What dua do we say before eating and after finishing a meal?

Before eating, the sunnah is simply to say 'Bismillah' — and if you forget at the start and remember partway through, to say, 'Bismillahi fi awwalihi wa akhirihi' ('In the name of Allah at its beginning and its end') (Sunan Abi Dawud 3767). This isn't just etiquette; the Prophet explained that when Allah's name isn't mentioned, shaytan considers himself invited to share the meal. After finishing, there's a short dua of gratitude with a beautiful promise attached: 'Alhamdu lillahil-ladhi at'amani hadha, wa razaqanihi min ghayri hawlin minni wa la quwwah' ('Praise be to Allah who fed me this and provided it without any power or ability on my part'). The Prophet said that whoever says this, their previous sins are forgiven (Sunan al-Tirmidhi 3458). Together, these two small duas frame every meal — however ordinary — as a gift from Allah rather than something we simply took for granted, and they are easy to build into daily habit precisely because we eat multiple times a day, giving repeated small opportunities for remembrance and gratitude.

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