The First Meal in Jannah

27th December 2013

 

السلام عليكم و رحمة الله و بركاته

Question: Please can you kindly explain why the first meal in Jannah is fish liver?

الجواب حامداً و مصلياً

In the name of Allāh, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful

Answer

The Hadeeth which refers to the first meal in Jannah is quite lengthy so only an excerpt of it will be mentioned. During migration, when the Holy Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam arrived to Madinah, Sayyidunā Abdullāh Ibn Salām radhiyallahu anhu approached him and posed three questions to him to ascertain his Prophethood because only a Prophet of Allāh would know the answers to these questions. Amongst those three questions was, “What will be the first food the people of Jannah will consume?” The Holy Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam replied, “The extra liver of a fish (or whale).”[1]

Its true wisdom rests with Allāh Almighty alone, but Hafiz Ibn Hajr Al-Asqalāni rahimahullah explains that this is because it is generally perceived as something easily consumed and requires no difficulty.[2] Since Jannah is a place of relaxation and pleasure for eternity, then perhaps Allāh Almighty would initially serve this food as a first impression that there will be no endurance of any form of pain or difficulty ever.     

 

 [Allãh Knows Best]

 

Written by (Mufti) Abdul Waheed

Answer Attested by Shaykh Mufti Saiful Islam

JKN Fatawa Department

 

[1] Saheeh Bukhari No:3938

َنَّ عَبْدَ اللَّهِ بْنَ سَلاَمٍ، بَلَغَهُ مَقْدَمُ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ المَدِينَةَ فَأَتَاهُ يَسْأَلُهُ عَنْ أَشْيَاءَ، فَقَالَ: إِنِّي سَائِلُكَ عَنْ ثَلاَثٍ لاَ يَعْلَمُهُنَّ إِلَّا نَبِيٌّ، مَا أَوَّلُ أَشْرَاطِ السَّاعَةِ؟، وَمَا أَوَّلُ طَعَامٍ يَأْكُلُهُ أَهْلُ الجَنَّةِ؟، وَمَا بَالُ الوَلَدِ يَنْزِعُ إِلَى أَبِيهِ أَوْ إِلَى أُمِّهِ؟، قَالَ: «أَخْبَرَنِي بِهِ جِبْرِيلُ آنِفًا» قَالَ ابْنُ سَلاَمٍ: ذَاكَ عَدُوُّ اليَهُودِ مِنَ المَلاَئِكَةِ، قَالَ: «أَمَّا أَوَّلُ أَشْرَاطِ السَّاعَةِ فَنَارٌ تَحْشُرُهُمْ مِنَ المَشْرِقِ إِلَى المَغْرِبِ، وَأَمَّا أَوَّلُ طَعَامٍ يَأْكُلُهُ أَهْلُ الجَنَّةِ فَزِيَادَةُ كَبِدِ الحُوتِ، وَأَمَّا الوَلَدُ فَإِذَا سَبَقَ مَاءُ الرَّجُلِ مَاءَ المَرْأَةِ نَزَعَ الوَلَدَ، وَإِذَا سَبَقَ مَاءُ المَرْأَةِ مَاءَ الرَّجُلِ نَزَعَتِ الوَلَدَ

[2] Fathul Bari p.341 vol 7

وَأَمَّا أَوَّلُ طَعَامٍ يَأْكُلُهُ أَهْلُ الْجَنَّةِ فَزِيَادَةُ كَبِدِ الْحُوتِ الزِّيَادَةُ هِيَ الْقِطْعَةُ الْمُنْفَرِدَةُ الْمُعَلَّقَةُ فِي الْكَبِدِ وَهِيَ فِي الْمَطْعَمِ فِي غَايَة اللَّذَّة وَيُقَال إِنَّهَا أهنأ طَعَام وأمرأه