The prophecies of the messenger. Part-1

1.  The Byzantines will Rebound

Despite being isolated by seemingly endless deserts, and largely unaffected by the power struggles of the world’s superpowers, the Qur’an boldly foretold the most unexpected events that would transpire between Persia and Byzantium in a few short years. “The Byzantines have been defeated. In the nearest land. But they, after their defeat, will triumph. Within three to nine years.” [ar-Rūm 30: 2-4] From 613-619 CE, the Byzantines were absolutely decimated by the Persian Empire, losing the territories of Antioch, then Damascus, then Armenia, then their most cherished Jerusalem, then Chalcedon, and finally Egypt. In his book, The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, Edward Gibbon says, “At the time when this prediction is said to have been delivered, no prophecy could be more distant from its accomplishment, since the first twelve years of Heraclius announced the approaching dissolution of the empire.”[2] Everyone saw Byzantium as on its deathbed; thus opponents of the Prophet ﷺ like Ubayy b. Khalaf mocked this “preposterous” foretelling in the Qur’an. However, not long after, Heraclius led the Byzantine Crusade like a dagger into the heart of the Persian Empire, fulfilling the amazing prophecy 6-8 years after it was uttered.

The verses that immediately follow this prediction say, “The decision of the matter, before and after [these events], is only with Allah. And on that Day, the believers (i.e., Muslims) will rejoice in the victory of Allah.” [ar-Rūm 30: 4-5] Abu Ḥayyān al-Andalūsi (d. 1344) lists in al-Baḥr al-Muḥīṭ four reasons for this rejoicing, of them being that the miraculous prophecy unfolding would further validate their belief in his prophethood. Another reason, which involves another prophecy, is the Muslims would at that time find themselves celebrating their own victory: a long-awaited triumph against the Meccan oppressors in the Battle of Badr happened in 624 as well. It suddenly becomes quite clear why God seals Sūrat ar-Rūm by saying, “So be patient. Indeed, the promise of Allah is truth. And let them not unnerve you who are not certain [in faith].” [ar-Rūm 30: 60]

2.  The Abode of Abu Lahab

In the moments following the Prophet Muhammad’s ﷺ first public call to Islam, his own uncle, Abu Lahab, scoffed at and chastised him. In his defense, God immediately revealed: “May the hands of Abu Lahab be ruined, and ruined is he. His wealth will not avail him or that which he gained. He will burn in a Fire of [blazing] flame.” [al-Masad 111: 1-3] It is astonishing that for the next nine years of Abu Lahab’s life, despite hearing these verses being recited, his pride still kept him from a potential golden opportunity to discredit the Qur’an. Had Abu Lahab simply professed faith, even disingenuously, that could have brought into serious question the truth of this Revelation. Of course, He Who revealed this knew Abu Lahab would never do so.

3.  The Globalization of Islam

Amidst the fiercest persecution and abuse that the Muslims faced in the earliest Meccan period, the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ would stand without wavering and convey to his followers God’s promise of Islam spreading all over the world. Tamīm ad-Dāri (rA) reports that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “This matter will certainly reach every place touched by the night and day. Allah will not leave a house of mud or [even] fur except that Allah will cause this religion to enter it, by which the honorable will be honored and the disgraceful will be disgraced. Allah will honor the honorable with Islam and he will disgrace the disgraceful with unbelief.”[3] In another narration, reported by Thawbān (rA), “Indeed, Allah gathered up the earth for me so that I saw its east and its west; and indeed the dominion of my nation will reach what was gathered up for me from it.”[4] The fact that these predictions were made at a time when Muslims were a powerless handful, and Islam was expected to be buried in its cradle, is nothing short of miraculous. At that point, presuming that the faith would even survive would be considered by most nothing short of a pipe-dream. But to predict that Islam would not just survive, but grow to thrive globally, was at that point inconceivable. For us nowadays, witnessing a quarter of this planet’s population as subscribers to Islam makes it clear that this was no presumption, but instead another prophecy inspired by the Divine.

4.  Undeterred by Time or Distance

Regarding the night prior to the Battle of Badr, ‘Umar b. al-Khaṭṭāb (rA) said, “The Prophet ﷺ showed us where those [enemies] at Badr would die. He would place his hand somewhere on the ground and say, ‘This is where so-and-so will die tomorrow, by God’s will, and this is where so-and-so will die.’ I swear by the One who sent him with the Truth, none of them fell other than exactly where the Prophet’s hand had touched.”[5]

Anas (rA) reported that, as the Battle of Mu’tah was taking place in Jordan, the Prophet ﷺ had informed the people in Madinah of the martyrdom of Zayd b. Ḥāritha, Ja‘far b. Abi Ṭālib, and ‘Abdullāh b. Rawāḥa. While 600 miles away, the Prophet ﷺ said, “Zayd took the flag (as commander) and was killed, then Ja‘far took the flag and was killed, then Ibn Rawāḥa took the flag and was killed.” Anas describes that as the Prophet ﷺ was telling them this, “his eyes were shedding tears.” He ﷺ continued, “Then the flag was taken by one of God’s swords (Khālid b. al-Walīd), and Allah made him victorious.”[6] That army eventually returned to Madinah, with eyewitness accounts that matched exactly what the Prophet ﷺ had described.

