[Machine] Abu Darda had a specific number of dates, around ten or so, in a bag. When he would pray the morning prayer, he would sit on his bed and take out one date at a time and praise God with each one. When he finished them all, he would start again, one by one, praising God with each date. This continued until Umm Darda came to him and said, "O Abu Darda, your lunch is ready. Perhaps he said, 'Lift it up, for I am fasting.'"  

كَانَ لِأَبِي الدَّرْدَاءِ نَوَى مِنْ نَوَى الْعَجْوَةِ حُسِبَتْ عَشْرًا أَوْ نَحْوَهَا فِي كِيسٍ وَكَانَ إِذَا صَلَّى الْغَدَاةَ أَقْعَى عَلَى فِرَاشِهِ فَأَخَذَ الْكِيسَ فَأَخْرَجَهُنَّ وَاحِدَةً وَاحِدَةً يُسَبِّحُ بِهِنَّ فَإِذَا نَفَدْنَ أَعَادَهُنَّ وَاحِدَةً وَاحِدَةً كُلُّ ذَلِكَ يُسَبِّحُ بِهِنَّ قَالَ حَتَّى تَأْتِيَهُ أُمُّ الدَّرْدَاءِ فَتَقُولَ يَا أَبَا الدَّرْدَاءِ إِنَّ غَدَاءَكَ قَدْ حَضَرَ فَرُبَّمَا قَالَ ارْفَعُوهُ فَإِنِّي صَائِمٌ