Was rice present during the time of the Messenger, may Allah bless him and grant him peace?

Rice was known during the time of the Prophet, peace be upon him, as it is mentioned in Musnad Ahmad, on the authority of Ibn Umar, that the Prophet, peace be upon him, mentioned in the Hadith (definition) of the People of the Cave the story of a man who hired a laborer for a faraq of rice. The laborer then left him, and the employer cultivated it for him. The faraq is a well-known measure in Madinah, indicating the Companions' knowledge of rice at that time.