Allah most High blessed the land of Sham (greater Syria) in the Quran when He said “Glory to Him who made His servant travel by night from the sacred place of worship to the furthest place of worship, whose surroundings We have blessed, to show him some of Our signs: He alone is the All Hearing, the All Seeing”. (17:1)
Abd Allaah bin ‘Amr said “I heard the Apostle of Allah (saws) say: “There will be emigration after emigration and the people who are best will be those who cleave most closely to places which Abraham (as) migrated (Syria).
The Prophet (pbuh) said: Blessing to al Sham!, Blessing to al Sham!, Blessing to al Sham! (Ya Tuba Li al Sham). They asked why and he replied: Because the wings of the angels of the Merciful are lowered over it.” (Bukhari)
Salama ibn Nufayl al-Hadrami came to the Prophet and said: “I have fattened the horses and laid down arms, for war has rested its burdens and there is no more fighting.” The Prophet said: “Now has fighting come! There shall not cease to be a group in my Community that shall remain victorious over all people. Allah shall cause the hearts of some to go astray and those shall fight them and receive from them His sustenance, until His command comes to pass as they are in that state. Lo! Verily, the heartland of the Believers is al-Sham (uqr dar al-mu’minin al-sham), and immense good remains tied to the forelocks of horses until the Day of Resurrection.” (al-Bukhari in his Tarikh al-Kabir (4:70))
Syria has been mentioned in ahadith in many places in relation to the blessings Allah gave it and the blessings of it’s people, along with Ahadith about events that will occur there marking the nearness of the hour.
One Hadith recorded by Imam Suyuti, in which the Prophet (pbuh) tells us exactly How close the hour will be when it is fulfilled, and has recently occurred, not only marks the nearness of the Hour but the significance of the war in Syria as one of the events that will lead to the Major Signs.
The prophet (saws) said: “If you see Makkah with holes in its mountains, and its buildings reach (or surpass) it’s mountain tops, then the hour has cast its shadow”.
“If you see mecca with holes in its mountains” – Holes in its mountains refer to tunnels, the ones newly built and used by pedestrians and vehicles during and after hajj leading to and from the Mosque of Makkah. If we watch Live video of Makkah on the Internet eventually we will see these Holes (tunnels) in the mountains right near the Masjid.
These signs are significant because the date of their construction allows us to know the significance of events occurring around that time as the prophet (saws) didn’t simply say the hour would be near, he said at this point in time it is casting it’s shadow over people.
“And its buildings reach (or surpass) its mountain tops” – The Giant Clock tower near the Kaaba was constructed in 2012, it is the world’s second tallest building and the world’s tallest hotel at 1972 ft, it was the first building to surpass the mountains of Makkah, which is a mountainous region, the year of its completion then marks the point in time when the Hour has cast it’s shadow over people.
After a series of protests in Syria that led to government crackdowns in 2011, these events eventually turned into an outright civil war in 2012, the year when it could be said the War in Sham (Syria) properly began.
The shadow of the hour means that this is the time when significant events directly relating to the hour and leading to it’s major Signs will be occurring, the Clock Tower isn’t the event it is the thing that will mark the significance of what is occurring in the World, the Civil war’s significance itself is related in a number of other Ahadith mentioned by the prophet (saws), and is an important point in Islamic history the point when Allah will remove the Era of dictators and return Islam to Khalifah.
“Then the hour has cast it’s shadow” – meaning it’s shadow has reached us, the significance of the hour’s nearness in this description is the difference between looking at an object from a far distance approach us, which was the past 1400 years of Islam, and looking at an object whose shadow is now touching us and is coming even closer, this is the time we are alive in.
The construction of tall building’s has been mentioned in a number of Ahadith, one of the most famous narration’s in Islam is the Hadith of Jibril (Gabriel), 86 days before the prophets (saws) passing Jibril (Gabriel) came to teach the Muslim’s regarding Islam, He sat with the prophet and asked him four question’s that summed up what all of Islam is about, He asked what is Islam (the religion, it’s Fiqh, Laws), what is Iman (Aqeedah, it’s creed), what is Ihsan (Human Perfection, it’s aim) and when will the Hour occur.
Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, said, “While we were sitting with the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless with him and grant him peace, one day a man came up to us whose clothes were extremely white, whose hair was extremely black, upon whom traces of traveling could not be seen, and whom none of us knew, until he sat down close to the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, so that he rested his knees upon his knees and placed his two hands upon his thighs and said,
‘Muhammad, tell me about Islam.’
The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, ‘Islam is that you witness that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, and you establish the prayer, and you give the Zakat, and you fast Ramadan, and you perform the hajj of the House if you are able to take a way to it.’
He said, ‘You have told the truth,’
and we were amazed at him asking him and [then] telling him that he told the truth.
He said, ‘Tell me about Iman.’
He said, ‘That you affirm Allah, His Angels, His Books, His messengers, and the Last Day, and that you affirm the Decree, the good of it and the bad of it.’
He said, ‘You have told the truth.’
He said, ‘Tell me about Ihsan.’
He said, ‘That you worship Allah as if you see Him, for if you don’t see Him then truly He sees you.’
He said, ‘Tell me about the Hour.’
He said, ‘The one asked about it knows no more than the one asking.’
He said, ‘Then tell me about its tokens.’
He said, ‘That the female slave should give birth to her mistress, and you see poor, naked, barefoot shepherds of sheep and goats competing in making tall buildings.’
He went away, and I remained some time. Then he asked, ‘Umar, do you know who the questioner was?’ I said, ‘Allah and His Messenger know best.’ He said, ‘He was Jibril who came to you to teach you your Deen (Religion)’.” (Muslim and Bukhari narrated it and has a grade Higher than Sahih and that is “Agreed upon”).
Of All the signs of the hour the prophet (saws) could have mentioned he mentioned this one, this is because it would be a turning point in the history of Muslims that would clearly indicate the nearness of the hour.
The competition for constructing tall buildings began in the west, the prophet (saws) said when you see the bedouin Arabs join in this competition then this would be a clear sign of the hour, and he indicated who these people would be by the description he gave of them.
The “poor, naked, barefoot shepherds of sheep and goats” is a reference to the Origin of the bedouin Arabs of the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia who after the discovery of oil in their lands became very rich.
These two people have now constructed two of the tallest building in the world, first the Burj Khalifah in Dubai was constructed then in a similar fashion the Clock tower in Makkah was constructed which is the second tallest building in the world.
This competition Saudi Arabia will continue as they plan to surpass the burj Khalifah when they construct the worlds tallest building, the Kingdom Tower, construction began in 2013 and is due for completion in 2019, it will reach 1 mile high.
The competition is an indication of the state of that society, it’s desire for outward displays of grandeur over maintaining an environment of inward spirituality in Islam’s Holy Land, this sign of the hour is clear because materialism and spirituality can not exist in the same location, people can not connect inwardly to both at the same time one dominates the other and because materialism is in front of our eyes it corrupts more easily, while spirituality (Deen) requires effort and work, just as the prophet (saws) said, the path to heaven is paved with hardships while the path to hell is paved with ease, this is what He (saws) was referring to.
In the 19th century Makkah did not have tall buildings, then in a short period of time all this changed.
The Clock Tower in Makkah is the worlds second tallest building it looms over the Kaaba and it’s Mountains.
Dubai in the 1950’s was a village.
Dubai now has the worlds tallest building the Burj Khalifah, this competition will not end here.
The prophet (saws) spoke about the hour itself in these kind of descriptive terms in more than one hadith. The Messenger of Allah (saws) in referring to places the Imamat (religious leadership) of Islam would be found throughout Islam’s History (this is slightly different than the Islamic Khalifah or political rule) said: “This matter (Islam) will be in al-Madinah, then in Sham, then in the Jazirah, then in ‘Iraq, then in al-Madinah, then in Bayt al-Maqdis (Jerusalem). And when it comes to Bayt al-Maqdis, then it will be in its homeland. And it will never go away from a people and afterwards return to them.”
