‘Abd Allaah bin ‘Amr said “ I heard the Apostle of Allaah ﷺ say “There will be emigration after emigration and the people who are best will be those who cleave most closely to places which Abraham migrated. The worst of its people will remain in the earth cast out by their lands, abhorred by Allaah, collected along with apes and swine by fire.””  

سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ يَقُولُ سَتَكُونُ هِجْرَةٌ بَعْدَ هِجْرَةٍ فَخِيَارُ أَهْلِ الأَرْضِ أَلْزَمُهُمْ مُهَاجَرَ إِبْرَاهِيمَ وَيَبْقَى فِي الأَرْضِ شِرَارُ أَهْلِهَا تَلْفِظُهُمْ أَرَضُوهُمْ تَقْذَرُهُمْ نَفْسُ اللَّهِ وَتَحْشُرُهُمُ النَّارُ مَعَ الْقِرَدَةِ وَالْخَنَازِيرِ  

The Prophet ﷺ said: It will turn out that you will be armed troops, one is Syria, one in the Yemen and one in Iraq. Ibn Hawalah said: Choose for me, Messenger of Allah, if I reach that time. He replied: Go to Syria, for it is Allah's chosen land, to which his best servants will be gathered, but if you are unwilling, go to your Yemen, and draw water from your tanks, for Allah has on my account taken special charge of Syria and its people.  

قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ سَيَصِيرُ الأَمْرُ إِلَى أَنْ تَكُونُوا جُنُودًا مُجَنَّدَةً جُنْدٌ بِالشَّامِ وَجُنْدٌ بِالْيَمَنِ وَجُنْدٌ بِالْعِرَاقِ قَالَ ابْنُ حَوَالَةَ خِرْ لِي يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ إِنْ أَدْرَكْتُ ذَلِكَ فَقَالَ عَلَيْكَ بِالشَّامِ فَإِنَّهَا خِيَرَةُ اللَّهِ مِنْ أَرْضِهِ يَجْتَبِي إِلَيْهَا خِيَرَتَهُ مِنْ عِبَادِهِ فَأَمَّا إِنْ أَبَيْتُمْ فَعَلَيْكُمْ بِيَمَنِكُمْ وَاسْقُوا مِنْ غُدُرِكُمْ فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ تَوَكَّلَ لِي بِالشَّامِ وَأَهْلِهِ