حَدَّثَنَا يَزِيدُ بْنُ هَارُونَ أَنْبَأَنَا إِسْمَاعِيلُ عَنْ قَيْسٍ قَالَ سَمِعْتُ سَعْدَ بْنَ مَالِكٍ يَقُولُ وَاللَّهِ إِنِّي لَأَوَّلُ الْعَرَبِ رَمَى بِسَهْمٍ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ لَقَدْ كُنَّا نَغْزُو مَعَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ وَمَا لَنَا طَعَامٌ نَأْكُلُهُ إِلَّا وَرَقَ الْحُبْلَةِ وَهَذَا السَّمُرَ حَتَّى إِنَّ أَحَدَنَا لَيَضَعُ كَمَا تَضَعُ الشَّاةُ مَالَهُ خِلْطٌ ثُمَّ أَصْبَحَتْ بَنُو أَسَدٍ يُعَزِّرُونِي عَلَى الدِّينِ لَقَدْ خِبْتُ إِذَنْ وَضَلَّ عَمَلِي
مسند امام احمد بن حنبل · Hadith 1618
It was narrated that Qais said: I heard Saad bin Malik say: By Allah, I was the first of the Arabs to shoot an arrow for the sake of Allah. We used to go out on campaign with the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) and we would have no food except the leaves of al~ hublah and as-samur (desert trees), and one of us would produce stools like a sheep, so dry that nothing stuck to it. And now Banu Asad are teaching me about my religion, in which case I must have been doomed and my efforts wasted.
Translated by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan · Reviewed by Islamic University of Madinah · Published March 2020
Sanad
حَدَّثَنَا يَزِيدُ بْنُ هَارُونَ أَنْبَأَنَا إِسْمَاعِيلُ عَنْ قَيْسٍ قَالَ سَمِعْتُ سَعْدَ بْنَ مَالِكٍ