JIHAD SECTION · 3 – The Importance of Residing in Sham (Syria)
Abdullah ibn Amr, may Allah be pleased with him, narrated:
I heard the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, say: “There will be a hijrah after the hijrah. The best people on earth will be those who emigrate to the place where Ibrahim, peace be upon him, emigrated (to Sham). Those of the earth’s inhabitants who remain will be the worst. Then their lands will expel them. Allah will dislike them and cast them about, together with monkeys and pigs, and they will be questioned [regarding it] in the Fire.”
It is narrated from Ibn al-Hawal, may Allah be pleased with him, that he said:
The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said: “Soon, affairs will occur such that you are divided into various armies; one army in Syria, one army in Yemen, and one army in Iraq.”
Ibn al-Hawal said: “O Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, if I live to that time, what is the best of those places for me to choose?”
The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said: “Choose Syria. Syria is the most blessed land on earth. It selects the best of its servants. But if you do not wish to go to Syria, then choose Yemen. Drink from your cistern. Allah has assured me that He will protect Syria and its people.”