Why Did the Prophet Address Unknown People When Foretelling Conquests?
Answered by Mawlana Ilyas Patel
Question
In the hadith narrated by Nafi‘ ibn ‘Utba, the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) foretells future conquests and speaks to certain people using “you.”
Who were these people? Why were they unknown to the Companions at that time, and were they Muslims? What is the context of this narration, and why does Jabir ask a question at the end?
Answer
In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful and Compassionate.
I hope you are in good health and faith. Thank you for your question.
This hadith falls into the genre of prophetic foretelling (akhbar al-ghayb), spoken in a general, future-oriented address rather than to a specific group present physically.
Prophecy
One of the features of the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) was to inform the companions about their situations and future generations, supporting the ummah mentally and spiritually, comforting the companions during difficult times, and demonstrating the truth of prophethood through accurate knowledge of what was to come.
Hadith of Nafi‘ ibn ‘Utba
Nafi‘ ibn ‘Utba (Allah be pleased with him) reported:
“We were with Allah’s Messenger (Allah bless him and give him peace) in an expedition that there came a people to Allah’s Messenger from the direction of the west. They were dressed in woolen clothes, and they stood near a hillock, and they met him as Allah’s Messenger was sitting. I said to myself: ‘Better go to them and stand between him and them that they may not attack him.’ Then I thought that perhaps there had been secret negotiations amongst them.
I, however, went to them and stood between them and him. I remember four of the words (on that occasion) which I repeat (on the fingers of my hand) that he (Allah’s Messenger) said: ‘You will attack Arabia and Allah will enable you to conquer it, then you will attack Persia and He will make you conquer it. Then you would attack Rome, and Allah will enable you to conquer it; then you would attack the Dajjal, and Allah will enable you to conquer him.’ Nafi‘ said: ‘Jabir, we thought that the Dajjal would appear after Rome would be conquered.’” [Muslim]
The prophecy about fighting in the Arabian Peninsula and achieving victory is addressed not only to early Muslims but to all Muslims across time, including the Companions, their successors, and everyone striving in Allah’s path until the Day of Judgment. Scholars like Imam Qurtubi explain that this reflects a continuous group of believers who uphold and defend the truth, as in another hadith that a group of my umma will continue fighting upon the truth, victorious, not harmed by those who forsake them, until the Day of Judgment.
Clarification
Jabir said: Then Nafi‘ said to him, “O Jabir, we do not expect the Dajjal to emerge until the Romans are conquered.”
Here, he holds that the emergence of the Dajjal will occur only after the conquest of the Romans, indicating a sequence of major end-time events. [Ibn Adam al-‘Atyubi, al-Bahr al-Muhit al-Thajjaj fi Sharh Sahih al-Muslim]
And Allah knows best.
[Mawlana] Ilyas Patel
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani
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Mawlana Ilyas Patel has received a traditional education in various countries. He started his schooling in the UK and completed his hifz of the Quran in India. After that, he joined an Islamic seminary in the UK, where he studied secular and Aalimiyya sciences. Later, he traveled to Karachi, Pakistan, and other Middle Eastern countries to further his education. Mawlana has served as an Imam in the Republic of Ireland for several years and taught the Quran and other Islamic sciences to both children and adults. He also worked as a teacher and librarian at a local Islamic seminary in the UK for 12 years. Currently, he resides in the UK with his wife and enjoys reading and gardening.
