The hadith also includes: “Break your bows, cut your bowstrings, and strike your swords against stones. If someone enters upon one of you in his house, let him be like the better of Adam’s two sons.”

Its chain of transmission is authentic. The first part of it is corroborated by the hadith of ‘Uzrah ibn Qays, from Khalid ibn al-Walid, who said:

“The Commander of the Faithful wrote to me when Syria had yielded up its bounty, becoming like butter and honey, and ordered me to march to India. At that time, what we considered India was Basra. I was reluctant to do so. Then a man stood up and said to me, ‘O Abu Sulayman, fear Allah, for the trials have appeared.’ He replied, ‘While Ibn al-Khattab is still alive?! They will only occur after him. The people will be at Dhu Balyan—or Dhu Balyan—in such-and-such a place. A man will look about and consider whether he can find a place that has not been afflicted by trials and evil like those that have afflicted the place where he is, but he will find none.’ He said: ‘Those are the days mentioned by the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him: “Before the Hour there will be harj.” So we seek refuge in Allah from those days overtaking us and you.’”

Ahmad (4/90) and al-Tabarani (no. 3841) narrated it with a chain that is good as supporting and corroborative evidence. No one besides Ibn Hibban declared ‘Uzrah ibn Qays trustworthy, while the rest of its narrators are trustworthy.

Habāʾ means people of little intelligence. Bawānihi means its goodness and the abundance and prosperity it possesses. Originally, bawānī refers to the ribs of the chest; it is also said to mean the shoulders and limbs. Its singular is bāniyah, as stated in al-Nihāyah.

Regarding Bathaniyyah, Ibn al-Athir said: “Bathaniyyah is a district named after al-Bathnah, an area in the rural district of Damascus. It is also said to mean that which is soft and pliant, derived from the soft sand called bathnah. And it is said to mean butter; that is, it became as though it were butter and honey, because its revenues came to be collected without effort.”

As for the wording, “at Dhu Balyan, or at Dhu Balyan,” this is Ahmad’s narration. Al-Tabarani said: