The Prophet ﷺ sent us as an army unit of three hundred warriors under the command of Abu 'Ubaida to ambush a caravan of the Quraish. But we were struck with such severe hunger that we ate the Khabt (desert bushes), so our army was called the Army of the Khabt. Then the sea threw a huge fish called Al-ʿAnbar and we ate of it for half a month and rubbed our bodies with its fat till our bodies became healthy. Then Abu Ubaida took one of its ribs and fixed it over the ground and a rider passed underneath it. There was a man amongst us who slaughtered three camels when hunger became severe, and he slaughtered three more, but after that Abu 'Ubaida forbade him to do so.  

بَعَثَنَا النَّبِيُّ ﷺ ثَلاَثَمِائَةِ رَاكِبٍ وَأَمِيرُنَا أَبُو عُبَيْدَةَ نَرْصُدُ عِيرًا لِقُرَيْشٍ فَأَصَابَنَا جُوعٌ شَدِيدٌ حَتَّى أَكَلْنَا الْخَبَطَ فَسُمِّيَ جَيْشَ الْخَبَطِ وَأَلْقَى الْبَحْرُ حُوتًا يُقَالُ لَهُ الْعَنْبَرُ فَأَكَلْنَا نِصْفَ شَهْرٍ وَادَّهَنَّا بِوَدَكِهِ حَتَّى صَلَحَتْ أَجْسَامُنَا قَالَ فَأَخَذَ أَبُو عُبَيْدَةَ ضِلَعًا مِنْ أَضْلاَعِهِ فَنَصَبَهُ فَمَرَّ الرَّاكِبُ تَحْتَهُ وَكَانَ فِينَا رَجُلٌ فَلَمَّا اشْتَدَّ الْجُوعُ نَحَرَ ثَلاَثَ جَزَائِرَ ثُمَّ ثَلاَثَ جَزَائِرَ ثُمَّ نَهَاهُ أَبُو عُبَيْدَةَ  

Messenger of Allah (may peace he upon him) sent us (on an expedition). We were three hundred riders and our chief (leader) was 'Ubaida b. al-Jarrah. We were on the look out for a caravan of the Quraish. So we stayed on the coast for half a month, and were so much afflicted by extreme hunger that we (were obliged) to eat leaves. That is why it was called the Detachment of the Leaves. The ocean cast out for us an animal which was called al-'Anbar (whale). We ate of that for half of the month and rubbed its fat on our (bodies) until our bodies became stout. Abu 'Ubaida caught hold of one of its ribs and fixed that up. He then cast a glance at the tallest man of the army and the highest of the camels. and then made him ride over that, and that-tnan passed beneath it (the rib), and many a man could sit in its eye-socket, and we extracted many pitchers of fat from the cavity of its eye. We had small bags containing dates with us (before finding the whale). 'Ubaida gave every person amongst us a handful of dates (and when the provision ran short), he then gave each one of us one date. And when that (stock) was exhausted, we felt its loss.  

بَعَثَنَا رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ وَنَحْنُ ثَلاَثُمِائَةِ رَاكِبٍ وَأَمِيرُنَا أَبُو عُبَيْدَةَ بْنُ الْجَرَّاحِ نَرْصُدُ عِيرًا لِقُرَيْشٍ فَأَقَمْنَا بِالسَّاحِلِ نِصْفَ شَهْرٍ فَأَصَابَنَا جُوعٌ شَدِيدٌ حَتَّى أَكَلْنَا الْخَبَطَ فَسُمِّيَ جَيْشَ الْخَبَطِ فَأَلْقَى لَنَا الْبَحْرُ دَابَّةً يُقَالُ لَهَا الْعَنْبَرُ فَأَكَلْنَا مِنْهَا نِصْفَ شَهْرٍ وَادَّهَنَّا مِنْ وَدَكِهَا حَتَّى ثَابَتْ أَجْسَامُنَا قَالَ فَأَخَذَ أَبُو عُبَيْدَةَ ضِلَعًا مِنْ أَضْلاَعِهِ فَنَصَبَهُ ثُمَّ نَظَرَ إِلَى أَطْوَلِ رَجُلٍ فِي الْجَيْشِ وَأَطْوَلِ جَمَلٍ فَحَمَلَهُ عَلَيْهِ فَمَرَّ تَحْتَهُ قَالَ وَجَلَسَ فِي حَجَاجِ عَيْنِهِ نَفَرٌ قَالَ وَأَخْرَجْنَا مِنْ وَقْبِ عَيْنِهِ كَذَا وَكَذَا قُلَّةَ وَدَكٍ قَالَ وَكَانَ مَعَنَا جِرَابٌ مِنْ تَمْرٍ فَكَانَ أَبُو عُبَيْدَةَ يُعْطِي كُلَّ رَجُلٍ مِنَّا قَبْضَةً قَبْضَةً ثُمَّ أَعْطَانَا تَمْرَةً تَمْرَةً فَلَمَّا فَنِيَ وَجَدْنَا فَقْدَهُ  

