Predictions in the Quran and the Sunnah (part 1)

1) The Prophet (ملسو هيلع هللا ىلص) predicted that the caliph Uthman would be killed. Uthman

was killed by rebels who wanted to overthrow him from his position as the

Caliph. There multiple hadith narrated from the Prophet (ملسو هيلع هللا ىلص) which

reference this, narrated by different companions. a. Narrated Abu Musa: While I was with the Prophet (ملسو هيلع هللا ىلص) in one of the gardens of Medina, a

man came and asked me to open the gate. The Prophet (ملسو هيلع هللا ىلص) said to me, "Open the gate for

him and give him the glad tidings that he will enter Paradise." I opened (the gate) for him,

and behold! It was Abu Bakr. I informed him of the glad tidings the Prophet (ملسو هيلع هللا ىلص) had said,

and he praised Allah. Then another man came and asked me to open the gate. The Prophet

said to me "Open (the gate) and give him the glad tidings of entering Paradise." I (ملسو هيلع هللا ىلص)

opened (the gate) for him, and behold! It was `Umar. I informed him of what the Prophet

had said, and he praised Allah. Then another man came and asked me to open the (ملسو هيلع هللا ىلص)

gate. The Prophet (ملسو هيلع هللا ىلص) said to me. "Open (the gate) for him and inform him of the glad

tidings, of entering Paradise with a calamity which will befall him. "Behold ! It was `Uthman,

I informed him of what Allah's Messenger (ملسو هيلع هللا ىلص) had said. He praised Allah and said, "I seek

Allah's Aid."

b. 'Aishah said: "When he was ill, the Messenger of Allah said: 'I would like to have some of

my Companions with me.' We said: 'O Messenger of Allah! Shall we call Abu Bakr for you?'

But he remained silent. We said: 'Shall we call 'Umar for you?' But he remained silent. We

said: 'Shall we call 'Uthman for you?' He said: 'Yes.' So 'Uthman came and he spoke to him

in private. The Prophet started to speak to him and 'Uthman's expression changed." Qais

said: "Abu Sahlah, the freed slave of 'Uthman, narrated to me that on the Day of the House,

'Uthman bin 'Affan said: 'The Messenger of Allah told me what would come to pass and now

I am coming to that day.'"In his narration of the Hadith, 'Ali (one of the narrators) said (that

he said): "And I am going to bear it with patience." Qais said: "They used to think that that

was the Day of the House."

c. Narrate 'Aishah: that the Prophet (ملسو هيلع هللا ىلص) said: "O 'Uthman! Indeed Allah may give you a shirt,

and if they wish that you take it off, do not take it off for them." (The scholars interpret this

as meaning the khilafa, not an actual shirt)3.

d. Narrated Nafi' ibn AbdulHarith: I went out with the (Messenger of Allah (ملسو هيلع هللا ىلص) until I entered

a garden, he said: Keep on closing the door. The door was then closed. I then said: Who is

there ? He then narrated the rest of the tradition. Abu Dawud said: That is to say, the

tradition of Abu Musa al-Ash'ari. (see hadith ‘a’ above).

e. Narrated Ibn 'Umar: that the Messenger of Allah (ملسو هيلع هللا ىلص) mentioned the Fitnah and said: "This

one will be wrongfully killed during it," about 'Uthman bin 'Affan [may Allah be pleased with

him].

f. Narrated Anas bin Malik: The Prophet (ملسو هيلع هللا ىلص) once climbed the mountain of Uhud with Abu

Bakr, `Umar and `Uthman. The mountain shook with them. The Prophet (ملسو هيلع هللا ىلص) said (to the

mountain), "Be firm, O Uhud! For on you there are no more than a Prophet, a Siddiq (Abu

Bakr) and two martyrs (Umar and Uthman were both assassinated later in their lives).

g. Narrated Abu 'Abdur-Rahman As-Sulami: "When 'Uthman was besieged, he looked out over

them from atop his house and said: 'I remind you by Allah. Do you know that when (mount)

Hira shook, the Messenger of Allah (ملسو هيلع هللا ىلص) said: "Be firm O Hira! For there is none upon you

except a Prophet, a Siddiq, and a martyr?"' They said: 'Yes.' He said: 'I remind you by Allah!

Do you know that the Messenger of Allah (ملسو هيلع هللا ىلص) said, about the army of distress (Al-'Usrah):

"Who will spend something which shall be accepted (by Allah)?" And the people were

struggling during difficult times, so I prepared that army?' They said: 'Yes.' Then he said: 'I

remind you by Allah. Do you know that no one drank from the well of Rumah but have to

pay for it, then I bought it and made it for the rich, the poor, and the wayfarer?' They said:

'O Allah! Yes!'" And he listed other things.

