Auspices of the Ultimate Victory of Islam
Auspices From The Muhammadan Sunnah
The Muhammadan Sunnah and biography are rich and plenteous in auspices, some of which we have already tackled through what has been quoted from Al-Hâfizh bin Kathîr.
These Prophetic auspices abound in the records of the Prophetic Tradition, such as the authenticated references, the books of the Sunnah, the Musnads, the lexicons, the tomes and other compilations of hadiths.
But Muslims – during the eras of decline and retardation - neglected them and they sank into oblivion. They only circulated the hadiths that discussed seditions and the portents of the Last Hour, interpreting such hadiths with a tendency towards despair and loss of hope for reformation, or any deed that can help the nation stand on its feet once again, and encourage it to strive hard for the sake of changing the status quo to that which is better and more ideal. Definitely, it is impossible that the guiding light (the Prophet Muhammad, may Allah bless him and grant him peace) of the nation would utter what may discourage it from attempts at reformation and summoning the will to change.
All these auspices tell about the future of Islam: that the future belongs to Islam and its nation, as told by the one who does not speak of his own desire.
I would like here to mention that the honorable Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) does not know the Unseen on his own. For Allah is the only One Who has the keys of the Unseen. Allah, The Most Exalted and Ever-Majestic, says:
يقول الله تعالى في كتابه العزيز:
قُل لَّا يَعْلَمُ مَن فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ الْغَيْبَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ (النمل: 65)
The noble Qur’anic verse says what means:
“Say: ‘None in the heavens and the earth knows the Ghaib (unseen) except Allah.’” (An-Naml, 27: 65)
From the Unseen, the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) only knew what Allah, all glory be to Him, had revealed to him, and he reported it just as Allah had conveyed it to him. Allah, all praise and glory be to Him, says:
يقول الله تعالى في كتابه العزيز:
عَالِمُ الْغَيْبِ فَلَا يُظْهِرُ عَلَى غَيْبِهِ أَحَدًا {26} إِلَّا مَنِ ارْتَضَى مِن رَّسُولٍ (الجن: 26، 27)
The noble Qur’anic verses say what means:
‘“(He Alone) the All-Knower of the Ghâ'ib (unseen), and He reveals to none His Ghâ'ib (unseen).’ Except to a Messenger (from mankind) whom He has chosen (He informs him of unseen as much as He likes).’ (Al-Jinn, 72: 27-26)
In the next pages we shall cite the most important among these auspices:
Among these auspices is the hadith narrated by Tamîm Ad-Dâry. He said that he heard the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) saying, “Indeed, this affair (meaning Islam) will reach as far as night and day reach, and Allah will not leave a dwelling of brick, nor of fur, but Allah will surely make this religion (Islam) enter it, either honoring an honorable one or disgracing an abject one; an honor by which Allah graces Islam, and a disgrace by which Allah degrades disbelief.”1
Reaching as far as night and day means that Islam will spread throughout the entire earth as night and day. Moreover, this religion will walk in all towns and deserts, for the dwelling made of brick stands for urban cities and that made of fur stands for Bedouin areas. Islam will enter in them all, whereby the Promise of Allah pledged in His Noble Book, [repeated in three Surahs: At-Tawbah: 33; Al-Fath: 48; As-Saff: 9], is fulfilled:
يقول الله تعالى في كتابه العزيز:
هُوَ الَّذِي أَرْسَلَ رَسُولَهُ بِالْهُدَى وَدِينِ الْحَقِّ لِيُظْهِرَهُ عَلَى الدِّينِ كُلِّهِ(التوبة: 33، الفتح: 28، الصف: 9)
Almighty Allah says in His Noble Book what means:
“It is He Who has sent His Messenger (Muhammad, may Allah bless him and grant him peace) with guidance and the religion of truth (Islam), to make it superior over all religions.” (At-Tawbah: 33; Al-Fath: 48; As-Saff: 9)
Its superiority over all other religions means its prevalence over all other religions. During the first Islamic eras, Islam conquered Judaism, Christianity, Arab paganism, Persian Magianism, and certain Asian and African religions, but it did not triumph over all religions, so we are still awaiting these glad tidings, and surely Allah fails not His Promise.
