” (bless it for us and replace it with something better), and says Ahmad, Tirmidhi and Abu Dawud narrated it.
Scholars disagree about this narration, which comes through the route of Ali ibn Zayd.
The same reference concludes: “It cannot be said it is sahih with no disagreement, nor da’if with no disagreement.”
That is why it is labelled mukhtalaf fihi (disputed), and why a careful writer says “reported” rather than “authentic”.
Hisn al-Muslim puts this dua in the chapter “Dua before food” (chapter 69).
But the Arabic idha akala, “when he eats”, can be read two ways. Al-Munawi says it can mean “when he intends to eat”, and also that it may be taken literally, meaning when he has finished eating, so the dua would come after the meal.
An IslamWeb fatwa (no. 60618) leans toward the second reading and supports it with Ibn Abd al-Barr in al-Istidhkar: “Supplication is abundant and cannot be counted, and the best is that said with sincerity and certainty of being answered. It is enough to say at the start of the meal Bismillahir-Rahmanir-Rahim and at the end Alhamdulillahi Rabbil-‘alamin.”
One article lists the same dua among its after-meal duas, while another source places it with the before-meal duas. In practice, you may say it when food or milk is first given to you, or when you finish, as long as you understand that its timing and its grading are both discussed.
One popular website also applies this dua to any tasty food, such as sweets and fruit, without giving a source. That broader use is not found in the narration itself.
The Islam Q&A answer to the question “Has any dua been established to be said before eating?” is plain: it knows of none in the authentic Sunnah beyond Bismillah. For its ruling on fixed or viral wordings, see our guide to the dua after eating.
Here is what the sources say about it:
Because of this, one reference says outright not to attach “waqina ‘adhab an-nar” to the dua as though it were a hadith. If you like it as a personal supplication, say it as a general dua and not as a Sunnah.
The following appear on popular pages with no hadith source, narrator or grading. None could be traced to authentic hadith.
| Wording | Where it appears | Concern |
|---|---|---|
| Bismillah wal-hamdu lillah | A dua app blog, called "the most authentic" | No source. The sound formula is "Bismillah" alone. |
| Allahumma bismillah, alhamdu lillahi alladhi at'amana wa saqana wa ja'alana min al-muslimin | The same blog, placed in its before-eating section | This is actually an after-meal wording, listed with no source. |
| Bismillahi wa 'ala barakatillah | An online Quran academy | No source. |
| Bismillah, Allahummaj'alha ni'matan mashkuratan tasilu biha ni'matal-jannah | An Egyptian news site, said when the table is set | No narrator or number. |
| Allahumma barik lana fi ta'amina" (O Allah, bless our food) | A dua card site, cited to Tirmidhi 3455 | The wording does not match the Tirmidhi milk and food dua. |
| Bismillah, ma sha'a Allah min an-ni'am razaqana..." (a longer composed dua asking for the food of Paradise) | An Arabic dua site | Composed wording with no source; it echoes Quranic imagery. |
| Allahumma barik lana fima razaqtana wa qina 'adhab an-nar, bismillah" on a children's card | A teaching resources site | Bismillah placed last, no grading. |
| Alhamdulillah" or "Allahumma barik lana fihi" on seeing blessed food | A learning-app blog | No source given. |
A useful rule from all this: if a before-meal dua has no narrator and no collection named, treat it as someone’s wording, not the Prophet’s.
Hisn al-Muslim (Fortress of the Muslim), compiled by Sa’id ibn Ali ibn Wahf al-Qahtani, gathers duas the Prophet ﷺ made in set situations. Its chapter 69, “The dua before food,” has two entries:
| Dua no. | Wording | Reference printed in Hisn |
|---|---|---|
| 178 | Bismillah, and "Bismillahi fi awwalihi wa akhirihi" if you forgot | Abu Dawud 3/347; Tirmidhi 4/288; see al-Albani, Sahih al-Tirmidhi 2/167 |
| 179 | Allahumma barik lana fihi wa at'imna khayran minhu" and, for milk, "...wa zidna minhu" | Tirmidhi 5/506; see al-Albani, Sahih al-Tirmidhi 3/158 |
The references print volume and page numbers from the printed edition. The hadith numbers are Abu Dawud 3767, Tirmidhi 1858 and Tirmidhi 3455, as cited above.
One more reported dua belongs in this chapter’s neighbourhood. When people brought the Prophet ﷺ the first fruit of the season, he made this dua and then gave the fruit to the youngest child present. It is Sahih Muslim 1373, narrated by Abu Hurayra, and it is Hisn al-Muslim no. 187.
اللَّهُمَّ بَارِكْ لَنَا فِي ثَمَرِنَا وَبَارِكْ لَنَا فِي مَدِينَتِنَا وَبَارِكْ لَنَا فِي صَاعِنَا وَبَارِكْ لَنَا فِي مُدِّنَا
In the full narration, the Prophet adds a longer dua for Madinah, which Hisn al-Muslim leaves out. The dua is made when the fruit is first brought to you, so it comes before you eat it.
Other occasions in the sources
The sources reviewed show no other authentic dua tied to the moment before eating.
A Shia source (clearly attributed). An Arabic radio page from Iran quotes the sixth Imam, Ja’far al-Sadiq, from a book titled al-Sahifa al-Sadiqiyya. It gives no chain, no hadith number and no grading, so it cannot be checked against the Sunni collections. For the start of a meal it says that when the tablecloth is set down one says “Bismillah”, which matches the Sunni practice, and that when hot food is brought one says “Astajiru billahi min an-nar, a’udhu billahi min an-nar” (I seek Allah’s protection from the Fire), which is not in the Sunni sources used here. Treat it as a Shia tradition, not as the Sunni Sunnah this guide follows.
Names to double-check when you see these hadith elsewhere.
A reminder on style, too: several pages mix authentic hadith, weak reports and freshly composed supplications on the same page without telling the reader which is which. When in doubt, look for a named narrator, a collection, a number and a grading.
They say "Bismillah" (In the name of Allah), or the fuller "Bismillahir-Rahmanir-Rahim". The wording "Allahumma barik lana fihi wa at'imna khayran minhu" is also reported for food and milk, though its grading and timing are discussed.
Start with Bismillah. It is the short, firmly established wording, and the Prophet ﷺ taught it to a child. Teach longer wordings as extra, and be honest with children that they are not the same level of proof.
Personal supplication is not forbidden, but do not present an unsourced wording as the Prophet's. For the discussion of insisting on a fixed dua, see our guide to the dua after eating.
See our guide to what to say and do when you forget Bismillah.
Discover the dua after eating in Islam with Arabic text, transliteration, and English meaning. Explore authentic Sunnah supplications, hadith references from Bukhari, Muslim, Abu Dawud, and Tirmidhi, scholarly differences in hadith grading, and the virtues of praising Allah after meals.
Istikhara is the prayer Muslims turn to when they need Allah’s guidance in a decision — big or small. This guide gives you the full dua in Arabic, its transliteration and meaning, and a clear, step-by-step method for praying it correctly. Every hadith-based claim below is marked with a numbered citation — see the Sources & References list at the end for the full reference and link.
The dua before eating is simple: Bismillah. This guide explains the hadith behind it, whether it is obligatory or Sunnah, the “Allahumma barik lana fihi” dua, and the popular wordings that have no sound source.
