37 – ʿAbd Allah ibn Yunus narrated to me; he said: my father narrated to me; he said: Abu Maʿshar ⦗51⦘ narrated to me, from Muhammad ibn Qays, who said:

A group of people came to Hafsa bint ʿUmar and said, “The Commander of the Believers has grown so thin that the sinews of his neck have become visible. If only you would ask him to eat food softer than what he now eats, wear clothes softer than what he now wears—for we have seen his waist-wrapper patched with pieces of cloth that do not even match its colour—and to sleep on bedding softer than the bedding he now uses. Allah has already expanded provision for the Muslims; such ease would better enable him to look after their affairs.”

So they sent Hafsa to him, and she conveyed this to him. He said, “Tell me: what is the softest bedding you ever laid out for the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him?” She replied, “A woollen cloak that I folded for him once in two; when it felt too rough, I folded it for him in four.”

He then asked, “Inform me of the finest garment he ever wore.” She answered, “A striped mantle we made for him. A man saw it and said, ‘Clothe me in it,’ so he gave it to him.”

He said, “Bring me one ṣāʿ of dates.” He ordered them to remove the pits and then said, “Remove the fibrous bits as well,” ⦗52⦘ so they did; after that he ate all of it.

He continued, “By Allah, I certainly crave good food. I eat clarified butter though meat is available; I eat oil though I have butter; I eat salt though oil is on hand; and I eat my food plain though salt is present. But my two companions followed one path, and I fear that, were I to depart from it, I would be caused to diverge.”