Abu Ḥumayd as-Sā‘idi (rA) said, “When we reached Tabūk, the Prophet ﷺ said, ‘There will be a strong wind tonight and so no one should stand and whoever has a camel should fasten it.’ So we fastened our camels. A strong wind did in fact blow at night, and a man stood up and was consequently blown away to a mountain called Ṭay’.”[7]

Sahl b. Sa‘d (rA) reports that as the Prophet ﷺ and his Companions returned to camp after a day of battle, he overheard people celebrating the valor of a man “who vanquished every enemy that faced him; none outdid him today.” To the shock of those present, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “Rather, he will be in the Hellfire.” One man said, “I will shadow him,” and closely followed him at every turn. Soon thereafter, this man came to the Prophet ﷺ and said, “I testify that you are indeed the Messenger of Allah!” He ﷺ said, “Why [do you say] that?” He said, “The people were astounded when you said this man would be in the Hellfire, so I followed him until he was badly wounded and sought to hasten his death; he placed the handle of his sword on the ground and its tip between his chest, then leaned on it and killed himself.” Explaining that this mortal sin was an indicator of prior insincerity undetected by others, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “Certainly, a man may perform the deeds of the people of Paradise, in terms of what is apparent to the people, while [in reality] he is among the people of the Hellfire. And a man may perform the deeds of the people of the Hellfire, in terms of what is apparent to the people, while [in reality] he is among the people of Paradise.”[8]

5.  Six in Sequence

During the Battle of Tabūk, the Prophet ﷺ said to ‘Awf b. Mālik (rA), “Count six signs before the Hour; my death, the conquest of Jerusalem, two mortal plagues that will take you [in great numbers] as the plague of sheep [depletes them], then wealth will be in such surplus that a man will be given a hundred gold coins and still be unsatisfied, then there will be a tribulation that will not leave an Arab home without entering it, then there will be a truce between you [Muslims] and Banu al-Aṣfar (Byzantines) which they will betray, and march against you under eighty flags, and under each flag will be twelve thousand [soldiers].”[9] Jerusalem was conquered five years after his death ﷺ, in the year 15H, followed by the plague of ‘Amwās in 18H which took the lives of many Companions. An unprecedented surplus of wealth was then experienced during the caliphate of ‘Uthmān (rA), 23H, as a result of conquests on every front. As for the tribulation that would spare no Arab home, this took place following the assassination of ‘Uthmān, 37H, for it resulted in dissent and chaos everywhere. As for the truce and scourge of the Byzantines, traditional scholars seem to agree that this is a prophecy about the end-times.

6.  Counting the Conquests

The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ foretold a multitude of Muslim conquests, including those of Rome, Persia, Egypt, Yemen, India, and Constantinople. None of these prophecies were described vaguely or with equivocation, but rather with an air of absolute certainty.

Jābir b. ‘Abdillāh (rA) reports that while digging the trench outside Madinah to repel an approaching army, a massive boulder obstructed them that no ax would break. With time running out, and with people’s fears and hunger eating away at them, the Prophet ﷺ walked over and picked up the ax. He said, “Bismillah (In God’s name),” and hammered the boulder, reducing a chunk of it to rubble. He said, “Allāhu Akbar (God is Great)! I have been given the keys to Shām; I can see its red palaces at this very moment.” Then he shattered another chunk and said, “Allāhu Akbar (God is Great)! I have been given the keys to Persia; I can see Madain’s white palace.” Then he shattered the last chunk and said, “Allāhu Akbar (God is Great)! I have been given the keys to Yemen. By Allah, I can see the Gates of Sana‘a at this very moment from here.”[10]

Regarding Egypt, he ﷺ took its conquest for granted, knowing his Lord’s promise was true. Abu Dharr (rA) narrated: The Prophet ﷺ said: “You will certainly conquer Egypt; a land in which [a currency] called al-qīrâṭ is customary. When you conquer it, be gracious to its people, for they are entitled to a covenant and [the right of] family bonds. And when you see two men disputing over the place of a brick, then leave [Egypt].”[11] The Prophet ﷺ accurately spoke in the second person here, foretelling that none other than his personal Companions would conquer Egypt. Then he ﷺ instructed them to honor their peace treaty with the Egyptians and reminded them that their grandmother (Hājar; the mother of Ishmael) was from this land. In this same narration, Abu Dharr (rA) adds, “I witnessed ‘Abdur-Raḥmān b. Shuraḥbīl b. Ḥasana and his brother, Rabī‘a, disputing [in Egypt] over the place of a brick, so I left.”

Regarding Constantinople, which is presently called Istanbul, the Prophet ﷺ determined that it would become a Muslim land nearly a millennium prior to that happening. ‘Abdullāh b. ‘Amr (rA) reports that they were once sitting with the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and writing, he ﷺ was asked, “Which city will be liberated first; Constantinople or Rome?” He said, “Indeed, the city of Heraclius will be liberated first,”[12] meaning Constantinople. An entire 800 years later, the Ottoman sultan, Muhammad al-Fātiḥ, accomplished this great feat. In another hadith, “Constantinople will certainly be liberated, and how excellent a leader will its leader be, and how excellent an army that army will be.”[13] Some scholars hold that this second hadith may refer to a second liberation of Constantinople which was also prophesied, but has not yet taken place.