"I heard Jabir say: 'The Messenger of Allah sent us, three hundred riders led by Abu 'Ubaidah bin al-Jarrah, to lie in wait for the caravan of the Quraish. We stayed on the coast and became very hungry, so much so that we ate Khabat. Then the sea cast ashore a beast called (Al-'Anbar), and we ate from it for half a month, and daubed our bodies with its fat, and our health was restored. Abu 'Ubaidah took one it its ribs and looked for the tallest camel and the tallest man in the army, and he passed beneath it. Then they got hungry again and a man slaughtered three camels, then they got hungry and a man slaughtered three camels, then they got hungry and a man slaughtered three camels, then they got hungry and a man slaughtered three camels. Then Abu 'Ubaidah told him not to do that." (One of the narrators) Sufyan said: "Abu Az-Zubair said, narrating from Jabir: "We asked the Prophet and he said: 'Do you have anything left of it?"' he said; "We took out, such-and -such an amount of a fat from its (the whale's) eyes, and four men could fit into its eye socket. Abu 'Ubaidah had a sack of dates and he used to give them out by the handful, then he started to give one date at a time, and when we ran out of dates it became very difficult for us."  

بَعَثَنَا رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ ثَلاَثَمِائَةِ رَاكِبٍ أَمِيرُنَا أَبُو عُبَيْدَةَ بْنُ الْجَرَّاحِ نَرْصُدُ عِيرَ قُرَيْشٍ فَأَقَمْنَا بِالسَّاحِلِ فَأَصَابَنَا جُوعٌ شَدِيدٌ حَتَّى أَكَلْنَا الْخَبَطَ قَالَ فَأَلْقَى الْبَحْرُ دَابَّةً يُقَالُ لَهَا الْعَنْبَرُ فَأَكَلْنَا مِنْهُ نِصْفَ شَهْرٍ وَادَّهَنَّا مِنْ وَدَكِهِ فَثَابَتْ أَجْسَامُنَا وَأَخَذَ أَبُو عُبَيْدَةَ ضِلَعًا مِنْ أَضْلاَعِهِ فَنَظَرَ إِلَى أَطْوَلِ جَمَلٍ وَأَطْوَلِ رَجُلٍ فِي الْجَيْشِ فَمَرَّ تَحْتَهُ ثُمَّ جَاعُوا فَنَحَرَ رَجُلٌ ثَلاَثَ جَزَائِرَ ثُمَّ جَاعُوا فَنَحَرَ رَجُلٌ ثَلاَثَ جَزَائِرَ ثُمَّ جَاعُوا فَنَحَرَ رَجُلٌ ثَلاَثَ جَزَائِرَ ثُمَّ نَهَاهُ أَبُو عُبَيْدَةَ قَالَ سُفْيَانُ قَالَ أَبُو الزُّبَيْرِ عَنْ جَابِرٍ فَسَأَلْنَا النَّبِيَّ ﷺ فَقَالَ هَلْ مَعَكُمْ مِنْهُ شَىْءٌ قَالَ فَأَخْرَجْنَا مِنْ عَيْنَيْهِ كَذَا وَكَذَا قُلَّةً مِنْ وَدَكٍ وَنَزَلَ فِي حِجَاجِ عَيْنِهِ أَرْبَعَةُ نَفَرٍ وَكَانَ مَعَ أَبِي عُبَيْدَةَ جِرَابٌ فِيهِ تَمْرٌ فَكَانَ يُعْطِينَا الْقَبْضَةَ ثُمَّ صَارَ إِلَى التَّمْرَةِ فَلَمَّا فَقَدْنَاهَا وَجَدْنَا فَقْدَهَا  

[Machine] We sent the Messenger of Allah ﷺ with three hundred riders, our commander Abu Ubaidah ibn al-Jarrah, and we camped on the coast until our supplies ran out and we resorted to eating sea animals. Then, the sea threw up a creature called al-‘Anbar, and we ate from it for half a month until our bodies became healthy. Abu Ubaidah took a rib from his own ribs, set it up, and looked at the longest camel. It passed under it, and there was a man who crossed three islands, and then three islands, and then three islands. Abu Ubaidah forbade him from doing so.  

