Jabir bin ʿAbdullah said, "We set out, and we were three-hundred men carrying our journey-food on our shoulders. Then we began to eat a single date each per day." A man asked (Jabir), "O Abu ʿAbdullah! How could a person be satisfied with a single date?" Jabir replied, "We realized the value of that one date when we could not even have that much till we reached the sea-shore, when all of a sudden we saw a huge fish cast by the sea. So, we ate of it as much as we wished for eighteen days."  

خَرَجْنَا وَنَحْنُ ثَلاَثُمِائَةٍ نَحْمِلُ زَادَنَا عَلَى رِقَابِنَا فَفَنِيَ زَادُنَا حَتَّى كَانَ الرَّجُلُ مِنَّا يَأْكُلُ فِي كُلِّ يَوْمٍ تَمْرَةً قَالَ رَجُلٌ يَا أَبَا عَبْدِ اللَّهِ وَأَيْنَ كَانَتِ التَّمْرَةُ تَقَعُ مِنَ الرَّجُلِ قَالَ لَقَدْ وَجَدْنَا فَقْدَهَا حِينَ فَقَدْنَاهَا حَتَّى أَتَيْنَا الْبَحْرَ فَإِذَا حُوتٌ قَدْ قَذَفَهُ الْبَحْرُ فَأَكَلْنَا مِنْهَا ثَمَانِيَةَ عَشَرَ يَوْمًا مَا أَحْبَبْنَا  

"The Prophet sent us, a group of three hundred, and we carried our provision on our mounts. Our supplies ran our until each man of us had one date per day." It was said to him: "O Abu'Abdullah , what good is one date for a man?" he said: "When we ran out of dates it became very difficult for us. Then we found a whale that had been cast ashore by the sea. And we ate from it for eight days."  

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

"The Messenger of Allah ﷺ dispatched us, and there were three-hundred of us. We were carrying our provisions on our shoulders. Then our provisions ran out such that each man among us could eat only a date per day." It was said to him: "O Abu 'Abdullah! How could one date be enough for a man?'" He said: "We realized its value when we did not even have that. Then we came to the sea where we saw a whale that the sea had tossed (on the shore). So we ate as much as we liked from it for eighteen days." Other chains report similar narrations.  

بَعَثَنَا رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ وَنَحْنُ ثَلاَثُمِائَةٍ نَحْمِلُ زَادَنَا عَلَى رِقَابِنَا فَفَنِيَ زَادُنَا حَتَّى إِنْ كَانَ يَكُونُ لِلرَّجُلِ مِنَّا كُلَّ يَوْمٍ تَمْرَةٌ فَقِيلَ لَهُ يَا أَبَا عَبْدِ اللَّهِ وَأَيْنَ كَانَتْ تَقَعُ التَّمْرَةُ مِنَ الرَّجُلِ فَقَالَ لَقَدْ وَجَدْنَا فَقْدَهَا حِينَ فَقَدْنَاهَا وَأَتَيْنَا الْبَحْرَ فَإِذَا نَحْنُ بِحُوتٍ قَدْ قَذَفَهُ الْبَحْرُ فَأَكَلْنَا مِنْهُ ثَمَانِيَةَ عَشَرَ يَوْمًا مَا أَحْبَبْنَا  

“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.”  

بَعَثَنَا رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ وَنَحْنُ ثَلاَثُمِائَةٍ نَحْمِلُ أَزْوَادَنَا عَلَى رِقَابِنَا فَفَنِيَ أَزْوَادُنَا حَتَّى كَانَ يَكُونُ لِلرَّجُلِ مِنَّا تَمْرَةٌ فَقِيلَ يَا أَبَا عَبْدِ اللَّهِ وَأَيْنَ تَقَعُ التَّمْرَةُ مِنَ الرَّجُلِ فَقَالَ لَقَدْ وَجَدْنَا فَقْدَهَا حِينَ فَقَدْنَاهَا وَأَتَيْنَا الْبَحْرَ فَإِذَا نَحْنُ بِحُوتٍ قَدْ قَذَفَهُ الْبَحْرُ فَأَكَلْنَا مِنْهُ ثَمَانِيَةَ عَشَرَ يَوْمًا  

“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