The Jazira & Fitan before the Day of Judgment

I thought it might be beneficial that we reflect on some of the ahadith regarding fitan in the Jazira prior to the Day of Judgment. Of course, we should remember that only Allah knows when these events will pass.

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Some Ahadith About the Jazira and Fitan Before the Day of Judgment

 
As-Salamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu:
 
 
I thought it might be beneficial that we reflect on some of the ahadith regarding fitan in the Jazira prior to the Day of Judgment. Of course, we should remember that only Allah knows when these events will pass. My reference is at-Tuwaijari’s Itihaf al-Jama’a, I, pp. 75-81 (may Allah be merciful with him).
 
 
Chapter: What Has been Related Regarding a Fitna that Will Sweep the Arabs Away
 
Upon ‘Abdullah b. Amr (may Allah be pleased with them both) who said: The Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) said: “There will be a fitna that will clean (tastanzifu) the Arabs, its dead will be in Hell. During which the tongue will be more severe (ashadd) than a blow of the sword.” [Reported by Abu Dawud and declared Weak by Al-Albani].
 
«إنها ستكون فتنة تستنظف العرب قتلاها في النار اللسان فيها أشد من وقع السيف» رواه أبو داود وضعفه الألباني
 
At-Tuwaijari then comments on the narrators of this narration and after concluding that the hadith is hasan he proceeds to explain it as follows:
 
[Regarding the Prophet’s] statement “cleans the Arabs,” Ibn al-Athir and Ibn al-Manzur [my note: Ibn al-Athir is the scholar who wrote an-Nihaya fi Gharib al-Hadith, a dictionary on uncommon words found in hadith texts; Ibn al-Manzur is the author of the famous Lisan al-Arab.] have said: It means it will encompass them in destruction. It is said [in Arabic]: istanzafat ash-shay’, if you take it all. While Ali al-Qari has said in al-Mirqat [my note: al-Mirqat is a commentary of Mishkat al-Masabih]: It has been said that it means it will purify them from filth (al-ardhal) [my note: perhaps here it is best translated as sins] and the people of al-fitan.
 
I (i.e. at-Tuwajari) say: This [second] opinion is strong in light of the evidence, even though the first opinion is stronger in light of the [Arabic] language.
 
What bears witness to what al-Qari has said is what has been mentioned regarding the fitna known as ad-duhaima’ [my note: ad-duhaima’ means black and dark, at-Tuwaijiri gives a lengthy discussion on the meaning of this word on pages 55-56.]. [Where the Prophet said]: “It will not leave any single individual of this umma but slap him on the cheek.” In [the hadith on the duhaima’ fitna, the Prophet] said: “Until the people become two camps: one of faith with no hypocrisy and one of hypocrisy with no faith.”[Reported by Abu Dawud and authenticated by Al-Albani].
 
«ثم فتنة الدهيماء لا تدع أحدا من هذه الأمة إلا لطمته لطمة...حتى يصير الناس إلى فسطاطين: فسطاط إيمان لا نفاق فيه، و فسطاط نفاق لا إيمان فيه» رواه أبو داود وصححه الألباني
 
At-Tuwaijri continues:
 
This shows that the duhaima’ fitna will clean the believers from the people of fitan, doubt and hypocrisy; not that it will annihilate them completely. And the duhaima’ fitna is the greatest fitna that will occur prior to the appearance of the Antichrist.
 
At-Tuwaijri then continues:
 
[Further] evidence that the fitna will not consume all the Arabs is what Muslim reports in his sahih and at-Tirmidhi in his Jami’ upon Jabir b. Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with them both) who said: Umm Sharik informed that she heard the Prophet (sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) say: “The people will flee from Dajjal to the mountains. Umm Sharik said: O Messenger of Allah where will be the Arabs that day? He replied: They will be few.”
 
«ليفرن الناس من الدجال في الجبال. قالت أم شريك: يا رسول الله! فأين العرب يومئذ؟ قال: هم قليل» رواه مسلم والترمذي
 
At-Tuwaijari then cites another evidence that not all the Arabs will be annihilated in the Prophet’s hadith in al-Bukhari and Muslim that the Banu Tamim will be most severe of his umma against the Antichrist.
 
