THE MIRACULOUS FEAST DURING THE BATTLE OF THE TRENCH H 521 "During the battle of Ahzab (the battle of the Trench) the Companions we were digging a trench when they struck a hard boulder; no one was able to break it. The Prophet, praise and peace be upon him, was told about it and said: 'I will go down to the trench.' As he stood up it was noticed that he had tied a rock to his stomach (to prevent the pangs of hunger) - they had not eaten anything for three days. When he reached the trench he picked up a spade and struck the hard boulder with it and it shattered into sand. Jabir asked the Prophet's permission to return to his home. When he reached his home he said to his wife: 'I have seen the Prophet, praise and peace be upon him, in such a (hungry) condition, I cannot bear it, have you anything to eat in the house?' She told him: 'I have some barley and a nanny goat.' Jabir slaughtered the nanny goat and ground the barley, then put the meat into the cooking pot. When the broth was almost ready and the barley flour had been kneaded, Jabir went to the Prophet, praise and peace be upon him, and said: 'I have some food, O Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, will you come with one or two others?' He asked: 'How is it?' Jabir replied: 'As I mentioned.' The Prophet, praise and peace be upon him, said: 'It is a lot and good, tell her not to take the pot off the fire nor the bread from the oven until I arrive.' Then he said to the Emigrants and the Helpers: 'Let us go, and they all stood up.' Jabir returned to his wife and said: 'The Blessings of Allah be upon you, the Prophet, praise and peace be upon him, together with the Emigrants, the Helpers and others are coming!' She asked: 'Did he ask you (how much food there was)?' Jabir replied: 'Yes.' The Prophet, praise and peace be upon him, told his Companions: 'Enter, but do not over-crowd.' Then he started to break the bread into pieces and put some meat on top of it. Then he took some bread from the oven and some broth from the pot and poured it over it and asked his Companions to pass the food around. Then he went back to the pot and oven, uncovered them and did the same. He continued to do this until everyone had eaten their fill - and there was still some left over! Then he told Jabir's wife: 'Eat some and send some as a gift to those who are hungry.'" We are also informed: "At the time when the trench was being dug, Jabir noticed the signs of hunger on the Prophet, praise and peace be upon him, so he returned to his wife and asked her 'Have you any food in the house? I have seen signs of acute hunger in the Prophet, praise and peace be upon him,' She brought out a leather bag in which there was a measure of barley; there was also a nanny goat they had reared. Jabir slaughtered the nanny goat and she prepared the flour for baking. Jabir cut the meat into pieces and put it in the cooking pot. Then as he was about to return to the Prophet, praise and peace be upon him, to invite him his wife said (considering the small quantity of food): 'Do not humiliate me in the eyes of the Prophet, praise and peace be upon him, and those who are with him.' When Jabir came to him he spoke to him in a low tone saying: 'O Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, we have slaughtered a nanny goat and have ground a measure of barley. Please come with a few people.' Thereupon the Prophet, praise and peace be upon him, announced for all his Companions to hear: 'Companions of the Trench, Jabir has prepared a feast for you, so come, all of you.' Then he told Jabir 'Do not remove the pot from the fire, nor bake the bread until I arrive.' So Jabir returned home and the Prophet, praise and peace be upon him, followed with his Companions. Jabir's wife said: 'This will give you a bad name.' Jabir replied: 'I only did what you asked me to do.' Jabir's wife brought the dough and the Prophet, praise and peace be upon him, put his saliva on it and blessed it. Then he went to the cooking pot and put a little saliva in it and blessed it. Then he said: 'Call the lady who bakes, let her bake with you, and let her ladle the broth from the cooking pot without removing it from the fire.' There were a thousand people altogether, and by Allah, all of them ate. When they left there was still some food in the pot, and Jabir's pot was as full as it was in the beginning, and the amount of dough remaining to be baked was the same quantity as that which they started." R 521 Bukhari and Muslim with a chain up to Jabir who related this hadith.
519- وعن جابر رضي الله عنه ، قَالَ : إنَّا كُنَّا يَوْمَ الْخَنْدَقِ نَحْفِرُ ، فَعَرَضَتْ كُدْيَةٌ شَدِيدَةٌ ، فَجَاؤُوا إِلَى النبي صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم ، فقالوا : هذِهِ كُدْيَةٌ عَرَضَتْ في الخَنْدَقِ . فَقَالَ : "أنَا نَازِلٌ" ثُمَّ قَامَ ، وَبَطْنُهُ مَعْصُوبٌ بِحَجَرٍ ، وَلَبِثْنَا ثَلاَثَة أيّامٍ لاَ نَذُوقُ ذَوَاقاً فَأخَذَ النبي صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم المِعْوَلَ ، فَضَرَبَ فَعَادَ كَثيباً أهْيَلَ أَو أهْيَمَ ، فقلت : يَا رسول الله ، ائْذَنْ لي إِلَى البَيْتِ ، فقلتُ لامْرَأتِي : رَأيْتُ بالنَّبيِّ صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم شَيئاً مَا في ذَلِكَ صَبْرٌ فَعِنْدَكِ شَيْءٌ ؟ فقالت : عِنْدي شَعِيرٌ وَعَنَاقٌ ، فَذَبَحْتُ العَنَاقَ وَطَحَنْتُ الشَّعِيرَ حَتَّى جَعَلْنَا اللَّحْمَ في البُرْمَةِ ، ثُمَّ جِئْتُ النبي صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم ، وَالعَجِينُ قَدِ انْكَسَرَ ، وَالبُرْمَةُ بَيْنَ الأثَافِيِّ قَدْ كَادَتْ تَنْضِجُ ، فقلتُ : طُعَيْمٌ لي ، فَقُمْ أنْتَ يَا رسول اللهِ وَرَجُلٌ أَوْ رَجُلانِ ، قَالَ : "كَمْ هُوَ" ؟ فَذَكَرْتُ لَهُ ، فَقَالَ : "كثيرٌ طَيِّبٌ قُل لَهَا لاَ تَنْزَع البُرْمَةَ ، وَلاَ الخبْزَ مِنَ التَّنُّورِحتى آتِي" فَقَالَ : "قُومُوا" ، فقام المُهَاجِرُونَ وَالأنْصَارُ ، فَدَخَلْتُ عَلَيْهَا فقلتُ : وَيْحَكِ قَدْ جَاءَ النبيُّ صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم وَالمُهَاجِرُونَ وَالأنْصَارُ ومن مَعَهُمْ ! قالت : هَلْ سَألَكَ ؟ قُلْتُ : نَعَمْ ، قَالَ : "ادْخُلُوا وَلاَ تَضَاغَطُوا" فَجَعَلَ يَكْسرُ الخُبْزَ ، وَيَجْعَلُ عَلَيْهِ اللَّحْمَ ، وَيُخَمِّرُ البُرْمَةَ وَالتَّنُّور إِذَا أخَذَ مِنْهُ ، وَيُقَرِّبُ إِلَى أصْحَابِهِ ثُمَّ يَنْزعُ ، فَلَمْ يَزَلْ يِكْسِرُ وَيَغْرِفُ حَتَّى شَبِعُوا ، وَبَقِيَ مِنْهُ ، فَقَالَ : "كُلِي هَذَا وَأهِدي ، فَإنَّ النَّاسَ أصَابَتْهُمْ مَجَاعَةٌ" متفقٌ عَلَيْهِ . وفي رواية قَالَ جابر : لَمَّا حُفِرَ الخَنْدَقُ رَأيْتُ بالنبيِّ صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم خَمَصاً ، فَانْكَفَأْتُ إِلَى امْرَأتِي ، فقلت : هَلْ عِنْدَكِ شَيْءٌ ؟ فَإنّي رَأيْتُ برسول الله صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم خَمَصاً شَديداً ، فَأخْرَجَتْ إلَيَّ جِرَاباً فِيه صَاعٌ مِنْ شَعِيرٍ ، وَلَنَا بَهِيمَةٌ دَاجِنٌ فَذَبَحْتُهَا ، وَطَحَنتِ الشَّعِيرَ ، فَفَرَغَتْ إِلَى فَرَاغي ، وَقَطَعْتُهَا في بُرْمَتها ، ثُمَّ وَلَّيْتُ إِلَى رسول الله صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم ، فقالت : لاَ تَفْضَحْنِي برسول الله صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم وَمَنْ مَعَهُ ، فَجئتهُ فَسَارَرْتُهُ ، فَقُلْتُ : يَا رسول الله ، ذَبَحْنَا بهيمَة لَنَا ، وَطَحَنْتُ صَاعاً مِنْ شَعِيرٍ ، فَتَعَالَ أنْتَ وَنَفَرٌ مَعَكَ ، فَصَاحَ رسول الله صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم ، فَقَالَ : "يَا أهلَ الخَنْدَقِ : إنَّ جَابِراً قَدْ صَنَعَ سُؤْراً فَحَيَّهَلا بِكُمْ" فَقَالَ النبي صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم : "لاَ تُنْزِلُنَّ بُرْمَتَكُمْ وَلاَ تَخْبزنَّ عَجِينَكُمْ حَتَّى أجِيءَ" فَجِئْتُ ، وَجَاءَ النبي صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم يَقْدُمُ النَّاسَ ، حَتَّى جِئْتُ امْرَأتِي ، فقالَتْ : بِكَ وَبِكَ ! فقُلْتُ : قَدْ فَعَلْتُ الَّذِي قُلْتِ . فَأخْرَجَتْ عَجِيناً ، فَبسَقَ فِيهِ وَبَاركَ ، ثُمَّ عَمَدَ إِلَى بُرْمَتِنا فَبصَقَ وَبَارَكَ، ثُمَّ قَالَ: "ادْعِي خَابزَةً فَلْتَخْبِزْ مَعَكِ ، وَاقْدَحِي مِنْ بُرْمَتِكُمْ ، وَلاَ تُنْزِلُوها" وَهُم ألْفٌ ، فَأُقْسِمُ بِالله لأَكَلُوا حَتَّى تَرَكُوهُ وَانْحَرَفُوا ، وَإنَّ بُرْمَتَنَا لَتَغِطّ كَمَا هِيَ ، وَإنَّ عَجِينَنَا لَيُخْبَزُ كَمَا هُوَ . قَوْله : "عَرَضَتْ كُدْيَةٌ" بضم الكاف وإسكان الدال وبالياء المثناة تَحْتَ ، وَهِيَ قِطْعَةٌ غَلِيظَةٌ صُلْبَةٌ مِنَ الأرضِ لاَ يَعْمَلُ فِيهَا الفَأسُ ، وَ"الكَثيبُ" أصْلُهُ تَلُّ الرَّمْل ، وَالمُرَادُ هُنا : صَارَتْ تُراباً نَاعِماً ، وَهُوَ مَعْنَى" أهْيَلَ" . وَ"الأَثَافِيُّ" : الأحجَارُ الَّتي يكُونُ عَلَيْهَا القِدْرُ ، وَ"تَضَاغَطُوا" : تَزَاحَمُوا . وَ"المَجَاعَةُ" : الجُوعُ ، وَهُوَ بفتح الميم . وَ"الخَمَصُ" : بفتح الخاء المعجمة والميم : الجُوعُ ، وَ"انْكَفَأتُ" : انْقَلَبْتُ وَرَجَعْتُ . و"البُهَيْمَةُ" بضم الباء ، تصغير بَهْمَة وَهيَ ، العَنَاقُ ، بفتح العين . وَ"الدَّاجِنُ" : هِيَ الَّتي ألِفَتِ البَيْتَ : وَ"السُّؤْرُ" الطَّعَامُ الَّذِي يُدْعَى النَّاسُ إِلَيْهِ ؛ وَهُوَ بالفَارِسيَّة . وَ"حَيَّهَلا" أيْ تَعَالُوا . وَقَوْلُهَا" بك وَبكَ" أيْ خَاصَمَتْهُ وَسَبَّتْهُ ، لأَنَّهَا اعْتَقَدَتْ أنَّ الَّذِي عِنْدَهَا لاَ يَكْفِيهمْ ، فَاسْتَحْيَتْ وَخَفِيَ عَلَيْهَا مَا أكْرَمَ الله سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى بِهِ نَبِيَّهُ صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم مِنْ هذِهِ المُعْجِزَةِ الظَّاهِرَةِ وَالآية البَاهِرَةِ . " بَسَقَ" أيْ : بَصَقَ ؛ وَيُقَالُ أيْضاً : بَزَقَ ، ثَلاث لُغاتٍ . وَ"عَمَدَ" بفتح الميم، أيْ : قَصَدَ . وَ"اقْدَحي" أيْ : اغْرِفِي ؛ وَالمِقْدَحَةُ : المِغْرَفَةُ . وَ"تَغِطُّ" أيْ : لِغَلَيَانِهَا صَوْتٌ ، والله أعلم .