مِنْ أَصْعَبِ الْهُمُومِ وَالْغُمُومِ الَّتِي تَسْقُطُ عَلَى قَلْبِ الرَّجُلِ أَنْ يَمُوتَ وَلَدُهُ قَبْلَ أَنْ يَمُوتَ هُوَ

One of the hardest burdens and sorrows that fall upon a man's heart is for his son to die before he does.

لَيْسَ الَّذِي يَنْزِلُ مِنَ الدَّمْعِ مَاؤُهَا

It is not just the water that comes down from the tears.

وَلَكِنَّهَا نَفْسٌ تَذُوبُ وَتَقْطُرُ

Rather, it is a soul that melts and drips away.

ابْتُلِيَ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ بِالْجُوعِ

The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, was afflicted with hunger.

بِالْجُوعِ وَهُوَ سَيِّدُ الْأَوَّلِينَ وَالْآخِرِينَ

With hunger, while he is the master of the first and the last.

كَانَتْ لَا تُوقَدُ فِي بَيْتِهِ النَّارُ الْهِلَالَ ثُمَّ الْهِلَالَ ثُمَّ الْهِلَالَ

Fire would not be lit in his house for one crescent moon, then another, then another.

فَمَاذَا كَانَ يَأْكُلُ رَسُولُ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ كَانَ يَأْكُلُ الْأَسْوَدَيْنِ

So what did the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, eat? He would eat the two black things.

التَّمْرَ وَالْمَاءَ وَأَمَّا التَّمْرُ فَهُوَ الدَّقَلُ الرَّدِيءُ

Dates and water, and as for the dates, they were the inferior 'daqal' dates.

لَمْ يَشْبَعِ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ مِنْ تَمْرٍ رَدِيءٍ قَطُّ

The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, never once ate his fill of inferior dates.

وَلَمْ يَشْبَعِ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَعَلَى آلِهِ وَسَلَّمَ مِنْ خُبْزِ شَعِيرٍ قَطُّ

And the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him and his family, never once ate his fill of barley bread.