A whole month would pass for the family of Muhammad without any smoke being seen rising from any of his houses.I asked, "Mother, what was their food then?"She replied, "The two black things, dates and water. However, he had truthful neighbors from the Ansar who had milk-giving animals, and they used to send him some of their milk."
لقد كان يأتي على آل محمد الشهر، ما يرى في بيت من بيوته الدخان، قلت: يا أمه، وما كان طعامهم؟ قالت: الأسودان: التمر والماء، غير أنه كان له جيران صدق من الأنصار، وكان لهم ربائب، فكانوا يبعثون إليه من ألبانها.
Ibn Majah (4145) and Ahmad (25491) both narrated it through the route of Yazid bin Harun, who said, Muhammad bin Amr told us, from Abu Salama, from Ayesha, and he related it. Its chain of transmission is hasan because of Muhammad bin Amr, who is Ibn Alqama, for his hadith is hasan.His statement, "and they had rabaib" -- the singular is rabibah, which is a sheep kept in the house that is not sent out to pasture. Similar in meaning is what was narrated from Abu Hurairah, who said, a month, then another month, would pass over the household of the Messenger ﷺ without fire being kindled in any of their houses, neither for baking bread nor for cooking. They said, "What did they live on, Abu Hurairah?" He said, the two black things, dates and water. They had neighbors among the Ansar, may Allah reward them well, who had milk-yielding animals, and they used to send them some milk.Ahmad (9249) narrated it from Khalaf (that is, Ibn Walid), who said, Abu Mashar told us, from Saeed (that is, Ibn Abu Saeed Maqburi), from Abu Hurairah, who said, and he related it. Abu Mashar is Najeeh bin Abdul-Rahman Sindi, whose hadith is daif. What is well known is that this hadith is the hadith of Ayesha, so perhaps the error came from Abu Mashar, for he had grown old and his memory had become confused.