143. Aisha related: “The family of Muhammad (peace be upon him) never ate a full stomach of barley bread for two consecutive days until the day he passed away.” [166]
Abdul Razzaq al-Badr said,
This hadīth shows that the Prophet (peace be upon him) used to eat little and that this worldly life held no weight upon his heart. He is the best of mankind but still he used to sleep hungry. This shows that the worldly life is trivial in the sight of Allāh. If it had any value, He would have endowed the best of His creation with all of its adornments and pleasures.
Al-Bajūrī said,
It is possible that the word ‘family’ mentioned in this hadīth is just an unnecessary addition i.e. if it is removed the meaning will still be the same. That is to say that the statement does not include the family of the Prophet (peace be upon him) and the following hadīth confirms this meaning. It is also possible that the wording is an integral part of the hadīth and in this case the word ‘family’ refers to those under the responsibility of the Prophet (peace be upon him), and not the family in its broader sense.
144. Abū Umāmah al-Bāhilī narrated: “The family of the Messenger of Allāh (peace be upon him) never had any barley bread left over.” [167]
Alī al-Qārī said,
This indicates that they were never full from food.
145. ‘Abdullāh ibn Abbās related: “The Messenger (peace be upon him) and his family spent many consecutive nights hungry as there would be no supper. Often, their bread was made of barley.” [168]
Al-Bajūrī said,
This hadīth shows the noble character, dignity and self-esteem of the Prophet (peace be upon him) as he took precautions so that none of his companions would know that he and his family slept hungry for several nights. This is evident as it is certain that if they were aware about it they would have raced each other to give him priority over themselves and their families. This indicates the virtue of the poor and directs people not to ask for food even when one is hungry.
146. Someone asked Sahl ibn Sa’d: “Did the Messenger of Allāh (peace be upon him) ever eat bread made of white bran-free flour?” He replied, “The Messenger (peace be upon him) never ate it in his lifetime.” The questioner then asked, “Did you people use sieved flour in the time of the Messenger (peace be upon him)?” He replied, “We did not have sieves.” The questioner then asked, “How did you sieve the barley?” He replied, “We used to blow out the particles and then knead that which remained.” [169]
Abdul Razzaq al-Badr said,
The reason why the questioner asked about barley is because it has grains that if they remain in the dough, the bread would be difficult to chew.
Ibn Hajar al-Haytamī said,
This hadīth shows that the Prophet (peace be upon him) was not fussy about food and so he ate the barley bread just like everyone else. It is only the fools and idle people who are fussy about food.
147. Anas ibn Mālik reported: “The Messenger (peace be upon him) never ate food from a table, nor from a sukurrujah (i.e. a small plate), nor was thin soft bread ever made for him.”
Yūnus asked Qatādah (who narrated this hadīth from Anas): “Then upon what did they eat their food?” He replied: “Upon these floor-sheets.” [170]
Abdul Razzaq al-Badr said,
This shows the moderation of the Prophet (peace be upon him) even in food as he ate neither from a table nor on the floor without placing a sheet underneath. This is because eating on the table was considered as a luxury whilst eating on the floor without placing anything underneath would expose the food to dirt. Thus, eating on the floor while having a sheet underneath is a humble way of eating that protects the food from dirt.
Al-Bajūrī said,
Eating on dining tables was the practice followed amongst the non-Arabs so that their heads would not nod down while eating. However, it is allowed to eat from the table if there is no pride or arrogance involved.
Ibn Hajar al-Haytamī said,
The sukurrujah is a small plate that is used for side dishes and appetisers.
148. Masrūq narrated: “I visited Aisha and she ordered food for me and then said, ‘I never eat to my full except that I wish to cry, then I begin to cry.’ I asked, ‘Why is that?’ She replied, ‘I remember the state of the Messenger of Allāh (peace be upon him) upon which he left us for the next world. I swear by Allāh that he never filled his stomach twice in one day with meat or bread.’” [171]
Abdul Razzaq al-Badr said,
Masrūq was born during the lifetime of the Prophet (peace be upon him) but never saw him as he was living in the city of Kufa in Iraq. The name Masrūq means “stolen” and he was given this name because he was kidnapped when he was a child and then later on his family managed to find him.
Ibn Hajar al-Haytamī said,
The reason Aisha used to cry every time she ate to her full was because she missed the hard life that she had experienced with the Prophet (peace be upon him). This is because that lifestyle was the highest level of virtuousness since it was the lifestyle that the Prophet chose for himself (peace be upon him) and his family.
Al-Bajūrī said,
He (peace be upon him) never had a full stomach from either meat and bread twice in one day i.e. enjoying much of the lawful matters is disliked whereas enjoying less of it is recommended, and humbleness is required.
149. Aisha narrated: “The Messenger of Allāh (peace be upon him) never filled his stomach with barley bread for two consecutive days until he passed away.” [172]
Alī al-Qārī said,
He (peace be upon him) never filled his stomach with bread made of barley, let alone bread made of wheat. This was because he acted upon the decision he made when he was given the choice to either be a prophet who is a king in this world or just a slave of Allāh, and so he chose, “I prefer to be a Prophet who is a [true] slave of Allāh; I starve on one day so I bear it with patience and I eat well on another day so I praise Him.”[173]
Al-Bajūrī said,
He did not eat to his full twice in one day because he avoided that and preferred the state of hunger.
150. Anas ibn Mālik narrated: “Until the end of his life; the Messenger of Allāh (peace be upon him) never ate on a table and never ate thin soft bread.” [174]