Al-Bajūrī said,
The idām refers to all that which is eaten with bread, be it liquid or solid, and so it includes even meat. The fact that meat is considered a type of idām is based on the linguistic meaning of the word but it is not considered an idām based on the norms of people.
Ibn Hajar al-Haytamī said,
This is because the habit of people is to eat the idām to facilitate the eating of other food [i.e. it is used to eat the bread].
151. Aisha narrated: “The Messenger of Allāh (peace be upon him) said, ‘What an excellent idām vinegar is.’” [175]
Ibn al-Qayyim said,
This hadīth is intended to praise vinegar, given the circumstances of the event, and so it does not intend to prefer it over all other types of idām, as some ignorant people think. The context behind this statement is that he (peace be upon him) went home and took a piece of bread. He then asked his family if there was an idām to eat with the bread and so they replied that they have nothing but vinegar. Upon that he praised the idām.
Al-Bajūrī said,
The Prophet (peace be upon him) praised vinegar to complement and bring comfort to the heart of the one presenting it to him. Otherwise if the available idām was milk or meat or honey, they would have been praised instead.
152. Al-Nu’mān ibn Bashīr said: “You are in enough luxury to eat and drink all that you wish! By Allāh, I have seen your Prophet (peace be upon him) not having the worst type of dates to fill his stomach.” [176]
Abdul Razzaq al-Badr said,
The purpose of al-Nu’mān’s statement was to remind the remaining companions and the generation that did not have the pleasure and honour to see the Prophet (peace be upon him) of the blessings and favours of Allāh upon them.
Al-Bajūrī said,
The purpose of al-Nu’mān was to admonish those whom he addressed and advise them to suffice with the little that is enough and to follow the example of the Prophet (peace be upon him) in this regard. The reason he said “your Prophet” was to emphasise the meaning of the advice that followed and to encourage them.
153. Jābir ibn ‘Abdullāh related: “The Messenger of Allāh (peace be upon him) said, ‘What a wonderful idām vinegar is.’” [177]
154. Zahdam al-Jarmī narrated that: “We were in the presence of Abū Mūsa al-Ash’arī when chicken was served to us. A person from among those present distanced himself from the gathering. Abū Mūsa asked him the reason [for doing so]. He replied, ‘I have seen the chicken eat something unclean so I swore that I would not eat it.’ Abū Mūsa said, ‘Come, for I have seen the Messenger of Allāh (peace be upon him) eat the meat of the chicken.’” [178]
Al-Bajūrī said,
The direction of Abū Mūsa given to the man was to indicate that it is better for him that he offers expiation for his oath and eats from the chicken to follow the example of the Prophet (peace be upon him) based on the hadīth, “None of you shall believe until his desire conforms to that which I brought.”[179] It also indicates that the host serving the food should try to make the person break any similar oath if the reason for leaving a particular food is for a matter that is not disliked in religion (except in the case where the man made a conditional divorce).
Ibn Hajar al-Haytamī said,
If the chicken was of the type that lives on dirt and garbage then one should not break his oath because it is forbidden to eat. However, it seems that the chicken was not from that type and it happened that it ate something dirty on that day.
Abdul Razzaq al-Badr said,
The man did not specify the type of dirt that he saw the chicken eating so that he would not make the people feel disgust towards the food. This is because it suffices for a person who dislikes a type of food just to state that he does not feel like eating it, thus following the guidance of the Prophet (peace be upon him) in this kind of situation.
155. Safīna narrated: “I ate bustard meat with the Messenger of Allāh (peace be upon him).” [180]
Safīna is a nick name given to him. It means a ship because he carried a lot of luggage when travelling. He was one of the slaves that the Prophet (peace be upon him) freed and his name is disputed over but some stated that his actual name is Mihrān.
156. Zahdam al-Jarmī narrated: “We were present in a gathering with Abū Mūsa al-Ash’arī and in the food that was served there was poultry. Among those present was a man from the tribe of Banī Taymullah who was reddish in complexion and seemed to be a freed slave. He moved back and sat to one side, staying away from the food. Abū Mūsa asked him to come near [and eat from the food] and related to him that he saw the Messenger (peace be upon him) also eat chicken. He excused himself saying, ‘I had seen it eating something unclean. For this reason I swore an oath that I would not eat it.’”[181] [182]
157. Abū Asīd narrated: “The Messenger of Allāh (peace be upon him) said, ‘Use olive oil as a food and for rubbing [on the body], for it is from a blessed tree.’” [183]
Abdul Razzaq al-Badr said,
The direction to eat olive oil relates to eating it with bread (i.e. using it as an idām).
