Hadith 6261

Abu Huraira told that when a man came to God's messenger and told him he was suffering from distress he sent a message to one of his wives who said, "I swear by Him who sent you with the truth that I have nothing but water. He sent to another who said the same, and when they had all said the same God's messenger said, "Who will provide entertainment for him? God have mercy on him!" One of the Ansar called Abu Talha got up and said, "I shall, messenger of God." He then, took him to his house and asked his wife if she had anything, and when she replied that they had nothing but the children's food he said, "Put them off with something and put them to sleep. Then when our guest enters make him think we are eating, and when he puts forward his hand to eat get up, go to the lamp to adjust it, and put it out." She did so and they sat down, and the guest ate but they spent the night hungry. In the morning he came to God's messenger who said, "God is charmed with (or, has smiled on) such and such a man and such and such a woman." A version has the same without his naming Abu Talha, and at the end it says that God most high then sent down, "And they give preference to others over themselves even though they are suffering poverty[*]." *Quran; 59:9. (Bukhari and Muslim.)