[Explanation]

The author—may Allah have mercy on him—states in his book Riyad al-Salihin, in the chapter dealing with the portents of the Hour, the narration he transmits from Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Hour will not be established until the Muslims fight the Jews.

After the sending of the Messenger ﷺ, the term “Muslims” refers to those who follow Prophet Muhammad ﷺ. Before his mission, however, a Muslim was anyone who followed the divinely-revealed law then in force. Thus, the people of Moses in Moses’ own time were Muslims; the followers of Jesus in his era were Muslims; and the believers from the people of Noah were Muslims. In short, whoever believed in a messenger whose mission was still valid was a Muslim. Once Prophet Muhammad ﷺ was sent, no one is deemed a Muslim unless he believes in him ﷺ.

You already know that the disciples said, “We are the helpers of Allah,” and that the Queen of Sheba declared, “I have wronged myself, yet I submit with Solomon to Allah, Lord of all realms,” along with other examples that are well known.

The Jews are the followers of Moses. They are named after their forefather Judah (Yahudha); with Arabization the name became Yahud. They are a nation that is cursed, treacherous, deceitful and cunning, attributing to their Lord faults and imperfections. The Jews said, “Allah’s hand is fettered” (Quran 5:64); they said, “Allah is poor” (Quran 3:181); and they claimed that Allah grew weary after creating the heavens and the earth and therefore rested on Saturday—statements of this sort in which they describe Allah, exalted is He, with deficiencies and flaws.

As for the messengers, the matter is even worse: they disbelieved in them and killed them without right. They even claimed to have killed the Messiah, Jesus son of Mary, yet Allah says, “They did not kill him, nor did they crucify him” (Quran 4:157). Thus they are—