The things we treat as optional

There are certain practices in Islam that many of us treat lightly.

Not because we reject them outright but because we decide they are optional. Easy to skip. Not important enough to interrupt our habits.

Sit while drinking.
Drink in three sips.
Eat with your hands.

They are often mentioned in passing, sometimes with a smile, sometimes with an eye roll. We know they are from the Sunnah, but we decide they are not that important.

After all, what difference could they really make?

When explanation becomes a requirement

Modern life has trained us to demand reasons.

If something makes sense scientifically, we are comfortable following it. If we can’t see an immediate benefit, we hesitate. And if the explanation isn’t obvious, we often decide it’s outdated or symbolic rather than practical.

Not because we’ve studied these practices deeply, but because they don’t fit our pace, our convenience or our preferences.

This isn’t rejection. It’s conditional obedience.

The Sunnah wasn’t waiting for our approval

The Prophet ﷺ did not teach a lifestyle built on justification. He taught a way of living.

Anas ibn Malik reported:

“The Messenger of Allah ﷺ used to breathe three times while drinking.”
(Muslim)

And in another narration:

“Do not drink water in one gulp like a camel, but drink it in two or three sips.”
(Tirmidhi)

There’s no explanation attached. No defence. Just consistency.

Likewise, the Prophet ﷺ discouraged drinking while standing except in certain circumstances, and he ate with his hands. These were not occasional habits, they were patterns. The Sunnah doesn’t argue its case. It assumes trust.

“We know better now”

It’s tempting to believe that because we live in a more advanced world, we’ve moved beyond these details. But that confidence rests on a fragile idea: that we already understand everything worth understanding.

History suggests otherwise. Practices once dismissed as unnecessary or old-fashioned often resurface years later, reframed through research, not because science discovered them, but because it finally noticed what had always been there.

Even today, there is growing attention around posture, digestion, nervous system regulation, pace and awareness — all things that align closely with these Sunnah practices.

But that still isn’t the point. The Sunnah was never dependent on science catching up.

What happens when we decide it doesn’t matter

When these practices are dismissed, something shifts.

Eating becomes faster. Drinking becomes mechanical. Attention disappears.

We move through basic acts without presence, treating the body as something to fuel quickly rather than something entrusted to us. These habits don’t feel harmful because they are normal. But normal doesn’t mean neutral.

Patterns repeated every day shape the way we live, whether we notice them or not.

Following before fully understanding

There is a discomfort many adults feel around following something they don’t fully understand.

We want to agree first. To be convinced. To see proof. But Islam doesn’t always work in that order.

Often, the sequence is:

• you follow

• you experience

• understanding comes later

Some benefits only reveal themselves through practice. Sitting to drink feels unnecessary until you notice how rushed you are. Drinking slowly feels pointless until you realise how little attention you give your body. Eating with your hands feels awkward until you recognise how disconnected you’ve become from food.

These changes aren’t dramatic. They are corrective.

Optional doesn’t mean irrelevant

Not every Sunnah carries the same legal weight. That’s true. But optional does not mean unimportant. Many of these practices exist precisely where we are most likely to switch off, in moments we consider too basic to matter.

Ignoring them doesn’t make us sinful. But it does mean we lose what they were meant to give.

This was never for Allah’s (swt) benefit

The most important thing to remember is this:

These practices are not for Allah’s (swt) benefit. They are for ours.

Allah (swt) is not diminished when we ignore them. The Sunnah does not lose its value when we dismiss it.

The only person affected is the one who chooses not to follow.

Whether we understand the reason or not, the benefit remains. And when we decide something isn’t worth doing because we can’t yet see why, the loss is personal.

The Sunnah does not force itself on us. It leaves the choice open. And in that choice, the outcome is ours.