The figurativeness of a disbeliever eating in 'seven intestines'
23-12-2014 | IslamWeb
Question:
Salaam Alaikum. In Fatwa No : 270118, you wrote that the interpretation that unbelievers have seven intestines, was the opinion of An-Nawawi, as well as Ibn Hajar and Ibn Umar. You wrote also that most Muslim scholars do not take the hadith literally, but figuratively. Can you name some of the scholars who took the teaching figuratively? Can you name the earliest scholar who understood it literally, and the earliest scholar who understood it figuratively? We know that Ibn Umar understood the meaning to be literal. Did any of the sahaba understand the meaning to be figurative? Thank you.
Answer:
All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, is His slave and Messenger.
We did not find any Companions on the authority of whom scholars cited a statement regarding this Hadeeth except ‘Abdullaah ibn ‘Umar and Abu Sa‘eed Al-Khudri 
. At-Tahaawi cited on the authority of Abu Al-Waddaak that he said: “I entered the quarters of Abu Sa‘eed while he was eating very little food. I said: ‘I see that you are eating very little.’ He replied: ‘I heard the Messenger of Allaah, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, say: ‘A believer eats in one intestine and a disbeliever eats in seven intestines.’” [Mushkil Al-’Aathaar]
This indicates that his understanding of the Hadeeth was that it urges Muslims to eat little and avoid gluttony, not the literal number of the intestines.
As for the scholars, most of those who interpreted the Hadeeth literally such as Ibn ‘Abd Al-Barr in his book Al-Istithkaar held that this was specific to a certain person. Among those who also quoted his opinion were Abu 'Ubayd Al-Qaasim ibn Sallaam, At-Tahaawi, Al-Khattaabi, Al-Harawi, Abu Taalib Al-Makki, Al-Jawhari, Ibn Battaal, Al-Ghazaali, Ibn Rushd, Al-Maaziri, Ibn Al-‘Arabi, Ibn Al-Jawzi, Ibn Al-Atheer, Al-Qurtubi, Ibn Rajab, and Ibn Al-Mulaqqin.
The opinion that it is figurative was mentioned by Al-Biqaa‘i in his book Nathm Ad-Durar and At-Tahaawi attributed it to Abu Ja‘far ibn ‘Imraan.
It is enough for the dear questioner to know what we have mentioned above, that the Hadeeth urges Muslims not to indulge in worldly pleasures and calls them to adhere to asceticism and to be content with little, and that eating little is a virtue and eating much is the opposite of that.
Allaah Knows best.