Dua Before Drinking
3 Beautiful Sunnahs of Every Sip
Water is among the greatest of the gifts of Allah, a blessing so constant that it is easily forgotten. The dua before drinking returns this gift to its rightful place by beginning every sip in the name of Allah. The Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) taught his companions to remember Allah over their food and drink, so that even a cup of water becomes a moment of worship.
This short guide gathers the supplication before drinking with three gentle sunnahs of how to drink, so that the simplest act of quenching thirst is wrapped in gratitude and the remembrance of the One who sends down the rain.
The Meaning of the Dua Before Drinking
The dua before drinking is the same blessed phrase that opens a meal, Bismillah, in the name of Allah. By saying it the believer acknowledges that water and the thirst it quenches are both from Allah, and that nothing reaches the lips without His permission. The Prophet (pbuh) taught that the name of Allah brings blessing and keeps the devil from sharing in what a person consumes.
وَاللَّهُ أَنْزَلَ مِنَ السَّمَاءِ مَاءً فَأَحْيَا بِهِ الْأَرْضَ بَعْدَ مَوْتِهَا
Wallahu anzala minas-sama’i ma’an fa’ahya bihil-arda ba‘da mawtiha
Allah is the One who sends down water from the sky and with it gives life
To begin a sip with these words is to see a glass of water as the sign of mercy that it truly is, drawn from clouds and rivers that no human hand created.
Three Sunnahs of Drinking
The Prophet (pbuh) drank in a way that was gentle on the body and rich in manners. Keeping these three habits turns drinking into a quiet act of following his Sunnah.
- Say Bismillah before drinking, and praise Allah with Alhamdulillah when finished.
- Sit while drinking whenever you can, as was the general practice of the Prophet (pbuh).
- Drink in three breaths rather than one long gulp, pausing to breathe away from the cup.
لَا تَشْرَبُوا وَاحِدًا كَشُرْبِ الْبَعِيرِ وَلَٰكِنِ اشْرَبُوا مَثْنَىٰ وَثُلَاثَ
La tashrabu wahidan kashurbil-ba‘iri wa lakinishrabu mathna wa thulath
Do not drink in one breath but breathe two or three times
Gratitude in a Glass of Water
A believer who remembers Allah before drinking never takes water for granted. The dua before drinking pairs naturally with the dua after drinking that closes the moment in praise, and together they reflect the wider beauty of gratitude in Islam. Each sip becomes a small reminder that the One who gives life through water is the same One who sustains the heart through faith.
There is wisdom too in the way the Prophet (pbuh) drank. Sipping slowly in three breaths, sitting calmly rather than rushing, and beginning in the name of Allah all bring ease to the body and peace to the heart. What the modern world now rediscovers as mindful drinking, the Sunnah taught fourteen centuries ago as an act of worship. A believer who pauses over a glass of water, naming Allah before and praising Him after, drinks not only to live but to remember, and the most ordinary cup is lifted into the company of worship, and thirst itself becomes a quiet doorway to the gratitude that draws the heart ever nearer to Allah.
A single sip of water is a mercy worth pausing for, and remembering Allah over it is the sweetest habit of all. Keep it with us on YouTube, where the supplications are recited aloud, on Instagram for a daily reminder before your next drink, and on LinkedIn where readers share the sunnahs of the table.
Frequently Asked Questions
The dua before drinking is the phrase Bismillah, in the name of Allah, which the Prophet (pbuh) taught before food and drink alike. Saying it brings blessing to the water and keeps the devil from sharing in it, as reported in authentic hadith.
Yes, both begin with Bismillah, since the Prophet (pbuh) taught the remembrance of Allah over all that we consume. When you finish, you praise Allah with Alhamdulillah just as you would after a meal.
He taught that drinking in three breaths is gentler, more satisfying and healthier than gulping in one breath. It is part of the prophetic manners of drinking and a mercy upon the body.
The general practice of the Prophet (pbuh) was to drink while sitting, which is calmer and better for the body, though drinking while standing is also permitted. Sitting is the preferred sunnah whenever it is easy.
After drinking you praise Allah by saying Alhamdulillah, all praise is for Allah. This seals the blessing of the water in gratitude, just as Bismillah opened it in His name.