Sayyiduna Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) related that Sayyiduna Abu Bakr al-Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him) told me: "One night I missed my supper. I came to my family and asked: 'Do you have any supper?' They said: 'No, by Allah! We have nothing.' So I lay down on my bed, but because of the severity of hunger I could not sleep. I thought: It would be better if I went to the mosque, prayed there and passed the time until morning. So I went to the mosque and prayed as much as Allah willed, then I sat leaning against a corner of the mosque. Meanwhile Sayyiduna Umar bin al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) came to me and asked: 'Who is this?' I said: 'Abu Bakr.' He asked: 'What has brought you out at this hour?' I told him the whole story, and he said: 'By Allah! The same thing that brought you out has brought me out.' Then he sat down beside me. While we were in this state, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) came out to us and expressed surprise at us (seeing us there at that time). He (peace and blessings be upon him) asked: 'Who is this?' Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) quickly said: 'This is Abu Bakr and Umar.' He (peace and blessings be upon him) asked: 'What has brought the two of you out at this hour?' Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said: 'I left my house and entered the mosque, and I saw the figure of Abu Bakr. I asked: Who is this? He said: Abu Bakr. So I asked: What has brought you out at this hour? He described his situation, and I said: By Allah! The same need that brought you out has brought me out.' Then the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: 'By Allah! The same thing that brought you two out has brought me out. So come with us to the Ansari Companion Sayyiduna Abu al-Haytham bin al-Tayyihan (may Allah be pleased with him); perhaps we will find something to eat with him.' We set off until we reached his garden on a moonlit night and knocked at the door. His wife (may Allah be pleased with her) asked: 'Who is it?' Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said: 'This is the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), Abu Bakr and Umar.' She opened the door for us and we entered. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) asked: 'Where is your husband?' She said: 'He has gone to fetch sweet water for us from a palm grove of Banu Harithah; he will come just now.' The narrator said: Just then he came carrying a waterskin and hung it on the trunk of a palm tree. Then he turned to us and said: 'Welcome! Never has anyone received guests as honoured as those who have come to me today.' Then he cut a bunch of dates for us and brought it, and we began picking out the good dates from it in the moonlight and eating. Then he took a knife and went towards the goats, and the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said to him: 'Beware of (slaughtering) a milking animal.' He took a goat, slaughtered it and skinned it, then told his wife, and she cooked the meat and prepared bread. He kept putting pieces of meat into the pot and lit the fire, until, when the meat and bread were ready, he made tharid, then poured broth and meat over it, brought it and placed it before us, and we ate our fill. Then he went to the waterskin, which the wind had made very cool, poured water into a bowl and first offered it to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), who drank; then he gave it to Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him), who drank; then he gave it to Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him), who also drank. Then the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: 'Alhamdulillah (All praise is for Allah).' (Then he said:) 'We left home and nothing but hunger brought us out, and now we are returning having been granted these blessings. "You will surely be asked about this on the Day of Resurrection"; this too is among those blessings.' Then he (peace and blessings be upon him) asked Sayyiduna Abu al-Haytham (may Allah be pleased with him): 'Do you not have a servant to bring you water?' He said: 'No, O Messenger of Allah!' He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: 'When captives come to us, come to us so that we may order a servant for you.' Only a short time had passed when captives were brought to him (peace and blessings be upon him), and Sayyiduna Abu al-Haytham (may Allah be pleased with him) came. He (peace and blessings be upon him) asked: 'What brings you?' He said: 'O Messenger of Allah! Your promise that you made to me.' He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: 'Here are the captives; get up and choose one of them.' He said: 'You choose for me.' He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: 'Take this boy, and treat him well.' He took him to his wife, and she asked: 'What is this?' He told her the whole story, and she (may Allah be pleased with her) asked: 'What did you say to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him)?' He said: 'I said: You choose for me.' She said: 'You did very well; and the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) told you to treat him well, so now treat him in the best way.' He asked: 'What could be the best treatment of him?' She replied: 'That you set him free.' He said: 'Then he is free for the sake of Allah.'"
Hadith Referenceمسند أبي يعلى الموصلي / مسند أبي بكر الصديق رضي الله عنه / 78
Hadith Gradingمحدثین:إسناده ضعيف وأخرجه مسلم في الأشربة وأخرجه البخاري في الأدب المفرد
Hadith Takhrij«حکم الحدیث مسند ابی یعلی محققاً تنسیق حسين سليم أسد - مکتبہ شاملہ :قال حسين سليم أسد: إسناده ضعيف وأخرجه مسلم في الأشربة وأخرجه البخاري في الأدب المفرد . » «قال سعيد بن محمد السناري: صحيح لغيره» «أخرجه مجمع الزوائد ومنبع الفوائد برقم: 18262، وأخرجه المطالب العالية بزوائد المسانيد الثمانية برقم: 3154، وأخرجه إتحاف الخيرة المهرة بزوائد المسانيد العشرة برقم: 7357/2، مسند ابویعلیٰ ترقیم الاثری: 73»