Narrator:Jābir ibn ‘Abdullāh
وَعَن جابرٍ قَالَ: غَزَوْتُ جَيْشَ الْخَبْطِ وَأُمِّرَ عَلَيْنَا أَبُو عُبَيْدَةَ فَجُعْنَا جُوعًا شَدِيدًا فَأَلْقَى الْبَحْرُ حُوتًا مَيِّتًا لَمْ نَرَ مِثْلَهُ يُقَالُ لَهُ: الْعَنْبَرُ فَأَكَلْنَا مِنْهُ نِصْفَ شَهْرٍ فَأَخَذَ أَبُو عُبَيْدَةَ عَظْمًا مِنْ عِظَامِهِ فَمَرَّ الرَّاكِبُ تَحْتَهُ فَلَمَّا قَدِمْنَا ذَكَرْنَا ذَلِكَ لِلنَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فَقَالَ: «كُلُوا رِزْقًا أَخْرَجَهُ اللَّهُ إِلَيْكُمْ وَأَطْعِمُونَا إِنْ كَانَ مَعَكُمْ» قَالَ: فَأَرْسَلْنَا إِلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ مِنْهُ فَأَكله
Jabir said:
I was on the expedition when the army had to beat leaves off trees for food and Abu ‘Ubaida was placed in charge. We suffered severe hunger, and then the sea cast up a dead fish the like of which we had never seen before, called the spermaceti whale, and we ate of it for half a month. Abu ‘Ubaida took one of its bones and a rider was able to pass under it. When we arrived and mentioned the matter to the Prophet he said, ''Eat a provision which God has brought forth for you, and give us some to eat if you have any." He said they sent some of it to God’s messenger and he ate it. (Bukhari and Muslim.)
Reported by Al-Bukhari (No. 5493). Cited in Mishkat al-Masabih (No. 4114).