Arabic (Original)
حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ الرَّحْمَنِ عَنْ مَالِكٍ عَنْ وَهْبِ بْنِ كَيْسَانَ عَنْ جَابِرِ بْنِ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ أَخْبَرَهُ أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ بَعَثَ سَرِيَّةً ثَلَاثَ مِائَةٍ وَأَمَّرَ عَلَيْهِمْ أَبَا عُبَيْدَةَ بْنَ الْجَرَّاحِ فَنَفِدَ زَادُنَا فَجَمَعَ أَبُو عُبَيْدَةَ زَادَهُمْ فَجَعَلَهُ فِي مِزْوَدٍ فَكَانَ يُقِيتُنَا حَتَّى كَانَ يُصِيبُنَا كُلَّ يَوْمٍ تَمْرَةٌ فَقَالَ لَهُ رَجُلٌ يَا أَبَا عَبْدِ اللَّهِ وَمَا كَانَتْ تُغْنِي عَنْكُمْ تَمْرَةٌ قَالَ قَدْ وَجَدْنَا فَقْدَهَا حِينَ ذَهَبَتْ حَتَّى انْتَهَيْنَا إِلَى السَّاحِلِ فَإِذَا حُوتٌ مِثْلُ الظَّرِبِ الْعَظِيمِ قَالَ فَأَكَلَ مِنْهُ ذَلِكَ الْجَيْشُ ثَمَانِ عَشْرَةَ لَيْلَةً ثُمَّ أَخَذَ أَبُو عُبَيْدَةَ ضِلَعَيْنِ مِنْ أَضْلَاعِهِ فَنَصَبَهُمَا ثُمَّ أَمَرَ بِرَاحِلَتِهِ فَرُحِلَتْ فَمَرَّتْ تَحْتَهُمَا فَلَمْ يُصِبْهَا شَيْءٌ.
English Translation
Abd al-Rahman told us, from Malik, from Wahb ibn Kaysan, from Jabir ibn Abdullah, who informed him: that the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, sent out an expedition of three hundred men and put Abu Ubaydah ibn al-Jarrah in command of them. Our provisions ran out, so Abu Ubaydah gathered up the remaining provisions and put them in a bag, and he rationed us until each of us received only one date per day. A man said to him, "O Abu Abdullah, what good would one date do for you?" He said, "We indeed felt its loss when it was gone," until we reached the coast, and there was a whale like a small mountain. The army ate from it for eighteen nights. Then Abu Ubaydah took two of its ribs and set them upright, and then ordered his mount to be saddled, and it passed beneath them without touching them.