Prophecy
Hazrat Ali (ra) took part in this expedition, regarding which it is narrated in Musnad Ahmad bin Hanbal – Hazrat Ammar bin Yasir (ra) stated:
“Hazrat Ali (ra) and I were together in the journey during the expedition of Zatul Ushairah. When the Holy Prophet (sa) reached there and settled, we saw the people of Banu Mudlij who were working in one of the springs of their date-orchard. Hazrat Ali (ra) asked me, ‘O Abu Yaqzaan, what do you think, shall we go closer and see what they are doing?’
“Thus we went towards them and watched them work for some time. Then we began to feel tired, so Hazrat Ali (ra) and I left from there and rested on the ground between two date palms and fell asleep. By God, it was the Holy Prophet (sa) who woke us up. He prodded us with his foot to wake us up, as we were covered in dust [from the ground beneath]. On that day, upon seeing the dust on Hazrat Ali’s (ra) body, the Holy Prophet (sa) said, ‘O Abu Turab [father of dust]!’ Then he said, ‘Shall I not tell you about two of the most wretched men?’”
I spoke in the previous sermon about the title of “Abu Turab”, that once the Holy Prophet (sa) saw Hazrat Ali (ra) sleeping in the mosque and he was covered in dust, so he said, “O Abu Turab!” He called him Abu Turab and from then on he was also known by this title. It is possible that he was given this title during this particular incident or in a later incident; or he may have called him by this title on both occasions. But in any case, it seems that this particular incident [of the mosque] took place first.
“[The Holy Prophet (sa) said,] ‘Shall I inform you regarding two of the most wretched men?’ We submitted, ‘Yes, O Messenger (sa) of Allah.’ The Holy Prophet (sa) said, ‘The first was a man named Uhaimir from the people of Thamud who cut the legs of the camel of Prophet Salih (as). The second person, O Ali, is he who shall strike your head as a result of which your beard will drip with blood.’”
(Ahmad (rh) bin Hanbal, Musnad Ahmad bin Hanbal, Vol. 6, Musnad Ammar (ra) bin Yasir, Hadith 18511 [Beirut, Lebanon: Alam al-Kutub, 1998], 261)
Hazrat Abdullah bin Umar (ra) relates that when the Holy Prophet (sa) returned from Taif and was in Jairana, Hazrat Umar (ra) bin Khattab asked him, “O Messenger (sa) of Allah! During the era of ignorance, I vowed to one day sit in devotion at the Sacred Mosque. What do you advise in this regard?” The Holy Prophet (sa) replied, “Go and sit in devotion for a day”.
Thus, the Holy Prophet (sa) taught that no matter when a lawful vow is made, it should be fulfilled. Then, the narrator relates that once, the Holy Prophet (sa) granted Hazrat Umar (ra) a woman from the khums [spoils of war]. When the Holy Prophet (sa) freed people’s prisoners, Hazrat Umar (ra) heard their voices and they were saying, “The Holy Prophet (sa) has freed us” Hazrat Umar (ra) asked them what happened, and they told him that the Holy Prophet (sa) had freed people’s prisoners. Hazrat Umar (ra) said to his son, “O Abdullah! Go to this woman who the Holy Prophet (sa) had granted me and free her.”
(Sahih Muslim, Kitab al-Iman, Bab Nadhar al-Kafir wa ma Yaf‘alu fih idha Aslama, Hadith 4294)
It is said that Hazrat Huzayfa (ra) was a confidant of the Holy Prophet (sa). Hazrat Huzayfa (ra) narrates about an incident that took place during the Battle of Tabuk:
“When the Holy Prophet (sa) dismounted his camel, he received a revelation. His camel had been sitting, and it stood up and started pulling at its reins. I took hold of its reins and took it to the Holy Prophet (sa). I sat beside the camel until the Holy Prophet (sa) stood up, and I brought the camel closer to him. The Holy Prophet (sa) asked, ‘Who is there?’ and I said, ‘Huzayfa’. The Holy Prophet (sa) said, ‘I am about to confide in you, and you must not mention this to anyone else. I have been forbidden from offering the funeral prayer of such and such’ and the Holy Prophet (sa) named a group of hypocrites.”
