ʿAli ؓ said: I got very hungry once in Madinah, so I went out to look for work in ʿAwali al-Madinah. I saw a woman who had collected some mud and I thought that she wanted to add water to it. So I made a deal with her, for each bucket one date, I brought sixteen buckets full, until it left marks on my hands, then I went to the water and drank some. Then I came to her and opened my hands in front of her like this - Ismaʿeel spread his hands and put them together - and she counted out sixteen dates for true. Then I came to the Prophet ﷺ and told him, and he ate some of them with me.

عَلِيٌّ جُعْتُ مَرَّةً بِالْمَدِينَةِ جُوعًا شَدِيدًا فَخَرَجْتُ أَطْلُبُ الْعَمَلَ فِي عَوَالِي الْمَدِينَةِ فَإِذَا أَنَا بِامْرَأَةٍ قَدْ جَمَعَتْ مَدَرًا فَظَنَنْتُهَا تُرِيدُ بَلَّهُ فَأَتَيْتُهَا فَقَاطَعْتُهَا كُلَّ ذَنُوبٍ عَلَى تَمْرَةٍ فَمَدَدْتُ سِتَّةَ عَشَرَ ذَنُوبًا حَتَّى مَجَلَتْ يَدَايَ ثُمَّ أَتَيْتُ الْمَاءَ فَأَصَبْتُ مِنْهُ ثُمَّ أَتَيْتُهَا فَقُلْتُ بِكَفَّيَّ هَكَذَابَيْنَ يَدَيْهَا وَبَسَطَ إِسْمَاعِيلُ يَدَيْهِ وَجَمَعَهُمَا فَعَدَّتْ لِي سِتَّ عَشْرَةَ تَمْرَةً فَأَتَيْتُ النَّبِيَّ ﷺ فَأَخْبَرْتُهُ فَأَكَلَ مَعِي مِنْهَا