بَعَثَنَا رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ فِي ثَلَاثِ مِائَةِ رَاكِبٍ أَمِيرُنَا أَبُو عُبَيْدَةَ بْنُ الْجَرَّاحِ فَأَقَمْنَا عَلَى السَّاحِلِ حَتَّى فَنِيَ زَادُنَا حَتَّى أَكَلْنَا الْخَبَطَ ثُمَّ إِنَّ الْبَحْرَ أَلْقَى دَابَّةً يُقَالُ لَهَا الْعَنْبَرُ فَأَكَلْنَا مِنْهُ نِصْفَ شَهْرٍ حَتَّى صَلَحَتْ أَجْسَامُنَا فَأَخَذَ أَبُو عُبَيْدَةَ ضِلَعًا مِنْ أَضْلَاعِهِ فَنَصَبَهُ وَنَظَرَ إِلَى أَطْوَلِ بَعِيرٍ فَجَازَ تَحْتَهُ وَكَانَ رَجُلٌ يَجْزُرُ ثَلَاثَةَ جُزُرٍ ثُمَّ ثَلَاثَةَ جُزُرٍ ثُمَّ ثَلَاثَةَ جُزُرٍ فَنَهَاهُ أَبُو عُبَيْدَةَ  

Messenger of Allah (may peace he upon him) sent us (on an expedition). We were three hundred riders and our chief (leader) was 'Ubaida b. al-Jarrah. We were on the look out for a caravan of the Quraish. So we stayed on the coast for half a month, and were so much afflicted by extreme hunger that we (were obliged) to eat leaves. That is why it was called the Detachment of the Leaves. The ocean cast out for us an animal which was called al-'Anbar (whale). We ate of that for half of the month and rubbed its fat on our (bodies) until our bodies became stout. Abu 'Ubaida caught hold of one of its ribs and fixed that up. He then cast a glance at the tallest man of the army and the highest of the camels. and then made him ride over that, and that-tnan passed beneath it (the rib), and many a man could sit in its eye-socket, and we extracted many pitchers of fat from the cavity of its eye. We had small bags containing dates with us (before finding the whale). 'Ubaida gave every person amongst us a handful of dates (and when the provision ran short), he then gave each one of us one date. And when that (stock) was exhausted, we felt its loss. (Using translation from Muslim 1935b)   

بَعَثَنَا رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ فِي ثَلَاثِ مِائَةِ رَاكِبٍ وَأَمِيرُنَا أَبُو عُبَيْدَةَ بْنُ الْجَرَّاحِ نَرْصُدُ عِيرًا لِقُرَيْشٍ فَأَقَمْنَا بِالسَّاحِلِ نِصْفَ شَهْرٍ فَأَصَابَنَا جُوعٌ شَدِيدٌ حَتَّى أَكَلْنَا الْخَبَطَ قَالَ فَسُمِّيَ ذَلِكَ الْجَيْشُ جَيْشَ الْخَبَطِ ثُمَّ أَلْقَى الْبَحْرُ دَابَّةً يُقَالُ لَهَا الْعَنْبَرُ فَأَكَلْنَا مِنْهُ نِصْفَ شَهْرٍ حَتَّى ثَابَتْ أَجْسَامُنَا وَادَّهَنَّا بِوَدَكِهِ فَأَخَذَ أَبُو عُبَيْدَةَ بْنُ الْجَرَّاحِ ضِلَعًا مِنْ أَضْلَاعِهِ وَنَظَرَ إِلَى أَطْوَلِ جَمَلٍ فِي الْجَيْشِ وَأَطْوَلِ رَجُلٍ فَحَمَلَهُ عَلَيْهِ فَمَرَّ تَحْتَهُ «قَالَ سُفْيَانُ قَالَ أَبُو الزُّبَيْرٍ عَنْ جَابِرٍ أَعْطَانَا رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ جِرَابًا فِيهِ تَمْرٌ فَلَمَّا نَفِدَ وَجَدْنَا فَقْدَهُ فَجَعَلَ يَجِيءُ الرَّجُلُ بِالشَّيْءِ قَالَ وَأَخْرَجْنَا مِنْ عَيْنَيْهِ كَذَا وَكَذَا حُبًّا مِنْ وَدَكٍ فَلَمَّا قَدِمْنَا عَلَى النَّبِيِّ ﷺ سَأَلَنَا » هَلْ مَعَكُمْ مِنْهُ شَيْءٌ «  

