Quran: The Blessed Lands
اَوْرَثْنَا الْـقَوْمَ الَّذِيْنَ كَانُوْا يُسْتَضْعَفُوْنَ مَشَارِقَ الْاَرْضِ وَمَغَارِبَهَا الَّتِىْ بٰرَكْنَا فِيْهَاؕ وَتَمَّتْ كَلِمَتُ رَبِّكَ الْحُسْنٰى عَلٰى بَنِىْۤ اِسْرَاۤءِيْلَۙ بِمَا صَبَرُوْاؕ وَدَمَّرْنَا مَا كَانَ يَصْنَعُ فِرْعَوْنُ وَقَوْمُهٗ وَمَا كَانُوْا يَعْرِشُوْنَ
“And We caused the people who had been oppressed to inherit the eastern regions of the land and the western ones, which We had blessed. And the good word of your Lord was fulfilled for the Children of Israel because of what they had patiently endured. And We destroyed [all] that Pharaoh and his people were producing and what they had been building.” — Al-A’raf 7:137
سُبْحٰنَ الَّذِىْۤ اَسْرٰى بِعَبْدِهٖ لَيْلًا مِّنَ الْمَسْجِدِ الْحَـرَامِ اِلَى الْمَسْجِدِ الْاَقْصَا الَّذِىْ بٰرَكْنَا حَوْلَهٗ لِنُرِيَهٗ مِنْ اٰيٰتِنَاؕ اِنَّهٗ هُوَ السَّمِيْعُ الْبَصِيْرُ
“Exalted is He who took His Servant by night from al-Masjid al-Haram to al-Masjid al- Aqsa, whose surroundings We have blessed, to show him of Our signs. Indeed, He is the Hearing, the Seeing.” — Al-Isra’ 17:1
وَنَجَّيْنٰهُ وَلُوْطًا اِلَى الْاَرْضِ الَّتِىْ بٰرَكْنَا فِيْهَا لِلْعٰلَمِيْنَ
“And We delivered him and Lot to the land which We had blessed for the worlds.” — Al-Anbiya 21:71
وَلِسُلَيْمٰنَ الرِّيْحَ عَاصِفَةً تَجْرِىْ بِاَمْرِهٖۤ اِلَى الْاَرْضِ الَّتِىْ بٰرَكْنَا فِيْهَاؕ وَكُنَّا بِكُلِّ شَىْءٍ عٰلِمِيْنَ
“And to Solomon [We subjected] the wind, blowing forcefully, proceeding by his command toward the land which We had blessed. And We are ever, of all things, Knowing.” — Al-Anbiya 21:81
وَقُلْ رَّبِّ اَنْزِلْنِىْ مُنْزَلًا مُّبٰـرَكًا وَّاَنْتَ خَيْرُ الْمُنْزِلِيْنَ
“And say, ‘My Lord, let me land at a blessed landing place, and You are the best to accommodate [us].’” — Al-Mu’minun 23:29
وَجَعَلْنَا بَيْنَهُمْ وَبَيْنَ الْقُرَى الَّتِىْ بٰرَكْنَا فِيْهَا قُرًى ظَاهِرَةً وَّقَدَّرْنَا فِيْهَا السَّيْرَؕ سِيْرُوْا فِيْهَا لَيَالِىَ وَاَيَّامًا اٰمِنِيْنَ
“And We placed between them and the cities which We had blessed [many] visible cities. And We determined between them the [distances of] journey, [saying], “Travel between them by night or day in safety.” — Saba’ 34:18
Ahadith: The Abode of The Believers
قَالَ ذَكَرَ النَّبِيُّ صلى الله عليه وسلم ” اللَّهُمَّ بَارِكْ لَنَا فِي شَأْمِنَا، اللَّهُمَّ بَارِكْ لَنَا فِي يَمَنِنَا ”. قَالُوا وَفِي نَجْدِنَا. قَالَ ” اللَّهُمَّ بَارِكْ لَنَا فِي شَأْمِنَا، اللَّهُمَّ بَارِكْ لَنَا فِي يَمَنِنَا ”. قَالُوا يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ وَفِي نَجْدِنَا فَأَظُنُّهُ قَالَ فِي الثَّالِثَةَ ” هُنَاكَ الزَّلاَزِلُ وَالْفِتَنُ، وَبِهَا يَطْلُعُ قَرْنُ الشَّيْطَانِ ”.
Ibn Umar (r) reported the Prophet ﷺ as saying: “O Allah! Bestow Your blessings on our Sham! O Allah! Bestow Your blessings on our Yemen”. Those present said: “And in our Najd, O Messenger of Allah!” But he said, “O Allah, bless us in our Sham; O Allah, bless us in our Yemen”. Those present said, “And in our Najd, O Messenger of Allah!” Ibn Umar said that he thought that he said on the third occasion: “Earthquakes and Fitnah are there, and there shall arise the horn of ash-Shaytaan”. [Sahih al-Bukhari; Tirmidhi]
أَلا إِنَّ عُقْرَ دَارِ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ الشَّامُ وَ الْخَيْلُ مَعْقُودٌ فِي نَوَاصِيهَا الْخَيْرُ إِلَى يَوْمِ الْقِيَامَةِ.