These glad tidings are substantiated by the hadith narrated by Al-Miqdâd bin Al-Aswad (may Allah be pleased with him) who said, “I heard the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) saying, ‘Naught dwelling whether of brick, or fur will remain on the surface of the earth but Allah will surely make the word of Islam enter it, either honoring an honorable one or disgracing an abject one…’”2
From amongst these auspices is the hadith that Imam Ahmad reported in his Musnad on the authority of Abu Qabîl, who said, “We were with ‘Abdullâh bin ‘Amr bin Al-‘Âs (may Allah be pleased with him) when he was asked, ‘Which of the two cities is to conquered first, Constantinople or Rome?’ Upon which ‘Abdullâh called for a sealed trunk, and he got a book out of it, and then he said: Whilst we were around the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) writing down,3 the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) was asked, ‘Which of the two cities is to be conquered first, Constantinople or Rome?’ And he (the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace) answered, ‘The city of Heraclius4 will be conquered first!’” 5
Rome is the metropolis of Italy today, and Constantinople is now Istanbul. What can be grasped from the posed question is that the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them all) knew beforehand that Islam would conquer the two cities, and their people would embrace Islam, but they just wanted to know which of the two cities would precede the other, thus he (the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace) answered them by saying that the city of Heraclius – that is Constantinople – would be conquered first.
That prophecy was fulfilled at the hands of the ambitious Ottoman youth, Muhammad bin Murâd, aged twenty-three, who was known through history by Muhammad the Conqueror. Thus, Constantinople was conquered in the ninth century A.H. [fifteenth century A.D.], precisely on Tuesday 20th of Jumada I 857 A.H. (29 May –1453 A.D.).
Thus, remains the second part of the glad tidings to be fulfilled: the conquest of Rome, through which Islam will enter Europe once again after it was forced out of it twice: once from Andalusia and the other from the Balkan states.
Most probably this conquest will be through the power of word and pen, not through swords and spears, for the world will open its arms and heart to Islam, after being overburdened by the philosophies (ideologies) of materialism and positivism, and will appeal for assistance from heavens, and guidance from Allah, thus it will find none but Islam a rescuer.
The peaceful conquest (victory) has its origins in Islam, for Allah, The Most Exalted, has called the Hudaibiyah Peace Treaty a conquest, even a ‘manifest victory’, and on that occasion Surat Al-Fath was revealed in which Allah, all praise be to Him, says:
يقول الله تعالى في كتابه العزيز:
إِنَّا فَتَحْنَا لَكَ فَتْحًا مُّبِينًا (الفتح: 1)
The noble Qur’anic verse says what means:
“Verily, We have given you (O Muhammad) a manifest victory.” (Al-Fath, 48: 1)
Thereupon, the Companions asked the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) saying, ‘Is it a conquest (victory), O Messenger of Allah?’ And he (the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace) answered, ‘Yes, it is a conquest (victory).’
Among these auspices is also the hadith that Muslim and others reported on the authority of Thawbân (may Allah be pleased with him), who narrated that the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) said, “Verily, Allah has folded the earth (i.e. has drawn together the ends of the entire earth) for me, and I saw its eastern and western parts, and verily the dominion of my nation will reach as far as what has been folded to me from it, and I have been granted the two treasures: the red (the gold i.e., the treasures of khosrau) and the white (the silver, i.e. the treasures of Caesar)….”6
‘Allah has folded the earth for me,’ means that Allah has contracted the entire earth, pressed together its ends and gathered it for the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) to see it in its entirety.
This hadith bears the glad tidings that the Islamic Empire will stretch out until it encompasses the eastern and western parts; in other words, the whole earth will fall within its boundaries. If the preceding two hadiths of Tamîm Ad-Dâry and Al-Miqdâd (may Allah be pleased with them) herald the spreading of the call to Islam, and the superiority of its word, this hadith heralds the power of the Islamic empire and its expansion, until it embraces East and West, as seen by the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace). In this way the power of the word will unite with the mightiness of the empire, or to put it in other words, the power of the Noble Qur’an with that of sovereignty, which will bring about great prosperity.
