The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) was given something to drink, so he drank from it, and there was a boy on his right
Authentic hadithعن سهل بن سعد رضي الله عنه : أن رسولَ اللهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم أُتِيَ بشرابٍ، فَشَرِبَ منهُ وعن يميِنِه غُلامٌ، وعن يسارِه الأشياخُ، فقالَ للغُلامِ: "أَتَأذَنُ لِي أنْ أُعْطِيَ هؤلاء؟"، فقالَ الغلامُ: لا واللهِ يا رسولَ اللهِ، لا أُوثِرُ بنَصِيبي منك أحداً. فَتَلَّهُ رسولُ اللهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم في يدِه.
Sahl ibn Sa‘d (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) was given something to drink, so he drank from it. There was a boy on his right and old men on his left. He said to the boy: "Do you allow me to give it to these?" The boy said: "No, by Allah, O Messenger of Allah. I will not prefer anyone over myself with my share from you." So the Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) put it in his hand.
Explanation
In this Hadīth, the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) sought the young boy’s permission to give the drink to the old men first. He did that to comfort the hearts of the old men, and to let them know that they are loved and cared for, and as a token of respect for them, so long as the Sunnah does not prevent doing so. The Sunnah in this situation is that the person sitting on the right is worthier (of giving first), and that no one should be given before him except with his permission. Also, there is nothing wrong in seeking permission from the person on the right, while he is not obliged to give permission, and that he should not give permission if it entails missing a religious virtue and a worldly benefit. The boy in the Hadīth was Ibn ‘Abbās.
Source · Narrated by Bukhari & Muslim
From the Hadith Encyclopedia (hadeethenc.com).