Mujahid narrates: I heard Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) saying, "By the One besides whom there is no deity! (Sometimes) my condition was such that due to the severity of hunger, I would press my liver against the ground. One day, I sat in the path where people used to pass by. Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) passed by me. I asked him about a verse from Allah’s Book. I only asked him so that he might feed me, but he left without doing anything. Then Sayyiduna Umar bin Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) passed by me. I asked him too about a verse from Allah’s Book. I only asked him so that he might feed me, but he also left without doing so. Then Sayyiduna Abu al-Qasim (the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him) passed by me. When he saw my face and noticed what was in my heart, he said, 'O Abu Hurairah!' I replied, 'O Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon you)! I am here.' The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, 'Come with me.' I walked with him. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) went to his house. He permitted me to enter, so I entered. There was a bowl of milk there. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) asked his wife, 'Where did this come from?' She replied, 'So-and-so sent it as a gift.' (The narrator is unsure, perhaps these are the words:) 'So-and-so sent it.' The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, 'O Abu Hurairah! Go to the people of Suffah and call them.' (Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah, may Allah be pleased with him, narrates:) The people of Suffah were the guests of Islam. They had no home or wealth. Whenever any charity was brought to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), he would send it to them. He would not partake in that charity, but when a gift was brought to him, he would send it to them and also share in it with them. He would use from it himself.

(Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah, may Allah be pleased with him, says:) By Allah! This matter was very hard on me. I thought, 'What will such a small amount of milk do for the people of Suffah, for me, and for the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him)?' But I went and called them. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) permitted them to enter, and they came in. Everyone sat in their place. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, 'O Abu Hurairah!' I replied, 'O Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon you)! I am here.' The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, 'Take (the bowl of milk) and serve it to them.' Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) says, 'I began to present it to each person. Each person would take it, and when he was satisfied, I would take it back from him and give it to the next person, until all of them were satisfied. Then I came to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) raised his blessed head and smiled. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, 'O Abu Hurairah! Now only I and you remain.' I replied, 'O Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon you)! You have spoken the truth.' The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, 'Take it and drink.' After that, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) kept saying, 'And drink,' until I said, 'By the One who sent you with the truth, I can find no way (to drink more).' The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, 'Then show me the vessel.' I presented it to him, and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) drank the remaining (milk) and praised his Lord."