Further auspice is the hadith narrated by Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him), in which the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) said, “The Last Hour will not be established till the land of Arabia returns meadows and rivers.” Imam Ahmad added in his narration: “And till the passenger travels between Iraq and Mecca fearing nothing save losing his way.”7
Amongst them also is the hadtih of Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him), in which he narrated that the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) said, “The Last Hour will not be established till wealth grows abundantly amongst you and overflows, so much that a wealthy person will worry lest nobody should accept his charity, and till he offers it, but the one to whom it is offered will say, 'I am not in need of it.’”8
Such purport is also corroborated in the hadith Marfû‘ [i.e., hadith directly traced back to the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace] of Abu Mûsâ (may Allah be pleased with him) who narrated that the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) said, "A time will come upon people when man will wander about with golden alms, finding no one to accept it from him.”9
Similar to it is the hadith Marfû‘ of Hârithah bin Wahb (may Allah be pleased with him) who narrated that he heard the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) saying, “(O people!) Give alms, for a time is about to come on you when man will walk with his alms finding none to accept it, and the man (to whom it is offered) will say, ‘Had you brought it yesterday I would have accepted it, but today I am in no need of it.’”10
All this shows the prevalence of luxury and affluence, and the disappearance of poverty from communities in a way that leaves no poor person in need of charity, or even willing to accept it. Such are the blessings reaped by the justice of Islam, and the imprint of belief and piety on the life of people, as Allah, The Most Exalted, says:
يقول الله تعالى في كتابه العزيز:
وَلَوْ أَنَّ أَهْلَ الْقُرَى آمَنُواْ وَاتَّقَواْ لَفَتَحْنَا عَلَيْهِم بَرَكَاتٍ مِّنَ السَّمَاء وَالأَرْضِ (الأعراف: 96)
The noble Qur’anic verse says what means:
“And if the people of the towns had but believed and feared Allah, we should indeed have opened to them (all kinds of) blessing from heaven and earth.” (Al-A'râf, 7: 96)
These auspices can also be traced in the hadith narrated by Hudhaifah bin Al-Yamân (may Allah be pleased with him), that the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) said, “‘Prophethood (meaning himself) will remain among you for as long as Allah wills it to remain, then He will upraise it whenever He wills to upraise it. Afterwards, there will be a Caliphate that follows the guidance of Prophethood remaining for as long as Allah wills it to remain. Then, He will upraise it whenever He wills to upraise it. Afterwards, there will be a mordacious reign and it will remain for as long as Allah wills it to remain. Then, He will upraise it whenever He wills to upraise it. Afterwards, there will be a tyrannical reign and it will remain for as long as Allah wills it to remain. Then, He will upraise it whenever He wills to upraise it. Then, there will be a Caliphate that follows the guidance of Prophethood.’ Then he fell silent.”11
The mordacious reign is the one during which people suffer tyranny and injustice, and is depicted as if it has biting fangs, whereas the tyrannical reign is the one founded on despotism and oppression, like the contemporary despotic military regime.
This hadith heralds the dispelling of the eras of despotism, injustice, and tyranny, and the return of the Rightly-Guided Caliphate, which will follow in the footsteps of the Prophetic doctrine in administering justice and counsel, forbearing from what Allah has forbidden and guarding the rights of the servants.
More of these auspices can be traced in the hadith of Ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) who narrated that he heard the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) saying: “The Jews will fight against you and you will triumph over them, thereupon the stone will say, ‘O Muslim! There is a Jew behind me, kill him!’”12
Similar to it is the hadith Marfû‘ [i.e., hadith directly traced back to the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace] that Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated, in which the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) said, “The Last Hour will not be established unless the Muslims fight against the Jews, and the Muslims kill them, until the Jew will hide himself behind the stones and the trees and the stones or the trees will say, ‘O Muslim! O servant of Allah! There is a Jew behind me; come and kill him.’”13
Would the stone and the tree truly speak – as a Miracle of Allah, and it certainly amounts to nothing if measured against the Power of Allah – or would they speak by way of allusion? Meaning that everything would pinpoint the Jews and disclose them.
