This article is part 3 of my series: “Sacred Living in a Distracted Age,” a journey back to presence, barakah, and God in a world that constantly pulls us away.

Since coming to Tarim, we’ve naturally started eating together from one big plate. This wasn’t something we did daily in the UK. We tried to eat at the same time, but eating from the same plate wasn’t a priority. Yet I always loved it, because it’s how I grew up, and whenever we did it, the kids enjoyed it so much.

But here in Tarim, something shifted.

We’ve been practicing this for just under three months now, and what I’ve noticed is so profound that it cannot be a coincidence.

It is from the Sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ to eat together, and everything from his blessed way brings benefit to us in both worlds.

The Prophet ﷺ said:

“Eat together and do not eat separately, for the blessing (barakah) is in being together.” — Ibn Mājah

He ﷺ also said:

“Gather together for your food, and it will be blessed for you.” — Abu Dawūd

And subhanAllah…the barakah is real.

I’ve noticed that whenever we eat together, we do not get full the way we do when eating alone. Sometimes I know I’ve eaten a lot, yet because of the barakah of eating together, I never feel heavy or stuffy.

When I eat alone even small portions I feel bloated, weighed down, especially with dense or carb-heavy meals. But time and time again, I’ve observed the opposite when we eat as a family from one plate: no bloating, no discomfort. We get up feeling satisfied, but never stuffed.

There is another beautiful hadith where the Prophet ﷺ said:

“The food of one person is enough for two, the food of two is enough for four, and the food of four is enough for eight.” — Sahih Muslim

This hadith comes alive in Tarim. We see it. We feel it. We taste it. I truly felt this ḥadīth come alive one afternoon. I had been out in the heat attending class, and when I returned home I was tired and hungry. So I warmed up some leftovers from the day before a small portion that didn’t look enough for two people, let alone for all four of us.

But with the barakah that our beloved Prophet ﷺ promised us, something incredible happened: we ate, and somehow the food stretched. I felt full and satisfied even before the plate was finished. SubḥānAllāh it truly amazed me, but it also warmed my heart, because the words of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ are always true. Allah places Barakah where He wills.

Everyone in the house feels the same way; lighter, calmer, and more connected. Eating together hasn’t just changed the way we feel physically; it’s changed the atmosphere of our meals. More gratitude. More calm. More presence. More love.

In a world of isolated meals and rushed living, returning to Prophetic eating transforms the home into a place of barakah. They say families who eat together stay together, but eating from one plate reaches a level of connection that goes beyond just sharing a meal. In the midst of all this distraction and overstimulation, I’ve realised that sacred living isn’t only about reflection or routines it’s also about small, intentional practices that reconnect us to each other and to barakah in our daily lives. Eating together has become one of those practices for me: a gentle way to pause, slow down, and create space for presence and connection amidst the chaos of modern life. It reminds me that the antidote to distraction isn’t just discipline or willpower; it’s embedding little acts of sacredness into ordinary moments, allowing our hearts and minds to be nourished alongside our bodies.

I wonder if others have experienced this too. The physical and spiritual ease that comes from reviving a simple Sunnah that carries oceans of barakah.

Try your next meal with your family and see it for yourself. I don’t think you’d want to go back 😃

For Allah to put Barakah in everything we do, we should invite it by following the way of the Prophet ﷺ and seeking it from Allah through dua.

“O Allah! Bless us in what You have provided us and protect us from the torment of the Fire.” 

Until next time…

Peace be with you.