Tell me, how hard your life is?
Al-Nuâman ibn Basheer (may Allah be pleased with him), a companion of the Prophet peace be upon him he said to people:âAre you not having all that you wish of food and drink?
I saw your Prophet (peace be upon him) when he could not find his stomachâs fill of even low-quality dates.â (Related by Muslim, Ahmad and Al-Tirmidhi.)
And Abu Hurayra may Allah be pleased with him says “The new moon would pass by the family of Messenger of Allah peace be upon him, followed by another new moon (two months would pass) and still a fire would not be lit in their rooms to bake bread or to cook any food.”
People asked, “O Abu Hurayra What was it that they used to live on?”
He replied, “Two things only dates and water.
They had Ansaar neighbours – may Allaah reward them with the best rewards – who owned milk-giving animals and would send them some milk.”
[Ahmad and Bazzaar. Haythami (Vol.10 Pg.215) has commented on the chain of narrators (Authentic)]
in another similar narration
Urwa may Allah be pleased with him narrates that Aa’isha may Allah be pleased with her used to say, “Dear nephew! I swear by Allaah that we (the wives of Messengers of Allah peace be upon him) used to look at one new moon go by followed by another and yet another without a fire being lit in the rooms of Messenger of Allah peace be upon him during this period of two months with the new moons.” Urwa asked, “Dear aunt! What was it that you lived on?”
She replied, ” Two things only: dates and water.
The only exceptions were the times when the Ansaar neighbours of Prophet peace be upon him who possessed milk-giving animals would send some milk to him, which he would give us to drink.”
[Sahih al-Bukhari 6459 and Sahih Muslim 2972 as quoted in Targheeb wat Tarheeb (Vol.5 Pg.155). Similar narrations are reported by Ibn Jareer, Ahmad and Bazzaar from Abu Hurayra may Allah be pleased with him as quoted in Majma’uz Zawaaid(Vol.l0 Pg.315]
Allah knows Best.