Whatever be the meaning, the purport is that everything will be in favor of the Muslims, and against their Jewish enemies. It also foretells that victory will certainly come, and the legend that the Jews circulate of their invincible power will not last. It also tells that those who have usurped Palestine by force and the power of arms, Allah will put them down, for The All-Mighty gives respite to the unjust, then He will seize them painfully and mightily. Their nuclear arsenal through which they seek protection will avail them nothing, just like the strongholds of their ancestors from the tribe of Banu An-Nadîr availed them nothing when they were overtaken by the Torment of Allah that can never be warded off the evildoers. About them, The Almighty says in His Noble Book:
يقول الله تعالى في كتابه العزيز:
هُوَ الَّذِي أَخْرَجَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا مِنْ أَهْلِ الْكِتَابِ مِن دِيَارِهِمْ لِأَوَّلِ الْحَشْرِ مَا ظَنَنتُمْ أَن يَخْرُجُوا وَظَنُّوا أَنَّهُم مَّانِعَتُهُمْ حُصُونُهُم مِّنَ اللَّهِ فَأَتَاهُمُ اللَّهُ مِنْ حَيْثُ لَمْ يَحْتَسِبُوا وَقَذَفَ فِي قُلُوبِهِمُ الرُّعْبَ يُخْرِبُونَ بُيُوتَهُم بِأَيْدِيهِمْ وَأَيْدِي الْمُؤْمِنِينَ فَاعْتَبِرُوا يَا أُولِي الْأَبْصَارِ (الحشر: 2)
The noble Qur’anic verse says what means:
“He it is Who drove out the disbelievers among the people of the Scripture (i.e. the Jews of the tribe of Banî An-Nadîr) from their homes at the first gathering. You did not think that they would get out. And they thought that their fortresses would defend them from Allah! But Allah’s (Torment) reached them from a place whereof they expected it not, and He cast terror into their hearts, so that they destroyed their own dwellings with their own hands and the hands of the believers. Then take admonition, O you with eyes (to see).” (Al-Hashr, 59: 2)
Also, among these auspices are the hadiths narrated by a number of the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them all). Among them is the one narrated by Mu‘âwiyah (may Allah be pleased with him) in which he said that he heard the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) saying, "A group from my nation will remain guarding the Decree of Allah, not (the least) harmed by those who desert or oppose them until the Command of Allah (the Last Day) comes to pass while they are still triumphant over the people.”14
This hadith was verified by the narrations of ‘Umar, Al-Mughîrah, Thawbân, Abu Hurairah, Qurrah bin Iyâs, Jâbir, ‘Imrân bin Husain, ‘Uqbah bin ‘Âmir15, Jâbir bin Samurah16 and Abu Umâmah (may Allah be pleased with them all) who narrated, “The Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) said, ‘A group from my nation will remain adhering to religion victorious by it, and conquering their enemy. Not (the least) harmed by those who desert them, except for the hardship they suffer until the Command of Allah (the Last Day) comes to pass while they are still so.’ They (the Companions) asked, ‘O Messenger of Allah! Where are they? He answered, ‘In Baitul-Maqdis (Jerusalem) and the environs of Baitul-Maqdis.’”17
The meaning conveyed by all these hadiths is that goodness will persist in this nation, and it will never lack the firm adherents to the Path of Allah who invite people to it by logic and good reasoning, and the champions of truth who hold fast to it until the Last Hour is established. Such a victorious group will persist until the Command of Allah is executed, whatever be the adversities and injury they may suffer.
This is substantiated by the hadith narrated by Abu Mâlik Al-Ash‘ary (may ِAllah be pleased with him) in which the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) said, “Allah has protected you from three traits: That your Prophet should not invoke a curse on you and you all perish, that the followers of falsehood should not prevail over the followers of truth, and that you all should not stray from the right path.”18
Another of these auspices is the hadith of Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him), in which he narrated that the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) said: “Verily, Allah sends for this nation at the beginning (or end) of every hundred years the one who rejuvenates its religion for it.”19
The word ‘one’ in the hadith may serve as an indication of ‘a single person’, as has been said concerning ‘Umar bin Abdul-‘Azîz, Imam Al-Shâfi’y and Imam Al-Ghazâly, as well as an indication of a group, as some of the expounders, of which the author is one, are inclined to interpret it. For the rejuvenator could stand for a group calling to Islam, or teaching it or striving in the Cause of Allah. And here the Muslim must inwardly question himself: “What is my role in the rejuvenation movement?” Instead of doing nothing but waiting helplessly for the emergence of the reviver!20
Among the auspices affirmed in the Prophetic Sunnah is the descent of Al-Messiah ‘Îsâ (Jesus, peace be upon him), son of Maryam (Mary, may Allah be pleased with her) at the End of Time to rule according to the Islamic Shari’ah (Law), and as a successor to the Prophet Muhammad (may Allah bless him and grant him peace), the Messenger of Allah and the last of all the Prophets.
