The Messenger of Allah ﷺ dispatched an expedition toward the coast and placed Abu Ubayda bin al-Jarrah in command. They were three hundred men, and I was among them.We set out, and when we had gone part of the way, our provisions ran out. Abu Ubayda ordered that the remaining provisions of the army be gathered together, and all of it amounted to two sacks of dates. He would ration it out to us little by little each day, smaller and smaller portions, until it was nearly finished and we were each receiving only a single date.I said, "What good can a single date do?"He replied, "We truly felt its loss once it was gone." …the hadith continues.
بعث رسول الله ﷺ بعثا قبل الساحل، فأمر عليهم أبا عبيدة بن الجراح وهم ثلاثمائة، قال: وأنا فيهم، قال: فخرجنا حتى إذا كنا ببعض الطريق فني الزاد، فأمر أبو عبيدة بأزواد ذلك الجيش، فجمع ذلك كله، فكان مزودي تمر، قال: فكان يقوتناه كل يوم قليلا قليلا حتى قليلا قليلا، حتى فني، ولم تصبنا إلا تمرة تمرة. فقلت: وما تغني تمرة؟ فقال: لقد وجدنا فقدها حين فنيت… الحديث.
Malik narrated it in the description of the Prophet ﷺ (2), from Wahb bin Kaysan, from Jabir bin Abdullah, as mentioned. Bukhari narrated it in Partnerships (2483), and Muslim in Hunting and Slaughtered Animals (21:1935), both of them through the route of Malik, with the same wording.Similar in meaning is what was narrated from Abdullah bin Amir bin Rabia, from his father, who had been present at Badr, who said, "The Messenger of Allah ﷺ used to send us out on raiding expeditions, my son, and we had no provisions except a loan of dates, which he would distribute handful by handful until it came down to date by date." He said, I said to him, "Father, what good could a single date possibly do for you?" He said, "Do not say that, my son, for after we had run out of it, we sorely needed even that."Ahmad narrated it (15692) from Yazid bin Harun, who said, Masudi informed us, from Abu Bakr bin Hafs bin Umar bin Saad bin Abu Waqqas, from Abdullah bin Amir bin Rabia, from his father, as mentioned. Masudi's memory became confused later in life, and Yazid bin Harun heard from him after that confusion had set in.Tabarani narrated it in Awsat (8869) through the route of Assad bin Musa, from Masudi, with the same wording. It is not known when Assad bin Musa heard from Masudi, whether before or after his memory became confused.