When we study the conduct of the Prophet (peace be upon him) in different situations, we are bound to come across many reports that mention his approach to food. As we study these we will not fail to conclude that the Prophet (peace be upon him) never despised any type of food, even if it did not taste well. On the contrary, he was thankful for any type of food, plain as it may be.
A woman called Salma, who was close to the Prophet’s household, reports that three of the Prophet’s young relatives once came to her. These were his grandson Al-Hasan ibn Ali, his cousin Abdullah ibn Abbas and another cousin Abdullah ibn Jaafar. They made a request to her to cook them a dish that the Prophet used to like. She said to them: “You will not like it today.” They insisted that she should cook it for them. “She took some barley and cooked it. She then put it in a deep plate and added some oil. She then crushed some pepper and spices to add these and served it to them, saying: ‘This is a dish that the Prophet liked and enjoyed eating.’” (Related by Al-Tirmidhi.)
We note that the lady was reluctant to give these young men what they asked. The reason was that by the time when this took place the Muslim state had prospered and people were able to afford different types of food. Moreover, the Arabs had by then mixed with people from different areas which came under Islamic rule. They became used to their more sophisticated cooking. Therefore, the lady felt that the young men would not appreciate the simple food that the Prophet used to eat. However, they were keen to try it, because they wanted to experience some aspects of the Prophet’s life, and tasting the food the Prophet liked was one way of doing that.
The dish served by this lady companion of the Prophet was simple indeed, consisting of boiled barley which was mixed with oil and some spices. We should remember that she was not keen to serve them anything the Prophet used to eat, saying they would not like it after they had been used to far more sophisticated and tasty food. Therefore, she must have thought of the best that the Prophet ate, which needed spices and pepper to enhance the taste. By today’s standards, this was very simple food unsuitable to serve as a main dish.
Indeed the Prophet was grateful for any type of food, no matter how plain it was. A report by Anas makes it clear that the Prophet used to like the remainder that was left in a saucepan after the food had been served. This authentic report is significant because it shows that the Prophet was keen to teach his companions by practical example that no food should be thrown away if it was suitable to eat.
The Arabs used to preserve meat by salting and drying it. In their tropical area, this was the only way to keep meat edible for more than two days. Yet when meat was dried and salted in this way, it was no longer the type of food people were keen to have. It was indeed one of the cheapest types of food available to them. Hence, when a man felt too scared when talking to the Prophet, he immediately tried to reassure him that he had nothing to fear from him. He said to him: “Calm yourself. I am only the son of a woman from the Quraysh who used to eat dried, salted meat.” (Related by Ibn Majah.)
Mentioning this type of food in this context shows that it was the sort of thing eaten by poor people. Yet the Prophet used to eat this type of meat, even when he could have had better and tastier food.
Khabbab reports: “I saw God’s Messenger (peace be upon him) eating dried, salted meat in a dish. He then rose and took an earthenware pot containing water and drank.” (Related by Abu Al-Shaykh.) Jabir ibn Abdullah reports: “I ate dried, salted meat with God’s Messenger (peace be upon him).” (Related by Abu Al-Shaykh.)
The Prophet used to visit his companions and eat with them whatever was available. He never despised any food. Yet he might be accompanied by one or more of his companions, and they would all eat together. Those whom he visited would serve whatever was available to them, knowing that the Prophet was thankful for even the most modest hospitality. Umm Al-Mundhir, one of his women companions, reports: “The Prophet came into my house, accompanied by Ali. We had some bunches of raw dates which were hanged to ripen. The Prophet started eating of them, and Ali did likewise. The Prophet said to Ali: ‘How come you are eating of this when you are still convalescing?’ Ali, therefore, sat down, but the Prophet continued to eat of the dates. I brought them some boiled vegetables and barley. The Prophet said to Ali: ‘Eat of this, for it is better for you.’” (Related by Ahmad, Abu Dawood, Al-Tirmidhi and Ibn Majah.)
We see the Prophet here caring for his companions. When ripened, dates can help recovery from illness, but when they are still unripe, they may not be suitable for a person convalescing from illness.
Hence, the Prophet told Ali not to eat of the unripe dates while he himself continued to eat them. Their hostess realized that they were hungry and served them with food that was more suitable for Ali who was on the way to recovery.
