English Translation

Yazid narrated to us, Hammad ibn Salama informed us from Thabit from 'Abd al-Rahman ibn Abi Layla from al-Miqdad ibn al-Aswad who said: I and two companions of mine came to the Messenger of God, peace and blessings be upon him, and severe hunger afflicted us. We presented ourselves to the people, but no one offered us hospitality. So the Messenger of God, peace and blessings be upon him, took us to his house, where he had four goats. He said to me, "O Miqdad, divide their milk among us into quarters." So I would divide it among us into quarters. One night the Messenger of God, peace and blessings be upon him, was delayed, and I said to myself that the Messenger of God, peace and blessings be upon him, must have gone to some of the Ansar and eaten until full and drunk until satisfied -- so why not drink his share? I kept thinking this until I got up to his share and drank it, then covered the cup. When I had finished, I was seized by regret for what had passed and what had newly happened, and I said, "The Messenger of God, peace and blessings be upon him, will come hungry and find nothing." So I covered myself and lay there, talking to myself. While I was like that, the Messenger of God, peace and blessings be upon him, entered and gave a greeting that the awake could hear but would not wake the sleeper. Then he came to the cup and uncovered it, but found nothing in it. He said, "O God, feed whoever has fed me, and give drink to whoever has given me drink." I seized the opportunity of the supplication -- I got up to the knife, took it, then went to the goats and began feeling them to see which was fattest. I did not pass my hand over the udder of any one of them but I found it full. So I milked until I filled the cup, then I brought it to the Messenger of God, peace and blessings be upon him, and said, "Drink, O Messenger of God." He raised his head to me and said, "Some of your mischief, O Miqdad -- what is the news?" I said, "Drink, then the news." So he drank until satisfied, then handed it to me, and I drank. He said, "What is the news?" So I told him, and he said, "This is a blessing that has descended from the sky. Why did you not let me know, so that we could give our two companions to drink?" I said, "If the blessing reached me and you, I do not care whom else it misses."