Caution: Translations of Quran and Ḥadīth may lead to possible misapplications and misinterpretations. This site is intended for students of sacred knowledge that are proficient in comprehending classical Arabic and have a strong foundation in Islamic sciences. Also note that religious injunctions rely on several aspects beyond what one may glean through reading individual aḥādīth.
abudawud:3848al-Nufaylī > Abū Muʿāwiyah > Hishām b. ʿUrwah > ʿAbd al-Raḥman b. Saʿd > Ibn Kaʿb b. Mālik from his father

The Prophet ﷺ used to eat with three fingers and not wipe his before licking it.  

أبو داود:٣٨٤٨حَدَّثَنَا النُّفَيْلِيُّ حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو مُعَاوِيَةَ عَنْ هِشَامِ بْنِ عُرْوَةَ عَنْ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنِ سَعْدٍ عَنِ ابْنِ كَعْبِ بْنِ مَالِكٍ عَنْ أَبِيهِ

أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ ﷺ كَانَ يَأْكُلُ بِثَلاَثِ أَصَابِعَ وَلاَ يَمْسَحُ يَدَهُ حَتَّى يَلْعَقَهَا  


See similar narrations below:

Collected by Muslim, Aḥmad, Dārimī, Ibn Ḥibbān, Ṭabarānī, Suyūṭī
muslim:2032bYaḥyá b. Yaḥyá > Abū Muʿāwiyah > Hishām b. ʿUrwah > ʿAbd al-Raḥman b. Saʿd > Ibn Kaʿb b. Mālik from his father

Ibn Ka'b b. Malik reported on the authority of his father that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ used to eat (food) with three fingers and he licked his hand before wiping it (with towel).  

مسلم:٢٠٣٢bحَدَّثَنَا يَحْيَى بْنُ يَحْيَى أَخْبَرَنَا أَبُو مُعَاوِيَةَ عَنْ هِشَامِ بْنِ عُرْوَةَ عَنْ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنِ سَعْدٍ عَنِ ابْنِ كَعْبِ بْنِ مَالِكٍ عَنْ أَبِيهِ قَالَ

كَانَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ يَأْكُلُ بِثَلاَثِ أَصَابِعَ وَيَلْعَقُ يَدَهُ قَبْلَ أَنْ يَمْسَحَهَا  

muslim:2032cMuḥammad b. ʿAbdullāh b. Numayr from my father > Hishām > ʿAbd al-Raḥman b. Saʿd > ʿAbd al-Raḥman b. Kaʿb b. Mālik or ʿAbdullāh b. Kaʿb > Abīh Kaʿb

'Abdullah b. Ka'b reported that his father Ka'b narrated to him that Messenger of Allah ﷺ used to eat with three fingers and when he had finished (eating), he licked them.  

مسلم:٢٠٣٢cوَحَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ نُمَيْرٍ حَدَّثَنَا أَبِي حَدَّثَنَا هِشَامٌ عَنْ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنِ سَعْدٍ أَنَّ عَبْدَ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنَ كَعْبِ بْنِ مَالِكٍ أَوْ عَبْدَ اللَّهِ بْنَ كَعْبٍ أَخْبَرَهُ عَنْ أَبِيهِ كَعْبٍ أَنَّهُ حَدَّثَهُمْ

أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ كَانَ يَأْكُلُ بِثَلاَثِ أَصَابِعَ فَإِذَا فَرَغَ لَعِقَهَا  

ahmad:27167Abū Muʿāwiyah > Hishām b. ʿUrwah > ʿAbd al-Raḥman b. Saʿd > Ibn Kaʿb b. Mālik from his father

Ibn Ka'b b. Malik reported on the authority of his father that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ used to eat (food) with three fingers and he licked his hand before wiping it (with towel). (Using translation from Muslim 2032b)   

أحمد:٢٧١٦٧حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو مُعَاوِيَةَ قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا هِشَامُ بْنُ عُرْوَةَ عَنْ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنِ سَعْدٍ عَنْ ابْنِ كَعْبِ بْنِ مَالِكٍ عَنْ أَبِيهِ قَالَ

كَانَ رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ يَأْكُلُ بِثَلَاثِ أَصَابِعَ وَلَا يَمْسَحُ يَدَهُ حَتَّى يَلْعَقَهَا  

ahmad:27169Ibn Numayr > Hishām > ʿAbd al-Raḥman b. Saʿd > ʿAbd al-Raḥman b. Kaʿb b. Mālik or ʿAbdullāh b. Kaʿb b. Mālik > Abīh Kaʿb

