He told that a man who used to eat a great amount accepted Islam and began to eat little. When that was mentioned to the Prophet he said, “The believer eats in one intestine but the infidel in seven.”*
*This is explained as a figure of speech to indicate the greed of the infidel and the lack of greed on the part of the believer.
Bukhari transmitted it. Muslim transmitted on the authority of Abu Musa and Ibn ‘Umar only the part which quotes the Prophet. In another version by him on the authority of Abu Huraira it says that a man who was an infidel was entertained by God’s messenger. He ordered a sheep to be milked and the man drank what was drawn from it, then another and he drank it, then another and he drank it, till he had drunk the milk drawn from seven sheep. In the morning the man accepted Islam and God’s messenger ordered a sheep to be milked for him . When he had drunk what was drawn from it he ordered another to be milked, but when he did not finish all the milk God’s messenger said, “ The believer drinks in one intestine, but the infidel drinks in seven.”
Jabir told of hearing God's messenger say, “One person’s food is enough for two, two persons’ food is enough for four, and four persons' food is enough for eight.”
