By Allah except Whom none has the right to- be worshipped, (sometimes) I used to lay (sleep) on the ground on my liver (abdomen) because of hunger, and (sometimes) I used to bind a stone over my belly because of hunger. One day I sat by the way from where they (the Prophet ﷺ and his companions) used to come out. When Abu Bakr passed by, I asked him about a Verse from Allah's Book and I asked him only that he might satisfy my hunger, but he passed by and did not do so. Then ʿUmar passed by me and I asked him about a Verse from Allah's Book, and I asked him only that he might satisfy my hunger, but he passed by without doing so. Finally Abu-l-Qasim (the Prophet ﷺ ) passed by me and he smiled when he saw me, for he knew what was in my heart and on my face. He said, "O Aba Hirr (Abu Huraira)!" I replied, "Labbaik, O Messenger of Allah ﷺ!" He said to me, "Follow me." He left and I followed him. Then he entered the house and I asked permission to enter and was admitted. He found milk in a bowl and said, "From where is this milk?" They said, "It has been presented to you by such-and-such man (or by such and such woman)." He said, "O Aba Hirr!" I said, "Labbaik, O Messenger of Allah ﷺ!" He said, "Go and call the people of Suffa to me." These people of Suffa were the guests of Islam who had no families, nor money, nor anybody to depend upon, and whenever an object of charity was brought to the Prophet, he would send it to them and would not take anything from it, and whenever any present was given to him, he used to send some for them and take some of it for himself. The order of the Prophet upset me, and I said to myself, "How will this little milk be enough for the people of As- Suffa? though I was more entitled to drink from that milk in order to strengthen myself", but behold! The Prophet ﷺ came to order me to give that milk to them. I wondered what will remain of that milk for me, but anyway, I could not but obey Allah and His Apostle so I went to the people of As-Suffa and called them, and they came and asked the Prophet's permission to enter. They were admitted and took their seats in the house. The Prophet ﷺ said, "O Aba-Hirr!" I said, "Labbaik, O Messenger of Allah ﷺ!" He said, "Take it and give it to them." So I took the bowl (of milk) and started giving it to one man who would drink his fill and return it to me, whereupon I would give it to another man who, in his turn, would drink his fill and return it to me, and I would then offer it to another man who would drink his fill and return it to me. Finally, after the whole group had drunk their fill, I reached the Prophet ﷺ who took the bowl and put it on his hand, looked at me and smiled and said. "O Aba Hirr!" I replied, "Labbaik, O Messenger of Allah ﷺ!" He said, "There remain you and I." I said, "You have said the truth, O Messenger of Allah ﷺ!" He said, "Sit down and drink." I sat down and drank. He said, "Drink," and I drank. He kept on telling me repeatedly to drink, till I said, "No. by Allah Who sent you with the Truth, I have no space for it (in my stomach)." He said, "Hand it over to me." When I gave him the bowl, he praised Allah and pronounced Allah's Name on it and drank the remaining milk.  

