I can inform you that the Messenger of Allah -saww stayed in...

I can inform you that the Messenger of Allah -saww stayed in Makkah one day and one night hungry. Then he went out and I went with him (the Messenger of Allah). We passed by a group of friends who were eating lunch. They said, ‘O Messenger of Allah -saww , join us for lunch.’ He -saww said, ‘Yes, make room for your prophet.’ He -saww sat between two men and I also sat down.

He -saww took a loaf and made it into two portions, then he -saww looked at their curry and asked, ‘What your curry is made of’?’ They replied, ‘It is made of eel, O Messenger of Allah -saww .’ He -saww threw the piece of bread from his hand and left. Abu Sa’id has said, ‘I stayed behind to find out people’s opinion. People differed. One group said that the Messenger of Allah has made it (eel) unlawful.

The other group said, ‘He (the Messenger of Allah) did not make it unlawful but just left, had he made it unlawful he would have prohibited eating it.’ He (abu Sa’id) has said, ‘I memorised what they had said and followed running to join the Messenger of Allah -saww , then we met a group of friends eating lunch; and they asked, ‘O Messenger of Allah, join us for lunch.’ He -saww said, ‘Yes, make room for your prophet.’ He -saww sat between two men and I also sat with him.

When he took a piece of bread and looked at their curry, then asked, ‘What your curry is made of’?’ They replied, ‘It is made of lizard, O Messenger of Allah -saww .’ He -saww threw the piece of bread from his hand and left. Abu Sa’id has said, ‘I stayed behind and people differed. They were two groups. One group said, ‘The Messenger of Allah -saww has made it unlawful and for this reason, he -saww did not eat.’ The other group said, ‘He -saww just left.

Had he made it unlawful he would have prohibited us from eating.’ I then followed the Messenger of Allah -saww until I joined him and we passed by the foot of al-Safa’ where cooking pots were boiling.

They said, ‘O Messenger of Allah -saww if you can wait until our cooking pots are ready.’ He -saww asked them, ‘What is in your cooking pots?’ They replied, ‘Our donkeys that we used to ride, have failed to move so we slaughtered them.’ The Messenger of Allah -saww went close and turned the cooking pots with his foot then he -saww left fast. I stayed behind and certain ones of them said, ‘The Messenger of Allah -saww has made the flesh of donkeys unlawful’ and others said, ‘No, he did not do so.