and asked, “Where is your husband?” She replied, “He has gone out to fetch some sweet drinking water for us.” Just then the Anṣārī returned, looked at the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and his two companions, and exclaimed, “Praise be to Allah! No one today is honouring guests more than I.” He then went off and brought them an ʿidhq containing busr, tamr, and rutab—half-ripe, fully ripe, and fresh dates—and said, “Eat.” He next picked up the madiyah. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said to him, “Beware of the milk-giver,” so he slaughtered (a sheep) for them. They ate from the sheep and from that cluster, and they drank. When they were satisfied and their thirst quenched, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said to Abū Bakr and ʿUmar (may Allah be pleased with them), “By Him in whose hand is my soul, you will surely be questioned about this blessing on the Day of Resurrection: hunger drove you out of your homes and you did not return until this favour reached you.” Narrated by Muslim.

Her word yastaʿdhib means: he went to seek ʿadhb water, i.e. sweet and wholesome water. Al-ʿidhq, with a kasrah on the ʿayn and a sukūn on the dotted dāl, denotes a palm cluster. Al-madiyah, with a ḍamma or a kasrah on the mīm, is a knife. Al-ḥalūb is an animal that yields milk.

The questioning about this blessing will be for the enumeration of Allah’s favours, not for reproach or punishment. Allah knows best.

The Anṣārī they visited was Abū al-Haytham ibn at-Tayyihān, as stated explicitly in the narration of al-Tirmidhī and others.

503 – Khālid ibn ʿUmayr al-ʿAdawī reported: ʿUtbah ibn Ghazwān, while serving as governor of Basra, once delivered a sermon. He praised Allah and extolled Him, then said:

“To proceed: the world has proclaimed its departure and is turning away swiftly; nothing of it remains but a remnant, like the dregs at the bottom of a vessel which its owner drains. You are moving on from it to an abode that never perishes, so take along the best provision you can from what is at hand. We have been told that when a stone is cast from the edge of Hell (1) it falls through it for seventy years without reaching the bottom. By Allah …”