أَبَا هِرٍّ قُلْتُ لَبَّيْكَ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ قَالَ الْحَقْ وَمَضَى فَتَبِعْتُهُ فَدَخَلَ فَاسْتَأْذَنَ فَأَذِنَ لِي فَدَخَلَ فَوَجَدَ لَبَنًا فِي قَدَحٍ فَقَالَ مِنْ أَيْنَ هَذَا اللَّبَنُ قَالُوا أَهْدَاهُ لَكَ فُلاَنٌ أَوْ فُلاَنَةُ قَالَ أَبَا هِرٍّ قُلْتُ لَبَّيْكَ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ قَالَ الْحَقْ إِلَى أَهْلِ الصُّفَّةِ فَادْعُهُمْ لِي قَالَ وَأَهْلُ الصُّفَّةِ أَضْيَافُ الإِسْلاَمِ لاَ يَأْوُونَ إِلَى أَهْلٍ وَلاَ مَالٍ وَلاَ عَلَى أَحَدٍ إِذَا أَتَتْهُ صَدَقَةٌ بَعَثَ بِهَا إِلَيْهِمْ وَلَمْ يَتَنَاوَلْ مِنْهَا شَيْئًا وَإِذَا أَتَتْهُ هَدِيَّةٌ أَرْسَلَ إِلَيْهِمْ وَأَصَابَ مِنْهَا وَأَشْرَكَهُمْ فِيهَا فَسَاءَنِي ذَلِكَ فَقُلْتُ وَمَا هَذَا اللَّبَنُ فِي أَهْلِ الصُّفَّةِ كُنْتُ أَحَقُّ أَنَا أَنْ أُصِيبَ مِنْ هَذَا اللَّبَنِ شَرْبَةً أَتَقَوَّى بِهَا فَإِذَا جَاءَ أَمَرَنِي فَكُنْتُ أَنَا أُعْطِيهِمْ وَمَا عَسَى أَنْ يَبْلُغَنِي مِنْ هَذَا اللَّبَنِ وَلَمْ يَكُنْ مِنْ طَاعَةِ اللَّهِ وَطَاعَةِ رَسُولِهِ ﷺ بُدٌّ فَأَتَيْتُهُمْ فَدَعَوْتُهُمْ فَأَقْبَلُوا فَاسْتَأْذَنُوا فَأَذِنَ لَهُمْ وَأَخَذُوا مَجَالِسَهُمْ مِنَ الْبَيْتِ قَالَ يَا أَبَا هِرٍّ قُلْتُ لَبَّيْكَ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ قَالَ خُذْ فَأَعْطِهِمْ قَالَ فَأَخَذْتُ الْقَدَحَ فَجَعَلْتُ أُعْطِيهِ الرَّجُلَ فَيَشْرَبُ حَتَّى يَرْوَى ثُمَّ يَرُدُّ عَلَىَّ الْقَدَحَ فَأُعْطِيهِ الرَّجُلَ فَيَشْرَبُ حَتَّى يَرْوَى ثُمَّ يَرُدُّ عَلَىَّ الْقَدَحَ فَيَشْرَبُ حَتَّى يَرْوَى ثُمَّ يَرُدُّ عَلَىَّ الْقَدَحَ حَتَّى انْتَهَيْتُ إِلَى النَّبِيِّ ﷺ وَقَدْ رَوِيَ الْقَوْمُ كُلُّهُمْ فَأَخَذَ الْقَدَحَ فَوَضَعَهُ عَلَى يَدِهِ فَنَظَرَ إِلَىَّ فَتَبَسَّمَ فَقَالَ أَبَا هِرٍّ قُلْتُ لَبَّيْكَ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ قَالَ بَقِيتُ أَنَا وَأَنْتَ قُلْتُ صَدَقْتَ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ قَالَ اقْعُدْ فَاشْرَبْ فَقَعَدْتُ فَشَرِبْتُ فَقَالَ اشْرَبْ فَشَرِبْتُ فَمَا زَالَ يَقُولُ اشْرَبْ حَتَّى قُلْتُ لاَ وَالَّذِي بَعَثَكَ بِالْحَقِّ مَا أَجِدُ لَهُ مَسْلَكًا قَالَ فَأَرِنِي فَأَعْطَيْتُهُ الْقَدَحَ فَحَمِدَ اللَّهَ وَسَمَّى وَشَرِبَ الْفَضْلَةَ  

I was the first man among the Arabs to throw an arrow for Allah's Cause. We used to fight in Allah's Cause while we had nothing to eat except the leaves of the Hubla and the Sumur trees (desert trees) so that we discharged excrement like that of sheep (i.e. unmixed droppings). Today the (people of the) tribe of Bani Asad teach me the laws of Islam. If so, then I am lost, and all my efforts of that hard time had gone in vain.  

