She put it in a large serving bowl(1) and said, “Take this to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and tell him that it is only a little gift from us to him.”

Anas said: People were experiencing hardship in those days. I took the dish and said, “O Messenger of Allah, Umm Sulaym has sent this to you. She conveys her greetings of peace and says, ‘Inform him that this is but a small amount from us.’” He looked at it and said, “Place it down.” I set it in a corner of the house. He then said, “Go and invite So-and-so and So-and-so,” naming many men, and added, “and everyone among the Muslims you meet.”

I summoned those he had named and all the Muslims I encountered. When I returned, the house, the portico, and the courtyard were crowded with people. I asked, “Abū ʿUthmān, how many were they?” He replied, “About three hundred.”

Anas continued: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ then said to me, “Bring it.” I brought the dish to him; he placed his hand on it, supplicated, and said, “As Allah wills.” He then said, “Let them sit in groups of ten, mention the name of Allah, and let each person eat from what is before him.” They kept invoking Allah’s name and eating until all of them had eaten. Then the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said to me, “Remove it.”

I took up the bowl and looked at it; I could not tell whether it contained more when I set it down or when I picked it up.

Some men remained behind, conversing in the house of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. His bride was with them, turning her face toward the wall. They prolonged their conversation, which was burdensome to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, who was the most modest of people. Had they known, they would have found it difficult upon themselves.

The Messenger of Allah ﷺ rose, went out, and greeted the apartments and his wives. When the guests saw him returning, they realized they had imposed on him and hurried toward the door and departed. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ came back, pulled the curtain shut, and entered the house while I was in the chamber. He remained inside only briefly, and Allah revealed Qur’ān to him.

He came out reciting:
“O you who believe, do not enter the Prophet’s houses unless permission is given to you for a meal, without waiting for it to be prepared. But when you are invited, enter; and when you have eaten, disperse, not lingering for conversation. Such behavior offends the Prophet, and he is shy of you; but Allah is not shy of the truth. And when you ask his wives for something, ask them from behind a screen; that is purer for your hearts and their hearts. You have no right to offend the Messenger of Allah, nor ever to marry his wives after him—indeed, that would be a grave matter with Allah. Whether you reveal something or conceal it, Allah is All-Knowing of everything.” (al-Aḥzāb 33:53–54)

Anas said: He recited these verses to me before anyone else, and I was the one most recently acquainted with them.

This narration has been recorded by Muslim, al-Tirmidhī, and al-Nasāʾī(2) through Qutaybah, from Jaʿfar ibn Sulaymān, from al-Jaʿd Abū ʿUthmān. Al-Tirmidhī graded it ḥasan ṣaḥīḥ.

Muslim also transmitted it(3) from Muḥammad ibn Rāfiʿ, from ʿAbd al-Razzaq, from Maʿmar, from al-Jaʿd Abū ʿUthmān.

Al-Bukhārī, al-Tirmidhī, and al-Nasāʾī(4) likewise related the ḥadīth through various chains from Bayān Abū Bishr al-Aḥmasī al-Kūfī, from Anas, with similar wording.