2) The Prophet predicted the conquering of Egypt, which happened during

the reign of the Caliph Umar. a. Abu Dharr reported Allah's Messenger (ملسو هيلع هللا ىلص) as saying: You would soon conquer Egypt and

that is a land which is known (as the land of al-qirat). So when you conquer it, treat its

inhabitants well. For there lies upon you the responsibility because of blood-tie or

relationship of marriage (with them). And when you see two persons falling into dispute

amongst themselves for the space of a brick, than get out of that. He (Abu Dharr) said: I

saw Abd al-Rahman b. Shurahbil b. Hasana and his brother Rabi'a disputing with one

another for the space of a brick. So I left that (land).

b. Ka’b Ibn Malik reported that the Prophet (ملسو هيلع هللا ىلص) said: If you enter Egypt, then treat the Copts

well, because of blood ties, or relationship of marriage.

3) The Prophet (ملسو هيلع هللا ىلص) predicted the Eastward and Westward spread of Islam a. Thauban reported that Allah's Messenger (ملسو هيلع هللا ىلص) said: Allah drew the ends of the world near

one another for my sake. And I have seen its eastern and western ends. And the dominion

of my Ummah would reach those ends which have been drawn near me...

Note: This hadith is very precise in its wording. If we look at the map of where Islam has

spread, it mostly spread in an eastward and westward direction, as the hadith mentions.

Not north and south. In fact, it was actually prevented from moving too far south in Africa.

When Amr Ibn Al Aas invaded Egypt he tried to push southwards into Sudan, but was

prevented by fierce resistance from the Nubians at the time, forcing him to retreat from

that region. In my mind, it somehow seemed relevant to the hadith in Sunan Al Nasaai’

(3176) where the Prophet (ملسو هيلع هللا ىلص) 'Leave the Abyssinians (Nubians) alone so long as they leave

you alone’, as if he knew these people would not be conquered like the other people’s

where.

4) The Prophet (ملسو هيلع هللا ىلص) predicted the invasion of India. This occurred during the

Umayyad period. a. Abu Hurairah said: "The Messenger of Allah (ملسو هيلع هللا ىلص) promised us that we would invade India.

If I live to see that, I will sacrifice myself and my wealth. If I am killed, I will be one of the

best of the martyrs, and if I come back, I will be Abu Hurairah Al-Muharrar." [1] [1] Al-

Muharrar: The one freed (from the Fire).

b. Thawban, the freed slave of the Messenger of Allah (ملسو هيلع هللا ىلص), said:"The Messenger of Allah (ملسو هيلع هللا ىلص)

said: 'There are two groups of my Ummah whom Allah will free from the Fire: The group

that invades India, and the group that will be with 'Isa bin Maryam, peace be upon him.'"

5) The Prophet (ملسو هيلع هللا ىلص) predicted that the Muslims would fight against the Turkic

people. a. Narrated Abu Huraira: Allah's Messenger (ملسو هيلع هللا ىلص) said, "The Hour will not be established until

you fight with the Turks; people with small eyes, red faces, and flat noses. Their faces will look like shields coated with leather. The Hour will not be established till you fight with people whose shoes are made of hair."

b. Narrated Abu Huraira: The Prophet (ملسو هيلع هللا ىلص) said, "The Hour will not be established till you fight with the Khudh and the Kirman from among the non-Arabs. They will be of red faces, flat noses and small eyes; their faces will look like flat shields, and their shoes will be of hair."

c. Narrated `Umar bin Taghlib: I heard Allah's Messenger (ملسو هيلع هللا ىلص) saying, "Near the Hour you will fight with people who will wear hairy shoes; and you will also fight people with flat faces like shields."

Note: This event clearly refers to the Mongol invasions of the Muslim empire in the mid-13th and early 14th

centuries, and this is what many of the scholars say it refers to. The Prophet clearly described these people’s

physical appearance aswell, as having flat faces and small eyes. Ibn Hajr mentions that the area of Kirman is

between Khurasan (in early Islamic terminology, Khurasan referred to large swathes of central Asia4) and the

Indian Ocean.5 One contemporary scholar mentions that this area refers to parts of modern day China and

Russia.6

6) The Prophet (ملسو هيلع هللا ىلص) predicts the conquests of Al-Shaam (which covers modern

day Syria, Lebanon, Palestine and parts of Jordan and Iraq), Yemen and

Persia (which covers modern day Iran and Iraq This began during the reign

of Abu Bakr and was the land of Syria was completely conquered during the

reign of Umar. a. Narrated Ibn `Umar: (The Prophet) said, "O Allah! Bless our Sham and our Yemen." People

said, "Our Najd as well." The Prophet again said, "O Allah! Bless our Sham and Yemen." They

said again, "Our Najd as well." On that the Prophet (ملسو هيلع هللا ىلص) said, "There will appear

earthquakes and afflictions, and from there will come out the side of the head of Satan."

