Virtue and context
Al-Miqdad (raḍiy Allāhu ʿanhu) reported that hunger had so weakened him and two companions that they could scarcely see or hear. When none of the other Companions could host them, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ took them to his home, where there were three goats. They milked the goats, each drank his share, and they reserved the Prophet’s portion. He ﷺ normally returned at night, greeted softly enough not to wake sleepers, prayed in the mosque, and then drank his milk.
One night Satan persuaded al-Miqdad that the Prophet ﷺ would have eaten with the Ansar and would not need his share, so al-Miqdad drank it. Remorse then overwhelmed him. When the Prophet ﷺ returned, prayed, and found no milk, he raised his head to the sky and asked Allah to feed whoever fed him and give drink to whoever gave him drink.
Hearing this, al-Miqdad took a knife intending to slaughter the fattest goat for the Prophet ﷺ, but found that all three unexpectedly had milk. He milked them into a large vessel and brought it to the Prophet ﷺ. The Prophet ﷺ drank, passed the vessel back, and drank again until al-Miqdad knew he was satisfied. Al-Miqdad then laughed so hard that he fell down and confessed what had happened. The Prophet ﷺ called it a mercy from Allah and wished al-Miqdad had told him sooner so that the other two men could have been awakened to share it.
