Abu Hurayrah narrated:
“The Messenger of Allah, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, went out one day and came across Abu Bakr and ‘Umar. He, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said: “What has brought you out of your houses at this hour?” They said: ‘hunger, O Messenger of Allah.’ He, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said: “And I also, By the One in Whose Hand my soul is, came out for the same reason, so get up.” They got up with him and went to visit a man of the Ansaar
but he was not at home. When his wife saw him, she said: ‘Welcome!’ The Messenger of Allah, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said to her: “Where is so-and-so?” She said: ‘He has gone to get water for us.’ Then the man from the Ansaar came and saw the Messenger of Allah, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, and his two companions and said: ‘All praise is due to Allah, today no one has more honorable guests than I.’ He went and brought them a branch with unripe and ripe dates on it and said: ‘Eat from this.’ He then took a knife,and the Messenger of Allah, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said to him: “Do not slaughter one which gives milk.” So he slaughtered for them and they ate from the sheep and from that branch and drank. When they were full and their thirst quenched, the Messenger of Allah, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said to Abu Bakr and ‘Umar: “By The One Who has my soul in His Hand, you will be asked about this pleasure on the Day of Rising. Hunger brought you out of your houses and you did not return until you had received this pleasure.”
Laqeet ibn Sabrah (a Companion) said: “We came to the Prophet’s home but we did not find him, but ‘Aa’ishah was home. She ordered for us to be given a meal of flour and meat, and a plate of dates.
The Prophet of Allah, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, then came and said:
“Have you eaten anything, or has anyone given you something?” We said: ‘Yes, O Messenger of Allah, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam.’ So while we were sitting with the Prophet of Allah, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, the shepherd came to the pen, and there was a lamb with him making noise. The Prophet of Allah, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, asked: “What did it give birth to?” He said: ‘A female.’ The Prophet of Allah, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said: “Slaughter a sheep in its place.” He, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, then said: “Do not think that we only slaughtered it because of you, rather we had one hundred sheep that we do not want to increase, so every time a female lamb is born, we slaughter a sheep in its place.”
The meaning of this narration is that the Prophet of Allah, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, did not want show that he was doing a favor to the guest and he was not showing off.
Al-’Ayni (a scholar) said: “From the benefits of the narration is that if a person comes as a guest to someone’s home before he arrives, the people of the household should give him something and not wait for the head of the house to arrive. It also shows that a host should serve the guest the best that is available.