Imamat (Islamic Leadership) and Khalifah are in the same place when Islamic rule is Just. Abdullah ibn Hawalah al-Azdi (ra) said, “The Messenger of Allah (saws) placed his hand over my head and said:”O Ibn Hawalah! When you see that the Khilafa (Caliphate) has settled (has its seat or capital) in the Holy Land (Palestine), then the earthquakes, tribulations and great events will have drawn near. The Hour, on that day, will be closer to the people than my hand is to your head.” (Abu Dawwud)
It will settle in the holy Land just before the Mahdi (ra) appears, so between our time, when the hour has first cast it’s shadow over us, and the time the Khalifah (rule of Islam) settles in the holy Land, the hour would have continued to draw closer until it will be closer than the hand of the prophet (saws) just over the head of Abdullah ibn Hawlah (ra).
This rapid increase in the speed of it’s approach from when it first cast it’s shadow to when it reaches a distance just above mans’s head, in contrast to the past 1400 years were it was simply described as being near and approaching, is because the prophet (saws) said “The signs are like beads strung on a string. If the string breaks, they [quickly] follow one after the other” (falling from the string), the string was recently cut with the fitna’s (trials and tribulations) we are seeing in the world, and events are now following each other in rapid succession.
It’s shadow being cast over us is a point in time different from previous centuries, it indicates that now is the time for the beginning of events that will be the direct cause for the first major signs of the Hour, Imam Mahdi (ra), as Imam Ibn Kathir said, he is the first of the Major signs.
The events leading to him as mentioned in ahadith, and arranged by the scholars are, the fitna’s (trial’s, wars, tribulations) that will occur right before his time, which include the sanctions placed on Iraq and to be placed on Syria and then Egypt, the fitna of the Duhaima (the Blind and Dark strife), the people of earth being sorted into two groups, a group of Hypocrites with no faith and a group of people with Iman (faith) and no hypocrisy, the social destruction of society, the corrupt state of People, Globalization as people lives become intertwined, and finally the change of Islamic governance and Rulers around the world from Dictators to a Khalifah as the era of tyrants comes to an end with the war in Syria and the era of the Khalifa (Mahdi) begins.
Rasul Allah (saws) said, “Perform all good deeds before the era of evil dawns (the Duhaima, which is the biggest Fitna we will face before the time of the Mahdi), the darkness of which will increase in waves. The effects of these evils will be so grave that a person will be a Mu’min (believer) in the morning and a Kaafir (non believer) at night, or a Mu’min at night and a Kaafir in the morning. A person will sell his Deen (religion) in lieu of a paltry sum.” (Muslim).
Corruption will be so great and intense that man will sell his morality in the span of a day and become the opposite of what he once was.
Some of the ahadith which relate to our time mention events over the length of Islam’s time on earth, while some mention events that span a hundred years and others mention events that span a decade or a few years.
Of the Ahadith that span the entire length of Islam’s history on earth are the Ahadith regarding the phases and types of governance this Ummah (nation) will be ruled by, these ahadith give a good indication of how much time we have before Allah sends the Mahdi and Isa (ra) after which Allah will remove Islam and religion from earth when Isa (as) eventually passes away.
The war in Syria is significant to these Ahadith because it marks a major point in their time line, the end of Muslim lands being ruled by dictators, since the ‘Arab spring’ has removed all other dictators and the Syrian regime is last one in Islamic Lands.
The Prophet (saws) said: The Prophet hood will remain amongst you for as long as Allah wills it to be. Then Allah will raise it when He wills to raise it (meaning the Prophet will die). Then there will be the Khalifah upon the Prophetic methodology. And it will last for as long as Allah wills it to last. Then Allah will raise it when He wills to raise it. Then there will be biting kingship, and it will remain for as long as Allah wills it to remain. Then Allah will raise it when He wills to raise it. Then there will be tyrannical (forceful) kingship (an era of dictators) and it will remain for as long as Allah wills it to remain. Then He will raise it when He wills to raise it. Then there will be a Khalifah upon the Prophetic methodology. Then he (the Prophet) was silent. (Musnad Imam Ahmad (v/273)
From this Hadith it becomes clear from our history were we are in relation to Islam’s remaining time on earth, because the era of dictators is lifting.