After the demise of the Holy Prophet (sa), and during the caliphate of Hazrat Umar (ra), whenever someone passed away who Hazrat Umar (ra) thought could be from that group of hypocrites, he would take Hazrat Huzayfa’sra hand and take him along to offer the funeral prayer. If Hazrat Huzayfa (ra) went along with him, then Hazrat Umar (ra) would offer that person’s funeral prayer, but if Hazrat Huzayfa (ra) took his hand away from Hazrat Umar (ra), then Hazrat Umar (ra) would not offer that person’s funeral prayer.
(Ali bin Burhan al-Din al-Halabi, Al-Sirah al-Halabiyyah, Vol. 3, Ch. 1 [Lahore, Pakistan: Dar al-Isha‘ah, 2009], pp. 440-441)
Hazrat Musleh-e-Maud (ra) writes regarding this:
“While the Holy Prophet (sa) was still in Mecca, news arrived that the Persians had vanquished the Romans in battle. This occasioned great rejoicing among the Meccans, for the Persians were idolaters just as they were. The Meccans took the victory of the Persians as a good omen indicating their own ultimate triumph over Muslims. On this occasion, the Holy Prophet (sa) received the revelation:
غُلِبَتِ الرُّومُ ۔ فِيٓ أَدۡنَى الۡأَرۡضِ وَهُم مِّنۢ بَعۡدِ غَلَبِهِمۡ سَيَغۡلِبُونَ ۔ فِي بِضۡعِ سِنِينَۗ
that ‘the Romans had been vanquished in a neighbouring land of Syria but do not consider this to be the final outcome, within nine years of their defeat the Romans would again be victorious’; When this revelation was announced among the Meccans, they laughed and jeered at the Muslims. Some of them made a wager of a hundred camels with Hazrat Abu Bakr (ra) that the prophecy would not be fulfilled. Events indicated that there was very little chance of the Romans defeating the Persians as their defeat in Syria was followed by further victories of the Persians and the Roman army was pushed back by stages to the shores of the Sea of Marmora. Constantinople was cut off from its Eastern dominions and the Roman Empire was reduced to the size of a small State. The Word of God was, however, bound to be fulfilled and was fulfilled. In their state of utter despondency, the Roman emperor himself set out from Constantinople along with his troops and met on the shores of Asia for a decisive battle. The Romans, though smaller in number and not so well equipped as the Persians, won a complete victory – as prophesied by the words of the Holy Quran – and the Persians were put to flight. They were forced to retreat into Persia not finding any respite anywhere and the Romans re-occupied their Asiatic and African possessions.”
(Dibacha Tafsir-ul-Quran, Anwar-ul-Ulum, Vol. 20, p. 445)
According to the narration of Abu Sinan, he went to visit Hazrat Ali (ra) after he was wounded. He states, “I said, ‘O Amirul Momineen [Leader of the Faithful]! We are very concerned to see you in this wounded state.” Hazrat Ali (ra) replied, “By God, I am not concerned at all, because the Truthful Messenger (sa) of Allah informed me that I would sustain wounds in this particular place” and he then pointed to his temples. Hazrat Ali (ra) then stated, “… and the Holy Prophet (sa) had also stated that ‘blood will flow from here until your beard will be filled with its colour and the one who does this to you will be the worst and most wretched of people of this Ummah, just as the one who hamstrung the she-camel was the most wretched from among the people of Thamud.’”
(Hakim al-Nishapuri, Al-Mustadrak ala al-Sahihain, Vol. 3, Hadith 4648 (Beirut, Lebanon: Dar al-Fikr, 2002), p. 327)
Hazrat Ibn Umar related that he heard the Holy Prophet (sa) say:
“Once, I was sleeping and I saw during this time that I was brought a bowl of milk. I drank so much that I saw it seeping from under my nails. Then, I took the remaining milk and gave it to Hazrat Umar bin Khattab.” The companions asked, “O Messenger (sa) of Allah, how have you interpreted this?” The Holy Prophet (sa) stated that it indicated knowledge.