"I heard Jabir say: 'The Messenger of Allah sent us, three hundred riders led by Abu 'Ubaidah bin al-Jarrah, to lie in wait for the caravan of the Quraish. We stayed on the coast and became very hungry, so much so that we ate Khabat. Then the sea cast ashore a beast called (Al-'Anbar), and we ate from it for half a month, and daubed our bodies with its fat, and our health was restored. Abu 'Ubaidah took one it its ribs and looked for the tallest camel and the tallest man in the army, and he passed beneath it. Then they got hungry again and a man slaughtered three camels, then they got hungry and a man slaughtered three camels, then they got hungry and a man slaughtered three camels, then they got hungry and a man slaughtered three camels. Then Abu 'Ubaidah told him not to do that." (One of the narrators) Sufyan said: "Abu Az-Zubair said, narrating from Jabir: "We asked the Prophet and he said: 'Do you have anything left of it?"' he said; "We took out, such-and -such an amount of a fat from its (the whale's) eyes, and four men could fit into its eye socket. Abu 'Ubaidah had a sack of dates and he used to give them out by the handful, then he started to give one date at a time, and when we ran out of dates it became very difficult for us." (Using translation from Nasāʾī 4352)  

بَعَثَنَا رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ ثَلَاثَمِائَةِ رَاكِبٍ أَمِيرُنَا أَبُو عُبَيْدَةَ بْنُ الْجَرَّاحِ نَرْصُدُ عِيرَ قُرَيْشٍ فَأَقَمْنَا بِالسَّاحِلِ فَأَصَابَنَا جُوعٌ شَدِيدٌ حَتَّى أَكَلْنَا الْخَبَطَ فَأَلْقَى لَنَا الْبَحْرُ دَابَّةً يُقَالُ لَهَا الْعَنْبَرُ فَأَكَلْنَا مِنْهُ نِصْفَ شَهْرٍ وَادَّهَنَّا مِنْ وَدَكِهِ فَثَابَتْ أَجْسَامُنَا وَأَخَذَ أَبُو عُبَيْدَةَ ضِلْعًا مِنْ أَضْلَاعِهِ فَنَظَرَ إِلَى أَطْوَلِ جَمَلٍ وَأَطْوَلِ رَجُلٍ فِي الْجَيْشِ فَمَرَّ تَحْتَهُ ثُمَّ جَاعُوا فَنَحَرَ رَجُلٌ ثَلَاثَ جَزَائِرَ ثُمَّ جَاعُوا فَنَحَرَ رَجُلٌ ثَلَاثَ جَزَائِرَ ثُمَّ جَاعُوا فَنَحَرَ رَجُلٌ ثَلَاثَ جَزَائِرَ ثُمَّ نَهَاهُ أَبُو عُبَيْدَةَ قَالَ سُفْيَانُ قَالَ أَبُو الزُّبَيْرِ عَنْ جَابِرٍ فَسَأَلْنَا رَسُولَ اللهِ ﷺ فَقَالَ «هَلْ مَعَكُمْ مِنْهُ شَيْءٌ؟» قَالَ فَأَخْرَجْنَا مِنْ عَيْنَيْهِ كَذَا وَكَذَا قُلَّةً مِنْ وَدَكٍ وَنَزَلَ فِي حَجَّاجِ عَيْنِهِ أَرْبَعَةُ نَفَرٍ وَكَانَ مَعَ أَبِي عُبَيْدَةَ جِرَابٌ فِيهِ تَمْرٌ فَكَانَ يُعْطِينَا الْقَبْضَةَ ثُمَّ صَارَ إِلَى التَّمْرَةِ فَلَمَّا فَقَدْنَاهَا وَجَدْنَا فَقْدَهَا