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.
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  


See similar narrations below:

Collected by Abū Dāwūd, Aḥmad, Dārimī, Ibn Ḥibbān, Bayhaqī
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  

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  

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»  

bayhaqi:14614[Chain 1] Abū ʿAbdullāh al-Ḥāfiẓ > Abū al-ʿAbbās Muḥammad b. Yaʿqūb > Aḥmad b. ʿAbd al-Jabbār > Abū Muʿāwiyah [Chain 2] Abū ʿAbdullāh Muḥammad b. Yaʿqūb > Muḥammad b. ʿAbd al-Salām And ʾIbrāhīm b. ʿAlī > Yaḥyá b. Yaḥyá > Abū Muʿāwiyah > Hishām b. ʿUrwah > ʿAbd al-Raḥman b. Saʿd > Ibn Kaʿb b. Mālik > Abīh ؓ

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)   

البيهقي:١٤٦١٤أَخْبَرَنَا أَبُو عَبْدِ اللهِ الْحَافِظُ نا أَبُو الْعَبَّاسِ مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ يَعْقُوبَ نا أَحْمَدُ بْنُ عَبْدِ الْجَبَّارِ نا أَبُو مُعَاوِيَةَ ح قَالَ وَأنا أَبُو عَبْدِ اللهِ مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ يَعْقُوبَ قَالَ حَدَّثَنِي مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ عَبْدِ السَّلَامِ وَإِبْرَاهِيمُ بْنُ عَلِيٍّ قَالَا نا يَحْيَى بْنُ يَحْيَى أنا أَبُو مُعَاوِيَةَ عَنْ هِشَامِ بْنِ عُرْوَةَ عَنْ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنِ سَعْدٍ عَنِ ابْنِ كَعْبِ بْنِ مَالِكٍ عَنْ أَبِيهِ ؓ قَالَ

كَانَ رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ يَأْكُلُ بِثَلَاثِ أَصَابِعَ وَيَلْعَقُ يَدَهُ قَبْلَ أَنْ يَمْسَحَهَا  

رَوَاهُ مُسْلِمٌ فِي الصَّحِيحِ عَنْ يَحْيَى بْنِ يَحْيَى