[Ṣāliḥ:] When my father got sick, he let them take care of him. To keep him warm in winter, they would buy thorn-bush roots and burn them in a narrow coal-pan. 47.1

[Al-Muṭawwiʿī:] My father reported that Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal didn’t eat pudding with a spoon. Instead, he would eat it out of his hand. He also said that he ate thin flatbread. 47.2

“How do you know?” I asked.

“Once I happened to be outside his door just after his son Ṣāliḥ had done some baking for him. A beggar came to the door begging, and they sent out a crust of flatbread. I realized that Aḥmad must eat the same thing, since the Prophet, God bless and keep him, said, ‘Don’t give away anything you don’t eat.’”