The natural fork

*Eating with the BEST "fork"*

_[By Hadhrat Moulana Abdul Hamid Is`haq Saheb (Daamat Barakaatuhum)]_

A scholar from one of the universities visited Darul Uloom Deoband during a trip to India. He was invited for a meal by Hadhrat Moulana Anwar Shah Kashmiri (Rahmatullahi ‘alayh). The scholar asked the respected Moulana (Rahmatullahi ‘alayh): “Why do you not also eat with a fork and spoon *(as many others eat).”*

_Moulana immediately stretched out his hand, drawing attention to four of his fingers, and said: “I am eating with a fork! Just as a fork has got 4 prongs, my hand has got fingers!”_

*_Hadhrat Moulana then said: “My fork is better than your fork in 4 ways…_*

*1. My fork can feel the temperature of the food* whilst your fork cannot.

*2. My fork can bend and catch hold of the food easily,* whilst your fork cannot. I notice how you find difficulty to get hold of your food.

*3. If my fork hits against my teeth or gums I do not feel any real pain,* whilst your fork causes great pain if it pierces you – as does sometimes happen when eating with a fork.

*4. My fork excretes a fluid after eating* which helps with digestion, whilst your fork is unable to do so.

On reading this wonderful response, *ﷲ͜عَزَّوَجَــــل*  put in my mind a few more points, which add to the excellence of this Sunnah:

*My fork is made by ﷲ͜عَزَّوَجَــــل*  whilst your fork is man-made. If it is made of plastic, it is likely to break in its first use.

*I personally wash my fork before meals (which is Sunnah)*, whilst your fork is washed by somebody else, if it is washed.

*The greatest benefit of all is that my fork is Sunnah,* whilst your fork is the custom of the non-Muslims.

*As such, eating with my fork draws a guaranteed reward,* whilst eating with your fork carries no reward.

*And eating with my fork* earns the Pleasure of  *ﷲ͜عَزَّوَجَــــل*  whilst eating with your fork earns the displeasure of *ﷲ͜عَزَّوَجَــــل*

*اَلْحَمْــــدُلِلّه⚘ِ*
 sister from Reunion mentioned an additional point: *“My fork can clean the plate according to the Sunnah, whilst your fork cannot.”*

*The Sunnah has such benefit,* goodness and advantage that the customs and culture of other faiths or societies cannot be compared to the Sunnah, nor can they rival with the Sunnah.

The way life of *Ŕāsűlűllâh ﷺ*  is priceless. Everything else is valueless and useless. In fact, any other way of life is null and void in the Court of *ﷲ͜عَزَّوَجَــــل*

For a Muslim, his connection is with *Ŕāsűlűllâh ﷺ*  and this should be evident with every facet of life conforming to the beautiful and noble Sunnah.

May *ﷲ͜عَزَّوَجَــــل*  grant us the Taufeeq of appreciating and practising upon the Sunnah entirely, and throwing out from our lives, the culture of the disbelievers.