Life-of-Muhammad

Life of Muhammad sa 199him and his party and the Holy Prophet sa drew hisattention to the fact that there were now six of them andthat it was for the host to decide whether he wouldpermit the sixth person to join them in the meal orwhether the latter should depart. The host, of course,readily invited the sixth person also (Bukhari, Kitab al-At‘ima).Whenever the Holy Prophet sa sat down to a meal healways began to eat by invoking the name and blessingsof Allah, and as soon as he concluded he renderedthanks in these words: "All praise is due to Allah, Whohas given us to eat: Praise, abundant and sincere andever-increasing: Praise, which does not leave animpression upon one's mind that one has renderedenough praise but which creates in one's mind thefeeling that enough has not been said and the praisewhich ought never to be terminated and which makesone think that every divine act is worthy of praise andshould be praised. Oh Allah! do Thou fill our hearts withthese sentiments." Sometimes he used these words: "Allpraise is due to God Who has satisfied our hunger andthirst. May our hearts ever yearn after His praise andnever be ungrateful to Him." He always admonished hisCompanions to stop before they had eaten their fill andused to say that one man's food should always sufficefor two. Whenever any special food was prepared in hishouse he used to suggest that a portion of it should besent as a present to his neighbours; and presents offood and other articles used constantly to be sent fromhis house to his neighbours' houses (Muslim andBukhari, Kitab al-Adab).He always tried to ascertain from the faces of thosewho were in his company whether any of them was inneed of sustenance. Abu Huraira ra relates the followingincident: On one occasion he had been without food forover three days. He stood at the entrance to the mosqueand observed Abu Bakr ra passing near. He asked AbuBakr ra the meaning of a verse of the Qur’an whichenjoins the feeding of the poor. Abu Bakr ra explained its