His dispatching me distressed me, and I thought to myself, “I had hoped to take a single draught of this milk to strengthen me. What will this little milk do for the People of the Ṣuffah? Yet obedience to Allah and to His Messenger left no room for hesitation.” So I went to them, and they responded and came with me.

When they had sat down he said, “Take it, Abū Hurayrah, and serve them.”

I began handing it to each man; he would drink until he was satisfied. I went through all of them, then I offered the cup to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. He raised his head toward me, smiling, and said, “Only I and you remain.”

I said, “You are right, O Messenger of Allah.”

He said, “Then drink.”

So I drank. He said, “Drink.”

I drank again, and he kept saying, “Drink,” and I kept drinking until I said, “By Him who sent you with the truth, I can find no room for any more.”

He then took the cup and drank what was left (1).

Al-Qaʿnabī narrated to us: Muḥammad ibn Hilāl, from his father, from Abū Hurayrah, said:

One day I left my house for the mosque and found a group of men. They asked, “What brought you out?”

I replied, “Hunger.”

They said, “By Allah, nothing brought us out except hunger as well.”

So we went in to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, and he asked, “What has brought you at this hour?”

We informed him, whereupon he called for a platter containing dates. He gave each of us two dates and said, “Eat these two dates and drink some water with them, for they will suffice you for this day of yours.”

I ate one date and saved the other, so he said, “Abū Hurayrah, why did you put it aside?”