سَمِعْتُ سَعْدًا يَقُولُ إِنِّي لأَوَّلُ الْعَرَبِ رَمَى بِسَهْمٍ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ وَرَأَيْتُنَا نَغْزُو وَمَا لَنَا طَعَامٌ إِلاَّ وَرَقُ الْحُبْلَةِ وَهَذَا السَّمُرُ وَإِنَّ أَحَدَنَا لَيَضَعُ كَمَا تَضَعُ الشَّاةُ مَا لَهُ خِلْطٌ ثُمَّ أَصْبَحَتْ بَنُو أَسَدٍ تُعَزِّرُنِي عَلَى الإِسْلاَمِ خِبْتُ إِذًا وَضَلَّ سَعْيِي  

The family of Muhammad had never eaten their fill of wheat bread for three successive days since they had migrated to Medina till the death of the Prophet.  

مَا شَبِعَ آلُ مُحَمَّدٍ ﷺ مُنْذُ قَدِمَ الْمَدِينَةَ مِنْ طَعَامِ بُرٍّ ثَلاَثَ لَيَالٍ تِبَاعًا حَتَّى قُبِضَ  

The family of Muhammad did not eat two meals on one day, but one of the two was of dates.  

مَا أَكَلَ آلُ مُحَمَّدٍ ﷺ أَكْلَتَيْنِ فِي يَوْمٍ إِلاَّ إِحْدَاهُمَا تَمْرٌ  

The bed mattress of the Prophet ﷺ was made of a leather case stuffed with palm fibres.  

كَانَ فِرَاشُ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ مِنْ أَدَمٍ وَحَشْوُهُ مِنْ لِيفٍ  

We used to go to Anas bin Malik and see his baker standing (preparing the bread). Anas said, "Eat. I have not known that the Prophet ﷺ ever saw a thin well-baked loaf of bread till he died, and he never saw a roasted sheep with his eyes."  

وَقَالَ كُلُوا فَمَا أَعْلَمُ النَّبِيَّ ﷺ رَأَى رَغِيفًا مُرَقَّقًا حَتَّى لَحِقَ بِاللَّهِ وَلاَ رَأَى شَاةً سَمِيطًا بِعَيْنِهِ قَطُّ  

A complete month would pass by during which we would not make a fire (for cooking), and our food used to be only dates and water unless we were given a present of some meat.  

كَانَ يَأْتِي عَلَيْنَا الشَّهْرُ مَا نُوقِدُ فِيهِ نَارًا إِنَّمَا هُوَ التَّمْرُ وَالْمَاءُ إِلاَّ أَنْ نُؤْتَى بِاللُّحَيْمِ  

that she said to ʿUrwa, "O, the son of my sister! We used to see three crescents in two months, and no fire used to be made in the houses of Messenger of Allah ﷺ (i.e. nothing used to be cooked)." ʿUrwa said, "What used to sustain you?" ʿAisha said, "The two black things i.e. dates and water, except that Messenger of Allah ﷺ had neighbors from the Ansar who had some milch she-camels, and they used to give the Prophet ﷺ some milk from their house, and he used to make us drink it."  

أَنَّهَا قَالَتْ لِعُرْوَةَ ابْنَ أُخْتِي إِنْ كُنَّا لَنَنْظُرُ إِلَى الْهِلاَلِ ثَلاَثَةَ أَهِلَّةٍ فِي شَهْرَيْنِ وَمَا أُوقِدَتْ فِي أَبْيَاتِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ نَارٌ فَقُلْتُ مَا كَانَ يُعِيشُكُمْ قَالَتِ الأَسْوَدَانِ التَّمْرُ وَالْمَاءُ إِلاَّ أَنَّهُ قَدْ كَانَ لِرَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ جِيرَانٌ مِنَ الأَنْصَارِ كَانَ لَهُمْ مَنَائِحُ وَكَانُوا يَمْنَحُونَ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ مِنْ أَبْيَاتِهِمْ فَيَسْقِينَاهُ  

Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, "O Allah! Give food to the family of Muhammad."  

قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ اللَّهُمَّ ارْزُقْ آلَ مُحَمَّدٍ قُوتًا