وَعَن أبي هريرةَ
قَالَ: خَرَجَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ ذَاتَ يَوْم وَلَيْلَة فَإِذَا هُوَ بِأَبِي بَكْرٍ وَعُمَرَ فَقَالَ: «مَا أَخْرَجَكُمَا مِنْ بُيُوتِكُمَا هَذِهِ السَّاعَةَ؟»
قَالَا: الْجُوعُ قَالَ: «وَأَنَا وَالَّذِي نَفْسِي بِيَدِهِ لَأَخْرَجَنِي الَّذِي أَخْرَجَكُمَا قُومُوا» فَقَامُوا مَعَهُ فَأَتَى رَجُلًا مِنَ الْأَنْصَارِ فَإِذَا هُوَ لَيْسَ فِي بَيْتِهِ فَلَمَّا رَأَتْهُ المرأةُ قَالَت: مرْحَبًا وَأهلا فَقَالَ لَهَا رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: «أَيْنَ فُلَانٌ؟»
قَالَتْ: ذَهَبَ يَسْتَعْذِبُ لَنَا مِنَ الْمَاءِ إِذْ جَاءَ الْأَنْصَارِيُّ فَنَظَرَ إِلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ وَصَاحِبَيْهِ ثُمَّ قَالَ: الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ مَا أَحَدٌ الْيَوْمَ أكرمَ أضيافاً مني قَالَ: فانطَلَق فَجَاءَهُمْ بِعِذْقٍ فِيهِ بُسْرٌ وَتَمْرٌ وَرُطَبٌ فَقَالَ: كُلُوا مِنْ هَذِهِ وَأَخَذَ الْمُدْيَةَ فَقَالَ لَهُ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: «إِيَّاكَ وَالْحَلُوبَ» فَذَبَحَ لَهُمْ فَأَكَلُوا مِنَ الشَّاةِ وَمِنْ ذَلِكَ الْعِذْقِ وَشَرِبُوا فَلَمَّا أَنْ شَبِعُوا وَرَوُوا قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ لِأَبِي بَكْرٍ وَعُمَرَ: «وَالَّذِي نَفْسِي بِيَدِهِ لَتُسْأَلُنَّ عَنْ هَذَا النَّعِيمِ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ أَخْرَجَكُمْ مِنْ بُيُوتِكُمُ الْجُوعُ ثُمَّ لَمْ تَرْجِعُوا حَتَّى أَصَابَكُمْ هَذَا النعيمُ»
Abu Hurayrah told that when God’s messenger went out one day, or night, he met Abu Bakr and Umar and asked them what had brought them out of their houses at that hour.
When they replied that it was hunger he said, “It is the same with me. By Him in whose hand my soul is, what has brought you out has brought me out. Get up.” They got up and went with him to a man of the Ansar, but he was not at home. When his wife saw him she gave a hearty welcome and God’s messenger asked her where so and so had gone, to which she replied that he had gone to get them some fresh water.
At that moment the Ansari appeared, and seeing God’s messenger and his two companions he said, “Praise be to God! No one has more honourable guests to-day than I.” He then went and brought them a bunch containing ripening dates, dried dates and fresh dates, and telling them to eat some of that he took his knife. God’s messenger having warned him not to kill an animal which was giving milk, he killed a sheep for them; and after they had eaten of it and of the bunch and drunk to their satisfaction God’s messenger said to Abu Bakr and Umar, “By Him in whose hand my soul is, you 1 will be questioned about this bounty on the day of resurrection.
Hunger brought you out of your houses, then you did not return till this bounty came to you.” 1. It it noteworthy that the second person pronouns in this and the following sentence are plural although two people are addressed. Muslim transmitted it. Abu Masud’s tradition, “One of the Ansar…” has been mentioned in the chapter on the wedding-feast. 2 2. See p. 684.