…it actually descended or not. Two opinions are reported, the view most commonly held by the majority being that it did descend, while they disagree about what sort of food it bore.
Historians relate that Musa b. Nusayr—the conqueror of the Maghrib under the Umayyads—came upon the table. Yet some say it was the table of Solomon son of David, fashioned of gold and studded with jewels; he is said to have sent it to al-Walid b. ʿAbd al-Malik, where it remained until al-Walid died, after which his brother Sulayman took possession of it.
Others maintain that it was the table of Jesus, but this is unlikely, for the Christians know nothing of such a table, as more than one scholar has pointed out (1). Allah knows best.
In any case, whether that particular table ever descended or not, the tables of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ were repeatedly supplied from heaven. People heard the food itself glorifying Allah while it was being eaten in his presence, and with a mere handful of provisions he fed thousands, then hundreds, then tens upon tens. May Allah’s blessings and peace be upon him for as long as day succeeds night and the heavens and the earth endure.
As for Abū Muslim al-Khawlānī, al-Ḥāfiẓ Ibn ʿAsākir records in his biography an astonishing incident. Through the chain of Isḥāq b. Yaḥyā al-Malāṭī, from al-Awzāʿī, he relates:
A group of his people came to Abū Muslim and said, “O Abū Muslim, do you not yearn to perform the Hajj?”
He replied, “Indeed I do—if only I could find companions.”
They said, “We are your companions.”
He answered, “You are not my companions. My companions are a people who seek neither provisions nor a water-skin.”
They exclaimed, “Glory be to Allah! How can anyone travel without food or a water-skin?”
He said, “Do you not see the birds? They set out in the morning and return in the evening without provisions or satchel, and Allah provides for them. They neither buy nor sell, plough nor sow, yet Allah sustains them.”
They responded, “Then we will travel with you.”
He said, “Prepare yourselves, with Allah’s blessing.”
They set out the next morning from the Ghūṭa of Damascus with no food and no baggage. When they reached their first stopping-place they said, “O Abū Muslim, we need food for ourselves and fodder for our mounts.”
He replied, “Very well.” He withdrew a short distance, mounted a small stone-built mosque, prayed two rakʿahs, then knelt and said:
“My Lord, You know why I have left my home; I have set out only in obedience to You. I have seen the stingiest of Adam’s children lavish hospitality upon a party that descends upon him. We are Your guests and Your visitors—so feed us, give us drink, and give fodder to our mounts.”
A tablecloth was then brought and spread before them; a steaming bowl of tharīd was set down, along with two large pitchers of water, and fodder appeared for their animals—they knew not who had brought any of it. From the moment they left their families until they returned, this remained their state: they never carried food or a water-skin (2).
Such was the condition of one saint of this community: a table descended upon him and his companions twice each day, together with water and fodder for their mounts—an extraordinary mark of divine care granted to him solely through the blessing of his adherence to this noble Prophet, upon whom be the most excellent blessings and salutations.
As for Allah’s words concerning Jesus son of Mary (peace be upon him)—that he said to the Children of Israel, “I will tell you what you eat and what you store up in your homes” (Āl ʿImrān 49)—this is a matter (3) quite easy for the prophets, and even for many of…