Aslam narrates that in the year of al-Ramadah (the year of famine), when the land was struck by drought, Sayyiduna Umar bin al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) wrote to Amr bin al-As, the governor of Egypt: "From the servant of Allah, Umar, Commander of the Believers, to al-As bin al-As: By my life, you do not care, so long as you and those with you grow fat, that I and those with me grow thin from hunger. Help, help!" Amr bin al-As wrote back: "Peace (be upon you). To proceed: Here I am, here I am at your service! A caravan is coming to you whose first camel will be with you and its last with me; moreover, I hope to find a way to send (provisions) by sea as well." When the first caravan arrived, Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) called Sayyiduna al-Zubayr (may Allah be pleased with him) and said: "Go out with the head of this caravan and take it towards Najd, and bring to me as many households as you are able to bring; and for those you cannot bring, order that each household be given a camel with its load. Tell them to wear two garments, to slaughter the camel and melt down its fat, to dry its meat and make footwear from its hide; then let them take a handful of dried meat, a handful of fat and a handful of flour and cook it, and let them eat until Allah grants them provision." Al-Zubayr (may Allah be pleased with him) refused to go, so Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "By Allah, you will not find an opportunity like this (for good) until you leave this world." Then he called another man, I think it was Talhah, and he too refused. Then he called Sayyiduna Abu Ubaydah bin al-Jarrah (may Allah be pleased with him), and he went out for this task. When he returned, Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) sent him a thousand dinars. Abu Ubaydah said: "O Ibn al-Khattab, I did not work for you; I worked only for Allah, and I will not take anything for it." Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) also gave to us for some tasks he sent us on, which we disliked, but the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) did not accept our refusal. So, O man, accept it and use it to help you in your worldly needs." So Abu Ubaydah bin al-Jarrah (may Allah be pleased with him) accepted it. This hadith is sahih on the condition of Muslim, but the two Shaykhs did not record it.