He also said that a sheep was presented to him and he put it in the pot. God’s messenger came in and asked, “What is this, Abu Rafi'?”
He replied, “It is a sheep which has been presented to us, and I have cooked it in the pot.” He said, “Hand me the foreleg, Abu Rafi‘,” and he did so. He then said, “Hand me the other foreleg,” and he did so. He then said, “Hand me the other foreleg,” whereupon Abu Rafi‘ ex
postulated that a sheep has only two forelegs. God’s messenger replied, “If you had remained silent, you would have handed me one foreleg after another as long as you kept silence.” He then called for water, rinsed his mouth and washed the tips of his fingers, after which he got up and prayed. Later he returned to them and finding that they had cold meat, he ate some, after which he entered the mosque and prayed without touching water.
Ahmad transmitted it, and Darimi transmitted it from Abu ‘Ubaid, but did not include the passage from “He then called for water” to the end.
