The Future is for Islâm

By the Shaykh - the Scholar of Hadîth - Muhammad Nâsirud-Dîn al-Albânî [1]

“Allâh - the Mighty and Majestic - said:

“It is He who has sent His Messenger with guidance and the religion of truth, that He may make it prevail over all other religions, no matter how much the disbelievers detest it.”[2]

We are given the good tidings in this verse that the future is for Islâm, which gain dominance, ascendancy and rule over all other religions. Some people may think that this was fulfilled in the time of the Prophet sallallâhu ’alayhi wa sallam and the Rightly-Guided Khalîfahs and the righteous kings - but that is not the case. Rather, only a part of this true promise was fulfilled then - as the Prophet sallallâhu ’alayhi wa sallam indicated:

“Night and day will pass away until al-Lât and al-’Uzzâ are worshipped.” So ’Âisha - radiallâhu ’anha - said: O Messenger of Allâh! I thought that when Allâh sent down: “It is He who has sent His Messenger with guidance and the religion of truth, that He may make it prevail over all the other religions, no matter how much the disbelievers detest it.” that it would be complete. He sallallâhu ’alayhi wa sallam said, “There will be of that what Allâh wishes.” [3]

[In this hadîth is a clarification that the prevalence and ascendancy mentioned in this Âyah has not yet happened - its establishment is yet to be fully realised. There is no doubt that this ascendancy and prevalence continued after the death of the Prophet sallallâhu ’alayhi wa sallam, in the age Rightly­Guided Khalîfahs and after them. And it not be completed until Islâm is established over the whole of this earth - and this is realisation is certain.] [4]

There are other ahâdîth which show how far Islâm will reach and dominate and how far it spread, such that there is no doubt that the future is for Islâm, by the permission and favour of Allâh. So I quote what I am able to these ahâdîth and hopefully they will strengthen the determination of the workers for Islâm; and be a proof against those who are indifferent and those who have despaired!

Firstly
“Indeed Allâh gathered up the earth for me so that I saw its east and its west; and indeed the dominion of my Ummah will reach what was what was gathered up for me from it.”[5] And even clearer than it and more general is the hadîth:

Secondly
“This affair will reach what is reached by the night and the day; and Allâh will not leave a dwelling of brick, nor fur, except that Allâh will cause this Dîn to enter it - bringing honour or humiliation. Honour which Allâh gives to Islâm and humiliation which Allâh will give to disbelief.”[6]

[Therefore, it is upon the Muslims to prepare themselves, by turning to their Lord, holding on to His Book, following the Sunnah of His Prophet sallallâhu ’alayhi wa sallam, turning away from all that Allâh has made unlawful and uniting upon that which He - the Perfect, Most High - is pleased with.] [7] Indeed, there is no doubt that fulfillment of this prevalence and domination necessitates that the Muslims return to spiritual, material and armed strength, so that they are able to overcome the might of kufr (disbelief) and suppression. This good tiding is given to us in the hadîth:

Thirdly
From Abû Qabîl who said: We were with ’Abdullâh ibn ’Amr ibn al-’Âs and he was asked which city will be conquered first - Constantinople or Rome? So ’Abdullâh called for a sealed trunk and he said: Take out a book from it.[8] Then ’Abdullâh said: Whilst we were with the Messenger of sallallâhu ’alayhi wa sallam writing, The Messenger of sallallâhu ’alayhi wa sallam was asked: Which city will be conquered first, Constantinople or Rome? So Allâh’s Messenger sallallâhu ’alayhi wa sallam said: “The city of Heraclius will be conquered first.” - meaning Constantinople.[9]

The conquest mentioned, occurred at the hands of Muhammad al­Fattâh al-Uthmânî - as is well known - and it occurred more than eight­hundred years after the Prophet sallallâhu ’alayhi wa sallam foretold of the conquest. So the second conquest will take place, by the permission of Allâh - the Most High - and it is certain and you will hear of it after a time. There is also no doubt that the fulfillment of the second conquest necessitates the return of the rightly-guided Khilâfah to the Muslim Ummah, which is what he sallallâhu ’alayhi wa sallam foretold with his saying in the hadîth:

Fourthly
“Prophethood will remain amongst you for as long as Allâh wishes it to, then Allâh will raise it up when He wishes to raise it up. Then there will be Khilâfah upon the manner of Prophethood and it will remain amongst you for as long as Allâh wishes it to, then Allâh will raise up when He wishes to raise up. Then there will be harsh kingship which will remain amongst you for as long as Allâh wishes it to, then Allâh will raise it up when He wishes to raise it up. Then there will be tyrannical kingship and it will remain amongst you for as long as Allâh wishes it to, then will raise it up when He wishes to raise it up. Then there will be Khilâfah upon the manner of Prophethood.” Then he was silent.[10]

From the good tidings of the return of strength to the Muslims, and their having the ability to utilise the earth to attain their goals, and that they have a bright future even in the economic and agricultural spheres, is his sallallâhu ’alayhi wa sallam’s saying:

Fifthly
“The Hour will not be established until the land of the ‘Arabs returns to being pastures and rivers.” [11] The first signs of the fulfillment of this hadîth have begun to appear in some parts of the Arab lands, upon which Allâh has poured forth His blessings and great favours - such that plentiful water is extracted from the desert ... and tomorrow is very near for the one who awaits it.

