The Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم asked, “Can you free a slave?” “No”, he replied.

“Can you fast consecutively for two months?” The man said no again.

“Can you feed sixty poor people?” Yet again, he replied by saying no.

Dates were then brought into the presence of the Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم . He said to the person: “Give these (dates) in charity.” The man humbly asked, “Shall I give them in charity to someone in greater need than us? There is no family needier than mine in the whole of Madinah.”

 فَضَحِکَ النَّبِیُّ صَلَّی اللہُ تَعَالٰی عَلَیْہِ وَسَلَّمَ حَتّٰی بَدَتْ نَوَاجِذُہُ وَقَالَ اِذْھَبْ فَاَطْعِمْہُ اَھْلَکَ - Hearing this, the Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم smiled to the extent until his blessed molar teeth became visible, and said, “Feed these dates to your family (and consider your expiation to be fulfilled)”.^[1]

صَلُّوۡا عَلَى الۡحَبِيۡب                 صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلٰى مُحَمَّد

This hadith is also enclosed in Fatawa Razawiyyah, a work compiled by Imam Ahmad Raza Khan رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَلَيْه. In discussing the grand status of the Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم , he writes:

O Muslims! Never before has a transgression been made up for in this manner; for someone to receive over 80 kilograms of dates, that too directly from the Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم , to then eat them and have expiation made up for by doing so. وَاللہُ! This is the mercy of Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم . A Penalty was converted into abundant reward.

The great imam also says: