[Machine] Abdullah ibn Hawala said: We were with the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and we complained to him about poverty and scarcity. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: "Be glad, for by Allah, it is not the abundance of wealth that I fear for you, but rather the scarcity of it. And by Allah, this matter (Islam) will continue to spread among you until Allah opens the lands of Persia, Rome, and Yemen for you, and you will be armies, three armies in Syria, one army in Iraq, and one army in Yemen. And until a man will be given a hundred Dirhams and will be displeased with it." Ibn Hawala said: I said, "O Messenger of Allah, who can conquer Syria and Rome, the domains of empires?" He said, "By Allah, it will be opened for you by Allah, and He will make you its successors, until even the white thread of these people is taken by the black thread of yours in matters that they command, and you fulfill it. And indeed, in it there are men who, in their sight, you are more worthless than monkeys in the sight of camels." Ibn Hawala said: So I said, "O Messenger of Allah, choose for me if I live to see that." He said, "I choose for you Syria, for it is the elite of Allah's land. To it, the elite of His servants will be selected. O people of Yemen, rely on Syria, for surely Allah has taken charge of Syria and its people." Abu 'Alqama said: I heard 'Abd al-Rahman ibn Jubayr say: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ mentioned this hadith about Hurayb ibn Suhayl al-Sulami, who was among the non-Arab people at that time. So when they used to go to the mosque, they would look at him and stand around him. They marveled at the description of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ about him and about them. Abu 'Alqama said: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ took an oath three times in this hadith, and we do not know of any other hadith in which he took an oath like this. And in this book, there is a narration from Ibn Zughb al-Iyadi from 'Abdullah ibn Hawala from the Prophet ﷺ that Syria will be opened for you, and then you will divide the treasures of Persia and Rome.
قَالَ عَبْدُ اللهِ بْنُ حَوَالَةَ ؓ كُنَّا عِنْدَ رَسُولِ اللهِ ﷺ فَشَكَوْنَا إِلَيْهِ الْعُرْيَ وَالْفَقْرَ وَقِلَّةَ الشَّيْءِ فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ أَبْشِرُوا فَوَاللهِ لَأَنَا بِكَثْرَةِ الشَّيْءِ أَخْوَفُنِي عَلَيْكُمْ مِنْ قِلَّتِهِ وَاللهِ لَا يَزَالُ هَذَا الْأَمْرُ فِيكُمْ حَتَّى يَفْتَحَ اللهُ أَرْضَ فَارِسَ وَأَرْضَ الرُّومِ وَأَرْضَ حِمْيَرَ وَحَتَّى تَكُونُوا أَجْنَادًا ثَلَاثَةً جُنْدًا بِالشَّامِ وَجُنْدًا بِالْعِرَاقِ وَجُنْدًا بِالْيَمَنِ وَحَتَّى يُعْطَى الرَّجُلُ الْمِائَةَ فَيَسْخَطَهَا قَالَ ابْنُ حَوَالَةَ قُلْتُ يَا رَسُولَ اللهِ وَمَنْ يَسْتَطِيعُ الشَّامَ وَبِهِ الرُّومُ ذَوَاتُ الْقُرُونِ؟ قَالَ وَاللهِ لَيَفْتَحَنَّهَا اللهُ عَلَيْكُمْ وَلَيَسْتَخْلِفَنَّكُمْ فِيهَا حَتَّى يَظَلَّ الْعِصَابَةُ الْبِيضُ مِنْهُمْ قُمُصُهُمُ الْمُلْحَمَةُ أَقْفَاؤُهُمْ قِيَامًا عَلَى الرُّوَيْجِلِ الْأَسْوَدِ مِنْكُمُ الْمَحْلُوقِ مَا أَمَرَهُمْ مِنْ شَيْءٍ فَعَلُوهُ وَإِنَّ بِهَا رِجَالًا لَأَنْتُمْ أَحْقَرُ فِي أَعْيُنِهِمْ مِنَ الْقِرْدَانِ فِي أَعْجَازِ الْإِبِلِ قَالَ ابْنُ حَوَالَةَ فَقُلْتُ يَا رَسُولَ اللهِ اخْتَرْ لِي إِنْ أَدْرَكَنِي ذَلِكَ قَالَ إِنِّي أَخْتَارُ لَكَ الشَّامَ فَإِنَّهُ صَفْوَةُ اللهِ مِنْ بِلَادِهِ وَإِلَيْهِ تُجْتَبَى صَفْوَتُهُ مِنْ عِبَادِهِ يَا أَهْلَ الْيَمَنِ عَلَيْكُمْ بِالشَّامِ فَإِنَّ مِنْ صَفْوَةِ اللهِ مِنْ أَرْضِهِ الشَّامَ أَلَا فَمَنْ أَبَى فَلْيَسْتَبْقِ فِي غُدُرِ الْيَمَنِ فَإِنَّ اللهَ قَدْ تَكَفَّلَ لِي بِالشَّامِ وَأَهْلِهِ قَالَ أَبُو عَلْقَمَةَ فَسَمِعْتُ عَبْدَ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنَ جُبَيْرٍ يَقُولُ فَعَرَفَ رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ نَعْتَ هَذَا الْحَدِيثِ فِي حُرِّ بْنِ سُهَيْلٍ السُّلَمِيِّ وَكَانَ عَلَى الْأَعَاجِمِ فِي ذَلِكَ الزَّمَانِ فَكَانَ إِذَا رَاحُوا إِلَى مَسْجِدٍ نَظَرُوا إِلَيْهِ وَإِلَيْهِمْ قِيَامًا حَوْلَهُ فَعَجِبُوا لِنَعْتِ رَسُولِ اللهِ ﷺ فِيهِ وَفِيهِمْ قَالَ أَبُو عَلْقَمَةَ أَقْسَمَ رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ فِي هَذَا الْحَدِيثِ ثَلَاثَ مَرَّاتٍ لَا نَعْلَمُ أَنَّهُ أَقْسَمَ فِي حَدِيثٍ مِثْلَهُ وَقَدْ مَضَى فِي هَذَا الْكِتَابِ عَنِ ابْنِ زُغْبٍ الْإِيَادِيِّ عَنْ عَبْدِ اللهِ بْنِ حَوَالَةَ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ لَيُفْتَحَنَّ لَكُمُ الشَّامُ ثُمَّ لَتَقْسِمُنَّ كُنُوزَ فَارِسَ وَالرُّومِ