(Sahih al-Bukhari, Kitab al-Ilm, Bab Fadl al-Ilm, Hadith 82)
Hazrat Zain-ul-Abideen Walliullah Shah Sahib (ra) writes in the commentary of this hadith:
“‘Fazl-ul-Ilm’ here does not mean the excellence of knowledge; rather, it refers to the knowledge that still remains. There is a separate chapter related to the excellence of knowledge. It can be inferred from the dream of the Holy Prophet (sa), its interpretation and the incidents which testify this dream that the conquest of land and worldly glory granted to the Muslims through Hazrat Umar (ra) was as a result of the knowledge of the Holy Prophet (sa) which remained to be manifested and was thus made manifest through Hazrat Umar (ra).
“Owing to his complete and comprehensive knowledge, the Holy Prophet (sa) has been referred to as ‘Majma-ul-Bahrain’ [junction of the two seas] in the Holy Quran for he possessed the knowledge to attain success both in this world and the Hereafter … By including the subject of politics under the category of “Knowledge”, Imam Bukhari has alluded to the fact that the Holy Prophet (sa) brought the perfect guidance which covers both aspects of life, just as Jesus (as) had prophesied regarding him that ‘when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth’ (John 16:12-13).
“Upon reflecting over the incidents from the life of Hazrat Umar (ra), it becomes clear what the true meaning was of being granted the remaining milk which he received due to the blessings of the Holy Prophet (sa).”
(Sahih al-Bukhari Tarjumah wa Tashrih, Sayed Zain al-Abidin Waliullah Shah Sahib, Vol. 1, pp. 156-157)
Hazrat Musleh-e-Maud (ra) states:
“Hazrat Umar (ra) once related his dream to the Holy Prophet (sa) wherein he was granted a bowl of milk. Upon this, the Holy Prophet (sa) stated that this [milk] signified knowledge.”
(Khutbat-e-Mahmud, Vol. 23, p. 467)
Hazrat Abu Saeed Khudri (ra) relates that he heard the Holy Prophet (sa) state: “I was asleep and saw that some people had been brought before me who were wearing an upper garment. The garments were at chest height for some whilst other people’s garments fell slightly longer. Umar was also brought before me and his garment was dragging along with him.” Upon this, the companions enquired as to what this meant and the Holy Prophet (sa) stated that it signified faith.
(Sahih al-Bukhari, Kitab Fada‘il Ashab al-Nabi (sa), Bab Manaqib Umar (ra) bin al-Khattab, Hadith 3691)
The Promised Messiah (as) states:
“When Hazrat Abu Bakr Siddiq (ra) placed a bet with Abu Jahl about the prophecy of the Holy Quran:
الٓمٓ ۔ غُلِبَتِ الرُّومُ ۔ فِيٓ أَدۡنَى الۡأَرۡضِ وَهُمْ مِّنۢ بَعۡدِ غَلَبِهِمۡ سَيَغۡلِبُونَ ۔ فِيْ بِضۡعِ سِنِينَۗ
“A period of three years was stipulated. When the Holy Prophet (sa) came to know of this, upon pondering over the prophecy and owing to his foresight, he asked Abu Bakr Siddiq (ra) to make an amendment to the details of the bet, stating that the word:
بِضۡعِ سِنِينَ
“Had a broader meaning and often meant up to nine years.”
(Izalah-e-Auham, Ruhani Khazain, Vol. 3, pp. 310-311)
Hazrat Abdullah bin Umar (ra) narrates that the Holy Prophet (sa) said:
“I was shown in a dream that I was standing beside a well, and I used the bucket that was hanging there to draw water out. In the meantime, Abu Bakr came and he drew one or two buckets of water in such a manner that it seemed as if he had done so with great difficulty due to weakness, but that Allah would cover up his weakness and forgive him. Then, Umar bin Khattab arrived and the bucket became larger, and I never saw such a mighty person as Umar who could perform such a monumental task. He drew so much water that everyone was satiated and then went back to their own dwellings.”
