Imaam Muhammed bin Seereen (rahimahullah) says, “Towards the evening, Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) would distribute the As-haabus Suffah amongst his Sahaabah (radhiyallahu ‘anhum). Some of them would take two people while others would take three people to their homes (to partake of meals). Hazrat Sa’d bin Ubaadah (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) would sometimes take up to eighty people home with him for meals.”
Hazrat Abu Hurairah (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) relates, “I was also from among the As-haabus Suffah. Every evening, we would present ourselves before Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam). He would distribute us by sending one person or two people with the more affluent Sahaabah (radhiyallahu ‘anhum). He would then take those who were left to his home and share his food with them. After meals, we would all sleep in the musjid.”
A string was tied between two pillars of the musjid. The Ansaar who had date orchards would hang up a few bunches of dates for the As-haabus Suffah to eat from. The As-haabus Suffah would strike the dates with a stick and eat the dates which fell. Hazrat Mu’aaz bin Jabal (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) was given the responsibility to see to the affairs of the As-haabus Suffah.”
Hazrat Awf bin Maalik Ashja’ee (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) reports, “One day, Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) emerged (from his house into the musjid) bearing a staff when his gaze fell upon a spoilt bunch of dates suspended in the musjid. He placed his staff on the spoilt bunch of dates and said, ‘If the one giving this sadaqah wished, he could have brought a better bunch of dates and given it in sadaqah.’”
According to another Hadith, Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) commanded that any person who owned a date orchard should bring a bunch of dates and hang it up in the musjid for the poor and destitute to eat from.
Hazrat Jaabir bin Abdillah (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) reports that Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) said:
في كل عشرة أقناء قنو يوضع فى المسجد للمساكين
“From every ten bunches of dates, one bunch should be brought and placed in the musjid for the poor and destitute.”
Hazrat Abdullah bin Shaqeeq (rahimahullah) says, “I lived for a whole year in the company of Hazrat Abu Hurairah (radhiyallahu ‘anhu). One day, he said, ‘If only you had witnessed our past days when for days on end, we did not even have that much food by which we could at least straighten our backs. We would be forced to tie stones to our stomachs merely to straighten our backs.’”
Hazrat Fadhaalah bin Ubaid (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) reports, “Quite often, overwhelmed with acute hunger, the As-haabus Suffah would fall down unconscious whilst performing salaah. If a villager or Bedouin stranger had to lay eyes on them, he would think that they had lost their senses or regard them as being insane. Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) would come to them and console them saying:
لو تعلمون ما لك عند الله لأحببتم أن تزدادوا فقرا وحاجة
“If only you knew what (bounty and reward) awaits you by Allah, you would yearn for an increase in this poverty and need.”
(Extracted from Seeratul Mustafa 1/466-468)