When the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ was alive, there was a young boy named Umar ibn Abi Salama. He lived in the Prophet's home and was cared for by him, like part of the family.
One day, they all sat down to eat together. The food was placed in one big dish in the middle, the way people often ate long ago, with everyone sharing from the same plate.
Little Umar was hungry and excited. His hand darted here and there all across the dish, reaching for the tastiest-looking pieces from every side.
The Prophet ﷺ noticed. But he did not get angry, and he did not make the boy feel bad. Gently and kindly, like a loving teacher, he taught Umar three simple things.
"O young boy," he said, "say Bismillah." That means: begin by saying "In the name of Allah."
"Eat with your right hand," he said next.
"And eat from what is in front of you," he finished, meaning take from the part of the dish that is closest to you, instead of reaching across to everyone else's side.
Umar never forgot those three little rules. He remembered them for the rest of his life and taught them to others. And now, more than a thousand years later, Muslim children all around the world still learn them, maybe even at your table tonight.
The Prophet ﷺ taught even a small child with gentleness, not harshness. And he showed that good manners begin with Allah: we say Bismillah first, use our right hand, and think of others by taking what is near us. Small manners can bring big rewards.
From a hadith narrated by Umar ibn Abi Salama (may Allah be pleased with him), recorded in Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim (mutafaq alayh, agreed upon by both collections).