They usually recite al-Faatihah and the du‘aa’ (supplication) before starting to eat; what is the ruling on that?
Question

                In some Muslim organisations in India, they usually recite al-Faatihah and some other du‘aa’s (supplications) before starting to eat.

They say that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) used to do that, and they quote as evidence a Prophetic hadeeth which says that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) was asked to pray for blessing for some food that was brought to him, so he recited those supplications before eating. They call this supplication Du‘aa’ al-Faatihah.

Is this correct?
Praise be to Allah.
    Firstly: 

    It is Sunnah for the guest to offer supplication for his host 
    after he has finished eating, because of the report narrated by Muslim 
    (2042) from ‘Abdullah ibn Busr, who said: The Messenger of Allah (blessings 
    and peace of Allah be upon him) came to my father and we offered him some 
    food and a mixture of dates, dried yoghurt and ghee. Then some dates were 
    brought and he started eating them, putting the stones between his fingers 
    and holding his forefinger and middle finger together. Then some drink was 
    brought and he drank it, then he passed it to the one who was on his right. 
    My father said, taking hold of the reins of his riding-animal: Pray to Allah 
    for us. He said: “O Allah, bless them in that which You have provided for 
    them, and forgive them and have mercy on them.” 

    An-Nawawi (may Allah have mercy on him) said: 

    This indicates that it is mustahabb (encouraged) for the 
    guest to pray for increased provision, forgiveness and mercy (for his host). 
    In this supplication (du‘aa’), the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be 
    upon him) mentioned the good things of both this world and the Hereafter.

    End quote. 

    Abu Dawood (3854) narrated from Anas 
    that the Prophet (blessings 
    and peace of Allah be upon him) 
    came to Sa‘d ibn ‘Ubaadah and he brought some bread and olive oil and he 
    ate, then the Prophet (blessings and peace of 
    Allah be upon him) said: “May 
    fasting people break their fast with you, may the righteous eat your food, 
    and may the angels send blessings upon you.”

    But the supplication that is offered after eating, or before, 
    or in any other situation, should only be supplication that a person offers 
    by himself, and not in the communal form mentioned in the question. 

    The scholars of the Standing Committee were asked: 

    There is a person whose habit is to give food to a group of 
    people every Friday, and when the food is finished, they do not leave their 
    places or their seats; rather they wait for one of them, who is appointed by 
    the one who has given the food, to pray to Allah to cause the reward for 
    that food to reach their deceased family members and relatives. During that 
    supplication, the one who is asking of Allah raises his hands, as do the 
    other people present, and they say Ameen. Is this supplication during which 
    the group raises their hands after eating permissible or not? 

    They replied:

    Communal supplication in the manner mentioned after eating is 
    something for which there is no basis in Islam. Therefore what they must do 
    is stop doing that, because it is an innovation; they should be content with 
    that which is mentioned in the Sunnah of offering supplication and asking 
    for blessing (barakah) for the one who gave the food, and the like. Each 
    person should offer supplication of his own. It is narrated in the Sunnah 
    that one may say “Allahummah baarik lahum fima razaqtahum waghfir lahum 
    warhamhum (O Allah, bless the provision that You have granted to them, 
    forgive them and have mercy on them), and “Aftara ‘indakum as-saa’imoona 
    wa akala ta‘aamakum al-abraaru wa sallat ‘alaykum al-malaa’ikah (May 
    fasting people break their fast at your table, may the righteous eat your 
    food, and may the angels send blessings upon you).” 

    End quote from Fataawa al-Lajnah ad-Daa’imah, 
    24/189-190 

    Secondly: 

    Reciting al-Faatihah and specific du‘aa’s before eating, and 
    claiming that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) recited 
    this supplication before eating, is an innovation for which we know of no 
    basis in Islam. It is not known from his Sunnah that he (blessings and peace 
    of Allah be upon him) used to raise his hands to offer supplication or 
    recite al-Faatihah before or after eating. Therefore what you must do is 
    give up this innovation and be content with that which is narrated in the 
    saheeh Sunnah, and rely on the books of well-known scholars who are able to 
    distinguish sound (saheeh) hadeeths from those that are weak, and what is 
    Sunnah from what is innovated.

    You should also advise people to do likewise, and warn them 
    against innovations that have been introduced into Islam. 

    For more information on the teachings and etiquette of the 
    Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) concerning food, please 
    see the answer to questions no. 6503 
    and 13348

    And Allah knows best.