Minhaj as-Sunnah - Ibn Taimiya - (7/58)

Minhaj as-SunnahIbn Taimiya

victorious, conquering lands and killing unbelievers.

It is authentically reported that the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—said:

“A group of my community will continue to prevail upon the truth. Neither those who oppose them nor those who forsake them will harm them until the Hour comes.” (1)

Muādh ibn Jabal said, “They are in Syria.”

In Sahīh Muslim, Abū Hurayrah relates that the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—said:

“The people of the West will continue to prevail until the Hour comes.” (2)

Ahmad ibn Hanbal and others said, “The people of the West are the people of Syria.”

It is indeed as they stated, for every locality has a west and an east. The Prophet’s words—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—must therefore be understood in relation to what lies west of his city. A portion of the Euphrates lies west of Medina: al-Bīrah (3) and nearby places lie directly in line with Medina, just as Harrān (4), al-Raqqah (5), Sumaysāt (6), and nearby places lie directly in line with Mecca.

Hence it is said that the qibla of these people is the most accurately oriented of all qiblas: if you place the northern pole directly behind you, you will be facing the Kaaba. Thus, everything west of the Euphrates lies west of Medina, extending to the farthest reaches of the earth, and the people of Syria are the first of these.

(1) This hadith appeared previously at 4/461. (2) This hadith appeared previously at 4/461. (3) Yāqūt states in Mu‘jam al-Buldān: “Al-Bīra is the name of several places, including a town near Sumaysāt, between Aleppo and the Byzantine frontier lands. It is a strong fortress.” (4) Yāqūt states in Mu‘jam al-Buldān: “It is a great and renowned city in Jazīrat Aqūr and the capital of Diyār Mudar. It is one day’s journey from Edessa and two days’ journey from al-Raqqa.” (5) Yāqūt states: “Al-Raqqa is pronounced with a fatha on its first two letters and with the second letter doubled. It is a renowned city on the Euphrates, three days’ journey from Harran. It is counted among the lands of al-Jazīra because it lies on the eastern bank of the Euphrates.” (6) (M) reads: “and Sumasāt.” Yāqūt states in Mu‘jam al-Buldān: “Sumaysāt—with a damma on the first letter, a fatha on the second, then a quiescent yā’, another sīn, and an unpointed tā’ after the alif—is a city on the western bank of the Euphrates, at the edge of the Byzantine territories.”

مَنْصُورِينَ يَفْتَحُونَ الْبِلَادَ وَيَقْتُلُونَ الْكُفَّارَ. وَفِي الصَّحِيحِ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ - صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - أَنَّهُ قَالَ: " «لَا تَزَالُ طَائِفَةٌ مِنْ أُمَّتِي ظَاهِرِينَ عَلَى الْحَقِّ، لَا يَضُرُّهُمْ مَنْ خَالَفَهُمْ وَلَا مَنْ خَذَلَهُمْ حَتَّى تَقُومَ السَّاعَةُ» " (١) قَالَ: " مُعَاذُ بْنُ جَبَلٍ: " وَهُمْ بِالشَّامِ ". وَفِي مُسْلِمٍ عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ - صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - أَنَّهُ قَالَ: " «لَا يَزَالُ أَهْلُ الْغَرْبِ ظَاهِرِينَ حَتَّى تَقُومَ السَّاعَةُ» " (٢) . قَالَ أَحْمَدُ بْنُ حَنْبَلٍ وَغَيْرُهُ: " أَهْلُ الْغَرْبِ هُمْ أَهْلُ الشَّامِ ". وَهَذَا كَمَا ذَكَرُوهُ ; فَإِنَّ كُلَّ بَلَدٍ لَهُ غَرْبٌ وَشَرْقٌ، وَالِاعْتِبَارُ فِي لَفْظِ النَّبِيِّ - صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - بِغَرْبِ مَدِينَتِهِ، وَمِنَ الْفُرَاتِ هُوَ غَرْبُ الْمَدِينَةِ، فَالْبِيرَةُ (٣) وَنَحْوُهَا عَلَى سَمْتِ الْمَدِينَةِ، كَمَا أَنَّ حَرَّانَ (٤) وَالرَّقَّةَ (٥) وَسُمَيْسَاطَ (٦) وَنَحْوَهَا عَلَى سَمْتِ مَكَّةَ. وَلِهَذَا يُقَالُ: إِنْ قِبْلَةَ هَؤُلَاءِ أَعْدَلُ الْقِبَلِ، بِمَعْنَى أَنَّكَ تَجْعَلُ الْقُطْبَ الشَّمَالِيَّ خَلْفَ ظَهْرِكَ، فَتَكُونُ مُسْتَقْبِلَ الْكَعْبَةِ، فَمَا كَانَ غَرْبِيَّ الْفُرَاتِ فَهُوَ غَرْبِيُّ الْمَدِينَةِ إِلَى آخِرِ الْأَرْضِ، وَأَهْلُ الشَّامِ أَوَّلُ هَؤُلَاءِ.

(١) سَبَقَ هَذَا الْحَدِيثُ فِيمَا مَضَى ٤/٤٦١. (٢) مَضَى هَذَا الْحَدِيثُ ٤/٤٦١ (٣) قَالَ يَاقُوتُ فِي مُعْجَمِ الْبُلْدَانِ، الْبِيرَةُ فِي عِدَّةِ مَوَاضِعَ مِنْهَا بَلَدٌ قُرْبَ سُمَيْسَاطَ بَيْنَ حَلَبَ وَالثُّغُورِ الرُّومِيَّةِ، وَهِيَ قَلْعَةٌ حَصِينَةٌ. (٤) قَالَ يَاقُوتُ فِي مُعْجَمِ الْبُلْدَانِ، هِيَ مَدِينَةٌ عَظِيمَةٌ مَشْهُورَةٌ مِنْ جَزِيرَةِ أَقُورَ وَهِيَ قَصَبَةُ دِيَارِ مُضَرَ، بَيْنَهَا وَبَيْنَ الرُّهَا يَوْمٌ وَبَيْنَ الرَّقَّةِ يَوْمَانِ. (٥) قَالَ يَاقُوتُ الرَّقَّةُ بِفَتْحِ أَوَّلِهِ وَثَانِيهِ تَشْدِيدُهُ، وَهِيَ مَدِينَةٌ مَشْهُورَةٌ عَلَى الْفُرَاتِ بَيْنَهَا وَبَيْنَ حَرَّانَ ثَلَاثَةُ أَيَّامٍ، مَعْدُودَةٌ فِي بِلَادِ الْجَزِيرَةِ لِأَنَّهَا، مِنْ جَانِبِ الْفُرَاتِ الشَّرْقِيِّ. (٦) م: وَسُمَسَاطَ. وَقَالَ يَاقُوتُ فِي مُعْجَمِ الْبُلْدَانِ: سُمَيْسَاطُ، بِضَمٍّ أَوَّلِهِ وَفَتْحِ ثَانِيَةٍ ثُمَّ يَاءٍ مِنْ تَحْتِ سَاكِنَةٍ وَسِينٍ أُخْرَى ثُمَّ بَعْدَ الْأَلِفِ طَاءٌ مُهْمَلَةٌ، مَدِينَةٌ عَلَى شَاطِئِ الْفُرَاتِ فِي طَرَفِ بِلَادِ الرُّومِ عَلَى غَرْبِيِّ الْفُرَاتِ.