(111) Chapter: Etiquette of Drinking Water

Sahl bin Sa'd (May Allah be pleased with him) reported:
A drink was brought to Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) and he drank (some) from it. On his right was a boy and on his left were some elderly people. He (ﷺ) said to the boy, "Would you permit me to give rest of this drink to these on my left?" The boy said: "O Messenger of Allah, I would certainly not give preference to anyone in anything that might come to me from you." So he (ﷺ) handed over the rest of the drink to him.

[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

Commentary: This Hadith has already been mentioned earlier. Sheikh Al-Albani says: Some wrongly think that (in order to distribute something) in accordance with the Sunnah, a beginning should be made from an elderly person of the audience. Similarly, the view of Imam An-Nawawi is also not sound that the distribution should begin from his own person and then give it out to the gathering in the right order. Whereas the fact is, as mentioned in the Hadith, Messenger of Allah (PBUH) had demanded the drink for himself and, therefore, drunk it first of all. And if the situation is otherwise, the beginning should be made from the right side according to the Sunnah. Neither should the distributor give priority to himself nor to any elderly person from amongst the gathering. Rather, he should begin from the right side and then keep distributing in the serial order. Sheikh Al-Albani, therefore, says that Imam AnNawawi is wrong to think that the distributor should begin after himself from the right side.