The investigators from among the learned scholars specialized in the Prophetic Tradition affirm that the hadiths tackling such a point have reached a degree of recurrence and frequency that proves their trustworthiness and credibility.
Our learned Sheikh, Anwar Al-Kashmîry has mentioned from them forty hadiths ranging between hadith Sahîh (Authentic) and hadith Hassan (Good) – apart from the weak – in his book entitled ‘At-Tasrîh Bimâ Tawâtar fy Nizûl Al-Massîh’ [A Statement of The Recurrent In The Descent of Al-Messiah] whose authenticity was verified by our learned friend, Sheikh Abdul-Fattâh Abu Ghâdah.
He who believes in the Al-Mightiness of Allah, which nothing whatsoever whether on earth or heavens stands beyond It, and is aware of the Miracles of Allah in the universe, and the Miracles by which He supported His Messengers, will not find it difficult to believe in the descent of Al-Messiah, ‘Îsâ (peace be upon him) from heaven, after Allah raised him to it when his enemies wanted to kill and crucify him, as informs The Most Exalted in His Noble Qur’an:
يقول الله تعالى في كتابه العزيز:
بَل رَّفَعَهُ اللّهُ إِلَيْهِ وَكَانَ اللّهُ عَزِيزًا حَكِيمًا(النساء: 158)
The noble Qur’anic verse says what means:
“But Allah raised him [‘Îsâ (Jesus)] up (with his body and soul) unto Himself (and he is in the heavens). And Allah is Ever All-Powerful, All-Wise.” (An-Nisâ’, 4: 158)
Even if we remotely assume as some have claimed that Al-Messiah (peace be upon him) died, it is neither farfetched nor fanciful that Allah resurrects and revives him once again, a miracle to His creation, just as ‘Îsâ (peace be upon him) used to bring the dead to life only by the Leave of Allah.
Among the most well known auspices in the Sunnah are the hadiths heralding the appearance of Al-Mahdy (the rightly-guided one). Those indisputably authentic among them inform about the emergence of an upright Muslim ruler, who will appear after eras of injustice and corruption. He will firmly reestablish the Religion of Allah (Islam) on earth, and fill it with justice, after it was rife with injustice and oppression. His lineage, his name, his shape, his features, and the time of his emergence are controversial and inessential to us. What is really important to us is the concept itself, which is Islamic and pertains to the Prophetic Auspices. It suffices to mention in this regard the hadith reported by Imam Ahmad and Abu Dâwûd on the authority of ‘Ali bin Abu Tâlib (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) said, “If only one day of this world but remained, still Allah would raise up a man from my family who would fill it with justice, just as it has been filled with oppression.”21
Al-Hâkim also reported the hadith Marfû‘ [i.e., hadith directly traced back to the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace] of Abu Sa’îd (may Allah be pleased with him) in which he narrated that the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) said, “The Last Hour will not be established until the earth is filled with injustice, oppression and aggression, then a man from my family will emerge who will fill it with equity and justice, just as it has been filled with injustice, oppression and aggression.”22
1 Reported by Imam Ahmad in his Musnad: (4: 103). Also, Al-Haithamy recorded it in Al-Majma‘ saying: Imam Ahmad and At-Tabarâny reported it, and the narrators therein are the same mentioned by Imam Al-Bukhâry and Muslim: (614); it includes some typographical mistakes.
2 Reported by Imam Ahmad: (64), At-Tabarâny: 20601, Ibn Hibbân (6699, 6701), Al-Hâkim (4430), and he authenticated it according to the provisions of Al-Bukhâry and Muslim; and Adh-Dhahaby agreed on that. Al-Haithamy also recorded it: (614) and it seems that some wording is missing for he said that the narrators therein are the same mentioned by Imam Al-Bukhâry and Muslim, which consequently indicates his noting that Imam Ahmad and At-Tabarâny reported it.
3 This indicates that recording or writing down the hadiths started during the lifetime of the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) and there are many proofs for that. It is also well-known that ‘Abdullâh bin ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) had a manuscript where he used to write down the hadiths called (the truth-teller). Perhaps, it was the one within the sealed trunk that he brought out to answer the questioner.
