Muhammad (saw) – The Perfect Man — Page 862
CHAPTER 36 The Holy Prophet Muhammad sa 's Contentment and Unpretentiousness 862 pass and our hearths would not be lit. " Someone asked, 'O Mother of the faithful, What did you eat?' She replied, 'Dates and water used to sustain us or the milk of the cattle, which the Companions used to send to the Holy Prophet Muhammad sa from time to time, so that he could enjoy the benefits of the milk. ' The simplicity of the Holy Prophet Muhammad sa 's food can be judged from his saying. "There is no worse utensil than a man's stomach. Only that many morsels of food should suffice, which would keep a person's back upright and if he desires more, one part of his stomach should be for food, one part for the drink and one for breath. " 13 Hadrat ‘ A ’ishah ra reports, "The Holy Prophet Muhammad sa never filled himself with food. Even in his own home he never asked for food or desired for it. If food was offered to him by his family members, he would eat it and he would accept whatever food was offered to him. " 14 Hadrat ‘ A ’ishah ra relates, "The Holy Prophet Muhammad sa would never save the evening food for the next morning and the morning food for the night. He never kept double things of personal use for himself, for example two shirts, two loin cloths or two pairs of shoes. He was never idle in the house. He would either be repairing a poor person's shoes or mending clothes for the widows. " 15