Jabir bin ʿAbdullah said, "Messenger of Allah ﷺ sent troops to the sea coast and appointed Abu 'Ubaida bin Al-Jarrah as their commander, and they were 300 (men). We set out, and we had covered some distance on the way, when our journey food ran short. So Abu 'Ubaida ordered that all the food present with the troops be collected, and it was collected. Our journey food was dates, and Abu Ubaida kept on giving us our daily ration from it little by little (piecemeal) till it decreased to such an extent that we did not receive except a date each." I asked (Jabir), "How could one date benefit you?" He said, "We came to know its value when even that finished." Jabir added, "Then we reached the sea (coast) where we found a fish like a small mountain. The people (i.e. troops) ate of it for 18 nights (i.e. days). Then Abu 'Ubaida ordered that two of its ribs be fixed on the ground (in the form of an arch) and that a she-camel be ridden and passed under them. So it passed under them without touching them."  

أَنَّهُ قَالَ بَعَثَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ بَعْثًا قِبَلَ السَّاحِلِ وَأَمَّرَ عَلَيْهِمْ أَبَا عُبَيْدَةَ بْنَ الْجَرَّاحِ وَهُمْ ثَلاَثُمِائَةٍ فَخَرَجْنَا وَكُنَّا بِبَعْضِ الطَّرِيقِ فَنِيَ الزَّادُ فَأَمَرَ أَبُو عُبَيْدَةَ بِأَزْوَادِ الْجَيْشِ فَجُمِعَ فَكَانَ مِزْوَدَىْ تَمْرٍ فَكَانَ يَقُوتُنَا كُلَّ يَوْمٍ قَلِيلٌ قَلِيلٌ حَتَّى فَنِيَ فَلَمْ يَكُنْ يُصِيبُنَا إِلاَّ تَمْرَةٌ تَمْرَةٌ فَقُلْتُ مَا تُغْنِي عَنْكُمْ تَمْرَةٌ فَقَالَ لَقَدْ وَجَدْنَا فَقْدَهَا حِينَ فَنِيَتْ ثُمَّ انْتَهَيْنَا إِلَى الْبَحْرِ فَإِذَا حُوتٌ مِثْلُ الظَّرِبِ فَأَكَلَ مِنْهَا الْقَوْمُ ثَمَانَ عَشْرَةَ لَيْلَةً ثُمَّ أَمَرَ أَبُو عُبَيْدَةَ بِضِلَعَيْنِ مِنْ أَضْلاَعِهِ فَنُصِبَا ثُمَّ أَمَرَ بِرَاحِلَةٍ فَرُحِلَتْ ثُمَّ مَرَّتْ تَحْتَهُمَا فَلَمْ تُصِبْهُمَا  

Messenger of Allah ﷺ sent us who were three-hundred riders under the command of Abu Ubaida bin Al- Jarrah in order to watch the caravan of the Quraish pagans. We stayed at the seashore for half a month and were struck with such severe hunger that we ate even the Khabt (i.e. the leaves of the Salam, a thorny desert tree), and because of that, the army was known as Jaish-ul-Khabt. Then the sea threw out, an animal (i.e. a fish) called Al-ʿAnbar and we ate of that for half a month, and rubbed its fat on our bodies till our bodies returned to their original state (i.e. became strong and healthy). Abu Ubaida took one of its ribs, fixed it on the ground; then he went to the tallest man of his companions (to let him pass under the rib). Once Sufyan said, "He took a rib from its parts and fixed it, and then took a man and camel and they passed from underneath it (without touching it). " Jabir added: There was a man amongst the people who slaughtered three camels and then slaughtered another three camels and then slaughtered other three camels, and then Abu 'Ubaida forbade him to do so. Narrated Abu Salih: Qais bin Saʿd said to his father. "I was present in the army and the people were struck with severe hunger." He said, "You should have slaughtered (camels) (for them)." Qais said, "I did slaughter camels but they were hungry again. He said, "You should have slaughtered (camels) again." Qais said, "I did slaughter (camels) again but the people felt hungry again." He said, "You should have slaughtered (camels) again." Qais said, "I did slaughter (camels) again, but the people again felt hungry." He said, "You should have slaughtered (camels) again." Qais said, "But I was forbidden (by Abu 'Ubaida this time).  

