on the authority of Ibn Umar—may Allah be pleased with them both—that the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—said:
“The first army to wage war against Constantinople will be forgiven.” (1)
The commander of the first army to wage war against it was Yazīd. An army is a specific, defined body, not an unrestricted class. Thus, the inclusion of each member of this army in the promise of forgiveness is stronger than the inclusion of every individual wrongdoer under the curse, for the former designation is more specific and the members of the army are identifiable.
It is also said that Yazīd waged war against Constantinople precisely because of this hadith. We know that most Muslims inevitably commit some wrongdoing. If this door were opened, it would become permissible (2) to curse most deceased Muslims. Yet Allah Most High commanded that the funeral prayer be offered for deceased Muslims; He did not command that they be cursed (3).
Moreover, the matter of cursing the dead is graver than that of cursing the living, for it is established in the Sahīh that the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—said: “Do not revile the dead
(1) I did not find the hadith with this exact wording. I did, however, find the following hadith narrated from Ubāda ibn al-Sāmit—may Allah be pleased with him—in *Sahīh al-Bukhārī*, 4/42 (Book of Jihad and Military Expeditions, chapter: “What Has Been Said about Fighting the Byzantines”): “The first army from my ummah to wage war at sea has earned Paradise.” Umm Harām said, “I asked, ‘O Messenger of Allah, will I be among them?’ He replied, ‘You will be among them.’” The Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—then said, “The first army from my ummah to attack the city of Caesar will be forgiven.” I asked, “Will I be among them, O Messenger of Allah?” He replied, “No.” Al-Albānī discussed this hadith in *Silsilat al-Ahādīth al-Sahīha*, 1/111–112, stating that it appears in *Musnad al-Hasan ibn Sufyān*, Abū Nuaym’s *al-Hilya*, and al-Tabarānī’s *Musnad al-Shāmiyyīn*. I also found in *al-Musnad* (al-Halabī ed.), 4/335, a hadith narrated from Bishr ibn Suhaym—may Allah be pleased with him—which reads: “Constantinople will surely be conquered. How excellent its commander will be, and how excellent that army will be!”
(2) MSS N and M read: “became widespread.”
(3) MS W reads: “that a curse be invoked against them.”