Signs & Miracles · Signs Seen in Public
Small food that fed an army
Handle with care. Do not round the numbers up or add details the report does not contain.
In short
- 1.At the Trench, Jabir slaughtered a young goat and ground a small measure of barley for a few men. The Prophet invited a thousand.
- 2.Jabir says they all ate and left, and the pot was still bubbling and the dough still being kneaded.
- 3.At the wedding of Zaynab, Anas was told to invite the town on a small dish; group after group ate and left satisfied.
- 4.Both are in Sahih al-Bukhari and graded sahih.
The claim being examined
On several occasions a tiny amount of food is reported to have fed hundreds, with plenty left over.
The Islamic position
Like the water reports, the strength here is the audience: hungry men digging a trench, and a wedding feast in a small town where everyone knew what had been cooked.
Analysis
Bukhari records the Trench incident at length from Jabir ibn Abdullah, including his private embarrassment at the size of the meal and the Prophet's instruction not to remove the pot or the bread until the people had eaten. The wedding of Zaynab bint Jahsh is narrated by Anas ibn Malik, who prepared and served the food himself. Both narrators are the household participants rather than distant observers, and both events took place before a large local audience.
From the Sunnah
Jabir said: we were digging the trench... I prepared a small meal, and he called out to the people of the trench, and they were a thousand. I swear by God they all ate until they left it and went away, and our pot was still bubbling as it had been.
Anas said: the Messenger of God married Zaynab and the people were fed bread and meat. I was sent to call the people, and when they had eaten they left, and the food was as it had been.
Sources
Ibn Hajar, Fath al-Bari · Sahih al-Bukhari 4102; Sahih al-Bukhari 5163
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