Ibn ‘Abbas said the food God’s messenger liked best was tharid made from bread and tharid made from hais. Abu Dawud transmitted it.

Abu Usaid al-Ansari reported God’s messenger as saying, “Eat olive oil and anoint yourselves with it, for it comes from a blessed tree.” Tirmidhi, Ibn Majah and Darimi transmitted it.

Umm Hani’ said: The Prophet (ﷺ) came in to visit me and asked whether I had anything. When I replied that I had nothing but some dry bread and vinegar he said, “Produce it; a house in which there is vinegar is not devoid of condiments.” Tirmidhi transmitted it, saying this is a hasan gharib tradition.

Yusuf b. ‘Abdallah b. Salam said he saw the Prophet (ﷺ) take a piece of barley bread and put a date on it. Saying, “This is the condiment of this,” he ate it. Abu Dawud transmitted it.

Sa‘d said: When I was ill the Prophet (ﷺ) came to visit me, and putting his hand between my nipples so that I felt its coolness on my heart, he said, “You are suffering from a heart disease. Go to al-Harith b. Kalada who belongs to Thaqif, for he practices medicine, and get him to take seven of the 'ajwa dates of Medina and pound them together with their stones, then administer them to you.” Abu Dawud transmitted it.

‘A’isha said the Prophet (ﷺ) used to eat melon with fresh dates. Tirmidhi transmitted it. Abu Dawud added that he used to say, “The heat of the one is broken by the coolness of the other, and the coolness of the one by the heat of the other.” Tirmidhi said this is a hasan gharib tradition.

Anas told that when the Prophet (ﷺ) was brought some old dates he began to examine them and remove the worms from them. Abu Dawud transmitted it.

Ibn ‘Umar told that when the Prophet (ﷺ) was brought a piece of cheese in Tabuk he called for a knife, and after mentioning God’s name, he cut it. Abu Dawud transmitted it.

Salman told that when God’s messenger was questioned about clarified butter, cheese and wild asses he replied, “What is lawful is what God has declared lawful in His Book, what is unlawful is what God has declared unlawful in His Book, and what He has said nothing about belongs to the things He ignores.” Ibn Majah and Tirmidhi transmitted it, Tirmidhi saying this is a gharib tradition which, according to the soundest opinion, is mauquf.

Ibn ‘Umar reported God's messenger as saying, “I wish I had a white loaf made from tawny wheat and softened with clarified butter and milk.” A man who was present rose up and getting one brought it. He asked what it had been in, and when he was told it had been in a lizard skin, he told him to take it away. Abu Dawud and Ibn Majah transmitted it, Abu Dawud saying this is a tradition which is rejected.

‘Ali said God’s messenger forbade eating garlic unless it was cooked. Tirmidhi and Abu Dawud transmitted it.

Abu Ziyad told that when he asked ‘A’isha about onions she replied that the last food God’s messenger ate was some which contained onions. Abu Dawud transmitted it.

The two Sulami sons of Busr* told that when God’s messenger came in to visit them they offered him butter and dates, for he liked butter and dates. *These are said to have been 'Abdallah and'Atlya. But each is called Mizini. Ibn Abd al-Barr, Ist'iab, p. 67, mentions Busr as-Sulami, saying he is also called al-Mazini. Tahdhib, v, 158 calls ‘Abdallah al-Mazini al-Qaisi and vii, 223 calls 'Atiya al-Mazini al-Hilali. Abu Dawud transmitted it.

‘Ikrash b. Dhu’aib said: We were brought a platter with a large amount of tharid and slices of boneless meat and I plunged in my hand in all directions, but God’s messenger ate what was in front of him. He seized my right hand with his left and said, “Eat from one place, Ikrash, for it is all one kind of food.” Afterwards we were brought a plate containing various kinds of dates and I began to eat what was.in front of me while God’s messenger’s hand went round in the plate. He then said, “Eat where you wish, ‘Ikrash, for it is not all one kind.” Next water was brought to us and when God’s messenger had washed his hands and wiped his face, forearms and head with the moisture on the palms of his hands, he said, “This, ‘Ikrash, is the ablution for what has been changed by fire.” Tirmidhi transmitted it.

‘A’isha said that when his family were exhausted by fever God’s messenger ordered some hasa’* to be prepared and then ordered them to sip some of it; and he used to say, “It heartens the sad and clears the heart of the invalid as one of you clears dirt away from her face with water.” *A kind of soap made of flour, water and either oil or clarified butter. Tirmidhi transmitted it, saying this is a hasan sahih tradition.

Abu Huraira reported God’s messenger as saying, “The 'ajwa dates come from paradise and contain a cure for poison; truffles are a kind of manna and their juice is a medicine for the eye.” Tirmidhi transmitted it.

Al-Mughira b. ‘Shu'ba said: I was a guest one night along with God's messenger and he ordered a haunch to be roasted, then took a broad knife and began to cut off slices for me. Bilal then came to tell him the time for prayer had come, and he threw down the knife saying, “What is the m atter with him! May his hands be covered with dust!”* My moustache was long, so he said, “I shall clip it for you over a tooth-stick,” or, “Clip it over a tooth-stick.” *Taribat yadahu. I have here translated the phrase literally, but cf. p. 658. It is not normally to be taken literally. In this tradition the Prophet (ﷺ) is evidently displeased because the call to prayer has been made so soon, but it should not be understood that he is calling down a curse on Bilal. In its use here it may indicate some degree of displeasure, but nothing more. Tirmidhi transmitted it*

Hudhaifa said: When we were at food with the Prophet (ﷺ) we did not put in our hands till he had put his in first. Once when we were at food with him a girl came in as though she were being impelled and was about to put her hand in the food when God’s messenger seized her by the hand. Then a nomadic Arab came in as though he were being impelled and he seized his hand. God’s messenger then said, “The devil considers food lawful when God’s name is not mentioned over it, and he brought this girl th at it might be lawful by means of her, so I seized her hand; then he brought this nomadic Arab that it might be lawful by means of him, so I seized his hand. By Him in whose hand my soul is, the devil’s hand is in mine along with hers.” He added in a version, ‘Then he mentioned God’s name and ate.’ Muslim transmitted it.

‘A'isha told that God’s messenger wanted to buy a young slave, so he threw some dates in front of him, but when the youth ate greedily he said, “Voracious eating is ominous,” and ordered him to be sent back. Baihaqi transmitted it in Shu‘ab al-iman.

Anas b. Malik reported God’s messenger as saying, “The lord of your condiment is salt.”* *Probably meaning that salt is necessary to make food palatable, while other condiments are extras. Ibn Majah transmitted it.