(Sahih al-Bukhari, Kitab Fada‘il Ashab al-Nabi (sa), Bab Manaqib Umar (ra) bin al-Khattab, Hadith 3682)
Hazrat Musleh-e-Maud (ra) states:
“It is not permissible for men to wear gold; however, Hazrat Umar (ra) gave a companion the bangles of Chosroes to wear, but the companion refused. Hazrat Umar (ra) admonished him and told him that the Holy Prophet (sa) said, ‘I see the bangles of Chosroes in your hands.’ Similarly, when Chosroes’ crown and silk garments were received as spoils, Hazrat Umar (ra) instructed someone to wear the garments and crown, and when he wore it, Hazrat Umar (ra) began to cry and said, ‘Only a few days ago, Chosroes was wearing these garments, wearing this crown on his head and was dictating over the country of Iran. Today, he is running through the jungles; this is the state of the world.’ On the surface, some may think that what Hazrat Umar (ra) did was not correct because it is not permissible for men to wear silk and gold; however, Hazrat Umar (ra) had someone wear gold and silk only for a few minutes, in order to teach a virtuous lesson. Therefore, the essence was to establish taqwa [righteousness] for the sake of Allah, and all commandments are for this purpose. If, in order to establish taqwa for the sake of Allah, one must leave something that is considered to be a form of worship, then doing so would be a means of reward.”
(Aik Sahib ke Panch Suwalon ka Jawab, Anwar-ul-Ulum, p. 28)
Narration 1
With regard to the prophecy about the Romans being defeated, there is an incident about Hazrat Abu Bakr (ra) placing a bet. There is a narration of Hazrat Ibn Abbasra regarding what Allah the Almighty states in the verse:
الٓمٓ ۔ غُلِبَتِ الرُّوْمُ ۔ فِيٓ أَدۡنَى الۡأَرۡضِ
Hazrat Ibn Abbas (ra) stated, “They have been defeated” and “They will overcome”. He said that it pleased the polytheists that the Persians defeat the Romans, because both were idolaters, whereas the Muslims desired for the Romans to defeat the Persians because they were the People of the Book. He mentioned this [prophecy] to Hazrat Abu Bakr (ra), who in turn asked the Holy Prophet (sa). The Holy Prophet (sa) said, “Most certainly they [the Romans] will be victorious.” Hazrat Abu Bakr (ra) mentioned it to them (the polytheists), to which they said, “Set a timeframe for it. If we win, we will get such and such thing, and if you win, you will get such and such.” That is, they placed a bet and set a time period of five years. However, they [the Romans] did not gain victory in this time. Hazrat Abu Bakr (ra) mentioned this to the Holy Prophet (sa), upon which he said, “Why did you not set a time limit more than this?” The narrator states that he thought the timeframe suggested by the Holy Prophet (sa) was 10 years. This was a narration of Tirmidhi from Kitab al-Tafsir.
(Sunan al-Tirmidhi, Abwab al-Tafsir, Bab wa min Surah al-Rum, Hadith 3193)
Narration 2
There is a narration of Sahih al-Bukhari, which mentions four prophecies of the Holy Prophet (sa) which were fulfilled with great grandeur and glory. Out of these four prophecies, one of them was the prophecy about the Romans.
Masruq narrates, “We were with Hazrat Abdullah (ra) bin Mas‘ud. He said, ‘When the Holy Prophet (sa) saw that people had refused to accept his message, he prayed, “O Allah! Just as You sent down a famine for seven years in the time of Josephas, send a famine on them in the same way.” And so, a famine spread which destroyed everything. It was so severe that people started eating hides, carcasses and rotten dead animals. Whenever one of them looked towards the sky, he would [imagine himself to] see smoke because of hunger.’” This is one of the four prophecies.
“‘So Abu Sufyan went to the Holy Prophet (sa) and said, “O Muhammad (sa)! You order people to obey Allah and to keep good relations with kith and kin. No doubt the people of your tribe are dying, so please pray to Allah for them.” So Allah the Almighty revealed:
“‘“But watch thou for the day when the sky will bring forth a visible smoke […] but you will certainly revert to disbelief. On the day when We shall seize you with the great seizure.” Thus, this “great seizure” happened in the Battle of Badr, and undoubtedly the punishment of the “smoke”, “great seizure” “prophecy of Lizam” and prophecy about “the Romans” have all been fulfilled.’”
This is a narration of Sahih al-Bukhari.
