Whenever the Prophet (peace be upon him) was with a group of people, they were sure to have something good coming their way as a result of being with him. This may be material, such as having some food or drink, or something different, such as learning something useful or a prayer that was certain to be answered. Whenever the Prophet prayed for someone, that person was certain to see the fulfilment of that prayer in a clear, full and abundant way. If things were tight or short of what was needed, they were certain to increase so as to meet the need. Such blessings were always reassuring to the Prophet’s companions. Yet they were never intended. Never did the Prophet make a show of such blessings. He had no control over them. It was all by God’s will. The Prophet knew that and his companions realized it.
Anas ibn Malik reports: “Once it was time for prayer, so those whose homes were close to the mosque went to perform their ablutions but others stayed. A small stoneware vessel containing water was brought to the Prophet. He put his palm in it, but it was too small to take his open hand. Therefore, the Prophet closed his fingers together and put them in the vessel. All the people present performed their ablutions from the water in the vessel. Anas was asked how many were there, and he said they were 80 people.” (Related by Malik, Al-Bukhari, Muslim and Abu Dawood.)
Many were the situations where the people with the Prophet urgently needed something, such as water or food and a small quantity would be sufficient for a large group of people. None of these cases was intended. Never did the Prophet say to anyone that he would show them how things increased for him. All came from God Almighty who is able to do whatever He wills at anytime of His choice. We are not sure when this incident took place, but apparently there were a large number of people with the Prophet. They might have just returned from an expedition and they were near the mosque waiting for the Prophet to give them permission to go home. However, when it was time for prayer, they would attend the congregational prayer first. Since they all needed to perform ablution in preparation for their prayer, those whose homes were near went there. Those who lived further away stayed behind because they could not catch up with the prayer if they went for ablution at home. The water brought for the purpose was enough for one or two of them, but they were too many. Hence, the Prophet put his hand in it, prayed God and God answered his prayer, making the water sufficient for them all.
The Prophet taught his companions to pray to God after they had eaten, thanking Him for what He had given them. This should be done by everyone of us whenever we have something to eat. We must remember that whatever we have is from God. We do not get it by our effort, unless God facilitates it for us. The Prophet’s teaching was always by example. Therefore, we have many reports of what the Prophet said after meals. Abu Umamah reports: “When the Prophet finished eating, he would say: “All praise be to God: good and blessed praise. Our Lord needs no one and we do not overlook His favours. We are always in need of Him.” (Related by Al-Bukhari, Al-Tirmidhi, Ibn Majah and Al-Hakim.)
Sometimes the Prophet made His praises of God after meals short, and at other times he added a long prayer. Abu Saeed Al-Khudri reports: “When the Prophet finished his food, he used to say: ‘All praise be to God who has given us food and drink and made us Muslims.’” (Related by Al-Tirmidhi, Abu Dawood and Ibn Majah.) Abu Ayyoub Al-Ansari reports: “When the Prophet had had his food and drink, he would say: ‘All praise be to God who had given us to eat and drink, made its passage easy and facilitated its discharge.’” (Related by Abu Dawood and Ibn Hibban.) We see here how the Prophet taught his companions to remember to praise God and thank Him for everything they had. Food and drink are the first need of people. Without them they do not survive. Everyone knows that. Hence, the Prophet’s example was to express thanks to God whenever he ate or drank. He added a reminder of some other blessing He had given us. In the first Hadith, we should express gratitude to God for our being Muslims. This is a great blessing appreciated by everyone who tries to live in accordance with Islamic teachings. The blessings that come his way as a result are always felt, particularly when he compares his life with that of others. We see a drunken person and we realize how blessed we are for not drinking. We see people competing for small gains and we realize how comfortable our life is because we appeal only to God for what we need.
When the Prophet was invited, he was certain to pray for his hosts. He would take with him whoever was present and they would enjoy eating with him. Yet his approach was very simple. Whatever was served was good enough, even the most plain and simple food. His companions realized this and they did not hesitate to invite him, no matter how modest was the food they could afford.
Abu Hurayrah reports: “A man invited the Prophet to a meal and we went with him. When he finished eating and washed his hands, he said: ‘All praise is due to God who gives nourishment to all and Himself needs none. He has favored us with His guidance, and He has given us food and drink, and enabled us to pass every test. All praise be to Him. We do not turn away from Him, and we are in no way ungrateful to Him. He is our Lord. All praise be to God who gives food and drink, provides clothes so that we will not be naked, shows guidance so that we do not fall in error, gives us eyesight so that we are not left blind. All praise is due to God who has favored us over many of His creatures. All praise be to God, the Lord of all the worlds.’” (Related by Abu Al-Shaykh.)
