Mishkat al-Masabih 2004 — Fasting

He said that while they were sitting with the Prophet a man came to him and said, “Messenger of God, I am undone.” He asked him what had happened to him and he replied that he had had intercourse with his wife while he was fasting. God’s messenger then asked him whether he could get a slave to free, but he replied that he could not. He asked if he could fast two consecutive months, but he replied that he could not. He asked if he could provide food for sixty poor people, and when he replied that he could not, he told him to sit down. The Prophet then waited for a time, and meanwhile an ‘araq containing dates was brought to him, an ‘araq being a huge basket.* He asked where the man who had questioned him was, and when he replied, "[Here] I am," he said, "Take this and give it as sadaqa." The man replied, “Am I to give it to one who is poorer than I am, messenger of God? I swear by God that there is no poorer family than mine between the two lava plains of Medina," i.e. the two harras. The Prophet thereupon laughed so that his eye-teeth became visible and said, "Give it to your family to eat." *In explaining the word 'araq the tradition calls it a hugh miktal. The miktal was a basket containing fifteen sa's. It is also said to have had double that capacity. (Bukhari and Muslim.)