Question
In Sahih Muslim there is a Hadith from Jabir, which directs us to cover food and drink at night because there will be a night in a year where disease will fall. In another similar Hadith (Muslim from Jabir), it is stated that the Satan cannot open the food that has been covered.
Must one cover the food at all time at night (except during the meal) or only before sleeping?
If one forgets to cover the food at night, is it then advisable to throw it away to prevent from getting diseases & eating food contaminated by Satan?
Do these Hadiths exhort us to cover non-food item e.g. soap,ointment as well?
Also in the first Hadith does it mean literally that disease will fall only once in a year & at night?
Answer
Before commenting on the contents of the referred narrative, let us first take a closer look at the reported words and some of the variations in this reporting.
The referred saying of the Prophet (pbuh) has been reported in the following words:
عن جابر بن عبد الله قال سمعت رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم يقول غطوا الإناء وأوكوا السقاء فإن في السنة ليلة ينزل فيها وباء لا يمر بإناء ليس عليه غطاء أو سقاء ليس عليه وكاء إلا نزل فيه من ذلك الوباء (صحيح مسلم ج3 ص1596، رقم الحديث 2014)
According to Jabir ibn Abd Allah, the Prophet (pbuh) said: ‘Cover the utensils used for eating and drinking, because there will be a night during the year during which an epidemic will fall. Whenever such epidemic will pass by an uncovered eating or drinking utensil, it shall infect it.
In the narration of a different chain, the same narrative has been reported as follows:
عن جابر عن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم أنه قال غطوا الإناء وأوكوا السقاء وأغلقوا الباب وأطفؤا السراج فإن الشيطان لا يحل سقاء ولا يفتح بابا ولا يكشف إناء… (صحيح مسلم ج3 ص1594، رقم الحديث 2012)
According to Jabir ibn Abd Allah, the Prophet (pbuh) said: ‘[When night falls,] cover your eating utensils, seal your water skins, close your doors and turn off your lamps. For Satan does not open the seal of your water skins, nor does he open doors nor does he uncover the eating utensils…
If we look at the first narrative only, it seems that the referred saying ascribed to the Prophet (pbuh) is not a religious directive, but is actually one that relates to common wisdom relating to every day life. The Prophet (pbuh), in this narrative, has given a directive relating to general hygiene and carefulness regarding the utensils that people use for eating and storing water and, in this connection, has admonished them that their carelessness in this regard may subject them to an infection or an epidemic on any given night.
It is clear that the directive entailed in the referred narrative is a-religious in its very nature, as religious directives by their very nature relate either to the physical or moral cleansing of man or to symbols and/or actions that are established to have been given the status of religion by the Prophet (pbuh). Directives relating to general hygiene and cleanness are a part either of the inherent nature of man or of common sense and wisdom.
In the second narrative, however, the mention of the point that Satan does not open lids nor seals and nor does he unlock doors, makes the directive somewhat mysterious in nature. As I see it, this part of the narrative could have been an erroneous addition to the actual saying of the Prophet (pbuh), as is reported in the first of the two narratives.
Keeping the foregoing explanation in perspective, the directive entailed in the narrative relates to common hygiene relating to everyday life.
You ask:
Must one cover the food at all time at night (except during the meal) or only before sleeping?
With the modern-day facilities that are generally available to man – as, for instance, refrigeration of food items – it may not always be necessary to keep all food items covered. The decision regarding covering or otherwise of food items would depend upon one’s understanding of whether keeping the food uncovered would expose it to elements that may be hazardous to health.
You ask:
If one forgets to cover the food at night, is it then advisable to throw it away to prevent from getting diseases & eating food contaminated by Satan?
The answer to this question is once again contingent upon one’s understanding of whether or not eating such food would be safe from a hygienic point of view.
You ask:
Do these Hadiths exhort us to cover non-food item e.g. soap,ointment as well?
No.
You ask:
… in the first Hadith does it mean literally that disease will fall only once in a year & at night?
No. The implication of the referred sentence is only that by being careless one may subject one’s food to infectious elements on any given night, even though he may have escaped such carelessness on a number of other nights.
I hope this helps.
Regards,
Moiz Amjad
November 29, 2002