The Book of Zuhd and Softening of Hearts
كتاب الزهد والرقائق
I heard Uqba b. Ghazwan as saving: I found myself as the seventh amongst the seven who had been along with Allah's Messenger (ﷺ). We had nothing to eat but the leaves of hubla (a wild tree) until the corners of our mouths were injured.
Allah's Messenger, will we be able to see our Lord on the Day of Judgment? He said: Do you feel any difficulty in seeing the sun in the noon when there is no cloud over it? They said: No. He again said: Do you feel any difficulty in seeing the moon on the fourteenth night when there is no cloud over it? They said: No. Thereupon he said: By Allah Who is One in Whose Hand is my life. you will not face any difficulty in seeing your Lord but only so much as you feel in seeing one of them. Then Allah would sit in judgment upon the servant and would say: O, so and so, did I not honour you and make you the chief and provide you the spouse and subdue for you horses, camels, and afforded you an opportunity to rule over your subjects? He would say: Yes. And then it would be said: Did you not think that you would meet Us? And he would say: No. Thereupon He (Allah) would say: Well, We forget you as you forgot Us. Then the second person would be brought for judgment. (And Allah would) say: 0, so and so. did We not honour you and make you the chief and make you pair and subdue for you horses and camels and afford you an opportunity to rule over your subjects? He would say: Yes, my Lord. And He (the Lord) would say: Did you not think that you would be meeting Us? And he would say: No. And then He (Allah) would say: Well, I forget you today as you forgot Us. Then the third -one would be brought and He (Allah) would say to him as He said before. And he (the third person) would say: O, my Lord, I affirmed my faith in Thee and in Thy Book and in Thy Messenger and I observed prayer and fasts and gave charity, and he would speak in good terms like this as he would be able to do. And He (Allah) would say: Well, We will bring our witnesses to you. And the man would think in his mind who would bear witness upon him and then his mouth would be sealed and it would be said to his thighs, to his flesh and to his bones to speak and his thighs. flesh and bones would bear witness to his deeds and it would be done so that he should not be able to make any excuse for himself and he would be a hypocrite and Allah would be annoyed with him.
We were in the company of Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) when he smiled, and said: Do you know why I laughed? We said: Allah and His Messenger, know best. Thereupon he said: It was because (there came to my mind the) talk which the servant would have with his Lord (on the Day of judgment). He would say: My Lord, have you not guaranteed me protection against injustice? He would say: Yes. Then the servant would say: I do not deem valid any witness against me but my own self, and He would say: Well, enough would be the witness of your self against you and that of the two angels who had been appointed to record your deeds. Then the seal would be set upon his mouth and it would be said to his hands and feet to speak and they would speak of his deeds. Then the mouth would be made free to talk, he would say (to the hands and feet): Be away, let there be curse of Allah upon you. It was for your safety that I contended.
O Allah, make for the family of Muhammad the provision which is a bare subsistence.
0 Allah, provide for the, family of Muhammad their subsistence, and in the narration transmitted on the authority of 'Amr (the words are):" O Allah, provide us subsistence"
'Umara b. al-Qa'qa' reported this hadith with the same chain of transmitters but instead of the word" qut" (bare subsistence) there has been used the word" Kafaf" (adequate means to meet the needs).
Never had the family of Muhammad (ﷺ) eaten to the fill since their, arrival in Medina with the bread of wheat for three successive nights until his (Holy Prophet's) death.
Never did Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) eat to his fill the bread of wheat for three successive days until he had run the course of his life.
Never did the family of Muhammad (ﷺ) eat to the fill the bread of barley for two successive days until Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) died.
Never could the family of Muhammad (ﷺ) (afford to eat to the fill) the bread of wheat beyond three days (successively).
Never could the family of Muhammad (may peace. be upon him) (afford to eat) the bread of wheat for three (successive days) until he ran the course of his life.
Never could the family of Muhammad (ﷺ) (afford to eat) the bread of wheat for two days successively. Even (out of these two days) one (was such wherein he could get) only a date.
We the family of Muhammad (ﷺ) used to spend (the whole) month in which we (did not need to) kindle the fire as (we had nothing to cook) ; we had only dates and water (to fill our bellies).
" We used to spend-" And he did not make a mention of the family of Muhammad (ﷺ), and Abu Kuraib made this addition to his hadith which was transmitted on the authority of Ibn Numair (and the words are):" But this that there was brought to us some meat."
`A'isha reported that Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) died (in such a state) that there had been nothing in my wooden tub which a living being could afford to eat but a handful of barley. I had been eating out of that for a fairly long duration when I thought of measuring it and it was almost finished.
Son of my sister, by Allah, I used to see the new moon, then the new moon, then the new moon, i. e. three moons in two months, and fire was not kindled in the house of Allah's Messenger (ﷺ). I ('Urwa) said: Auntie, then what were your means of sustenance? She said: Dates and water. But it (so happened) that Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) had some Ansar as his neighbours and they had milch animals and they used to send to Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) some milk of their (animals) and he served that to us.
Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) died (in a state) that it never happened that he could eat to his fill the bread with olive oil twice during a day.
'A'isha reported this hadith through other chains of transmitters also (and the words are) that Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) died (in a state) when the people could afford to eat only the dates and water.
water and dates.
" We could not afford to eat to the fill even dates and water."