Book 27: Fitan

Mu'adh b. Jabal reported God's messenger as saying, "The flourishing state of Jerusalem will be when Yathrib is in ruins, the ruined state of Yathrib will be when the great war comes, the outbreak of the great war will be at the conquest of Constantinople, and the conquest of Constantinople when the dajjal comes forth." Abu Dawud transmitted it.

He reported God's messenger as saying, "The greatest war, the conquest of Constantinople, and the coming forth of the dajjal will take place within a period of seven months." Tirmidhi and Abu Dawud transmitted it.

`Abdallah b. Busr reported God's messenger as saying, "The time between the great war and the conquest of the city[*] will be six years, and the dajjal will come forth in the seventh." * This could be Medina, but is more probably a reference to Constantinople. Abu Dawud transmitted it, saying this is sounder.

Ibn `Umar said: The Muslims will soon be besieged up to Medina, so that their most distant frontier outpost will be Salah which is near Khaibar. Abu Dawud transmitted it.

Dhu Mikhbar told that he heard God's messenger say, "You will make a secure peace with the Byzantines, then you and they will fight an enemy behind you, and you will be victorious, take booty, and be safe. You will then return and alight in a meadow with mounds and one of the Christians will raise the cross and say, `The cross has conquered!' One of the Muslims will become angry and smash it, and the Byzantines will act treacherously and prepare for battle." Some transmitters added, "The Muslims will then make for their weapons and will fight, and God will honour that band with martyrdom." Abu Dawud transmitted it.

`Abdallah b. `Amr reported the Prophet (ﷺ) as saying, "Leave the Abyssinians alone as long as they leave you alone, for it is only the Abyssinian with short legs who will seek to take out the treasure of the Ka'ba." Abu Dawud transmitted it.

One of the Prophet's companions said: Let the Abyssinians alone as long as they let you alone, and leave the Turks alone as long as they leave you alone. Abu Dawud and Nasai transmitted it.

Buraida told that in the tradition telling that people with small eyes, i.e. the Turks, would fight with them, the Prophet (ﷺ) said, "You will drive them off three times till you catch up with them in Arabia. On the first occasion when you drive them off those who fly will be safe, on the second occasion some will be safe and some will perish, but on the third occasion they will be extirpated," or words to that effect. Abu Dawud transmitted it.

Abu Bakra reported God's messenger as saying, "Some of my people will alight in low-lying ground which they will call al-Basra beside a river called the Tigris over which there is a bridge. Its people will be numerous and it will be one of the capital cities of the Muslims. At the end of time the descendants of Qantura'[*] will come with broad faces and small eyes and alight on the bank of the river. The town's inhabitants will then separate into three sections, one of which will follow cattle into the desert and perish, another of which will seek security for themselves and perish, but a third will put their children behind their backs and fight with the invaders, and they will be the martyrs." Abu Dawud transmitted it. * The common explanation by Arabic writers is that Qantura' was a slave girl of Abraham from whom the Turks were descended. (Cf. Genesis, 25:1, which says that Abraham took a wife named Keturah -- in Hebrew Qeturah.) Ibn al-Athir, an-Nihaya fi gharib al-hadith, 3:314, says the Turks and Chinese were descended from the offspring of Qanturs'. Lisan al-'Arab, 6:432, says her offspring were the Turks, and some say the negroes. Mirqat, 5:166 f., finds a difficulty because Abraham was a descendant of Shem and the Turks were descended from Japheth. It suggests that Qantura' was a descendant of Abraham who married a descendant of Japheth. Dr. J.A. Boyle of Manchester University has drawn my attention to an article in the Harvard Journal of Asiatic Studies, 12:287, which quotes an Armenian historian, Grigor of Akner (1250-1335 A.D.), as saying that Kendura, a handmaiden of Abraham, bore Imran who became the ancestor of the Parthians.

Anas reported God's messenger as saying, "The people will establish cities, Anas, and one of them will be called al-Basra. If you should pass by it or enter it, avoid its salt-marshes, its river front, its palm trees, its market, and the gate of its commanders, and keep to its environs, for the earth will swallow some people up, pelting rain will fall and earthquakes will take place in it, and there will be people who will spend the night in it and become apes and swine in the morning." . . . transmitted it. (The name of the source is omitted in the text. The tradition is in Abu Dawud, Malahim, 10).

Salih b. Dirham said: We went on pilgrimage and met a man who asked whether there was a town near us called al-Ubulla. On our replying that there was he asked if any of us would undertake to pray two or four rak'as on his behalf in the mosque of al- `Ashshar, stating that they were on behalf of Abu Huraira, for he had heard his friend Abul Qasim say, "On the day of resurrection God who is great and glorious will raise martyrs from the mosque of al-'Ashshar who will be the only ones to rise along with the martyrs of Badr." Abu Dawud transmitted it, saying this mosque is near the river.