Al-Bajūrī said,
The direction to rub the body with olive oil should be moderate. Ibn al-Qayyim said, “Using oil in hot lands such as the region of Hejaz is good for heath but it is harmful if it is used in cold lands.”
Alī al-Qārī said,
The olive tree is blessed because it grows in the blessed land (i.e. the region of al-Shām) and that makes its olives blessed. It was reported that the Prophet (peace be upon him) encouraged using it as a medicine to treat haemorrhoids, and in another hadīth that olive oil cures seventy diseases.
158. ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab narrated: “The Messenger of Allāh (peace be upon him) said, ‘Use olive oil as a food and for rubbing [on the body], for it is from a blessed tree.’”[184]
159. Zayd ibn Aslam reports the same from his father. [185]
160. Anas ibn Mālik narrated: “The Prophet (peace be upon him) loved eating pumpkin. Once food was presented to him (or he attended an invitation) where pumpkin was served. As I knew that he loved it; I sought its pieces in the platter and then placed them in front of him so that he could eat them.” [186]
Al-Bajūrī said,
The reason the Prophet (peace be upon him) liked eating pumpkin is because it sharpens the mind, cures headaches, extinguishes thirst, it is good for the one who has a fever and is suitable for one who feels cold.
Ibn Hajar al-Haytamī said,
The Prophet (peace be upon him) liked pumpkin because he knew that this vine possesses hidden benefits since Allāh caused it to grow over Prophet Yūnus. Yūnus subsisted and lived under the shade of this vine [during his rehabilitation].
One of the benefits concluded from this hadīth is that it is allowed for a person to reach for the food that is not in front of him if the food consists of different types.
161. Jābir ibn Tariq narrated: “I visited the Prophet (peace be upon him) and I observed that a pumpkin was being sliced. I inquired, ‘What is the reason for cutting it into pieces?’ He replied, ‘We use it to increase the quantity of our food.’” [187]
Abdul Razzaq al-Badr said,
This hadīth shows that pumpkin is from the idām.
Al-Bajūrī said,
The slicing of the pumpkin into pieces indicates that one should take care of the cooking as this does not contradict asceticism or reliance on Allāh, as one can live moderately in a manner that leads to contentment.
162. Anas ibn Mālik narrated: “A tailor once invited the Messenger of Allāh (peace be upon him) to a feast he had prepared. I went with Allāh’s Messenger (peace be upon him) and attended the gathering. The host presented the Messenger (peace be upon him) with some bread made of barley and a broth with pieces of meat and pumpkin in it. I saw the Messenger (peace be upon him) look for pieces of pumpkin from all sides of the bowl. Thenceforth, I began loving pumpkin.” [188]
Abdul Razzaq al-Badr said,
From the etiquettes of good hospitality is to place the food near the guest.
Al-Bajūrī said,
Anas ibn Mālik attended the invitation with the Prophet (peace be upon him) because he was his servant or because he was asked to.
The fact that the Prophet (peace be upon him) ate from all sides of the plate does not contradict his command that a person should eat only from in front of him. This is because the command was given so that other diners would not be harmed [by the person reaching], and no one would ever be harmed if the hand of the Prophet (peace be upon him) reached in front of them because people seek blessing with that.
Ibn Hajar al-Haytamī said,
The fiqh of this hadīth is as follows:
· It is recommended to accept the invitation of others even if the food made is little or the social status of the host is less than that of the invitee.
· It is recommended to like pumpkin because the Prophet (peace be upon him) liked it and the same applies to all that which he (peace be upon him) liked.
· It is recommended to eat with the servant. The Prophet (peace be upon him) allowing his servant to accompany him and join him is an example of his humble character and kind treatment to the young companions.
163. Aisha narrated: “The Prophet (peace be upon him) loved halwā and honey.” [189]
Ibn Hajar al-Haytamī said,
Halwā refers to all that which is sweet, and it can be used to refer to fruits. Al-Khattabī said that it refers to the manmade sweets. Al-Tha’alibī said that the halwā that the Prophet (peace be upon him) liked was the mixture of dates that is knead with milk.
Al-Khattabī said, “He (peace be upon him) did not like halwā in the sense that he used to crave for it but rather he would like to eat more of it when it was presented to him and that is how it was known that he liked it.”
