Thankfulness in Hunger

When the Muhajirun (immigrants from Makkah) arrived in Madinah, they did not have enough money to support themselves. So they were divided into groups of ten or twelve and were welcomed as guests of the families of the Ansar (residents of Madinah). Rasulullah, pease be upon him, stayed with Abu Ayyub al-Ansari, may Allah be pleased with him. Abu Ayyub was not a rich man, but he did everything he could for the comfort of Rasulullah and his group.

The Prophet's group had a few sheep. At night, they milked the sheep and drank it, saving for those who were not present at the time.

One night Rasulullah arrived late and found no milk left for him. The Sahaba (companions) had not realized that Rasulullah had not had any. They felt bad for forgetting to save his share. Though Rasulullah never ate very much, that day he was very hungry. He said, "O Allah, feed well the man who feeds me today."

Miqdad, may Allah be pleased with him, heard this and immediately spoke up, "O Rasulullah. I will slaughter my goat for you."

But Rasulullah said, "O Miqdad, please don't do that. Our need for milk each day is greater than our need for meat today."

When Rasulullah tried to milk the sheep, just a little bit came out. He drank that, thanked Allah and went to sleep. The companions reported that Rasulullah said nothing and showed no anger about their inconsiderate behaviour. Rather he thanked Allah for the little he had to drink.

[Recorded in Musnad ibn Hanbal]

Compiled From:
"Stories of the Sirah" - Abidullah Ghazi and Tasneema Ghazi, Vol. VIII, p. 10