Fath al-Rabbani

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him), he says: By Allah! Due to hunger, I would press my liver against the ground, and I would tie a stone to my stomach because of hunger. One day, it so happened that I sat on the path where people would pass by. Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) passed by me, and I asked him about a verse from the Noble Qur’an. My intention was that he would take me with him (and feed me), but he did not do so. Then Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) passed by, and I asked him about a verse from the Book of Allah. My intention in asking him was also that he would take me with him, but he too did not do so. Meanwhile, Abu al-Qasim (the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him) passed by, and he recognized from my face and my inner state what was going on, and he said: “Abu Hurairah!” I said: “Yes, O Messenger of Allah! I am present.” He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Come with me.” Then, when he (peace and blessings be upon him) entered his house, I asked his permission to enter, and he (peace and blessings be upon him) granted me permission. There I found a bowl of milk. He (peace and blessings be upon him) asked: “Where did this milk come from?” The household said: “So-and-so or the family of so-and-so sent it to us as a gift.” He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Abu Hurairah!” I said: “Yes, O Messenger of Allah! I am present.” He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Go and call the people of Suffah.” The people of Suffah were the guests of Islam; they had neither family nor wealth. Whenever a gift would come to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), he would send a portion of it to them as well. But this time, this matter saddened me, because I was hoping that I would drink this milk and gain strength for the rest of the day and night. But now the issue was that I was the messenger, and when the people of Suffah would come, I would have to serve them, and there would be no milk left for me. But there was no way except to obey Allah and His Messenger. So I went and brought them. They came and sought permission from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), and he granted them permission. They entered the house and sat in their respective places. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Abu Hurairah! Take the milk and serve them.” So I took the bowl and began to give it to them. A man would take the bowl and drink until he was satisfied, then return the bowl, and I would give it to the next person. He would drink until he was satisfied and then return the bowl. This continued until I reached the last person, and then I handed the bowl to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). He took it and placed it in his hand. There was still some milk left in it. Then he (peace and blessings be upon him) raised his head, looked at it, and began to smile, and said: “Abu Hur!” I said: “Yes, O Messenger of Allah! I am present.” He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “I and you, we two are left.” I said: “O Messenger of Allah! You have spoken the truth.” He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “So sit and drink.” So I sat and drank. He (peace and blessings be upon him) said again: “And drink.” I drank more. He (peace and blessings be upon him) kept saying: “And drink,” and I kept drinking until I said: “No, by Him Who has sent you with the truth! There is no room left.” Then he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Then hand me the bowl.” I gave him the bowl, and he (peace and blessings be upon him) drank the remaining milk.