42/35. Chapter:
Sunan an-Nasai 4352 — The Great Whale and a Hungry Army
Dead Meat From The Sea
Al-Anbar Whale Hadith: Food and Relief During Severe Hunger
Sunan an-Nasai : 4352
Sunan an-NasaiHadith Number 4352
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 .
`Amr Narrated from:
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."
[1] The leaves of a thorny desert tree.Reference : Sunan an-Nasa'i 4352In-book reference : Book 42, Hadith 90English translation : Vol. 5, Book 42, Hadith 4357
Summary of Sunan an-Nasai Hadith 4352
This hadith tells the detailed story of three hundred riders led by Abu ‘Ubaidah. Their mission left them on the coast with very little food. Hunger became so strong that they ate khabat leaves. Then the sea cast ashore a huge creature called Al-‘Anbar. They ate from it for half a month and used its fat on their bodies, after which their health returned. The narration gives vivid signs of the animal’s size, including a rib tall enough for a camel and rider to pass beneath and an eye socket large enough for four men. It also remembers the shrinking date rations, from handfuls to one date each. The hadith is a powerful account of hardship, careful rationing, and unexpected food from the sea.
What we learn from this hadith
- Abu ‘Ubaidah led a group of three hundred riders.
- The group faced such hunger that they ate khabat leaves.
- They ate from the huge sea animal called Al-‘Anbar.
- The animal’s meat and fat helped restore their bodies.