(Sahih al-Bukhari, Kitab al-Istisqa, Bab Du‘a al-Nabi (sa): Ij‘alha alaihim Sinin, Hadith 1007)
In the commentary of this hadith, Allama Badruddin Aini writes regarding the prophecy about the Romans:
“When the Persians and the Romans fought against one another, the Muslims wanted the Romans to gain victory over the Persians, because the Romans were People of the Book. On the other hand, the disbelievers of the Quraish wanted the Persians to win the battle because they were fire-worshippers and the disbelievers of the Quraish also worshipped idols. Thus, upon this, a bet took place between Hazrat Abu Bakr (ra) and Abu Jahl, i.e. they fixed a time period between themselves of a few years. The Holy Prophet (sa) said, ‘The word “bid‘un” [in a few years] refer to nine or seven years, therefore increase the time period.’ Thus, Hazrat Abu Bakr (ra) did just that and the Romans gained victory. Allah the Almighty stated:
الٓمٓ ۔ غُلِبَتِ الرُّوْمُ ۔ فِيٓ أَدۡنَى الۡأَرۡضِ وَهُمْ مِّنۢ بَعۡدِ غَلَبِهِمۡ سَيَغۡلِبُوْنَ ۔ فِيْ بِضۡعِ سِنِيْنَۗ لِلّٰهِ الۡأَمۡرُ مِنْ قَبۡلُ وَمِنۢ بَعۡدُۚ وَيَوۡمَئِذٍ يَفۡرَحُ الۡمُؤۡمِنُوْنَ ۔ بِنَصۡرِ اللّٰهِۚ يَنْصُرُ مَن يَشَآءُۖ وَهُوَ الۡعَزِيزُ الرَّحِيمُ ۔
“Meaning, ‘I am Allah, the All-Knowing, the Romans have been defeated, In the land nearby, and they, after their defeat, will be victorious between three to nine years. Allah’s is the command before and after that and on that day the believers will rejoice. In Allah’s help.’
“Sha‘bi states that at that time it was not unlawful to make bets.”
(Umdat al-Qari Sharh Sahih al-Bukhari, Kitab al-Istisqa, Vol. 7, p. 46, Hadith 1007, Dar Ihya al-Turath al-Arabi, 2003)
The Promised Messiah’s (as) Narration
The Promised Messiah (as) states:
“When Hazrat Abu Bakr Siddiq (ra) placed a bet with Abu Jahl about the prophecy of the Holy Quran:
الٓمٓ ۔ غُلِبَتِ الرُّومُ ۔ فِيٓ أَدۡنَى الۡأَرۡضِ وَهُمْ مِّنۢ بَعۡدِ غَلَبِهِمۡ سَيَغۡلِبُونَ ۔ فِيْ بِضۡعِ سِنِينَۗ
“A period of three years was stipulated. When the Holy Prophet (sa) came to know of this, upon pondering over the prophecy and owing to his foresight, he asked Abu Bakr Siddiq (ra) to make an amendment to the details of the bet, stating that the word:
بِضۡعِ سِنِينَ
“Had a broader meaning and often meant up to nine years.”
(Izalah-e-Auham, Ruhani Khazain, Vol. 3, pp. 310-311)
Hazrat Musleh Mau’d’s (ra) Narration
Hazrat Musleh-e-Maud (ra) writes regarding this:
“While the Holy Prophet (sa) was still in Mecca, news arrived that the Persians had vanquished the Romans in battle. This occasioned great rejoicing among the Meccans, for the Persians were idolaters just as they were. The Meccans took the victory of the Persians as a good omen indicating their own ultimate triumph over Muslims. On this occasion, the Holy Prophet (sa) received the revelation:
غُلِبَتِ الرُّومُ ۔ فِيٓ أَدۡنَى الۡأَرۡضِ وَهُم مِّنۢ بَعۡدِ غَلَبِهِمۡ سَيَغۡلِبُونَ ۔ فِي بِضۡعِ سِنِينَۗ
that ‘the Romans had been vanquished in a neighbouring land of Syria but do not consider this to be the final outcome, within nine years of their defeat the Romans would again be victorious’; When this revelation was announced among the Meccans, they laughed and jeered at the Muslims. Some of them made a wager of a hundred camels with Hazrat Abu Bakr (ra) that the prophecy would not be fulfilled. Events indicated that there was very little chance of the Romans defeating the Persians as their defeat in Syria was followed by further victories of the Persians and the Roman army was pushed back by stages to the shores of the Sea of Marmora. Constantinople was cut off from its Eastern dominions and the Roman Empire was reduced to the size of a small State. The Word of God was, however, bound to be fulfilled and was fulfilled. In their state of utter despondency, the Roman emperor himself set out from Constantinople along with his troops and met on the shores of Asia for a decisive battle. The Romans, though smaller in number and not so well equipped as the Persians, won a complete victory – as prophesied by the words of the Holy Quran – and the Persians were put to flight. They were forced to retreat into Persia not finding any respite anywhere and the Romans re-occupied their Asiatic and African possessions.”
