2/492 – ʿUrwah reports from ʿA’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) that she used to say, “By Allah, Nephew, we would look at the crescent, then the next crescent, then the next—three crescents in the space of two months—yet no fire was ever lit in the houses of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. I asked, ‘Aunt, what kept you alive?’ She said, ‘The two black things: dates and water. However, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ had neighbours from the Anṣār who owned milch animals; they would send some of their milk to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and he would give it to us to drink.’” Agreed upon.

3/493 – Abū Saʿīd al-Maqburī narrates from Abū Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) that he once passed by some people before whom was a roasted sheep. They invited him to eat, but he refused and said, “The Messenger of Allah ﷺ left this world without ever having eaten his fill of barley bread.” Reported by al-Bukhārī.

[Commentary]
The compiler (may Allah have mercy on him) placed this chapter after the chapter on renouncing the world (zuhd) to show that a person should not overindulge in worldly desires but restrict himself to what he truly needs, just as the Prophet ﷺ did. He cited verses that describe the fate of those who follow their passions and neglect the prayers, saying: Allah the Exalted declares, “Then there succeeded them a generation who neglected the prayer and pursued their lusts; they will meet with ruin—except those who repent, believe, and act righteously; such people will enter the Garden and will not be wronged in the least” (Maryam 59-60). His words, “Then there succeeded them a generation,” mean: after the prophets who were mentioned earlier.