-4. VOLUME – · 29 – Endowment of Lands Taken in Exchange with Sevad (Fertile Iraq) Soil
Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him, narrated:
He said: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said: “The kāfiz of Iraq will withhold its dirhams, the mudd of Syria will withhold its dinars, and the irdebb of Egypt will withhold its dinars. Then you will return to where you began.”
Zuhayr repeated this three times. To this, Abu Hurayrah added, "May my flesh and blood bear witness!" [17]
**EXPLANATION:**
This honorable hadith expresses one of the miracles of our Prophet.
The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, foretold that one day Egypt, Syria, and Iraq would be conquered by Muslims, that tribute (haraç) would be levied on their lands according to their own measures, and that individuals would pay taxes with their own currencies. He also foretold that one day they would cease paying the tribute they had previously given with their measures, and the currency they used for taxation. He gave news that Islam would weaken and remain as it was in its early days – strange and unfamiliar.
Indeed, this miracle prophesied by the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, has come to pass. As Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, conquered Sawad, Egypt, and Syria, tribute was levied on their lands, and they were subjected to taxation. The irdebb was the measure of Egypt, and the dinar was its currency.
Abū Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him, narrated:
The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said: “Any settlement which you enter without fighting and settle in, you take your share of its spoils. And any settlement which rebels against Allah and His Messenger (and you conquer it through fighting), then its wealth is booty; a fifth of it belongs to Allah and His Messenger.” Then the rest is yours.” [18]