(Dibacha Tafsir-ul-Quran, Anwar-ul-Ulum, Vol. 20, p. 445)
With regard to Hazrat Umar (ra) practically fulfilling a prophecy of the Holy Prophet (sa), the Promised Messiah (as) states:
“Hazrat Umar (ra), who was full of truth and sincerity, had the pleasure of becoming the second Khalifa; in this way, every companion was fully honoured. They received the wealth and the women of the royal courts of Ceaser and Chosroes. It is recorded that a companion went to the court of Chosroes, whose royal attendants set up chairs of gold and silver in order to display their grandeur. The companion said that they were not overawed by this wealth, because they had been promised to receive bangles of Chosroes. Hence, Hazrat Umar (ra) had a companion wear those bangles so that the prophecy would be fulfilled.”
(Malfuzat – Vol. 2, p. 46)
One of his distinctions was that a prophecy of the Holy Prophet (sa) was fulfilled in his person. On one occasion, whilst handing him his sword, the Holy Prophet (sa) said:
“As long as you fight the idolaters, you should continue to fight them with this sword. However, when the time comes when Muslims begin to fight with one another, you should break this sword and stay at home until someone attacks you or death overcomes you.”
He acted in accordance with this guidance and he did so following the martyrdom of Hazrat Uthman (ra). He physically destroyed the sword, made another sword from wood and would place it in his sheath. Someone asked him what use that sword was. He replied:
“The wisdom behind this is to maintain a degree of awe. Moreover, I have also complied with the instruction of the Holy Prophet (sa) not to keep a sword made from iron. Furthermore, a wooden sword cannot harm anyone.”
Some Companions used to say that if there was a person who was not affected by the agitation, that is, the agitation that arose within Muslims after the martyrdom of Hazrat Uthman, it was Muhammad (ra) bin Maslamah. In order to protect himself from the seditious agitation, he went to live in the wilderness and used to say, “Until the sedition is over, I intend to spend my life in the wilderness.”
(Al-Tabqat Al-Kubra Li-ibni Sa‘d, Vol. 3, pp. 338-340, Bab Muhammad Bin Maslamah (ra), Darul Kutub Al-‘Ilmiyah, Beirut 1990)
The Holy Prophet (sa) had foretold the martyrdom of Hazrat Ali (ra). Hazrat Ubaidullah (ra) has narrated that the Holy Prophet (sa) said to Hazrat Ali (ra), “O Ali! Are you aware of the most unfortunate individual from among those who came before us and also from among those who will come after?” Hazrat Ali (ra) replied, “Allah and His Messenger (sa) know best.” Upon this, the Holy Prophet (sa) said, “The most wretched person from among those before us was the individual who hamstrung the she-camel of Hazrat Salih (as). And O Ali! The most unfortunate person from among the latter ones will be the one to attack you with a spear.” The Holy Prophet (sa) then indicated where he would be struck.
The narration of Umm-e-Ja‘far, a maidservant of Hazrat Ali (ra), is as follows:
“I was pouring water over the hands of Hazrat Ali (ra) when he lifted his head, held his beard and pulled it up to his nose and addressing the beard, he said, ‘How fortunate you are! You will most certainly be coloured with blood.’ And on a Friday, he was martyred.”