164. Umm Salamah related: “I presented a roasted side portion of sheep to the Messenger of Allāh (peace be upon him). He ate from it and then prayed without performing ablution.” [190]
Abdul Razzaq al-Badr said,
The last practice of the Prophet (peace be upon him) was not to perform ablution after eating meat cooked on fire except for the meat of camels, according to the most correct view of scholars.
Al-Bajūrī said,
Mentioning the roasted meat after halwā and honey indicates that these are the best types of food. However, Ibn al-Qayyim mentioned that one should not eat meat all the time as that can cause illness.
165. ‘Abdullāh ibn al-Hārith narrated: “We ate roasted meat with the Messenger of Allāh (peace be upon him) whilst in the masjid.” [191]
Al-Bajūrī said,
The Sunan of Ibn Majah includes the following addition to the hadīth, “Then, he got up and prayed and we prayed with him. We did not do anything after finishing the meal more than wiping our hands with stones.” It is possible that this incident took place during their ‘itikāf though it is permissible to eat in the masjid if one can assure that the food will not cause mess.
166. Al-Mughīrah ibn Shu’bah narrated: “One night, I and the Messenger of Allāh (peace be upon him) were the guests of an individual. The host served us a roasted side portion of sheep and then he (peace be upon him) took a big knife and started cutting pieces from it and he cut some for me to eat. During this period, Bilal came and began the call to prayer, and so the Prophet (peace be upon him) put down the knife and said, ‘May both his hands be in dust. What made him call out for the prayer at this moment?’”
Al-Mughīrah said that his moustache had grown long and so the Messenger of Allāh (peace be upon him) said to him, “Come let me put a siwāk on it and then trim the hair that goes below its level.” [192]
Ibn Hajar al-Haytamī said,
The Messenger of Allāh (peace be upon him) cutting the meat for al-Mughīrah shows his modesty and it was an action done to show kindness to al-Mughīrah who had recently embraced Islām at that time.
The Messenger of Allāh (peace be upon him) blamed Bilal for calling him to the prayer in the presence of food when there was still time remaining for the time of the prayer.[193]
Alī al-Qārī said,
The statement of the Messenger of Allāh (peace be upon him) to Bilal could be interpreted either in the sense of blame or praise. To assume it is intended to mean the latter, then it was said to praise Bilal for notifying him of the prayer. If it is the former then, it was said because delaying the prayer of ‘Ishā is better than praying it at the beginning of its time.
Ibn Hajar al-Asqalānī said,
The scholars differed on whether it is better to trim the moustache or to shave it. Some scholars held the view that shaving the moustache is better based on a hadīth but the majority stated that trimming it is better.
167. Abū Hurairah narrated: “Someone sent the Messenger of Allāh (peace be upon him) some meat. From it the forearm was presented to him as he loved this portion of the meat, and so he ate a morsel of it with his front teeth.” [194]
Al-Qadī ‘Iyyād said,
He (peace be upon him) liked the meat of the forearm because it is delicious, quick to be cooked, easy to chew and swallow, and it is far from the parts of the animal that are exposed to dirt and harm.
168. ‘Abdullāh ibn Mas’ūd narrated: “The Messenger of Allāh (peace be upon him) loved the meat of the forearm.” He also narrated that: “He (peace be upon him) was given poison in the forearm portion of the meat and it was believed that the Jews poisoned him.” [195]
Al-Bajūrī said,
In another hadīth, it mentions that he loved the shoulder. He (peace be upon him) also liked the meat of the neck because it is similar to the meat of the forearm in that it is far from the places of harm.
Ibn ‘Umar narrated that he disliked eating seven things from the sheep: (i) the gall bladder, (ii) the bladder, (iii) the testicles, (iv) the penis, (v) the vagina, (vi) the blood, (vii) and the gland.
Alī al-Qārī said,
The lethal poisoned meat did not harm the Prophet (peace be upon him) when he ate it but it used to affect him every year until he (peace be upon him) died because of it. This was in order to double his reward. It was narrated that he (peace be upon him) only ate one bite of it and then Jibra’īl informed him about the poison upon which he (peace be upon him) informed his companions to refrain from eating it. However, some of them passed away. In another hadīth, it was the poisoned forearm that informed the Prophet (peace be upon him) about it. The Jewish woman who did this was questioned about her motives and she answered that she believed if he was a Prophet then the poison would not harm him and for that he forgave her and the woman embraced Islām after she saw the outcome of her test. However, later on she was executed because her poison led to the death of one of the other companions who ate from the meat. The wisdom behind Jibra’īl and the forearm (according to the other narration) not informing him until after he ate from the meat was to manifest the truthfulness of his status as a Prophet, to be a reason for the Jewish woman to embrace Islām, and to be an evidence against anyone who insists after that on disbelief.
