حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ يُوسُفَ أَخْبَرَنَا مَالِکٌ عَنْ وَهْبِ بْنِ کَيْسَانَ عَنْ جَابِرِ بْنِ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُمَا أَنَّهُ قَالَ بَعَثَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّی اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ بَعْثًا قِبَلَ السَّاحِلِ فَأَمَّرَ عَلَيْهِمْ أَبَا عُبَيْدَةَ بْنَ الْجَرَّاحِ وَهُمْ ثَلَاثُ مِائَةٍ وَأَنَا فِيهِمْ فَخَرَجْنَا حَتَّی إِذَا کُنَّا بِبَعْضِ الطَّرِيقِ فَنِيَ الزَّادُ فَأَمَرَ أَبُو عُبَيْدَةَ بِأَزْوَادِ ذَلِکَ الْجَيْشِ فَجُمِعَ ذَلِکَ کُلُّهُ فَکَانَ مِزْوَدَيْ تَمْرٍ فَکَانَ يُقَوِّتُنَا کُلَّ يَوْمٍ قَلِيلًا قَلِيلًا حَتَّی فَنِيَ فَلَمْ يَکُنْ يُصِيبُنَا إِلَّا تَمْرَةٌ تَمْرَةٌ فَقُلْتُ وَمَا تُغْنِي تَمْرَةٌ فَقَالَ لَقَدْ وَجَدْنَا فَقْدَهَا حِينَ فَنِيَتْ قَالَ ثُمَّ انْتَهَيْنَا إِلَی الْبَحْرِ فَإِذَا حُوتٌ مِثْلُ الظَّرِبِ فَأَکَلَ مِنْهُ ذَلِکَ الْجَيْشُ ثَمَانِيَ عَشْرَةَ لَيْلَةً ثُمَّ أَمَرَ أَبُو عُبَيْدَةَ بِضِلَعَيْنِ مِنْ أَضْلَاعِهِ فَنُصِبَا ثُمَّ أَمَرَ بِرَاحِلَةٍ فَرُحِلَتْ ثُمَّ مَرَّتْ تَحْتَهُمَا فَلَمْ تُصِبْهُمَا
صحیح بخاری · Hadith 2483
Narrated Jabir bin `Abdullah: "Allah's Apostle sent an army towards the east coast and appointed Abu 'Ubaida bin Al-Jarrah as their chief, and the army consisted of three-hundred men including myself. We marched on till we reached a place where our food was about to finish. Abu- 'Ubaida ordered us to collect all the journey food and it was collected. My (our) journey food was dates. Abu 'Ubaida kept on giving us our daily ration in small amounts from it, till it was exhausted. The share of everyone of us used to be one date only." I said, "How could one date benefit you?" Jabir replied, "We came to know its value when even that too finished." Jabir added, "When we reached the sea-shore, we saw a huge fish which was like a small mountain. The army ate from it for eighteen days. Then Abu 'Ubaida ordered that two of its ribs be fixed and they were fixed in the ground. Then he ordered that a she-camel be ridden and it passed under the two ribs (forming an arch) without touching them."
Translated by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan · Reviewed by Islamic University of Madinah · Published March 2020