Life-of-Muhammad

Life of Muhammad sa 201and I saw that there was still plenty of milk in it. In mycase also he insisted that I should drink my fill andmade me drink a second and a third time and at the endhe drank what was left in the cup himself and renderedthanks to God and shut the door" (Bukhari, KitabulRiqaq). The Holy Prophet's sa object in offering the milk toAbu Huraira ra last of all may have been to indicate tohim that he should have continued to endure the pangsof hunger, trusting in God, and should not have drawnattention to his condition even indirectly.He always ate and drank with his right hand andalways stopped three times to take breath in the middleof a drink. One reason for this may be that if a personwho is thirsty drinks water at one stretch he is apt todrink too much and thus upset his digestion. In thematter of eating the rule that he followed was that hepartook of all things that are pure and permissible butnot in a manner which would savour of indulgence orwould deprive other people of their due share. As hasbeen stated, his normal food was always very simple butif anybody presented him with something speciallyprepared he did not decline it. He did not, however,hanker after good food, though he had a particularliking for honey and for dates. As regards dates, he usedto say that there was a special relationship between aMuslim and the date tree whose leaves and bark andfruit, both ripe and unripe, and even the stones ofwhose fruit could all be put to some use or the otherand no part of which was without its proper use. Thesame was the case with a true Muslim. No act of his waswithout its beneficence and all that he did promoted thewelfare of mankind (Bukhari and Muslim).The Holy Prophet sa preferred simplicity in dress. Hisown dress normally consisted of a shirt and an izar 1 or ashirt and a pair of trousers. He always wore his izar orhis trousers so that the garment covered his body up to1 A piece of cloth wrapped round the waist and hanging to the ankles—Ed.