عن أبي هريرة رضي الله عنه قال: لا أزال أحب بني تميم بعد ثلاث سمعتهن من رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم يقولها فيهم: «هم أشد أمتي على الدجال» رواه البخاري ومسلم
 
At-Tuwaijari then comments, “The Banu Tamim is a large tribe of Arabs.”
 
He then relates the hadith reported regarding the peace between the Muslims and ar-Rum (Christian Europe), followed by the treachery of the Europeans against the Muslim; coming under eighty banners, under each banner twelve thousand soldiers. (80 x 12,000 = 960, 000 men!) [Reported by Al-Bukhari].
 
«...ثم هدنة تكون بينكم وبين بني الأصفر ، فيغدرون فيأتونكم تحت ثمانين غاية، تحت كل غاية اثنا عشر ألفا» رواه البخاري
 
After discussing the hadith’s isnad, at-Tuwaijari points out that the proof is the reference to the Arabs which shows that the Great War (al-Malhama al-Kubra) [my note: to which they refer to as Armageddon] will be between the Arabs and Europe.
 
He then relates a hadith that the Prophet (sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) said: “The Great War, and the conquest of Constantinople, and the conquest of Constantinople the appearance of the Antichrist.” [Authenticated by Al-Albani].
 
«و خروج الملحمة فتح القسطنطينية، وفتح القسطنطينية خروج الدجال» صححه الألباني
 
At-Tuwaijari then surmises that “these four ahadith all indicate that a large number of Arabs will remain after the great fitna mentioned at the beginning of the chapter. Upon this, [the Prophet’s] statement, “clean the Arabs,” means that it will consume most of them in destruction. The juxtaposition of the majority when saying all is prevalent in Arabic. And Allah knows best.”
 
As for the Prophet’s statement: “That its dead will be in Hell.”
 
At-Tuwajari then explains that some scholars have interpreted this to mean that since they did not intend by fighting to raise Allah’s word, or push back an injustice, or assist the people of the truth; but rather they sought to show off and sought wealth and power (al-mulk), they are in Hell.
 
At-Tuwaijari then mentions a number of hadith about fighting under a “blind” banner (rayah ‘immiya), i.e., a call of blind partisanship, be it tribal, national, etc.
 
At-Tuwaijari then explains how the tongue during this fitna is more severe than the sword as follows: “The confirmation of this is seen in our times in the spread of radio broadcasts and newspapers in all corners of the earth. The tongues of those who speak through [these media], insulting, belittling, mentioning the faults of those who disagree with them, spreading fitan, and whipping up hatred and animosities is much greater than the blow of the sword.”
 
At-Tuwaijari then continues by saying: “This fitna [which will clean the Arabs] has yet to occur, and perhaps it is the duhaima’ fitna which will occur just prior to the appearance of the Antichrist.”
 
He then mentions a number of hadith which tie a deaf, blind fitna and the destruction of the Arabs. One hadith has the wording, “Woe to the Arabs of an evil drawing nigh, from a blind, deaf mute fitna” [Al-Albani said: Good Authentic (Hasan Sahih)].
 
«ويل للعرب! من شرب قد اقترب، من فتنة عمياء صماء بكماء...» قال الألباني: حسن صحيح
 
Some of these hadith mention that the fitna will occur due to competing claims of jahiliya, i.e., call of nationalism, tribalism, etc.
 
At-Tuwajari then remarks: “Much death and killing has occurred in our times due to the call of jahiliya especially due to the removal of the imama and the khilafa and it being replaced by jumhuriyas.” (jumhuriya is normally translated as republic, but hear it has a broader meaning to include all governments of the slogan/type for the people, by the people). He continues: “This is the pure resemblance of the infidel nations and following their ways as one sandal resembles the other. It is not far-fetched that the duhaima’ fitna will be due to such call of jahiliya. Refuge is sought with Allah from the fitan.”
 
He then concludes with a couple of hadith regarding the fitna in general and the eventually total war with Europe.
 
I also remember that elsewhere in his book he ties the duhaima’ fitna with the drying up/retraction of the Euphrates and its uncovering a mountain of gold.
 
And Allah knows best.