Musnad Ahmad

Hazrat Abu Huraira (may Allah be pleased with him) used to say: By Allah, due to hunger I would support my stomach on the ground, and because of the severity of hunger I would tie a stone to my stomach. One day, I sat in the path where the Muslims would pass by. After a short while, Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) passed by. I asked him about a verse from the Qur'an, and I only asked so that he would take me along with him while talking. But Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) went on and did not feed me. Then Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) passed by. I asked him about a verse from the Qur'an, and I only asked so that he would take me along with him while talking. But he also went on and did not feed me. Finally, the Noble Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) came out and smiled when he saw me. He recognized what was in my heart and the signs on my face. Then he said, "Abu Huraira!" I replied, "Yes, O Messenger." He said, "(Come and) meet me at home." Saying this, he went ahead and I followed behind. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) entered (the house), gave me permission, and I also entered. There, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) found a bowl of milk. He asked, "Where did this come from?" It was said, "So-and-so person sent it as a gift to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him)." He said, "Abu Huraira!" I replied, "Yes, O Messenger of Allah." He said, "Go and call the people of Suffa." The people of Suffa were, in fact, the guests of Islam; they had no home or wealth. When charity would come to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), he would not take anything from it himself, but would send it to them. And when a gift would come, he would take some from it himself and also send some to them. Abu Huraira (may Allah be pleased with him) says: I felt a little uneasy at this command of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), and I thought, "What is the quantity of this milk compared to the people of Suffa? It would have been better if I drank from it to gain some strength. Now, when the people of Suffa come, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) will order me, and I will have to give it to them as commanded, and it is unlikely that any of this milk will reach me." But since there was no alternative to obeying Allah and His Messenger, I went and called the people of Suffa. Everyone came and sought permission to enter; permission was granted, and everyone sat in their place in the house. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said, "Abu Huraira, give them the bowl." I took the bowl and began giving it to each person. When one would drink to his fill, he would return it to me, and I would give it to the next person. He too would drink to his fill and return it to me. In this way, everyone drank to their fill, and finally the bowl reached the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) took the bowl and placed it in my hand, looked at me and smiled, then said, "Abu Huraira!" I replied, "Yes, O Messenger of Allah." He said, "Only two people are left: me and you." I replied, "You have spoken the truth, O Messenger." He said, "Sit and drink." I sat and drank. He said, "Drink more." I drank more. In this way, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) kept telling me, "Drink," and I kept drinking until I said, "By Allah, Who has sent you as the true Prophet, there is no more room (in my stomach)." He said, "Then show it to me." I gave the bowl to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). He praised Allah, said 'Bismillah', and drank the remaining milk.