34/4. Chapter:
Sahih Muslim 1935b — Jaysh al-Khabat and the Whale
Permissibility of dead animals from the sea
Hadith About Jaysh al-Khabat and the Al-Anbar Whale
Sahih Muslim : 1935b
Sahih MuslimHadith Number 1935b
حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ الْجَبَّارِ بْنُ الْعَلاَءِ، حَدَّثَنَا سُفْيَانُ، قَالَ سَمِعَ عَمْرٌو، جَابِرَ بْنَ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ يَقُولُ بَعَثَنَا رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم وَنَحْنُ ثَلاَثُمِائَةِ رَاكِبٍ وَأَمِيرُنَا أَبُو عُبَيْدَةَ بْنُ الْجَرَّاحِ نَرْصُدُ عِيرًا لِقُرَيْشٍ فَأَقَمْنَا بِالسَّاحِلِ نِصْفَ شَهْرٍ فَأَصَابَنَا جُوعٌ شَدِيدٌ حَتَّى أَكَلْنَا الْخَبَطَ فَسُمِّيَ جَيْشَ الْخَبَطِ فَأَلْقَى لَنَا الْبَحْرُ دَابَّةً يُقَالُ لَهَا الْعَنْبَرُ فَأَكَلْنَا مِنْهَا نِصْفَ شَهْرٍ وَادَّهَنَّا مِنْ وَدَكِهَا حَتَّى ثَابَتْ أَجْسَامُنَا - قَالَ - فَأَخَذَ أَبُو عُبَيْدَةَ ضِلَعًا مِنْ أَضْلاَعِهِ فَنَصَبَهُ ثُمَّ نَظَرَ إِلَى أَطْوَلِ رَجُلٍ فِي الْجَيْشِ وَأَطْوَلِ جَمَلٍ فَحَمَلَهُ عَلَيْهِ فَمَرَّ تَحْتَهُ قَالَ وَجَلَسَ فِي حَجَاجِ عَيْنِهِ نَفَرٌ قَالَ وَأَخْرَجْنَا مِنْ وَقْبِ عَيْنِهِ كَذَا وَكَذَا قُلَّةَ وَدَكٍ - قَالَ - وَكَانَ مَعَنَا جِرَابٌ مِنْ تَمْرٍ فَكَانَ أَبُو عُبَيْدَةَ يُعْطِي كُلَّ رَجُلٍ مِنَّا قَبْضَةً قَبْضَةً ثُمَّ أَعْطَانَا تَمْرَةً تَمْرَةً فَلَمَّا فَنِيَ وَجَدْنَا فَقْدَهُ .
Jabir bin `Abdullah Narrated from:
Allah's Messenger (may peace he upon him) sent us (on an expedition). We were three hundred riders and our chief (leader) was 'Ubaida b. al-Jarrah. We were on the look out for a caravan of the Quraish. So we stayed on the coast for half a month, and were so much afflicted by extreme hunger that we (were obliged) to eat leaves. That is why it was called the Detachment of the Leaves.The ocean cast out for us an animal which was called al-'Anbar (whale). We ate of that for half of the month and rubbed its fat on our (bodies) until our bodies became stout. Abu 'Ubaida caught hold of one of its ribs and fixed that up. He then cast a glance at the tallest man of the army and the highest of the camels. and then made him ride over that, and that-man passed beneath it (the rib), and many a man could sit in its eye-socket, and we extracted many pitchers of fat from the cavity of its eye.We had small bags containing dates with us (before finding the whale). 'Ubaida gave every person amongst us a handful of dates (and when the provision ran short), he then gave each one of us one date. And when that (stock) was exhausted, we felt its loss.
Reference : Sahih Muslim 1935bIn-book reference : Book 34, Hadith 28USC-MSA web (English) reference : Book 21, Hadith 4757
Summary of Sahih Muslim Hadith 1935b
This Hadith gives another wording of the story known as the Detachment of the Leaves. Jabir said the group was three hundred riders under Abu 'Ubaida b. al-Jarrah. They stayed on the coast, hunger became severe, and they ate leaves. The ocean then cast out an animal called al-'Anbar. They ate from it for half a month and used its fat until their bodies became strong again. The narration also describes the size of the creature, including its rib, eye socket, and fat. It mentions the dates they had before that, and how each person later received only one date. The focus is hunger, need, and provision from the sea.
What we learn from this hadith
- The companions faced severe hunger with patience.
- Abu 'Ubaida managed the small amount of dates among the group.
- The sea creature became a source of food during hardship.
- The narration describes the size of al-'Anbar to show how much food it provided.
