عَن المغيرةِ بن شعبةَ
قَالَ: ضِفْتُ مَعَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ ذَاتَ لَيْلَةٍ فَأَمَرَ بِجَنْبٍ فَشُوِيَ ثُمَّ أَخَذَ الشَّفْرَةَ فَجَعَلَ يَحُزُّ لِي بِهَا مِنْهُ فَجَاءَ بِلَالٌ يُؤْذِنُهُ بِالصَّلَاةِ فَأَلْقَى الشَّفْرَةَ فَقَالَ: «مَا لَهُ تَرِبَتْ يَدَاهُ؟» قَالَ: وَكَانَ شارِبُه وَفَاء فَقَالَ لي: «أُقْصُّه عَلَى سِوَاكٍ؟ أَوْ قُصَّهُ عَلَى سِوَاكٍ»
I was a guest one night along with God’s messenger and he ordered a haunch to be roasted, then took a broad knife and began to cut off slices for me. Bilal then came to tell him the time for prayer had come, and he threw down the knife saying, “What is the m atter with him! May his hands be covered with dust!”* My moustache was long, so he said, “I shall clip it for you over a tooth-stick,” or, “Clip it over a tooth-stick.” *Taribat yadahu.
I have here translated the phrase literally, but cf. p. 658. It is not normally to be taken literally. In this tradition the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) is evidently displeased because the call to prayer has been made so soon, but it should not be understood that he is calling down a curse on Bilal. In its use here it may indicate some degree of displeasure, but nothing more.