Sunan an-Nasa’i: Book 42, Hadith 90
It was narrated that ‘Amr said: “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.”
أَخْبَرَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ مَنْصُورٍ، عَنْ سُفْيَانَ، عَنْ عَمْرٍو، قَالَ سَمِعْتُ جَابِرًا، يَقُولُ بَعَثَنَا رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم ثَلاَثَمِائَةِ رَاكِبٍ أَمِيرُنَا أَبُو عُبَيْدَةَ بْنُ الْجَرَّاحِ نَرْصُدُ عِيرَ قُرَيْشٍ فَأَقَمْنَا بِالسَّاحِلِ فَأَصَابَنَا جُوعٌ شَدِيدٌ حَتَّى أَكَلْنَا الْخَبَطَ – قَالَ – فَأَلْقَى الْبَحْرُ دَابَّةً يُقَالُ لَهَا الْعَنْبَرُ فَأَكَلْنَا مِنْهُ نِصْفَ شَهْرٍ وَادَّهَنَّا مِنْ وَدَكِهِ فَثَابَتْ أَجْسَامُنَا وَأَخَذَ أَبُو عُبَيْدَةَ ضِلَعًا مِنْ أَضْلاَعِهِ فَنَظَرَ إِلَى أَطْوَلِ جَمَلٍ وَأَطْوَلِ رَجُلٍ فِي الْجَيْشِ فَمَرَّ تَحْتَهُ ثُمَّ جَاعُوا فَنَحَرَ رَجُلٌ ثَلاَثَ جَزَائِرَ ثُمَّ جَاعُوا فَنَحَرَ رَجُلٌ ثَلاَثَ جَزَائِرَ ثُمَّ جَاعُوا فَنَحَرَ رَجُلٌ ثَلاَثَ جَزَائِرَ ثُمَّ نَهَاهُ أَبُو عُبَيْدَةَ . قَالَ سُفْيَانُ قَالَ أَبُو الزُّبَيْرِ عَنْ جَابِرٍ فَسَأَلْنَا النَّبِيَّ صلى الله عليه وسلم فَقَالَ
“ هَلْ مَعَكُمْ مِنْهُ شَىْءٌ ” . قَالَ فَأَخْرَجْنَا مِنْ عَيْنَيْهِ كَذَا وَكَذَا قُلَّةً مِنْ وَدَكٍ وَنَزَلَ فِي حِجَاجِ عَيْنِهِ أَرْبَعَةُ نَفَرٍ وَكَانَ مَعَ أَبِي عُبَيْدَةَ جِرَابٌ فِيهِ تَمْرٌ فَكَانَ يُعْطِينَا الْقَبْضَةَ ثُمَّ صَارَ إِلَى التَّمْرَةِ فَلَمَّا فَقَدْنَاهَا وَجَدْنَا فَقْدَهَا .
Sunan an-Nasa’i: Book 42, Hadith 90
The above hadith is from the Sunan an-Nasa’i collection of hadiths. Within the pantheon of Sunni Islamic hadith collections, the Sunan an-Nasa’i occupies a privileged position as one of the six canonical works. This impressive compilation was the achievement of the 9th century scholar Ahmad ibn Shu’ayb al-Nasa’i, who was renowned for his profound knowledge of prophetic traditions. The book assembles more than 5,700 narrations covering the full range of the Prophet’s Sunnah. Imam al-Nasa’i distinguished his work through a famously rigorous and selective process, choosing to include only those narrations that met his strict standards of authenticity while rejecting those that were dubious. This has resulted in a collection held in the highest regard for its accuracy.
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For more Hadith in Book 42: The Book of Hunting and Slaughtering