2. Muhammad ibn Yahya has narrated from Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn ‘Isa from ‘Umar ibn ‘Abd ai-’Aziz from a man from ‘Abd al- Rahman ibn al-Hajj aj who has said the following: “Once we were having food with abu ’Abd Allah , and a bowl of rice was brought but we just left it untouched. He (the Imam) , said, ‘You did not eat anything thereof. You must take notice that the one among you with intense love for us is the one who eats our food well.’ ‘Abd al-Rahman said, ‘I then ate even the pieces that had fallen on the table-spread.’ He (the Imam) said, ‘Now this is good’ and he (the Imam) kept speaking that the Messenger of Allah, O Allah, grant compensation to Muhammad and his family worthy of their services to Your cause, was presented with a gift of a bowl of rice from the side of al- Ansar (people of al-Madinah). He (the Messenger of Allah) called Salman, al-Miqdad and abu Dharr, may Allah be happy with them, but they did not eat thereof. He (the Messenger of Allah) said, ‘You did not eat anything thereof. The one among you of intense love for us is the one who eats our food well.’”