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The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) sent a detachment to overtake a caravan that was carrying wheat and food for Quraysh. He appointed Abu ‘Ubaydah as their commander. The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) gave them a leather sack of dates, and their commander used to give each one of them one date, due to the scarcity of the provisions they had. They would suck the dates and drink water over them. They also used to pluck the leaves off the trees by their sticks, which are the camels' fodder, then soak them in water to soften them up. When they arrived at the sea shore, they saw something like a mound of sand. When they reached it, they found out that it was a large fish called 'Al-‘Anbar' (sperm whale). Their commander Abu ‘Ubaydah forbade them from eating from it because it was dead, and dead animals are unlawful according to the Qur’anic texts. Then, he changed his ruling and allowed them to eat from it, because it is permissible for the Muslim to eat dead animals when he is forced by necessity, particularly they were on a journey that was an act of obedience to Allah, the Exalted. They forgot that the dead animals of the sea are lawful. Based on necessity, they ate from it and carried some of its meat with them. When they arrived at Madīnah, they informed the Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) of that incident, whereupon he approved their action and ate from it.
