Compiled by Imam Abu Dawud as-Sijistani
حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ مُحَمَّدٍ النُّفَيْلِيُّ، حَدَّثَنَا زُهَيْرٌ، حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو الزُّبَيْرِ، عَنْ جَابِرٍ، قَالَ بَعَثَنَا رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم وَأَمَّرَ عَلَيْنَا أَبَا عُبَيْدَةَ بْنَ الْجَرَّاحِ نَتَلَقَّى عِيرًا لِقُرَيْشٍ وَزَوَّدَنَا جِرَابًا مِنْ تَمْرٍ لَمْ نَجِدْ لَهُ غَيْرَهُ فَكَانَ أَبُو عُبَيْدَةَ يُعْطِينَا تَمْرَةً تَمْرَةً كُنَّا نَمُصُّهَا كَمَا يَمُصُّ الصَّبِيُّ ثُمَّ نَشْرَبُ عَلَيْهَا مِنَ الْمَاءِ فَتَكْفِينَا يَوْمَنَا إِلَى اللَّيْلِ وَكُنَّا نَضْرِبُ بِعِصِيِّنَا الْخَبَطَ ثُمَّ نَبُلُّهُ بِالْمَاءِ فَنَأْكُلُهُ وَانْطَلَقْنَا عَلَى سَاحِلِ الْبَحْرِ فَرُفِعَ لَنَا كَهَيْئَةِ الْكَثِيبِ الضَّخْمِ فَأَتَيْنَاهُ فَإِذَا هُوَ دَابَّةٌ تُدْعَى الْعَنْبَرَ فَقَالَ أَبُو عُبَيْدَةَ مَيْتَةٌ وَلاَ تَحِلُّ لَنَا ثُمَّ قَالَ لاَ بَلْ نَحْنُ رُسُلُ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم وَفِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ وَقَدِ اضْطُرِرْتُمْ إِلَيْهِ فَكُلُوا فَأَقَمْنَا عَلَيْهِ شَهْرًا وَنَحْنُ ثَلاَثُمِائَةٍ حَتَّى سَمِنَّا فَلَمَّا قَدِمْنَا إِلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم ذَكَرْنَا ذَلِكَ لَهُ فَقَالَ " هُوَ رِزْقٌ أَخْرَجَهُ اللَّهُ لَكُمْ فَهَلْ مَعَكُمْ مِنْ لَحْمِهِ شَىْءٌ فَتُطْعِمُونَا مِنْهُ " . فَأَرْسَلْنَا مِنْهُ إِلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم فَأَكَلَ .
The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) sent us on an expedition and made Abu ‘Ubaidah b. al-Jarrah our leader. We had to meet a caravan of the Quraish. He gave us a bag of dates as a light meal during the journey. We had nothing except that. Abu ‘Ubaidah would give each of us one date. We used to suck them as a child sucks, and drink water after that and it sufficed us that day till night. We used to beat leaves off the trees with our sticks (for food), wetted them with water and ate them. We then went to the coast of the sea. There appeared to us a body like a great mound. When we came to it, we found that it was an animal called al-anbar. Abu ‘Ubaidah said: It is a carrion, and it is not lawful for us. He then said: No, we are the Messengers of the Apostel of Allah (ﷺ) and we are in the path of Allah. If you are forced by necessity (to eat it), then eat it. We stayed feeding on it for one mouth, till we became fat, and we were three hundred in number. When we came to the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), we mentioned it to him. He said : It is a provision which Allah has brought forth for you, and give us some to eat if you have any meat of it with you. So we sent some of it to the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) and he ate (it).