The Khalifah upon the Prophetic methodology are the four Khalifah Rashideen, Abu Bakr (ra), Umar (ra), Uthman (ra) and Ali (ra) and some include Hassan (ra) as indicated by other Ahadith that the period of the rightly guided Khalifah would last for 30 years and its time of 30 years ended exactly with al Hassan (ra), “it will last for as long as Allah wills it to last. Then Allah will raise it when He wills to raise it”.
The biting Kingships are the Islamic Dynasties that competed with each other for dominance, starting with the Ummayid Khalifah who began this tradition of Dynasties and governance by kingship, meaning the Khalif (King effectively) was succeeded by his son and the matter of government was not left to shurah, consultation of the people as to who should rule, which was the custom of the first four Khalifa’s of Islam, about this state of affairs the prophet (saws) similarly said “it will remain for as long as Allah wills it to remain. Then Allah will raise it when He wills to raise it”.
Allah chose to raise it with the last of these Dynasties, at the end of WW1 (1918) when the Ottoman Khalifah lost to the British Empire, French Republic and the Russian Empire, who then subdivided its lands and created all the small Muslim countries we now see in the world today.
This situation of an Ummah with out an Islamic government ruling all it’s lands led to the next phase in the hadith, “Then there will be tyrannical (forceful) kingship (an era of dictators) and it will remain for as long as Allah wills it to remain”. This was the beginning of the era of Dictators, the system of dictators was installed by the colonial powers at the time so they could rule the local populations, those powers eventually collapsed but the system remained and was afterwards controlled and manipulated by the current dominant power in the world.
Our current situation in the world and the hadith of the prophet (saws) both bring us to the war in Syria, “Then He will raise it when He wills to raise it” the Arab spring that swept across the Muslim world removed the remaining dictators and this Old system entirely, the last dictator being Bashar al Asad in Syria. Once the war in Syria ends and that dictatorship is removed it’s era will be over…”Then there will be a Khalifah upon the Prophetic methodology, then he (the Prophet) was silent”, at this point in time Allah will begin the process of returning the Ummah to government underneath a Khalifah, the Mahdi (r.a).
The Prophet of Allah (saws) said: After me will come caliphs, and after the caliphs will come princes, and after princes there will be kings and after the kings, there will be tyrants. And after the tyrants a man from My House will fill the earth with justice and after him is al-Qahtani (a man in the time of Isa (as)), By the One who sent me with the Truth! Not a word less. (Tabarani, Ibn Mandah, Ibn Asakir and Na‘īm bin Hammād (who was the teacher of Imam Bukhari) in his work “al Fitan wa Malahim” from ‘Abd ar-Rahman bin Qays bin Jabir al-Sadafi. Kanz al-Ummal, hadith #38704.)
A scholar said regarding the different dynasties found in these narration’s: “We see that the caliphs spoken of in this hadith are “the Rightly- Guided Ones”: Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman and Ali, may Allah the Exalted be pleased with them all. The princes are the Umayyad Caliphs of Damascus and the Abbasid Caliphs of Baghdad. As for the kings, they are the Ottoman Sultans of Istanbul. Following the kings, according to the hadith, are tyrants and that is what is commonly seen today. Finally, what for us is a prediction: the appearance of a man from the family of the Prophet who will rule with justice” (the Mahdi).
The distinction between Princes and Kings isn’t in the type of government, both are monarchies but rather in the Quality of the Government, princes are said to be young and less burdened with the world while Kings are said to be competitive and arrogant in keeping their power, which is a perfect description of the Ottoman Khalifa that dominated the Muslim world, hoarding power by waring and ending the other Muslim Khalifah’s that existed around it, both the Mamluks and the Abbasids.
