Chapter: It is permissible to take someone else to the house of one who you are certain will approve of that and will not mind. It is recommended to gather to eat

What has brought you out of your houses at this hour? They said: Allah's Messenger, it is hunger. Thereupon he said: By Him in Whose Hand is my life, what has brought you out has brought me out too; get up. They got up along with him. and (all of them) came to the house of an Ansari, but he was not at home. When his wife saw him she said: Most welcome, and Allah's Messenger (may peace be Upon him) said to her: Where is so and so? She said: He has gone to get some fresh water for us. When the Ansari came and he saw Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) and his two Companions, he said: Praise be to Allah, no one has more honourable guests today than I (have). He then went out and brought them a bunch of ripe dates, dry dates and fresh dates, and said: Eat some of them. He then took hold of his long knife (for slaughtering a goat or a sheep). Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said to him: Beware of killing a milch animal. He slaughtered a sheep for them and after they had eaten of it and of the bunch and drank, and when they had taken their fill and had been fully satisfied with the drink, Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said to Abu Bakr and Umar: By Him in Whose Hand is my life, you will certainly be questioned about this bounty on the Day of judgment. Hunger brought you out of your house, then you did not return until this bounty came to you.

When the ditch was dug, I saw Allah's Messenger (may peace he upon him) feeling very hungry. I came to my wife and said to her: Is there anything with you? I have seen Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) feeling extremely hungry. She brought out a bag of provisions which contained a sa', of barley. We had also with us a lamb. I slaughtered it. She ground the flour. She finished (this work) along with me. I cut it into pieces and put it in the earthen pot and then returned to Allah's Apostle (ﷺ) (for inviting him). She said: Do not humiliate me in the presence of Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) and those who are with him. When I came to him I whispered to him saying: Allah's Messenger, we have slaughtered a lamb for you and she has ground a sa' of barley which we had with us. So you come along with a group of people with you. Thereupon Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said loudly: O people of the ditch, Jabir has arranged a feast for you, so (come along). Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said: Do not remove your earthen pot from the hearth and do not bake the bread from the kneaded flour until I come. So I came and Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) came and he was ahead of the people; and I came to my wife and she said (to me): You will be humbled. I said: I did what you had asked me to do. She (his wife) said: I brought out the kneaded flour and Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) put some saliva of his in that and blessed It. He then put saliva in the earthen pot and blessed it and then said. Call another baker who can bake with you. and bring out the soup from it, but do not remove it from the hearth, and the guests were one thousand. (Jabir said): I take an oath by Allah that all of them ate (the food to their fill) until they left it and went away and our earthen pot was brimming over as before, and so was the case with our flour, or as Dahhak (another narrator) said: It (the flour) was in the same condition and loaves had been prepared from that.

I felt some feebleness in the voice of Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) and perceived that it was due to hunger; so have you anything with you? She said: Yes. She brought out barley loaves, then took out a head-covering of hers, in a part of which she wrapped those loaves and then put them beneath my mantle and covered me with a part of it. She then sent me to Allah's Messenger (ﷺ). I set forth and found Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) sitting in the mosque in the company of some persons. I stood near them, whereupon Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said: Has Abu Talha sent you? I said, Yes. He said: Is it for a feast? I said. Yes. Thereupon Allah's messenger (ﷺ) said to'those who were with him to get up He went forth and so I did before them, until I came to Abu Talha and informed him. Abu Talba said: Umm Sulaim, here comes Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) along with people and we do not have enough (food) to feed them. She said: Allah and His Messenger know best. Abu Talha went out (to receive him) Until he met Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) and Allah's Apostle (ﷺ) came forward along with him until they both (Allah's Messenger, along with Abu Talha) came in. Then Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said: Umm Sulaim. bring forth that which you have with you. She brought the bread. Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) commanded that the bread be broken into small pieces, and when Umm Sulaim had squeezed a small waterskin and put seasoning on it, Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) recited something regarding it what Allah wished him to say. He then said: Allow ten (guests to come in and have their meals). He permitted them; they ate until they had their fill. They then went out. He (the Holy Prophet) again said: Permit ten (more) and he (the host gave permission to them. They ate until they had enough. Then they went out. he again said: Permit ten (more) until all the people had eaten to their fill, and they were seventy or eighty persons.

Abu Talha sent me to Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) in order to invite him (for meal). She had prepared a meal. So I came and found Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) along with some people. He looked at me, and I felt shy and said: Accept the invitation of Abu Talha. He (the Holy Prophet) asked the people to get up. Thereupon Abu Talha said: Allah's Messenger, I have prepared something for you. Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) touched (the food) and invoked blessings upon it, and then said: Let ten persons from my Companions enter (the house). He then said: Eat, and (in the meanwhile) brought out something from between his fingers for them. They then began to eat until they had their fill and then went out. He then asked ten more men (to have the meal) and they ate to their fill, and the ten persons went on getting in (and eating the food) and then getting out until none was left amongst them who had not got in and eaten to his fill. He then collected (the remaining part of the food) and it (the quantity of the food) was the same (as it had been prior to the serving of guests).

Abu Talha sent me to Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) ; the rest of the hadith is the same, but 'there is a slight variation of wording that he said at the end (The Holy Prophet) took what was left (of the food) and collected it and then invoked blessings upon it and it returned to its original state. He (the Holy Prophet) then said Take this.

Abu Talha ordered Umm Sulaim to prepare a meal specially for Allah's Apostle (ﷺ). He then sent me to him (to the Holy Prophet) ; the rest of the hadith is the same (but there is a slight variation of wording):" Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) placed his hand and mentioned the name of Allah upon that, and then said: Admit ten men. He (Abu Talha) admitted them and they got in. He (the Holy Prophet) said: Eat while mentioning the name of Allah upon it (the meal). They ate until eighty persons had taken the food. Then Allah's Apostle (ﷺ) had his meal and so the members of the household, and still they left some food."

" Abu Talha stood at the door (to welcome the honourable guest) until Allah's Messenger (may peacec be upon him) came there, He (Abu Talha) said to him: Allah's Messenger, the thing (we intend to offer you as a meal) is small in quantity. Thereupon he (the Holy Prophet) said: Bring that, for Allah will soon bless it (and increase it).

Anas b. Malik reported this hadith (with a slight variation of wording) Then AlIah's Messenger (ﷺ) ate and the people of his house also ate. but (still) there was left a surplus, which they sent to their neighbours.

Abu Talha saw Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) lying down upon his belly in the mosque. He came to Umm Sulaim and said: I saw Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) lying down upon the belly in the mosque, and I think he is hungry. The rest of the hadith is the same (but with the addition of these words) that Allah's messenger (ﷺ) ate (the food) and so did Abu Talha, Umm Sulaim and Anas b. Malik, but there was left some. thing which we presented to our neighbours.

I visited Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) one day and found him sitting in the company of his Companions and talking to them, and he had tied his belly with a bandage. Usama said: I am in doubt whether there was stone on that (his belly) or not. I asked some of his Companions why Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) had bandaged his belly. They said: (He has done that to relieve) his hunger. I went to Abu Talha, the husband of Umm Sulaim, the daughter of Milhan, and said to him: Father, I saw Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) having bandaged his belly. I asked some of his Companions (the reason of it) and they said that it was due to hunger. Abu Talha came to mv mother and said: Is there anything? She said: Yes, I have some pieces of bread with me and some dates. If Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) comes to us alone we can feed him to his fill, but if someone comes along with him this would be insufficient for them. The rest of the hadith is the same.

Anas b. Malik reported this hadith pertaining to the entertainment of Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) by Abu Talha through another chain of transmitters.