Lady Aisha Siddiqa (may Allah be pleased with her) narrates: We would see the new moon of one month, then we would see the new moon of the next month, then we would see the new moon of the following month—that is, in two months we would see three new moons—but during this time, no fire would be lit in the houses of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). The narrator says: I asked, "Aunt, how did you manage to live?" She replied, "On two black things: dates and water. However, the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) had some Ansari neighbors who were very good neighbors. They had milch animals, and they would send their milk as a gift to the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), so we would drink it."

Sayyiduna Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: One day the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) said: (Today) there is neither a sa’ of wheat nor a sa’ of dates in the house of Muhammad. The narrator says: At that time, the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) had nine wives.

Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: The Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "By Him in Whose Hand is the life of Muhammad, if I had gold equal to the mountain of Uhud, I would love that not a single dinar of it remains with me after three days, except for a dinar which I have kept for the repayment of a debt."

Abdullah Huzni narrates: I met the Prophet’s (peace and blessings be upon him) muezzin, Sayyiduna Bilal (may Allah be pleased with him). I said: O Bilal, tell me how the expenses of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) were managed. Sayyiduna Bilal (may Allah be pleased with him) replied: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) never had anything with him. From the day Allah Almighty sent him as a Prophet until his passing, I remained with the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). Whenever a Muslim would come to him and he saw that the person did not have suitable clothes, he would order me, and I would go and take a loan in his name. With that, I would buy cloth or a sheet and give it to that person to wear, and I would feed him as well. This continued until a polytheist came to me and said: O Bilal, I have the means, so just take loans from me. I did so. One day, I performed ablution and was about to stand to give the call to prayer when that polytheist came with some traders. When he saw me, he said: O Abyssinian! I said: What is it? He insulted me and treated me harshly. He asked: Do you know how many days are left until the end of the month? I replied: Yes, there is little time left. He said to me: There are four days left until the end of the month, then I will collect from you what is due upon you. I did not give you a loan because you are honorable to me or your master is honorable to me. I gave you a loan so that if it is not repaid, I would get a slave, and I will make you herd goats as you used to do before. Sayyiduna Bilal (may Allah be pleased with him) says: I became worried just as people become worried. Anyway, I went and gave the call to prayer for the prayer, and when I had performed the Isha prayer, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) returned to his house. I sought permission to enter. He granted me permission. I said: O Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him)! May my father be sacrificed for you. That polytheist whom I mentioned to you from whom I take loans, he has said such things to me, and you do not have anything to pay on my behalf, nor do I, and that person will disgrace me. Please allow me to go to those tribes who have accepted Islam so that Allah Almighty may grant His Messenger enough provision to pay my debt. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: If you wish, then do so. Sayyiduna Bilal (may Allah be pleased with him) says: I left and went home. I placed my sword, my quiver, my shield, and my shoes by my bedside. I turned my face toward the horizon. Whenever I slept for a short while, I would immediately wake up, but that night I slept so deeply that dawn broke. I intended to get up, and at that moment, a man came running and said: Go to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). I got up and went to him. There were four mounts present, saddled and ready. I sought permission to enter. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Glad tidings for you! Allah Almighty has arranged for the payment of your debt. So I praised Allah Almighty for this. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) asked: Did you not pass by those four mounts that were tied up? I replied: Yes! The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Those mounts, and the clothes and food on them, are yours. All these things have been sent to me as a gift by the chief of Fadak. Take them and pay your debt. Sayyiduna Bilal (may Allah be pleased with him) says: I did so. I removed the saddles from them and then tied them up again. Then I went to give the call to prayer for the morning prayer. When the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) had performed the prayer, I went out to the field of Baqi. I put my fingers in my ears and announced loudly: Whoever has a debt to collect from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), let him come. After that, I kept buying and selling and paying off debts until only two or one and a half uqiyah remained in my hand. I came to the mosque when most of the day had passed. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was sitting alone in the mosque. I greeted him. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) asked: What is your situation? I replied: Allah Almighty has paid everything that was due upon the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him); nothing (i.e., no debt) remains. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) asked: Is anything left? I replied: Yes. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: See if you can bring me comfort with it. When the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) had performed the Isha prayer, he called me and asked: What is your situation? I replied: That thing is still with me; no one has come to us. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) spent that night in the mosque until morning came. He remained in the mosque the next day until the last part of the day, when two riders came. I took them with me. I gave them clothes to wear and fed them, until when the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) had performed the Isha prayer, he called me and asked: What is the situation? I replied: O Messenger of Allah! Allah Almighty has relieved you of that thing (i.e., the remaining wealth has also been spent in the way of Allah). The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) proclaimed the greatness of Allah and praised Him, fearing that death might come to him while that wealth was still with him. Then I walked with the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) went to all his wives. He greeted each of his noble wives, until he came to the house where he was to spend the night. (Sayyiduna Bilal, may Allah be pleased with him, said:) This is the situation about which you asked me.

Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) narrates: Sayyiduna Umar bin Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) came to the service of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). At that time, you were lying on a mat, the marks of which had appeared on your side. Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said: O Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him)! If you used bedding softer than this (it would be appropriate). The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: What connection do I have with the world, and what connection does the world have with me? By Him in Whose hand is my soul! My example and the example of the world is like that of a rider who, while traveling on a hot day, stops for a short while under the shade of a tree, and then leaves it and moves on.

Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) narrates: The Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) came to the house of Lady Fatimah (may Allah be pleased with her). He saw a curtain hanging at her door, so he did not enter the house. Whenever he would come to the house, he would first go to Lady Fatimah (may Allah be pleased with her). When Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) came home and saw Lady Fatimah (may Allah be pleased with her) upset, he asked: What happened? Lady Fatimah (may Allah be pleased with her) replied: The Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) came to my house, but he did not enter. Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) went to the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) and said: O Messenger of Allah! Fatimah is upset because you came to her house but did not enter. The Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) said: What do I have to do with the world? What do I have to do with decoration and adornment? Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) went to Lady Fatimah (may Allah be pleased with her) and informed her of what the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) had said. So Lady Fatimah (may Allah be pleased with her) said: Ask the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) what he commands me to do. The Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Tell her to send it (the curtain) to so-and-so.

Sayyiduna Safinah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: The Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) would not enter a house in which there were pictures or engravings.

Qatadah narrates: We went to Sayyiduna Anas bin Malik (may Allah be pleased with him). His baker was standing (baking bread). Sayyiduna Anas said: You people eat food, because I have never seen the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) eating thin (i.e., sifted flour) bread or eating roasted goat, until he presented himself before Allah, the Exalted.

Sayyiduna Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: The Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) would not store anything for the next day.

Sayyiduna Umar bin Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) said: The lands of Banu Nadir are those which Allah Almighty granted to His Messenger as fay’ (war booty without battle). The Muslims did not use horses or riding animals to acquire them, so they were specifically for the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). He would take from them the yearly expenses for his family, and whatever remained, he would use for equipment and weapons in the way of Allah.