As she had nothing else at hand, she reached for the skin-container from which she used to present butter to the Prophet ﷺ. She found butter inside, and it continued to serve as relish for her children until she finally squeezed it dry and then went to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ (1). He asked, “Have you wrung it out?” She replied, “Yes.” He said, “Had you left it alone, it would have kept on producing” (2).

Imām Aḥmad also transmitted—through this same chain—from Jābir that a man once came to the Prophet ﷺ asking for food. The Prophet gave him half a wasq of barley, and the man, his wife, and their servant kept eating from it until they eventually measured it. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “Had you not measured it, you would still be eating from it, and it would have lasted for you” (3).

Both of these reports were likewise recorded by Muslim (4) through another route, from Abū al-Zubayr on the authority of Jābir.

The Hospitality of Abū Ṭalḥah al-Anṣārī toward the Messenger of Allah ﷺ

Bukhārī (5) related: ʿAbdullāh ibn Yūsuf narrated to us, Mālik informed us, from Isḥāq ibn ʿAbdullāh ibn Abī Ṭalḥah, who heard Anas ibn Mālik say:

Abū Ṭalḥah said to Umm Sulaym, “I have heard the voice of the Messenger of Allah and it sounds weak—I know he is hungry. Do you have anything?” She answered, “Yes.” She produced a few loaves of barley bread, took her head-scarf, wrapped some of the bread in part of it, placed it under my arm while concealing the rest (6), and then sent me to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.

I went and found the Messenger of Allah ﷺ in the mosque with the people around him, so I stood before them. He asked, “Did Abū Ṭalḥah send you?” I said, “Yes.” He asked, “With food?” I said, “Yes.” The Messenger of Allah ﷺ then said to those with him, “Rise.” He set off, and I hurried ahead of them until I reached Abū Ṭalḥah and informed him. Abū Ṭalḥah said, “O Umm Sulaym, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ has come with the people, and we have nothing with which to feed them!” She replied, “Allah and His Messenger know best.” Abū Ṭalḥah went out to meet the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, and they both came forward together. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “Come, Umm Sulaym, what do you have?” She brought out that bread, and he instructed