Sahih Adab al-Mufrad

Humaid bin Malik bin Khuthaym narrates that I was sitting with Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) on his land in ‘Aqiq (at the end of the valley of ‘Aqiq is the gate of Madinah University), when some people from Madinah came to him riding on animals. Then they dismounted. Humaid narrates that Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) said: Go to my mother and say to her, “Your son sends you salam and says, today please give us something to eat.” Upon this, his mother placed three loaves of barley bread and some olive oil and salt in a plate. I put it on my head and brought it to those people. When I placed the food before them, Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) said “Allahu Akbar” and said: Praise be to Allah who has filled our stomachs with bread, while our food used to be nothing but the two black things, dates and water. The people did not eat anything from the food. When they left, he said: O my nephew, take good care of your goats, shake the dust off them, clean their pen, and pray in one corner of it. For these (goats) are among the animals of Paradise. By the One in whose hand is my soul, a time is near when a small flock of goats will be more beloved to its owner than Marwan’s palace (Marwan was a governor of Madinah).