169. Abū ‘Ubaydah narrated: “I once prepared food for the Messenger of Allāh (peace be upon him). Because he loved the forearm portion of the meat, I served him that portion. He then ordered another one, I served the second one. He then ordered one again. I replied, ‘O Messenger of Allāh! The goat has only two forearms!’ To that he said, ‘I swear by the One in whose Hand is my soul, if you kept quiet, you could have served me every time I requested one from you.’” [196]
Abdul Razzaq al-Badr said,
This is a hadīth that shows one of the miracles of the Messenger of Allāh (peace be upon him) and signs of his truthfulness.
Ibn Hajar al-Haytamī said,
The reason why the inquisitive statement of the companion resulted in not witnessing this miracle is because witnessing such a miracle is an honour by itself and only a person whose submission is perfect and free of any personal desire or opinion deserves to witness it.
170. Aisha narrated: “The Messenger of Allāh (peace be upon him) did not like the forearm portion of meat the best (i.e. due to its taste). Rather, as meat was only available occasionally, and as this portion of the meat cooked quickly, he liked it.” [197]
Alī al-Qārī said,
This is supported by the statement of Aisha that it would pass a whole month without them having anything to cook and that they would live on dates and water unless they received some meat. This hadīth also shows that he (peace be upon him) liked other portions of meat such as the meat of the back (the meat that is along the backbone of the animal), as stated in the next hadīth.
Ibn Hajar al-Haytamī said,
The statement of Aisha negating that he (peace be upon him) liked the meat of the forearm as a personal preference seems to be given to indicate that the noble status of the Prophet (peace be upon him) transcended any inclination to the worldly pleasures. Thus she explained that he liked it because it cooks fast and that saved him time so he could return quickly to his commitments and look after the affairs of Muslims. However, to love the meat of the forearm as a personal preference does not contravene his perfection because imperfection is to work hard to attain a worldly pleasure or feeling sorry for missing it.
171. ‘Abdullāh ibn Ja’far narrated: “I heard the Prophet (peace be upon him) saying, ‘The best meat is the meat of the back (the meat that is along the backbone of the animal).’” [198]
Abdul Razzaq al-Badr said,
This praise shows that the Prophet (peace be upon him) ate the meat of the back as well.
172. Aisha narrated that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “Vinegar is an excellent idām.”[199] [200]
173. Umm Hanī’ related: “The Messenger of Allāh (peace be upon him) came to my house and asked if there was something to eat. I replied, ‘Nothing besides dry bread and vinegar.’ The Messenger of Allāh (peace be upon him) said, ‘Bring it. The house that has vinegar in it is not a house that has bread without an idām.’” [201]
Abdul Razzaq al-Badr said,
This incident happened on the day that Makkah was conquered.
Alī al-Qārī said,
It was said that the statement of Umm Hanī began with a negative word to indicate that there was no food in the house even though there was some. This was because she glorified the status of the Prophet (peace be upon him) and thought that dry bread and vinegar were not suitable foods to be served to a person with such a high, noble status.
The meaning of the statement of the Prophet (peace be upon him) is that a house that has vinegar will not be in need of another idām.
Ibn Hajar al-Haytamī said,
The fiqh of this hadīth is:
· Encouraging not belittling bread and vinegar as a food.
· It is permissible to ask someone for food if the relationship is strong enough that the questioner will not feel embarrassment when asking.
174. Abū Mūsa al-Ash’arī narrated: “The Messenger of Allāh (peace be upon him) said, ‘The excellence of Aisha over other women is like the excellence of tharīd over other foods.’” [202]
Al-Bajūrī said,
This description of Aisha is a merit she earned due to her good character, eloquence in speech, sensibility and wisdom, and her constant efforts to please her husband. This hadīth is intended to mean that she was the best of his wives because the best of women are in the following order: Maryam bint ‘Imrān, Fātimah al-Zahrā’ (daughter of the Prophet (peace be upon him)), Khadījah bint Khuwailid (the first wife of the Prophet (peace be upon him)) and then comes Aisha. This is the view of many of the salaf and many of the latter scholars.
Ibn Hajar al-Haytamī said,
Tharīd is a dish made of pieces of bread in meat broth. This dish does not always include pieces of meat.
