I was with the Prophet ﷺ when he said to a man beside him, "I do not eat while reclining."In another wording, "I do not eat reclining."
كنت عند النبي ﷺ فقال لرجل عنده: لا آكل وأنا متكئ. وفي لفظ: لا آكل متكئا.
Bukhari related it in the Book of Foods (5399), from Uthman bin Abu Shayba, who said, Jareer informed us, from Mansur, from Ali bin Aqmar, from Abu Juhayfa, who said, and he narrated the hadith as previously mentioned. The other wording (5398) is from Abu Naeem, who said, Masaar narrated to us, from Ali bin Aqmar, with the same content.There is disagreement about the manner of reclining. It has been said that it means settling firmly into a sitting position for eating, in whatever manner that may be. It has also been said that it means leaning to one side. And it has been said that it means supporting oneself on the ground with the left hand.They likewise disagreed about the ruling on eating while reclining. Ibn Qass claimed that this was one of the things exclusive to the Prophet, but Bayhaqi challenged this, saying that it may also be disliked for others, since it is the practice of those who exalt themselves, and its origin is taken from the kings of the non-Arabs.He said, if a person has some impediment that prevents him from eating except while reclining, then there is no dislike in that. He then cited reports from a group of the early generations who ate in this manner, and suggested that this should be understood, on their part, as due to necessity.Hafiz said, "There is room for question in this interpretation. Ibn Abu Shayba related from Ibn Abbas, Khalid bin Walid, Ubayda Salmani, Muhammad bin Sirin, Ata bin Yasar, and Zuhri that this is permissible without any restriction..."Fath al-Bari (9/541–542).