Conflicts in the Middle East

In The Name Of Allah Most Gracious Most Merciful
Assalaamu alaykum wa rahmatuallahi wa barakatuhu

Note: Jordan is known as the Hashimite kingdom. After the Ottoman Empire it came under British control. Great Britain recognized Jordanian independence in 1946, as part of the Treaty of London. The monarchy was given to Abdullah, head of the principality of Jordan. King Abdullah was later killed by the British, in 1951. Thus the incident indicated in the hadith came to pass.

"The inhabitants of Egypt and Sham will kill their ruler and his commands..." (Ibn Hajar al-Haythami, Al-Qawl al-Mukhtasar fi `Alamat al-Mahdi al-Muntazar, p. 49)

Note: This hadith draws attention to the fact that the rulers of Damascus and Egypt will be killed before the coming of the Mahdi.

When we examine Egypt's recent history, we see that a ruler was killed: Anwar al-Sadat, who ruled Egypt from 1970-81, was killed by his opponents during a military review in 1981. Other Egyptian leaders who have been killed include Prime Ministers Boutros Ghali (1910), and Mahmoud Nukrashy Pasha (1948).Many leaders have been killed in the region of Sham (left of Hijaz), among them former Syrian prime ministers Salah al-Deen Beetar (1920), Droubi Pasha (1921), and Muhsin al-Barazi (1949), King Abdullah of Jordan (1951), and Lebanese Phalange leader Bashir Gemayel (1982).

Reported on a chain of transmission on the authority of Kaab "The sign of the Mahdi's appearance will be war banners coming from the west, lead by Kindi(te) al-A'raj (a man with a disability from 'Kinda')" (Nu'aym son of Hammad, Al-Fitan page 205)

Note: Genreral Richard Meyers, commander of the US Joint chiefs of staff decalared the war on Afghanistan in October 2001 on crutches.

Narrated by Abu Hurayrah (?): "... Count five or six or seven or eight decades after 1300 of Hijra. At that time, a man called "Nasser" rules Egypt. Arabs call him "succa-ul Arab", the "brave of the Arabs." Allah despises him twice, once in a war, and then in another one. That "Nasser" can never attain victory. ..."

Note: The date related in this particular hadith is around 1350 and 1380 Hijra. This is the time Gamal Abdul-Nasser came to power in Egypt. In 1952, Abdul-Nasser came to power and led the movement of Arab Nationalism. During the period of Nasser, two wars erupted between Arabs and Israelis and in both cases Arabs were defeated.

"...Upon this, Allah, the Lord of the House, makes a dark-colored person, whose father is more enlightened than himself, the leader of the Egyptian people and the Arab nation. But, he makes an agreement with the thieves of the Masjid al-Aqsa. ... "

Note: Continuing with the hadith, it now calls attention to Anwar Sadat's holding power. One of the most telling turning points of Anwar Sadat's time is the Arab-Israel peace talks, to which the hadith draws our attention. As the hadith reveals, the lands of Masjid al-Aqsa in not under the Muslim control and the leader of Egypt makes peace talks with the country who possesses control over Masjid al-Aqsa. It is possible that this hadith implies the Arab-Israel peace talks made in Camp David in 1978 and 1979.

"...Then a cruel man appears in Iraq, which is located in the Damascus region. This man, with a slight injury in his eye, is a Sufyaan. His name comes from confrontation (Saddam), and he is confrontational against his opponents. All the world gathers for him in small Kut, the region to which he came previously because he was deceived. There is no good in that Sufyaani except with Islam and he is both good and bad.....and woe to he who betrays the trustworthy Mahdi. ..."

(Asmal Masalik Lieyyam Mahdiyy Maliki Li Kull-id Dunya Biemrillah-il Malik, Qalda bin Zayd, p. 216)

Note: In the final part of the hadith, it now calls attention to a saddam person who will emerge from Iraq. The dictionary meaning of saddam is "the one who strikes violently, assaultive" it is informed that this person will invade Kut, one of the names given to the region that also includes Kuwait. Saddam Hussein was a dictator notorious with the violence he exercised against his people during his reign. He invaded Kuwait in 1991 and this invasion became the main reason of the Gulf War I.

‘The Messenger of God said: “The Banu al-Asfar (the Byzantines) and the Franks will gather together in the wasteland with Egypt against a man whose name is Sadim (Saddam)-- none of them will return.” They said: “When, O Messenger of God?” He said: “Between the months of Jumada and Rajab, and you see an amazing thing come of it”.’

(The origin of the "hadeeth" (it is probably a spurious rephrase of some classical material) is the Palestinian newspaper "al-Nahar" from Dec. 15, 1990.) Note: This is obviously making reference to the Gulf War.