The Prophet (saws) said “when you see Sham is a bounty for a man and his oligarchy family members then at this time Constantine will be opened”. The Ottoman Sultan Mehmed II opened Constantinople in 1452 soon after The Ottomans had conquered Sham, the prophet (saws) mentioned that it will be no more than a Jewel in his eye taken for worldly reasons, the Ottomans conquered it from another Islamic Khalifah which was not Jihad for Allah’s sake. The prophet (saws) then calls his family an Oligarchy which means that power is controlled by a small group of people and they are fiercely keeping with themselves.
There is no other time frame for events to occur in, major events are occurring in our own life time and hardly anyone recognizes them, when Mehmet the second was conquering Constantinople do you think he saw that he was the subject of such a hadith, judging his own character and actions, or he viewed life as we do wondering who the prophet (saws) was talking about, the Hour has cast it’s shadow and major events are unfolding clearly, we should know what these signs mean because Allah instructs it in the Quran;
“Verily, in all this there are messages indeed for those who can read the signs” (15:75)
“AND [remember:] We have not created the heavens and the earth and all that is between them without [an inner] truth; but, behold, the Hour is indeed yet to come. Hence, forgive [men’s failings] with fair forbearance” (15:85)
“But they [who reject My messages are wont to] ask, “When is that promise [(I shall show you My portents) I shall show you the signs of My divine Oneness in the horizons] to be fulfilled? [Answer this, O you who believe in it,] if you are men of truth!” (21:37) (additions from Tanwir al-Miqbas min Tafsir Ibn Abbas)
“Nay, but [the Last Hour] will come upon them of a sudden, and will stupefy them: and they will be unable to avert it, and neither wilt they be allowed any respite.”(21:40)
There are no dictators left in the Muslim world and the era wont be ending at any other time than ours, Allah is removing it and history has literally occurred as the prophet (saws) mentioned.
From what the Prophet (saws) said we have only mentioned some of these Ahadith for the sake of being brief, but there are other narration’s mentioning the change in governance indicating this time frame the Ummah is on. The matter is widely reported although we cant say if the narration’s have reached the level of Mutawatir (mass transmitted hadith).
Just as Allah prepared the Arabs of Quraish, over a period of time, both spiritually and psychologically for Islam’s advent Allah will prepare the Ummah (muslim nation) for the coming of the Mahdi (ra), the prophet (saws) informed us why we are in the state we are in;
The Prophet (saws) said: “The people will soon summon one another to attack you as people when eating invite others to share their dish. Someone asked: Will that be because of our small numbers at that time? He replied: No, you will be numerous at that time: but you will be scum and rubbish like that carried down by a torrent, and Allah will take fear of you from the breasts of your enemy and (place) enervation into your hearts. Someone asked: What is wahn (enervation) Apostle of Allah: He replied: Love of the world and dislike of death”. (the dislike of struggle against oppression, to fix what is wrong in the world) (Muslim).
Islam was the dominant Power in the world throughout it’s history, so this can only be talking about the decline of Muslim dominance around the world over the past hundred years and most certainly our own life time, since we are in Islam’s lowest point of strength. The Ottoman Khalifah, the last Khalifah of Islam, was one of the most feared Empires in the world, after it’s demise Muslims have hardly had the capacity to stand up for their own religion and the oppression that is occurring in their lands.
What we see happening in Syria, Iraq and Yemen are a part of this preparation.
The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said:”Matters will run their course until you become three armies: an army in Sham (Syria), an army in Yemen, and an army in Iraq”. Ibn Hawalah said: “Choose for me, O Messenger of Allah! in case I live to see that day”.
The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said: “You should go to Sham, for it is the best of Allah’s lands, and the best of His slaves will be drawn there! And if you refuse, then you should go to Yemen and drink from its wells. For Allah has guaranteed me that He will look after Sham and its people!” (Imam Ahmad 4/110, Abu Dawud 2483).
If we can’t help the people of Sham we should then help the people of Yemen because Allah has promised to look after Sham and it’s people.