175. Anas ibn Mālik narrated: “The Messenger of Allāh (peace be upon him) said, ‘The excellence of Aisha over other women is like the excellence of tharīd over other foods.’” [203]
176. Abū Hurairah narrated: “He once saw the Messenger of Allāh (peace be upon him) performing ablution after he ate a piece of hard dry yoghurt (made from ewe or goat’s milk), and he saw him on another occasion eating from the shoulder of a lamb, and then he prayed without performing ablution.” [204]
Abdul Razzaq al-Badr said,
The word ablution (Arabic: wudū) is used in this hadīth twice but each mention entails a different meaning; the lingual meaning and the religious meaning. The word was used in reference to eating dry yoghurt to mean that he (peace be upon him) washed his hands after he ate it, and the word was used in the second instance to refer to the actual ablution. Thus, the meaning of the hadīth is that he (peace be upon him) washed his hands after eating the first meal, and he did not perform ablution after eating from the sheep because it does not invalidate one’s ablution.
177. Anas ibn Mālik reported: “The Messenger of Allāh (peace be upon him) had his wedding feast in celebration of his marriage with Safīyyah with dates and sawīq.” [205]
Abdul Razzaq al-Badr said,
The mother of the believers Safīyyah was the daughter of Huyay ibn Akhtab and she was from the captives (slaves) but the Prophet (peace be upon him) freed her and married her, making her freedom her wedding gift (Arabic: mahr). The sawīq is a meal made of wheat or barley. However, in Sahīh Bukhārī it states that the feast was a meal made of dates, ghee and dried milk or wheat.
Al-Bajūrī said,
The father of Safīyyah was the famous master of the Jewish tribe Banī al-Nadīr and his daughter was one of the female captives on the day of Khaybar. Before she was captured and entered Islām, she saw a dream that the moon fell upon her lap. When she told her father about the dream he hit her hard on the face, leaving a mark on it and he said to her, “You will keep looking high until you become the woman of the kind of the Arabs.”
178. Salma , the grandmother of ‘Ubaidullāh ibn Alī narrated that Al-Hasan ibn Alī, Ibn ‘Abbās and Ibn Ja’far visited her and asked her to make them a food that the Messenger of Allāh (peace be upon him) liked and ate with pleasure. However, she replied, “O my children, you will not like it now.” They replied, “We will surely like it.” She stood up and gathered some barley, crushed it and put it in a pot, poured a little olive oil over it, then crushed some pepper and spices and added that to the pot and served it whilst saying, “This is from the food that the Messenger of Allāh (peace be upon him) liked and ate with pleasure.” [206]
Al-Bajūrī said,
The grandmother of ‘Ubaidullāh ibn Alī was the one who helped deliver Ibrahīm, the son of the Prophet (peace be upon him). She was the servant of the Prophet (peace be upon him) and the one who cooked for him. This is why she was approached and asked about the food he (peace be upon him) used to like.
Alī al-Qārī said,
Her stating that they would not like the food was meant to indicate that it would not meet their personal preferences in terms of what constitutes a good food. This was due to this food being eaten during difficult times whereas the food they (the companions who visited her) were now accustomed to was far more diverse as life had become more comfortable. Their answering that they will like it meant that they will surely like it since the Prophet (peace be upon him) liked it and they were seeking the blessings of following the example of the Prophet (peace be upon him).
179. Jābir ibn ‘Abdullāh narrated: “The Messenger of Allāh (peace be upon him) came to our house and we slaughtered a sheep in his honour. He (peace be upon him) said, ‘It is as if they knew we like meat.’”
Imām al-Tirmidhī said: “There is a story behind the visit of the Prophet (peace be upon him).” [207]
Al-Bajūrī said,
The statement of the Messenger of Allāh (peace be upon him) was intended to compliment the hosts and make them happy, not to show his admiration for meat. This hadīth teaches us that the host should serve that which the guest likes, if he knows about it, and that the guest should mention to his host the food he likes (unless he knows that it would burden the host).