4 Heraclius was the Emperor of the Byzantine Empire (610-641) during the Muhammadan Mission. Before embracing Islam, Abu Sufyân (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) was brought before Heraclius’s assembly and he asked him precise questions about the Prophet Muhammad (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) and his religious call that revealed his smartness and intelligence. He did realize through the answers the truthfulness of the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace), but when he examined his retinue and felt that they shunned Islam and were adverse to it his love for sovereignty prevailed over pursuing the path of truth and he sacrificed religion for the life of this world. He remained till Syria was conquered during the lifetime of ‘Umar bin Al-Khattâb (may Allah be pleased with him), and departed it saying: Farewell Syria, a farewell after which there will be no coming together!
5 Reported by Imam Ahmad in his Musnad: hadith no. (6645). Sheikh Shâkir said that its chain of transmission is authentic. Al-Haithamy also recorded it in Al-Majma‘: (6219) and said that Imam Ahmad reported it and the narrators therein are the same mentioned by Al-Bukhâry and Muslim, other than Abu Qabîl who is trusted. Al-Albâny also mentioned it in his authenticated series, hadith no. (4).
6 Reported by Muslim in the book of Al-Fitan wa Ashrât As-Sâ'ah (Turmoil And The Portents of The Last Hour), hadith no. (2889), Abu Dâwûd (4252), At-Tirmithy (2203) and Ibn Mâjah (3952).
7 Reported by Muslim in the book of the Zakâh, hadiths no. (1012, 60) and Ahmad: (2370, 371).
8 Agreed upon: Al-Lu’lu’ wal-Marjân (594).
9 Agreed upon: Al-Lu’lu’ wal-Marjân (593).
10 Agreed upon: Al-Lu’lu’ wal-Marjân (592).
11 Reported by Imam Ahmad: (4273) and also in Al-Majma‘: (5189), where Al-Haithamy said that Imam Ahmad reported it but Al-Bazzâr's narration is a little bit longer, while that of At-Tabarâny, in Al-Awsat, is shorter and their narrators are trustworthy.
12 Agreed upon: Al-Lu’lu’ wal-Marjân (1849).
13 Reported by Muslim in Sahîh Al-Jâmi' As-Saghîr (The Small Authentic Compilation) (7427).
14 Reported by Imam Ahmad, Al-Bukhâry and Muslim – Sahîh Al-Jâmi' As-Saghîr (The Small Authentic Compilation) (7290).
15 See their hadiths in Sahîh Al-Jâmi' As-Saghîr (The Small Authentic Compilation) from (7287) to (7296).
16 Sahîh Al-Jâmi' As-Saghîr (The Small Authentic Compilation) (7704).
17 Recorded in Al-Musand: (5269). With reference to it ‘Abdullâh said: it was found in my father’s handwriting…. the hadith. Al-Haithamy also recorded it and ascribed its narration to Al-Musnad by Imam Ahmad and At-Tabarâny, saying that their narrators are trusted: (7288).
18 Reported by Abu Dâwûd in the book of Al-Fitan [Turmoil] (4253).
19 Reported by Abu Dâwûd in the book of Al-Malâhim [Battles] (4291) and Al-Hâkim authenticated it.
20 Please see my discourse that revolved around (The Rejuvenation of Religion in the Light of Sunnah) in my book entitled Min Ajl Sahwah Râshidah (For The Sake of a Righteous Arousal), printed by the Islamic Library in Beirut and Al-Bashîr House in Tanta, Egypt.
21 Reported by Abu Dâwûd in the book of Al-Mahdy (The rightly-guided one) hadith no. (4283); both Abu Dâwûd and Al-Mundhiry made no comment thereon (i.e., the hadith may be authentic or weak). Yet, Sheikh Ahmad Shakir did authenticate it in his work on Al-Musnadby Imam Ahmad, with Fitr bin Khalifah included in its chain of transmission. He also mentioned it in Sahîh Al-Jâmi' As-Saghîr (The Small Authentic Compilation) with its additional parts (5305).
22 Reported by Al-Hâkim and he authenticated it according to the provisions of Imam Al-Bukhâry and Muslim; and Adh-Dhahaby agreed on that: (4557).