1061 — Abū Muhammad Yahyā ibn Muhammad ibn Sāid narrated to us, saying: Saīd ibn Yahyā ibn Saīd al-Umawī narrated to us, saying: My father narrated to me, saying: Umar ibn Dharr narrated to us, saying: Mujāhid informed us, from Abū Hurayra, who said:

“By Him besides whom there is no god, I would bind a stone to my stomach because of hunger, and I would press my abdomen against the ground because of hunger. One day, I sat along the road by which they would pass when going out. Abū Bakr—may Allah be pleased with him—passed by me, so I asked him about a verse from the Book of Allah—Exalted is He. I asked him only in the hope that he would invite me to follow him, but he passed on without doing so.

“Then Abū al-Qāsim (peace and blessings be upon him) passed by me. He recognized what was in my heart and what showed on my face, ⦗1577⦘ smiled, and said, ‘Abū Hirr, come along.’

“I followed him. He entered and then gave me permission to enter. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) found some milk in a cup and asked his family, ‘Where did you get this milk?’

“They replied, ‘So-and-so—or the family of so-and-so—gave it to you as a gift.’

“He then said to me, ‘Abū Hurayra, go to the people of the Suffa and summon them.’

“This saddened me. The people of the Suffa were the guests of Islam: they had neither family nor wealth to which they could turn. Whenever charity came to the Messenger of Allah, he sent all of it to them and kept none of it for himself. Whenever a gift came to him, he sent for them, shared it with them, and partook of it himself.

“His sending me saddened me, and I thought, ‘I had hoped to drink a draught of this milk to sustain me. How could this milk suffice the people of the Suffa? I am the one sent to summon them, and once they arrive, he will order me to serve it to them.’ Yet there was no escaping obedience to Allah and His Messenger.

“So I went to them and summoned them. They came, sought permission to enter, and he admitted them. They took their seats in the house. He then said, ‘Abū Hirr!’

“I replied, ‘At your service, O Messenger of Allah.’

“He said, ‘Rise and serve them.’

“So I took the cup and handed it to one man, who drank until he had his fill and then returned it to me. I then handed it to the next man, who drank until he had his fill and returned it to me. This continued until everyone had drunk his fill, and I finally came to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). He took the cup and rested it upon his hand. Then he raised his head, looked at me, smiled, and said, ‘Abū Hirr!’

“I replied, ‘At your service, O Messenger of Allah.’

“He said, ‘Sit down and drink.’

“So I sat and drank. He said, ‘Drink,’ and I drank. Again he said, ‘Drink,’ and I drank. He continued telling me, ‘Drink,’ and I continued drinking until I said, ‘By Him who sent you with the truth, I can find no room for any more.’

“I then returned the vessel to him. He pronounced Allah’s name, praised Allah, and drank from it.”