Abdul Razzaq al-Badr said,
The reason behind the visit of the Prophet (peace be upon him) to the house of Jābir is explained in the hadīth documented in the Musnad of Imām Ahmad wherein it states that Jābir asked the Prophet (peace be upon him) to help him pay the debts of his father, so he (peace be upon him) said that he would pay a visit to his house. Then Jābir went home and told his wife not to talk to or ask the Prophet (peace be upon him) for anything. So, when he (peace be upon him) visited them, he slaughtered for him a sheep and so he (peace be upon him) said, “It is as if they knew we like meat.” But, when he (peace be upon him) went out, Jābir’s wife asked the Prophet (peace be upon him) to pray on her and her husband so the Prophet (peace be upon him) said, “O Allāh, may your Salah be upon them.” This made Jābir chastise his wife for disobeying him but she said, “Did you want him (peace be upon him) to enter our house and leave without supplicating for us!”[208]
180. Jābir narrated: “The Messenger of Allāh (peace be upon him) went out to the house of a woman from among the Ansār and I accompanied him. The hostess slaughtered a sheep for the Messenger of Allāh (peace be upon him) and so he ate from it. She then served him fresh dates upon a tray made of palm leaves. The Messenger of Allāh (peace be upon him) ate some from it, then performed ablution and prayed Dhuhr. After returning from the prayer, she served him some of the remaining meat. The Messenger of Allāh (peace be upon him) ate from it and then prayed ‘Asr without performing ablution.” [209]
Abdul Razzaq al-Badr said,
The statement of Jābir when he said, “I accompanied him” demonstrates the high level of politeness and good etiquette of the companions when talking about the Prophet (peace be upon him) as their choice of words always implied that they were following the Prophet (peace be upon him).
Al-Bajūrī said,
This hadīth shows us that the Prophet (peace be upon him) ate meat twice in one day and this does not contradict the statement of Aisha wherein she mentioned that he (peace be upon him) never had a full stomach from meat. This is because eating meat twice on the same say does not necessitate that he had a full stomach.
Ibn Hajar al-Haytamī said,
This hadīth teaches us that it is allowed to eat twice even if the food from the first time has not yet fully digested if one knows that he will not overeat, or if the food served first was little.
181. Umm al-Mundhir narrated: “The Messenger of Allāh (peace be upon him) visited me and Alī was with him. We had some dates hanging and the Messenger of Allāh (peace be upon him) began eating from them and so did Alī. The Messenger of Allāh (peace be upon him) stopped him saying, ‘You have not fully recovered from your illness and should not eat this.’ Alī stopped and the Messenger of Allāh (peace be upon him) continued eating. Then I prepared for them some barley and silq (similar to the arugula plant). The Messenger of Allāh (peace be upon him) said to Alī, ‘Eat of this, for it is more suitable for you.’” [210]
Abdul Razzaq al-Badr said,
It is said that Umm al-Mundhir was one of the maternal aunts of the Prophet (peace be upon him).
Al-Bajūrī said,
The directions of the Prophet (peace be upon him) show that it is prescribed to seek medication and that this does not contradict reliance on Allāh.
182. Aisha, the mother of the believers, narrated: “The Messenger of Allāh (peace be upon him) used to come to me and ask if there was any food available for lunch. When I would say no, he would reply, ‘In that case, I make the intention to fast.’ On one occasion he came and enquired, I replied, ‘We have received a gift.’ He asked, ‘What is it?’ I replied, ‘Hays (dates mixed with ghee and dry yoghurt or ghee and wheat).’ He said, ‘I woke up with the intention of fasting.’ He then ate some from it.” [211]
Abdul Razzaq al-Badr said,
It is not a condition of voluntary fasting to establish the intention to fast before the time of Fajr. Thus, if a person wakes up and did not eat or drink, he can make the intention to fast at any point until the time before Dhuhr.
Al-Bajūrī said,
The wives of the Prophet (peace be upon him) are called the mothers of the believers because they are unlawful for the Muslims to marry. It is said so because it is obligatory to look after them and respect them [as mothers].
The statement of the Prophet (peace be upon him) wherein he disclosed his intention to fast shows that it is fine to show others your voluntary good deeds if the purpose is to educate them.
Ibn Hajar al-Haytamī said,
The act of the Prophet (peace be upon him) where he ate whilst he was fasting indicates that it is allowed for a person to break his voluntary fast and this view is supported by a number of other hadīths.
183. Yūsuf ibn ‘Abdullāh ibn Salām narrated: “I once saw the Messenger of Allāh (peace be upon him) taking a piece of bread made of barley and putting a date on it. He then said, ‘This [date] is the idām for this [bread].’ He then ate it.” [212]
Alī al-Qārī said,
This hadīth teaches us to utilise the resources available to have good nutrition, for the bread made of barley is cold and dry whilst the date is warm and moist. It also teaches that one should be self-content with whatever one has.
184. Anas ibn Mālik narrated: “The Messenger of Allāh (peace be upon him) liked to eat the remains of food.” [213]
Abdul Razzaq al-Badr said,
The remains of food refers to the food that remains in the bottom of the pot as it is the most cooked and tastiest of the food cooked in the pot.