ASALATU WASALAMU ALAYKA YA RASULLALLAH Salla Allahu ta'ala 'alayhi wa Sallam Hazrat'e Sayyiduna Abu Abdullah Jaabir bin Abdullah Radi Allahu anhu narrates that, ''the Prophet Salla Allahu ta'ala 'alayhi wa Sallam once sent three hundred of us against the Quraish and Hazrat'e Sayyiduna Abu Ubaidah bin Jarrah Radi Allahu anhu was chosen as our commander. We were also given a small bag of dates as our means of food for the journey. Hazrat'e Sayyiduna Abu Ubaidah Radi Allahu anhu used to give each one of us a single date every day. (When he was asked as to how they used to survive on merely a single date everyday, he replied that they used to suck the date like a little child does and used to drink water thereafter. This was sufficient for the entire day and night). We used to also break the leaves which the camels eat with our spears and after soaking this in water, we used to eat these leaves. We were once travelling on the coast when from afar we saw a hump on the shore like a hump of sand. When we approached near we saw that it was a dead fish. Hazrat'e Sayyiduna Abu Ubaidah Radi Allahu anhu said, ''This is dead.'' Then he added, ''No, we have been sent by the Prophet Salla Allahu ta'ala 'alayhi wa Sallam and have left on the path of Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala . You people are also suffering from hunger, therefore you may eat this.'' We managed on this for an entire month and we were three hundred till all of us became satisfied. I remember continuously taking a handful of flesh from its eye cavity. We also cut pieces of flesh the size of buffalo from the fish. The eye cavity of the fish was so large that Hazrat'e Sayyiduna Abu Ubaidah Radi Allahu anhu made thirteen of us sit within this cavity (and we all fitted inside). We took one rib and made it stand up like a bow and (actually) rode a large saddled camel under it. We also took some dry meat with us to act as provisions for the journey. When we arrived in Madina shareef and presented ourselves to The Prophet Salla Allahu ta'ala 'alayhi wa Sallam , we made mention of this incident. The Prophet Salla Allahu ta'ala 'alayhi wa Sallam replied, ‘That was food which Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala had created for you. Do you have any of that meat still left? If you have, then let me eat some also' We sent the meat to the Prophet Salla Allahu ta'ala 'alayhi wa Sallam and they consumed this meat.'' (Sahih Muslim, Volume 2, Page 137, Hadith no. 1935) The incident that you have just read has been called ''Saiful Bahr'' or ''Jayshul Usrah'' by Islamic historians. The commander of the Muslims on this occasion was Hazrat'e Sayyiduna Abu Ubaidah bin Jarrah Radi Allahu anhu one of the ten among the ''Ash'arah Mubasharrah'', (meaning those ten companions who were given notice of paradise while in this world). The Prophet Salla Allahu ta'ala 'alayhi wa Sallam had actually given him the beloved title of ‘Ameenul Ummah', (the Muslim's trustworthy person) SUBHANALLAH AZZAWAJAL. He accepted Islam initially through the single handed effort of Hazrat'e Sayyiduna Abu Bakr Siddique Radi Allahu anhu . He was extremely brave, brave-hearted, a towering figure and his blessed face was thin due to continuous hunger. During the battle of Uhud when two metal spikes embedded themselves on the blessed cheek of the Prophet Salla Allahu ta'ala 'alayhi wa Sallam, Hazrat'e Sayyiduna Abu Ubaidah Radi Allahu anhu was the one who removed them from the beautiful face of the Prophet Salla Allahu ta'ala 'alayhi wa Sallam by pulling them out with his own teeth. It is because of this that two of his own teeth from the back of his blessed mouth were made shaheed.Al Usaabah, Volume 3, Page 476) Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala bestow his choice blessings upon him and with his sadaqa also forgive us Ameen Thum,Ameen.