Jabir told th at when the Prophet asked his family for condiments and was told that they had only vinegar, he called for it and as he was using it in his food he said, “Vinegar is a good condiment; vinegar is a good condiment.”
Jabir told that when they were with God’s messenger at Marr az-Zahran and were plucking the fruit of the arak tree he said, “Keep to its black ones, for they are the most pleasant.” He was asked if he had shepherded sheep and replied, “Yes; has there been a prophet who did not shepherd them?”
‘A’isha reported the Prophet as saying, “A family which has dates will not be hungry.” A version reports him as saying twice or three times, “A family which has no dates, ‘A’isha, will be hungry.”
Sa‘d told of hearing God’s messenger say, “He who has a morning meal of seven 'ajwa* dates will not suffer harm that day through poison or magic."
*The name of a good quality of Medina dates.
‘A’isha reported God’s messenger as saying, "The 'ajwa dates of al-‘Aliya* contain healing, and they are an antidote first thing in the morning."
*A name applied to some villages a few miles east of Medina.
Abu Ayyub said that when food was brought to the Prophet he ate some of it and sent him what was left over. One day when he sent him a dish from which he had eaten nothing because it contained garlic, he asked him whether it was unlawful and he replied, “No; but I dislike it because of its odour;” so he said, “I dislike what you dislike."
Jabir reported the Prophet as saying, “He who eats garlic or onions must keep away from us.” Or he said, “must keep away from our mosque,” or, “must sit in his house.” A pot containing green vegetables was brought to the Prophet, but on noticing that it had an odour he told them to give it to one of his Companions, to whom he said, "Eat, for I hold intimate converse with one with whom you do not."*
*The reference is here said to be to angels, or particularly to Gabriel. Cf. Mirqat, iv, 373
Al-Miqdam b. Ma'dikarib reported the Prophet as saying, “If you measure out your food* you will be blessed in it."
*This is said to refer to such matters as buying and selling, and taking care that suitable portions are given to one’s children.
Abu Umama told that when the Prophet's cloth* was removed he said, "Praise be to God abundantly and sincerely, of such a nature as is productive of blessing, is not insufficient, abandoned, or ignored, O our Lord."
*The word ma'ida means a piece of leather or some other material spread on the ground for the food, and it comes to mean the food itself. It is often translated ‘table’, but this is misleading with reference to the early days of Islam.
Anas reported God’s messenger as saying, “God most high is pleased when a man eats something and praises Him for it, or drinks something and praises Him for it."
We were with the Prophet when food was presented to him, and I never saw food which had greater blessing when we began to eat, or less when we finished. We asked God’s messenger how that was, and he replied, “We mentioned God’s name when we ate, then one who ate sat down without mentioning God's name and the devil ate with him.”
