2 of 3 · Madinah years · c. 628–632 CE · Madinah, the Suffah of the mosque
Abu Hurayrah رضي الله عنه
Hunger and the Cup of Milk
Abu Hurayrah was one of the poor Companions who lived in the Suffah, a covered area of the mosque. He later said he used to press his belly to the ground from hunger, or tie a stone to it. One day he sat on the road and asked Abu Bakr about a verse of the Qur'an, hoping he would be fed. Abu Bakr answered the question and moved on. 'Umar did the same.
Then the Prophet ﷺ passed, saw his face, and understood. "Abu Hirr," he said, "follow me." At home there was a cup of milk someone had sent. The Prophet ﷺ told him to call the people of the Suffah. Abu Hurayrah's heart sank: so many people for one cup, and he would be the last to drink.
But he obeyed. The Prophet ﷺ had him hand the cup to each person in turn, until all had drunk and he was left. The Prophet ﷺ smiled and said, "Drink." He drank. "Drink more." He drank until he said, "By Him who sent you with the truth, I have no room for more" (Sahih al-Bukhari 6452).
Obedience and patience in need can open a provision that no plan could, and the one who serves others is served last and most completely.
Can you recall a time when sharing with others left you with more than you expected?
- Sahih al-Bukhari 6452 Sahih · in the two Sahihs
- al-Dhahabi, Siyar A'lam al-Nubala'Historical report
What the hadith grades mean
- Sahih (authentic): an unbroken chain of trustworthy, precise narrators, free of hidden flaws or contradiction. It is acted upon.
- Hasan (good): like sahih, but a narrator's precision is slightly lighter. It is also accepted and acted upon. "Hasan sahih" means it reaches sahih by its routes.
- Da'if (weak): a break in the chain or a narrator who is not reliable enough. It is not used to establish beliefs or rulings.
- Very weak (munkar, matruk): a seriously flawed chain or a narrator accused of lying. It is not relied on at all.
- Mawdu' (fabricated): falsely attributed to the Prophet ﷺ. It may not be narrated as his words except to warn against it.
- The two Sahihs: every hadith with a full chain in Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim is accepted as sahih by the scholars of hadith.
- Historical report: biographies and histories (Ibn Ishaq, Ibn Sa'd, al-Tabari) record events with chains that are often incomplete. They are used for the story, not for rulings.
- Hadith scholars grade a narration; the four madhhabs do not. Where a hadith carries a ruling, the page shows which schools act on it.
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