1062 — Abū Muhammad ibn Sāid narrated to us, saying: Muhammad ibn Awf ⦗1578⦘ ibn Sufyān al-Tā’ī al-Himsī narrated to us, saying: Uthmān ibn Saīd ibn Kathīr ibn Dīnār narrated to us, saying: Muhammad ibn Muhājir narrated to us, from Urwa ibn Ruwaym, to whom it was related that Thawbān, the freedman of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), said:

“A Bedouin came to stay as our guest, and the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) sat with him in front of his dwellings. He began asking him about the people: how pleased they were with Islam and how earnest they were in prayer. The man continued telling him things that pleased him until I saw the face of the Messenger of Allah radiant.

“When the day was well advanced and it was time to eat, he called me over and discreetly gestured to me, doing his utmost not to be noticed: ‘Go to the house of Āisha—may Allah be pleased with her—and tell her that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) has a guest.’

“She said, ‘By Him who sent you with guidance and the religion of truth, there is nothing in our house this morning that anyone could eat.’

“He then sent me to his other wives, but every one of them gave the same excuse as Āisha—may Allah be pleased with her. I then saw the countenance of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) grow somber. The Bedouin was perceptive and understood what had happened, so he continued speaking reassuringly to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) until he said, ‘We desert folk are well able to cope with our circumstances; we are not like townspeople. A handful of dates to wash down, or a draught of milk, is enough for one of us—and that is abundance.’

“Just then, a goat of ours that had already been milked passed by. We called her Thamrā. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) called her by name, saying, ‘Thamrā! Thamrā!’ She came toward him, making a low sound. He took hold of her leg, stroked her udder, and said, ‘In the name of Allah.’ Her udder then filled with milk. He asked me for one of our milking vessels, so I brought it to him. He milked her, saying, ‘In the name of Allah,’ until he filled it. He then said, ‘Hand it over in the name of Allah.’

“I handed it to the guest, who took a long drink. When he was about to put it down, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) told him, ‘Drink again.’ He drank again, and when he was about to put it down, the Messenger of Allah told him, ‘Drink again.’ He repeated this until the man was full and had drunk as much as Allah willed.

“He then milked into the vessel again, said, ‘In the name of Allah,’ and filled it. He said, ‘Take this to Āisha and let her drink as much as she wishes.’ I then returned to him, and he milked into it again, said, ‘In the name of Allah,’ and filled it. He then sent me to all his wives. Whenever one of them had drunk, he directed me to the next, saying, ‘In the name of Allah,’ until he had sent it around to them all.

“I then returned it to him. He said, ‘In the name of Allah,’ and told me, ‘Raise it to me.’ I raised it to him, and he said, ‘In the name of Allah.’ He drank as much as Allah willed and then gave it to me. I lost no time placing my lips against the rim of the cup, and I drank a beverage sweeter than honey and more fragrant than musk. He then said, ‘O Allah, bless her owners through her.’”