Promise and Prophecy

The Holy Prophet Muhammad (saw) foretold the political saga of the Muslim Ummah in the famous hadith narrated in Imam Ahmad’s book of hadith:

“The Prophethood will be among you as long as Allah wills, then he will eliminate it if he so wills. Then a Khilafah on the model of Prophethood will prevail so long as Allah wills, then he will eliminate it if he so wills. Then there will be a biting monarchy as long as Allah wills, then he will eliminate it if he so wills. Then there will be an oppressive monarchy as long as Allah wills, then he will eliminate it if he so wills. Then a Khilafah on the way of Prophethood will prevail and he kept silent.” [Musnad of Imam Ahmad]

The hadith narrates the stages of political virtue and vice that the Ummah will experience, each of which has come to fruition with accuracy. The final part of the prophecy, the RETURN of the Khilafah on the way of Prophethood though, remains unfulfilled.

This promise from the Prophet (s) fills the believers’ hearts with hope, happiness, and desire that despite our tragic, disastrous, painful circumstances, Allah will once again transform our situation from one of fear and pain to one of security and authority in the land via the Khilafah on the method of Prophethood as Allah mentions in surah Nur:

(وَعَدَ اللَّهُ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا مِنْكُمْ وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ لَيَسْتَخْلِفَنَّهُمْ فِي الْأَرْضِ كَمَا اسْتَخْلَفَ الَّذِينَ مِنْ قَبْلِهِمْ وَلَيُمَكِّنَنَّ لَهُمْ دِينَهُمُ الَّذِي ارْتَضَىٰ لَهُمْ وَلَيُبَدِّلَنَّهُمْ مِنْ بَعْدِ خَوْفِهِمْ أَمْنًا ۚ يَعْبُدُونَنِي لَا يُشْرِكُونَ بِي شَيْئًا ۚ وَمَنْ كَفَرَ بَعْدَ ذَٰلِكَ فَأُولَٰئِكَ هُمُ الْفَاسِقُونَ)

“Allah has promised, to those among you who believe and work righteous deeds, that He will, of a surety, grant them succession (from the current rulers) in the land, as He granted it to those before them.” [Surah An-Nur 24:55]

The Khilafah is not a distant dream nor far off fantasy which will descend upon us without effort. The Prophet (s) instructed us that Khulafah are to rule us and manage our political affairs and gave us explicit instruction to give bayah to them and obey them.

كَانَتْ بَنُو إِسْرَائِيلَ تَسُوسُهُمُ الأَنْبِيَاءُ كُلَّمَا هَلَكَ نَبِيٌّ خَلَفَهُ نَبِيٌّ وَإِنَّهُ لاَ نَبِيَّ بَعْدِي وَسَتَكُونُ خُلَفَاءُ فَتَكْثُرُ  قَالُوا فَمَا تَأْمُرُنَا قَالَ " فُوا بِبَيْعَةِ الأَوَّلِ فَالأَوَّلِ وَأَعْطُوهُمْ حَقَّهُمْ فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ سَائِلُهُمْ عَمَّا اسْتَرْعَاهُمْ "

“Banu Israel were ruled by Prophets, whenever a Prophet dies another succeeds him, but there will be no Prophet after me, there will be Khulafaa and they wil number many, they said: so what do you order us? He (saw) said: Give bay’ah to them, one after the other.” (Bukhari from Abu Huraira).

This indicates that the Khilafah is the political system that the Muslims must implement and adhere to. In the same vein, it is the apparatus of the Khilafah, the system of governance revealed by Allah and commanded by the Prophet (s), which provides the practical power base and infrastructure to fulfill the remainder of Allah’s commands including collecting and distributing zakat, carrying dawah to the world through diplomacy, defending the Muslim Ummah, creating a thriving and prosperous economy, and implementing the Islamic penal code.

In addition to that, the Khilafah state is the vehicle through which the other prophecies of the Prophet (s) were fulfilled, such as the conquest of Constantinople and the coming conquest of Rome:

Abdullah ibn Amr ibn Al-As, who said: “When we are around the Messenger of Allah ﷺ writing, the Messenger of Allah was asked, which of the two cities will be opened first, Constantinople or Rome?” The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:

«مَدِينَةُ هِرَقْلَ تُفْتَحُ أَوَّلاً، يَعْنِي قُسْطَنْطِينِيَّةَ» “The city of Heraclius will be opened first, meaning Constantinople.”

He prophesized liberation of Palestine:

Muslim narrated in his Saheeh on the authority of Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:

«لَا تَقُومُ السَّاعَةُ حَتَّى يُقَاتِلَ الْمُسْلِمُونَ الْيَهُودَ، فَيَقْتُلُهُمُ الْمُسْلِمُونَ...» “The hour will not come until the Muslims fight the Jews, the Muslims will kill them...”. In another version, He ﷺ said: «تُقَاتِلُكُمُ يَهُودُ، فَتُسَلَّطُونَ عَلَيْهِمْ» “The Jews will fight you, and you will dominate them.”

And in another hadith he prophesized the liberation of India which includes Kashmir:

"عِصَابَتَانِ مِنْ أُمَّتِي أَحْرَزَهُمَا اللَّهُ مِنَ النَّارِ عِصَابَةٌ تَغْزُو الْهِنْدَ وَعِصَابَةٌ تَكُونُ مَعَ عِيسَى ابْنِ مَرْيَمَ عَلَيْهِمَا السَّلاَمُ "

It was narrated that Thawbaan, the freed slave of the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), said: The Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “There are two groups of my ummah whom Allah will protect from the Fire: a group who will conquer India, and a group who will be with ‘Eesaa ibn Maryam (peace be upon him).”

These verses and hadiths remind us as Muslims of the promise of Allah and the tangible prophecies that remain unfulfilled. Allah and His Messenger do not break their promise and these premonitions should strike hope and joy in the hearts of Muslims of the victory and reward that awaits us. Speaking of the reward that awaits those who struggle despite soul-crushing circumstances Allah says:

(وَ مَا لَـكُمۡ اَلَّا تُنۡفِقُوۡا فِىۡ سَبِيۡلِ اللّٰهِ وَلِلّٰهِ مِيۡـرَاثُ السَّمٰوٰتِ وَ الۡاَرۡضِ​ؕ لَا يَسۡتَوِىۡ مِنۡكُمۡ مَّنۡ اَنۡفَقَ مِنۡ قَبۡلِ الۡفَتۡحِ وَقَاتَلَ​ ؕ اُولٰٓـئِكَ اَعۡظَمُ دَرَجَةً مِّنَ الَّذِيۡنَ اَنۡفَقُوۡا مِنۡۢ بَعۡدُ وَقَاتَلُوۡا​ ؕ وَكُلًّا وَّعَدَ اللّٰهُ الۡحُسۡنٰى​ؕ وَاللّٰهُ بِمَا تَعۡمَلُوۡنَ خَبِيۡرٌ)

“Not equal among you are those who spent before the conquest [of Makkah] and fought [and those who did so after it]. Those are greater in degree than they who spent afterwards and fought. But to all Allah has promised the best [reward]. And Allah, with what you do, is acquainted” (Al-Hadeed: 10)

The case of the hardships, struggle, seriousness, and effort of Muhammad al-Fatih who liberated Constantinople shows us that these verses and hadith are meant to propel us into action, not to placate us into fatalistically thinking that Allah’s victory will fall upon us from the sky without real sincerity, seriousness, and effort.

Jazāk Allāhu Khayran for joining us!