بَعَثَنَا رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ ثَلاَثَمِائَةِ رَاكِبٍ أَمِيرُنَا أَبُو عُبَيْدَةَ بْنُ الْجَرَّاحِ نَرْصُدُ عِيرَ قُرَيْشٍ فَأَقَمْنَا بِالسَّاحِلِ نِصْفَ شَهْرٍ فَأَصَابَنَا جُوعٌ شَدِيدٌ حَتَّى أَكَلْنَا الْخَبَطَ فَسُمِّيَ ذَلِكَ الْجَيْشُ جَيْشَ الْخَبَطِ فَأَلْقَى لَنَا الْبَحْرُ دَابَّةً يُقَالُ لَهَا الْعَنْبَرُ فَأَكَلْنَا مِنْهُ نِصْفَ شَهْرٍ وَادَّهَنَّا مِنْ وَدَكِهِ حَتَّى ثَابَتْ إِلَيْنَا أَجْسَامُنَا فَأَخَذَ أَبُو عُبَيْدَةَ ضِلَعًا مِنْ أَضْلاَعِهِ فَنَصَبَهُ فَعَمَدَ إِلَى أَطْوَلِ رَجُلٍ مَعَهُ قَالَ سُفْيَانُ مَرَّةً ضِلَعًا مِنْ أَعْضَائِهِ فَنَصَبَهُ وَأَخَذَ رَجُلاً وَبَعِيرًا فَمَرَّ تَحْتَهُ قَالَ جَابِرٌ وَكَانَ رَجُلٌ مِنَ الْقَوْمِ نَحَرَ ثَلاَثَ جَزَائِرَ ثُمَّ نَحَرَ ثَلاَثَ جَزَائِرَ ثُمَّ نَحَرَ ثَلاَثَ جَزَائِرَ ثُمَّ إِنَّ أَبَا عُبَيْدَةَ نَهَاهُ وَكَانَ عَمْرٌو يَقُولُ أَخْبَرَنَا أَبُو صَالِحٍ أَنَّ قَيْسَ بْنَ سَعْدٍ قَالَ لأَبِيهِ كُنْتُ فِي الْجَيْشِ فَجَاعُوا قَالَ انْحَرْ قَالَ نَحَرْتُ قَالَ ثُمَّ جَاعُوا قَالَ انْحَرْ قَالَ نَحَرْتُ قَالَ ثُمَّ جَاعُوا قَالَ انْحَرْ قَالَ نَحَرْتُ ثُمَّ جَاعُوا قَالَ انْحَرْ قَالَ نُهِيتُ  

We set out in the army of Al-Khabt and Abu Ubaida was the commander of the troops. We were struck with severe hunger and the sea threw out a dead fish the like of which we had never seen, and it was called Al-ʿAnbar. We ate of it for half a month. Abu Ubaida took (and fixed) one of its bones and a rider passed underneath it (without touching it). (Jabir added:) Abu 'Ubaida said (to us), "Eat (of that fish)." When we arrived at Medina, we informed the Prophet ﷺ about that, and he said, "Eat, for it is food Allah has brought out for you, and feed us if you have some of it." So some of them gave him (of that fish) and he ate it.  

أَنَّهُ سَمِعَ جَابِرًا ؓ يَقُولُ غَزَوْنَا جَيْشَ الْخَبَطِ وَأُمِّرَ أَبُو عُبَيْدَةَ فَجُعْنَا جُوعًا شَدِيدًا فَأَلْقَى الْبَحْرُ حُوتًا مَيِّتًا لَمْ نَرَ مِثْلَهُ يُقَالُ لَهُ الْعَنْبَرُ فَأَكَلْنَا مِنْهُ نِصْفَ شَهْرٍ فَأَخَذَ أَبُو عُبَيْدَةَ عَظْمًا مِنْ عِظَامِهِ فَمَرَّ الرَّاكِبُ تَحْتَهُ فَأَخْبَرَنِي أَبُو الزُّبَيْرِ أَنَّهُ سَمِعَ جَابِرًا يَقُولُ قَالَ أَبُو عُبَيْدَةَ كُلُوا فَلَمَّا قَدِمْنَا الْمَدِينَةَ ذَكَرْنَا ذَلِكَ لِلنَّبِيِّ ﷺ فَقَالَ كُلُوا رِزْقًا أَخْرَجَهُ اللَّهُ أَطْعِمُونَا إِنْ كَانَ مَعَكُمْ فَأَتَاهُ بَعْضُهُمْ {بِعُضْوٍ} فَأَكَلَهُ