It must also be known that his sallallâhu ’alayhi wa sallam’s saying: “A time will not come upon you, except that which comes
after it will be worse - until you meet your Lord.” [12] Then this hadîth must be understood in the light of the preceding ahâdîth as well as in the light of others - such as the ahâdîth about the Mahdî and also the descent of Îsâ ’alayhis-salâm - which show that this hadîth is not to be understood as having no exceptions. Bather, it is general and has exceptions. Thus, it is not permissible to cause the people to understand it or be unrestricted, so that they fall into despair which no Believer should have as an attribute:

“Indeed, no one despairs of Allâh’s mercy, except those who disbelieve.” [13]

I ask Allâh to make us true Believer in Him.”

References

1. Silsilatul-Ahâdethus-Sahîhah (pp.6-8) of Shaykh al­Albânî. For the sake of brevity and simplicity, the hadîth authentication and checkings by the Shaykh have been abridged.
2. Sûratus­Saff 61:9
3. Related by Muslim (8/182) and also Abû Ya’lâ in his Musnad (Q.216/2)
4. Added from Tahdhîrus­Sâjid (pp.118-119) of Shaykh al­Albânî.
5. Related by Muslim (8/171), Abû Dâwûd (no.4252) and others, from Thawbân radiallâhu ’anhu.
6. Sahîh: Related by Ahmad (4/103), Ibn Hibbân in his Sahîh (no.1631) and others. Shaykh al­Albânî authenticated it in Tahdhîrus­Sâjid (p. 118).
7. Added from Tahdhîrus­Sâjid (p. 119).
8. This saying of ’Abdullâh - radiallâhu ’anhu - is reported by Abû Zur’ah in Tarîkh Dimashq (96/1) and is a proof that hadîth were indeed written in the time of the Prophet sallallâhu ’alayhi wa sallam, contrary to what some of the innovators of falsehood think!
9. Sahîh: Related by Ahmad (2/176) ad­Dârimî, al­Hâkim (3/422) and others and it was authenticated by ’Abdul­Ghanî al-Maqdisî in Kitâbul-’Ilm (2/30/1) and also al­Hâkim and Dhahabî.
10. Sahîh: Related by Ahmad (4/273) and others from an­Nu’mân ibn Bashîr radiallâhu ’anhu. It was authenticated by al­Hâfidh al-’Irâqî in Mahajjatul­Qarab fî Mahabbatil-’Arab (17/2).
11. Related by Muslim (3/84), Ahmad (2/703) and al-Hâkim (4/477) from Abû Hurayrah radiallâhu ’anhu.
12. Related by al-Bukhârî from the hadîth of Anas radiallâhu ’anhu.
13. Sûrah Yûsuf 12:87

Paving the Way for Victory

Shaykh al­Albânî says in Fiqhul-Wâqi’ (pp. 49­51):

“Therefore, the key to a return of the glory of Islâm is: implementation of beneficial knowledge and establishing righteous and correct actions, and this is a very great affair which the Muslims cannot reach, except through the manhaj (methodology) of tasfiyah (purificationand correction) and tarbiyah (education and cultivation). These being two very great obligations. By the first of these, the following is intended:

Firstly: Purifying the Islâmic ’aqîdah from that which is alien to it, such as shirk (associating partners to in those things that are particular to Him), ta’tîl (rejection Attributes), ta’wîl (twisting the meanings of Allâh’s Attributes), refusing authentic ahâdîth, because they are connected to matters of ’aqîdah, and their like.

Secondly: Purifying the Islâmic fiqh from the erroneous judgements made, which are contrary to the Book and the Sunnah, freeing the minds from the fetters of blind­following and the darkness of sectarianism and party­spirit.

Thirdly: Purifying the books of tafsîr, fiqh raqâ’iq (matters concerning the heart) and other than that, from ahâdîth which are weak and fabricated, or the the unsupported narrations from the people of the Book, and the reprehensible narrations.

As regards the second obligation, then by it I mean: cultivating the young generation upon this Islâm, purified all that we have mentioned, giving to them a correct Islâmic education from the start - without any influence from the disbelieving western education.

There is no doubt, that bringing these two obligations about requires huge efforts and sincere co­operation between all Muslims - individuals and groups - from all those who are truly concerned with establishing the desired Islâmic society, each one working in his own field and specialty.”