7.  Security will Prevail

‘Adi b. Ḥātim (rA) narrates: As I was with the Prophet ﷺ [prior to accepting Islam], a man came to him complaining of poverty, and then another came to him complaining of highway robbery. He ﷺ said, “O ‘Adi, have you seen al-Ḥīra (in Iraq)?” I said, “No, but I have been told about it.” He said, “If you live long [enough], you will see a woman travel on camelback from al-Ḥīra till she circles the Ka‘ba while not fearing anyone but Allah.” I said to myself, “Where then would the bandits of Tay’ who have pillaged these lands be?” He ﷺ continued, “And if you live long [enough], the treasures of Chosroes, the son of Hurmuz, will be conquered.” I said, “Chosroes, the son of Hurmuz?” He confirmed, “Chosroes, the son of Hurmuz. And if you live long [enough], you will see a man walking out, hand filled with gold or silver, seeking someone to accept it but he will not find anyone to accept it.” Later in his life, ‘Adi said, “I have [in fact] seen a woman travel on camelback from al-Ḥīra till she circled the Ka‘ba while not fearing anyone but Allah, and I was among those who conquered the treasures of Chosroes, the son of Hurmuz. And if you live long [enough], you will see what the Prophet ﷺ—Abul Qāsim—said regarding a man walking out, hand filled…”[14] Historians confirm that the inability to find someone eligible to accept charity took place during the reign of the Umayyad caliph, ‘Umar b. ‘Abdil‘Azīz (d. 91H).

8.  The Last Emperors

When the Quraysh tribe embraced Islam, they feared being blocked from their trade routes to Greater Syria (Shām) and Iraq as a result, since these territories were under Byzantine and Sassanid rule and both had rejected the call to Islam. Jābir b. Samura (rA) reports the Prophet ﷺ addressing this concern by reassuring Quraysh that those empires would soon vanish from both regions. He said, “When Chosroes dies, there will be no Chosroes after him. And when Caesar dies, there will be no Caesar after him. And I swear by the One in whose hand is Muhammad’s soul, their treasures will be spent in the path of God.”[15] Imam ash-Shāfi‘i (d. 820) and al-Khaṭṭābi (d. 988) explained that this meant there would never be another Caesar in Greater Syria, nor any other Chosroes in Iraq (Sassanid Persia). Indeed, the final Chosroes who rose to power during the Prophet’s ﷺ life was Yazdegerd III (d. 651), and he, in fact, became the 38th and final king of the Sassanid Empire. The final Caesar during the Prophet’s ﷺ life was Heraclius (d. 641), and Byzantium did in fact collapse and lose Christendom’s holiest site of Jerusalem during his reign. After those individuals, neither empire maintained any presence in those two regions.[16]

9.  A Whisper in His Daughter’s Ear

‘Âisha (rA) narrates that, as the Prophet ﷺ lay on his deathbed, with all of his wives present, his daughter Fāṭima (rA) came forward, walking just as the Messenger of Allah ﷺ would walk. He ﷺ received her, saying, “Welcome, my dear daughter.” He then sat her down beside him and uttered a secret to her which caused Fāṭima to weep. He then uttered another secret to her, making her laugh. I asked her what made her cry, but she said, “I would never disclose the Messenger of Allah’s ﷺ secret.” I had never seen a joy and grief so closely as I saw on that day, so I said to her when she wept, “The Messenger of Allah ﷺ privileges you with his words, and not us, and then you weep?” I asked her again what he said, but she responded, “I would never disclose the Messenger of Allah’s ﷺ secret.” When he ﷺ died, I asked her [again], and she said he told her that “Gabriel used to review the Qur’an with me one time each year, and he reviewed it twice with me this year. I do not see this [to mean] except that my time has arrived, and you will be the first of my family to catch up with me.” Fāṭima said, “I cried at this, and so he discreetly said to me, ‘Are you not pleased to be the queen of the believers [in Paradise]?’ And that is what caused me to laugh.”[17] As Imam an-Nawawi (d. 1277) points out, this is actually two prophecies in one. The first is that he ﷺ foretold in this sickness, and not in any other illness before it, that his time had come, and that the young Fāṭima—in her early twenties at that time—would die before any other member of his family.

10.  The Longest Arm

‘Âisha (rA) also narrates that when the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ was presented with the question, “Which of your wives will be reunited with you first [in the hereafter]?” he ﷺ responded, “The fastest of you in catching up with me will be the one with the longest arm among you.”  Due to that statement, ‘Âisha (rA) reports that his wives used to speculate, and even measure against the wall, which wife had the longest arm. Sawada b. Zam‘a (rA) was the tallest of them, but when Zaynab b. Jaḥsh (rA) died first, they realized “longest arm” meant most charitable. ‘Âisha (rA) says, “Zaynab had the longest arm among us, because she used to work with her hands and donate [her earnings].”[18]