Second: in the usage of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and the people of his city, “the people of the West” means the people of al-Shām and those farther west, just as “the people of the East” means the people of Najd and Iraq. East and west are relative: every place has a west that may lie east of another place, and an east that may lie west of another. Thus, the Prophet’s words must be understood relative to what lay west and east of him where he uttered this hadith, namely Medina.

Anyone familiar with geographical calculations, such as longitude and latitude, knows that Harrān, al-Raqqa and Sīmsiyāt lie along Mecca’s meridian, and that the Euphrates and the lands on either bank—or rather, most of this area—lie along Medina’s meridian. The two cities differ by two degrees of longitude. Whatever lies west of the Euphrates therefore lies west of Medina, and whatever lies east of it lies east of Medina.

He thus foretold that the people of the West would remain triumphant, whereas the people of the East might prevail at one time and be defeated at another. This is indeed what has happened: the army of al-Shām has continued to enjoy victory. The people of Medina used to call al-Awzāʿī the imam of the people of the West, while describing al-Thawrī as an easterner and one of the people of the East.

Among its merits is that it is Allah’s chosen land, or that its people are Allah’s chosen people and the best people on earth. Abū Dāwūd cited two hadiths in his Sunan as evidence for this:

The report of ʿAbd Allāh ibn Khawāla al-Azdī, from the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, who said:

“You will organize yourselves