Hadith #94

Arabic Text

English Translation

It was narrated from Ibn Mas'ud (رضي الله عنه) — via Isma'il, from Ayyub, from Humayd ibn Hilal, from Abi Qatada, from Usayr ibn Jabir — that he said: 'A red wind arose in Kufa, and a man came whose words were nothing but: O 'Abdullah ibn Mas'ud, the Hour has come! ['Abdullah] had been reclining and sat upright. He said: The Hour will not come until no inheritance is divided and no spoils of war are rejoiced over. [This will happen when] an enemy gathers against the people of Islam while the people of Islam gather against them — and he gestured with his hand toward al-Sham. I said: Do you mean the Romans [al-Rum]? He said: Yes. He said: At that battle there will be a severe apostasy. The Muslims will form a vanguard [shurata] pledged to die — that will not return except victorious. They will fight until the night separates them and they withdraw — both sides, neither having prevailed — and that vanguard will be annihilated. Then the Muslims will form another such vanguard; they fight until night, withdraw without either side prevailing, and the vanguard is annihilated again. Then the Muslims form a third such vanguard; they fight until evening, withdraw without either side prevailing, and the vanguard is annihilated. On the fourth day, the remaining people of Islam advance against them and Allah (عز وجل) causes their defeat, and they are slaughtered with a slaughter — either he said: the like of which has never been seen — or: we have never seen the like of it — until a bird passing over their flanks drops down dead. The sons of a single father count themselves — they had been a hundred — and find only one man remaining among them. What spoils would be rejoiced over and what inheritance divided [after such losses]? Just then, while they are in that state, a cry reaches them that al-Dajjal has appeared among their families left behind. They abandon what is in their hands and head back. They send ten horsemen ahead as scouts. the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: Indeed I know their names and their fathers' names and the colors of their horses — they are the best horsemen on the face of the earth that day.'