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What is the meaning of the Hadith: "If the dining cloth is laid out, no man should stand up until it is removed, nor should he withdraw his hand, even if he is full, until the people finish, and he should offer an excuse, for a man may embarrass his companion by withdrawing his hand, and perhaps his companion still has a need for the food," and does this include the prohibition of standing up upon satiety and continuing to eat, as well as private eating?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

"Extremely weak. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) forbade a man from leaving the table until it is cleared, or from removing his hand (from the food) even if he is full, until the people finish. He explained this by saying that a man might embarrass his companion, causing him to withdraw his hand, and perhaps he still had a need for the food.

It can be inferred from its meaning that among the etiquettes of eating is that one should not leave until those with him have finished their food. This meaning is considered among noble manners and good etiquette, and it applies to the host and anyone who is being followed if his departure would embarrass others.

However, if each person has their own private food, as in weddings, there is no dislike in leaving, as the reason (for the prohibition) is absent."

Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026

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