عَنْ عَلِيٍّ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ قَالَ جُعْتُ مَرَّةً بِالْمَدِينَةِ جُوعًا شَدِيدًا فَخَرَجْتُ أَطْلُبُ الْعَمَلَ فِي عَوَالِي الْمَدِينَةِ فَإِذَا أَنَا بِامْرَأَةٍ قَدْ جَمَعَتْ مَدَرًا فَظَنَنْتُهَا تُرِيدُ بَلَّهُ فَأَتَيْتُهَا فَقَاطَعْتُهَا كُلَّ ذَنُوبٍ عَلَى تَمْرَةٍ فَمَدَدْتُ سِتَّةَ عَشَرَ ذَنُوبًا حَتَّى مَجَلَتْ يَدَايَ ثُمَّ أَتَيْتُ الْمَاءَ فَأَصَبْتُ مِنْهُ ثُمَّ أَتَيْتُهَا فَقُلْتُ بِكَفَّيَّ هَكَذَا بَيْنَ يَدَيْهَا وَبَسَطَ إِسْمَاعِيلُ يَعْنِي ابْنَ إِبْرَاهِيمَ أَحَدَ الرُّوَاةِ يَدَيْهِ وَجَمَعَهُمَا فَعَدَّتْ لِي سِتَّ عَشْرَةَ تَمْرَةً فَأَتَيْتُ النَّبِيَّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَسَلَّمَ فَأَخْبَرْتُهُ فَأَكَلَ مَعِي مِنْهَا
It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him), he says: Once, when I was in Madinah, I became extremely hungry, so I went out towards the upper part of Madinah in search of some work. Suddenly, I saw a woman who had gathered clay and now wanted to make mortar from it. I went to her and agreed to take one date for every bucket (of water). So I drew sixteen buckets of water from the well, due to which blisters appeared on my hands. Then I brought that water and poured it on the clay, and then I came to that woman to receive my wages and spread my palms before her. The narrator Ismail described the manner by spreading and joining his hands. So the woman counted out sixteen dates and gave them to me. Then I took those dates and went to the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and told him the whole story. So the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) ate those dates with me.