Rasulallah ﷺ said: “Behold, indeed the heart of the abode of the believers is Ash-Sham. And good is attached to the forelocks of the horse until the Day of Qiyamah.” [Ahmed, Tabarani]
.قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم “طُوبَى لِلشَّأْمِ”. فَقُلْنَا لأَىٍّ ذَلِكَ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ قَالَ ” لأَنَّ مَلاَئِكَةَ الرَّحْمَنِ بَاسِطَةٌ أَجْنِحَتَهَا عَلَيْهَا”
On the authority of Zaid Ibn Thabit Al-Ansari that: ‘I heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ say, ‘How blessed is Ash-Sham! How blessed is Ash-Sham!’. “And how is that, Oh Messenger of Allah?” People asked him. ‘Those angels of Allah have spread their wings over Ash-Sham’, he answered.’ ‘The Prophets built Bait Al-Maqdis (Al-Quds),’ Ibn Abbas added. ‘And the Prophets lived in it, and there is not an inch in Bait Al-Maqdis where a Prophet has not prayed or an Angel has not stood.’ [Tirmidhi 4335, Al-Albani Sahih]
قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم بينا أنا نائم رأيت عمود الكتاب احتمل من تحت رأسي فظننت أنه مذهوب به فأتبعته بصري فعمد به إلى الشام ألا و إن الإيمان -حين تقع الفتن- بالشام.
From Abu ad-Darda (r) he said: The Prophet ﷺ said, “I saw a pillar of the book was taken from underneath my pillow and I looked and it was an extending light directed toward Ash-Sham. Verily the faith at the time of fitan (turmoil) is in Ash-Sham.” [Ahmed; Tabarani; Al-Albani Sahih]
سَيَصِيرُ الأَمْرُ إِلَى أَنْ تَكُونُوا جُنُودًا مُجَنَّدَةً جُنْدٌ بِالشَّامِ وَجُنْدٌ بِالْيَمَنِ وَجُنْدٌ بِالْعِرَاقِ ” . قَالَ ابْنُ حَوَالَةَ خِرْ لِي يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ إِنْ أَدْرَكْتُ ذَلِكَ . فَقَالَ ” عَلَيْكَ بِالشَّامِ فَإِنَّهَا خِيَرَةُ اللَّهِ مِنْ أَرْضِهِ يَجْتَبِي إِلَيْهَا خِيَرَتَهُ مِنْ عِبَادِهِ فَأَمَّا إِنْ أَبَيْتُمْ فَعَلَيْكُمْ بِيَمَنِكُمْ وَاسْقُوا مِنْ غُدُرِكُمْ فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ تَوَكَّلَ لِي بِالشَّامِ وَأَهْلِهِ ”
From Abdullah Ibn Hawālah, the Prophet ﷺ said: “It will turn out that you will be armed troops, one in Ash-Sham, one in Yemen and one in Iraq.
Ibn Hawalah said: “Choose for me, Messenger of Allah, if I reach that time.”
He replied: “Go to Ash-Sham, for it is Allah’s chosen land, to which his best servants will be gathered, but if you are unwilling, go to your Yemen, and draw water from your tanks, for Allah has on my account taken special charge of Ash-Sham and its people. [Abu Dawud 2483; Al-Albani Sahih Jiddan]
إِذَا فَسَدَ أَهْلُ الشَّامِ فَلاَ خَيْرَ فِيكُمْ لاَ تَزَالُ طَائِفَةٌ مِنْ أُمَّتِي مَنْصُورِينَ لاَ يَضُرُّهُمْ مَنْ خَذَلَهُمْ حَتَّى تَقُومَ السَّاعَةُ
Mu’awiyah bin Qurrah narrated from his father that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “When the inhabitants of Ash-Sham become corrupt, then there is no good in it for you. There will never cease to be a group in my ummah who will be helped (by Allah), they will not be harmed by those who forsake them until the Hour is established.” “O Messenger of Allah,” he was asked, “where are they?” “In and around Jerusalem,” Rasulullah ﷺ replied.” [Tirmidhi 2192; Ahmed (5/35); Al-Albani Sahih]
قَالَ كُنْتُ جَالِسًا عِنْدَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم فَقَالَ رَجُلٌ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ أَذَالَ النَّاسُ الْخَيْلَ وَوَضَعُوا السِّلاَحَ وَقَالُوا لاَ جِهَادَ قَدْ وَضَعَتِ الْحَرْبُ أَوْزَارَهَا فَأَقْبَلَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم بِوَجْهِهِ وَقَالَ “ كَذَبُوا الآنَ الآنَ جَاءَ الْقِتَالُ وَلاَ يَزَالُ مِنْ أُمَّتِي أُمَّةٌ يُقَاتِلُونَ عَلَى الْحَقِّ وَيُزِيغُ اللَّهُ لَهُمْ قُلُوبَ أَقْوَامٍ وَيَرْزُقُهُمْ مِنْهُمْ حَتَّى تَقُومَ السَّاعَةُ وَحَتَّى يَأْتِيَ وَعْدُ اللَّهِ وَالْخَيْلُ مَعْقُودٌ فِي نَوَاصِيهَا الْخَيْرُ إِلَى يَوْمِ الْقِيَامَةِ وَهُوَ يُوحَى إِلَىَّ أَنِّي مَقْبُوضٌ غَيْرَ مُلَبَّثٍ وَأَنْتُمْ تَتَّبِعُونِي أَفْنَادًا يَضْرِبُ بَعْضُكُمْ رِقَابَ بَعْضٍ وَعُقْرُ دَارِ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ الشَّامُ ” .
It was narrated that Salamah bin Nufail Al-Kindi said: “I was sitting with the Messenger of Allah when a man said: ‘O Messenger of Allah! The people have lost interest in horses and put down their weapons, and they say there is no Jihad, and that war has ended.’ The Messenger of Allah turned to face him and said: ‘They are lying, now the fighting is to come. There will always be a group among my Ummah who will fight for the truth, for whom Allah will cause some people to deviate, and grant them provision from them, until the Hour begins and until the promise of Allah comes. Goodness is tied to the forelocks of horses until the Day of Resurrection. It has been revealed to me that I am going to die and will not stay long, and you will follow me group after group, striking one another’s necks. And the place of safety for the believers is Ash-Sham.’” [An-Nasa’i 3561]
