Sharing Food

In Madinah, there was a group of poor Muslims called the Ahl al-Suffah. They were people who had left everything behind to follow the Prophet (peace be upon him) and had no homes or families to return to. They lived in a simple shelter attached to the Prophet's masjid, and they often went hungry. Abu Hurayrah, one of the Prophet's companions, was among them. One day, Abu Hurayrah was so hungry that he placed a stone against his stomach to ease the pain of his empty belly. He went to the Prophet (peace be upon him), hoping for something to eat. (Sahih al-Bukhari, 6452) The Prophet (peace be upon him) had received a small cup of milk — that was all there was. Most people, if they were hungry and only had a small cup of milk, would drink it themselves. But the Prophet did not do that. Instead, he told Abu Hurayrah to call the people of the Suffah to come and drink. Abu Hurayrah was surprised. There were many people to feed, and this was just one small cup! But he did as the Prophet asked. One by one, each person came forward and drank from the cup. Abu Hurayrah watched nervously, wondering if there would be anything left for him — or for the Prophet himself. (Sahih al-Bukhari, 6452) Yet the cup of milk did not run out. Every single person drank until they were full, and there was still milk remaining. The Prophet (peace be upon him) smiled and told Abu Hurayrah to drink, and he drank until he could drink no more. Then the Prophet himself drank last, as he always put others before himself. The Prophet (peace be upon him) taught: "The food of one person is enough for two, and the food of two is enough for four, and the food of four is enough for eight." (Sahih Muslim, 2059)