Dua to Recite When Drinking Water

Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) relates: "When the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) drank water he would drink it in three breaths, saying Bismillah at each breath, and when he finished he would say Alhamdulillah" (Jami' at-Tirmidhi, At'imah 48). Water is the fundamental source of life, and its importance is emphasised in the Noble Qur'an with the words "We made every living thing from water" (al-Anbiya 30).

Our Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) recommended drinking water breath by breath and forbade emptying the cup in a single breath (drinking without pausing for breath). He would drink his drink in three breaths and would state that this is more thirst-quenching, more wholesome and more easily digested (Sahih al-Bukhari, Ashribah 28; Sahih Muslim, Ashribah 119). This is a recommendation relating both to health and to good manners.

This dua recited while drinking water enables the believer to appreciate the value of water, the most basic blessing, and to give thanks to the One who created it. The possibility that water's sweetness is Allah's mercy while its bitterness could be because of our sins always turns the servant toward repentance and gratitude.