The man returned from his journey and entered upon his wife hungry, suffering intense starvation. He said to her, “Do you have anything?”

She replied, “Yes—rejoice! The provision of Allah has come to you.”

Still he pressed her: “Woe to you, look for something if you have it.”

She answered, “Yes, just a moment; we hope for Allah’s mercy.”

When the wait became too long for him he said, “Woe to you, get up and look—if you have anything bring it to me, for I have reached my limit and am exhausted.”

She said, “Yes, the oven is almost ready; do not be hasty.”

After he fell silent for a while, and she anticipated that he might speak again, she thought to herself, “Why don’t I get up and see my oven?” She rose and found the oven filled with sheep flanks, while the hand-mill was grinding of its own accord. She went to the mill, emptied it, and took the flanks out of the oven.

Abu Hurayrah said, “By Him in whose hand is the soul of Abū al-Qāsim—on the authority of Muhammad ﷺ—had she taken what was in the mill and not emptied it, it would have kept on grinding until the Day of Resurrection.”

Imām Aḥmad also said: Ibn ʿĀmir narrated to us; Abu Bakr narrated to us, from Hishām, from Muḥammad, from Abu Hurayrah who said:

A man came in to his family; when he saw the hardship they were facing he went out into the open country. When his wife noticed, she set up the hand-mill and kindled the oven, then supplicated, “O Allah, provide for us.” She looked and the bowl was full, and when she went to the oven she found it full as well. The husband returned and asked, “Did you come by anything after I left?” His wife replied, “Yes—from our Lord,” and then she lifted the millstone.

This was mentioned to the Prophet ﷺ, and he said,

“If she had not lifted it, it would have continued to turn until the Day of Resurrection.”

Abu Hurayrah added: I was present when the Prophet ﷺ said, “By Allah, for any one of you to gather a bundle of firewood, carry it on his back, and sell it—thereby preserving his dignity—is better for him than coming to another man and begging from him.”