'Abdullah b. Ka'b reported that his father Ka'b narrated to him that Messenger of Allah ﷺ used to eat with three fingers and when he had finished (eating), he licked them. (Using translation from Muslim 2032c)  

أحمد:٢٧١٦٩حَدَّثَنَا ابْنُ نُمَيْرٍ عَنْ هِشَامٍ عَنْ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنِ سَعْدٍ أَنَّ عَبْدَ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنَ كَعْبِ بْنِ مَالِكٍ أَوْ عَبْدَ اللهِ بْنَ كَعْبِ بْنِ مَالِكٍ أَخْبَرَهُ عَنْ أَبِيهِ كَعْبٍ أَنَّهُ حَدَّثَهُمْ

أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللهِ ﷺ كَانَ يَأْكُلُ بِثَلَاثِ أَصَابِعَ فَإِذَا فَرَغَ لَعِقَهَا  

darimi:2076Muḥammad b. ʿĪsá > Abū Muʿāwiyah > Hishām b. ʿUrwah > ʿAbd al-Raḥman b. Saʿd al-Madanī > Ibn Kaʿb b. Mālik from his father

The Prophet ﷺ used to eat with three fingers and not wipe his before licking it. (Using translation from Abū Dāʾūd 3848)  

الدارمي:٢٠٧٦أَخْبَرَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ عِيسَى حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو مُعَاوِيَةَ عَنْ هِشَامِ بْنِ عُرْوَةَ عَنْ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنِ سَعْدٍ الْمَدَنِيِّ عَنْ ابْنِ كَعْبِ بْنِ مَالِكٍ عَنْ أَبِيهِ قَالَ

«كَانَ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ يَأْكُلُ بِثَلَاثِ أَصَابِعَ وَلَا يَمْسَحُ يَدَهُ حَتَّى يَلْعَقَهَا»  

ذِكْرُ مَا يُسْتَحَبُّ لِلْمَرْءِ أَنْ يَكُونَ أَكْلُهُ بِأَصَابِعِهِ الثَّلَاثِ

ibnhibban:5251Ibrāhīm b. Muḥammad b. ʿAbbād Bi-al-Baṣrah > Ziyād b. Yaḥyá al-Ḥassānay > Mālik b. Suʿayr > Hishām b. ʿUrwah > ʿAbd al-Raḥman b. Saʿd > Ibn Kaʿb b. Mālik from his father

[Machine] The translation of the provided Arabic phrase into English is as follows: "The Messenger of Allah ﷺ used to eat with three fingers and then lick them."  

ابن حبّان:٥٢٥١أَخْبَرَنَا إِبْرَاهِيمُ بْنُ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ عَبَّادٍ بِالْبَصْرَةِ قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا زِيَادُ بْنُ يَحْيَى الْحَسَّانَيُّ قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا مَالِكُ بْنُ سُعَيْرٍ قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا هِشَامُ بْنُ عُرْوَةَ عَنْ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنِ سَعْدٍ عَنِ ابْنِ كَعْبِ بْنِ مَالِكٍ عَنْ أَبِيهِ قَالَ

«كَانَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ يَأْكُلُ بِثَلَاثِ أَصَابِعَ ثُمَّ يَلْعَقُهُنَّ»  

tabarani:16306ʿAbdān b. Aḥmad > Muḥammad b. ʿAbdullāh b. Numayr > Ḥafṣ b. Ghiyāth > Hishām b. ʿUrwah > ʿAbd al-Raḥman b. Saʿd > ʿAbdullāh b. Kaʿb > Kaʿb

'Abdullah b. Ka'b reported that his father Ka'b narrated to him that Messenger of Allah ﷺ used to eat with three fingers and when he had finished (eating), he licked them. (Using translation from Muslim 2032c)  

الطبراني:١٦٣٠٦حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدَانُ بْنُ أَحْمَدَ ثنا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ عَبْدِ اللهِ بْنِ نُمَيْرٍ ثنا حَفْصُ بْنُ غِيَاثٍ عَنْ هِشَامِ بْنِ عُرْوَةَ عَنْ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنِ سَعْدٍ أَنَّ عَبْدَ اللهِ بْنَ كَعْبٍ أَخْبَرَهُ عَنْ كَعْبٍ أَنَّهُ حَدَّثَهُمْ

«أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللهِ ﷺ كَانَ يَأْكُلُ بِثَلَاثِ أَصَابِعَ فَإِذَا فَرَغَ لَعِقَهَا»