“The Messenger of Allah ﷺ sent us, (we were) three hundred men, carrying our provisions on our necks. Our provisions ran out until there would be for (every) man among us one date (a day).” Then it was said: “O Abu ‘Abdullah, how can one date satisfy a man?” He said: “When we no longer had it, we realized how much it was worth. Then we came to the sea and found a whale that had been thrown up by the sea, and we ate from it for eighteen days.” (Using translation from Ibn Mājah 4159)  

بَعَثَنَا رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ وَنَحْنُ ثَلَاثُمِائَةٍ نَحْمِلُ زَادَنَا عَلَى رِقَابِنَا فَفَنِيَ زَادُنَا حَتَّى كَانَ يَكُونُ لِلرَّجُلِ مِنَّا كُلَّ يَوْمٍ تَمْرَةٌ فَقِيلَ لَهُ يَا أَبَا عَبْدِ اللهِ وَأَيْنَ تَقَعُ التَّمْرَةُ مِنَ الرَّجُلِ؟ فَقَالَ لَقَدْ وَجَدْنَا فَقْدَهَا حِينَ فَقَدْنَاهَا فَأَتَيْنَا الْبَحْرَ فَإِذَا بِحُوتٍ قَدْ قَذَفَهُ الْبَحْرُ فَأَكَلْنَا مِنْهُ ثَمَانِيَةَ عَشَرَ يَوْمًا  

"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  

"The Prophet sent us with Abu 'Ubaidah on a campaign. Our supplies ran out. Then we passed by a whale that had been cast ashore by the sea. We wanted to eat from it, but Abu 'Ubaidah told us not to. Then he said: 'We are the envoys of the Messenger of Allah for the sake of Allah, so eat. So we ate from it for several days. When we came to the messenger of Allah we told him about that and he said: 'If you have anything left of it then send it to us."' (Using translation from Nasāʾī 4353)  

بَعَثَنَا رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ مَعَ أَبِي عُبَيْدَةَ فِي سَرِيَّةٍ فَنَفِدَ زَادُنَا فَمَرَرْنَا بِحُوتٍ قَدْ قَذَفَ بِهِ الْبَحْرُ فَأَرَدْنَا أَنْ نَأْكُلَ مِنْهُ فَنَهَانَا أَبُو عُبَيْدَةَ ثُمَّ قَالَ نَحْنُ رُسُلُ رَسُولِ اللهِ ﷺ وَفِي سَبِيلِ اللهِ كُلُوا فَأَكَلْنَا مِنْهُ أَيَّامًا فَلَمَّا قَدِمْنَا عَلَى رَسُولِ اللهِ ﷺ أَخْبَرْنَاهُ فَقَالَ «إِنْ كَانَ بَقِيَ مَعَكُمْ شَيْءٌ فَابْعَثُوا بِهِ إِلَيْنَا»  

"The Messenger of Allah sent us with Abu Ubaidah and we numbered over three hundred men. He supplied us with a sack of dates and gave them out by the handful. When he ran short, he gave us one date at a time, until we used to suck on it like an infant, and we would drink water with it. When we ran out of them it became very difficult for us. We used to hit the Khabat leaves with our bows to knock them down) and swallow them, then drink water with it. We became known as Jaish Al-Khabat (the Khabat army). Then, when we were about to turn inland, we saw a beast like a hill, caloled Al-'Anbar. Abu 'Ubaidah said: 'It is dead meat, do not eat it.' Then he said: 'The army of the Messenger of Allah in the cause of Allah, the Mighty and Sublime, and we are forced by necessity; eat in the name of Allah. 'So we arte from it and we made some if it into jerked meat. Thirteen men could sit in its eye-socket. Abu Ubaidah took one of its ribs and seated a man on the biggest camel that the people had, and they passed beneath it. When we came to the Messenger of Allah, he said: 'What kept you so long?' We said: The Quraish' and we told him about the beast. He said: 'That is provision that Allah granted to you. Do you have anything of it with you? "We said: ' Yes." (Using translation from Nasāʾī 4354)  

بَعَثَنَا رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ مَعَ أَبِي عُبَيْدَةَ وَنَحْنُ ثَلَاثُمِائَةٍ وَبِضْعَةَ عَشَرَ وَزَوَّدَنَا جِرَابًا مِنْ تَمْرٍ فَأَعْطَانَا قَبْضَةً قَبْضَةً فَلَمَّا أَنْ جُزْنَاهُ أَعْطَانَا تَمْرَةً تَمْرَةً حَتَّى إِنْ كُنَّا لَنَمُصُّهَا كَمَا يَمُصُّ الصَّبِيُّ وَنَشْرَبُ عَلَيْهَا مِنَ الْمَاءِ فَلَمَّا فَقَدْنَاهَا وَجَدْنَا فَقْدَهَا حَتَّى إِنْ كُنَّا لَنَخْبِطُ الْخَبَطَ بِعِصِيِّنَا فَنَشُقُّهُ ثُمَّ نَشْرَبُ عَلَيْهِ مِنَ الْمَاءِ حَتَّى سُمِّينَا جَيْشَ الْخَبَطِ ثُمَّ أَخَذْنَا السَّاحِلَ فَإِذَا دَابَّةٌ مِثْلُ الْكَثِيبِ يُقَالُ لَهُ الْعَنْبَرُ فَقَالَ أَبُو عُبَيْدَةَ مَيْتَةٌ لَا تَأْكُلُوهُ ثُمَّ قَالَ جَيْشُ رَسُولِ اللهِ ﷺ وَفِي سَبِيلِ اللهِ وَنَحْنُ مُضْطَرُّونَ كُلُوا بِاسْمِ اللهِ فَأَكَلْنَا مِنْهُ وَجَعَلْنَا مِنْهُ وَشِيقَةً قَالَ وَلَقَدْ جَلَسَ فِي مَوْضِعِ عَيْنِهِ ثَلَاثَةَ عَشَرَ رَجُلًا قَالَ وَأَخَذَ أَبُو عُبَيْدَةَ ضِلْعًا مِنْ أَضْلَاعِهِ فَرَحَلَ بِهِ أَجْسَمُ بَعِيرٍ مِنْ أَبَاعِرِ الْقَوْمِ فَأَجَازَ تَحْتَهُ فَلَمَّا قَدِمْنَا عَلَى رَسُولِ اللهِ ﷺ قَالَ «مَا حَبَسَكُمْ؟» قُلْنَا كُنَّا تَتَبَّعْنَا عِيرَاتِ قُرَيْشٍ وَذَكَرْنَا لَهُ أَمْرَ الدَّابَّةِ فَقَالَ «ذَاكَ رِزْقٌ رَزَقَكُمُوهُ اللهُ أَمَعَكُمْ مِنْهُ شَيْءٌ؟» قَالَ قُلْنَا نَعَمْ