Volume 3, Book 44, Number 663:
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 jour –
ney 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.”