ʿAbd Allah narrated to us; my father narrated to me; Miskīn ibn Bukayr narrated to us; Thābit ibn ʿAjlān reported—from al-Qāsim ibn ʿAbd al-Raḥmān—who said:

Abū al-Dardāʾ kept a number of ʿajwa date pits, ten or so, in a small pouch. After performing the dawn prayer, he would sit on his bedding, take the pouch, and pull the pits out one by one, glorifying Allah with each. When they were finished, he would put them back, again one by one, continuing his glorification. He did this, he said, until Umm al-Dardāʾ would come and say, “Abū al-Dardāʾ, your morning meal is ready.” He might then respond, “Put it away, for I am fasting.”