(The Prophet (ملسو هيلع هللا ىلص) said ‘our’ Sham, meaning that the Muslims would have control of it).

b. Narrated Ibn Hawalah: The Prophet (ملسو هيلع هللا ىلص) 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.

c. It was narrated from Abu Sukainah, a man from among the Muharririn, that a man among

the Companions of the the Prophet (ملسو هيلع هللا ىلص) said: "When the Prophet (ملسو هيلع هللا ىلص) commanded them

to dig the trench (Al-Khandaq), there was a rock in their way preventing them from digging.

The Messenger of Allah (ملسو هيلع هللا ىلص) stood, picked up a pickaxe, put his Rida' (upper garment) at

the edge of the ditch and said: 'And the Word of your Lord has been fulfilled in truth and

in justice. None can change His Words. And He is the All-Hearer, the All-Knower.' [1] One-

third of the rock broke off while Salman Al-Farisi was standing there watching, and there

was a flash of light when the Messenger of Allah (ملسو هيلع هللا ىلص) struck (the rock). Then he struck it

again and said: 'And the Word of your Lord has been fulfilled in truth and in justice. Nonce

can change His Words. And He is the All-Hearer, the All-Knower' And another third of the

rock broke off and there was another flash of light, which Salman saw. Then he struck (the

rock) a third time and said: 'And the Word of your Lord has been fulfilled in truth and in

justice. None can change His Words. And He is the All-Hearer, the All-Knower.' The last third

fell, and the Messenger of Allah (ملسو هيلع هللا ىلص) came out, picked up his Rida' and sat down. Salman

said: 'O Messenger of Allah, Each time you struck the rock there was a flash of light.' The

Messenger of Allah (ملسو هيلع هللا ىلص) said to him: 'O Salman, did you see that?' He said: 'Yes, by the One

Who sent you with the truth, O Messenger of Allah.' He said: 'When I struck the first blow,

the cities of Chosroes (emperor of Persia) and their environs were shown to me, and many

other cities, and I saw them with my own eyes.' Those of his Companions who were present

said: 'O Messenger of Allah, pray to Allah to grant us victory and to give us their land as spoils

of war, and to destroy their lands at our hands.' So the Messenger of Allah (ملسو هيلع هللا ىلص) prayed for

that. (Then he said:) 'Then I struck the second blow and the cities of Caesar (emperor of the

Eastern Roman empire) and their environs were shown to me, and I saw them with my own

eyes.' They said: 'O Messenger of Allah, pray to Allah to grant us victory and to give us their

lands as spoils of war, and to destroy their lands at our hands.' So the Messenger of Allah

prayed for that. (Then he said:) 'Then I struck the third blow and the cities of Ethiopia (ملسو هيلع هللا ىلص)

were shown to me, and the villages around them, and I saw them with my own eyes.' But

the Messenger of Allah (ملسو هيلع هللا ىلص) said at that point: 'Leave the Ethiopians alone so long as they

leave you alone, and leave the Turks alone so long as they leave you alone.'" [1] An-An'am

6:115.

d. Al Baraa’ ibn Aazib narrated: (the exact same details as the above hadith (c), so he must have

been a witness to the event too).

e. Nafi' b. Utba reported: …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 would attack Persia and He would make you to conquer

it. Then you would attack Rome and Allah will enable you to conquer it…

f. Abdullah ibn Hawaalah al-Azdi narrated that Messenger of Allah (ملسو هيلع هللا ىلص) said: “You will be

enabled to conquer Syria, Byzantium and Persia, or Byzantium and Persia, until one of you

will have such and such number of camels, and such and such number of cattle and of

sheep, until one of you will be given one hundred dinars and will not be content with it.”

7) The Prophet (ملسو هيلع هللا ىلص) predicts the conquering of Jerusalem and then a plaque

that will follow it. This plague happened and was called ‘Taa’oon Amwas’.

Thousands died in the plaque, including the infamous companion, Abu

Ubaidah Amir ibn Al Jarrah. a. Narrated ̀ Auf bin Mali: I went to the Prophet (ملسو هيلع هللا ىلص) during the Ghazwa of Tabuk while he was

sitting in a leather tent. He said, "Count six signs that indicate the approach of the Hour:

my death, the conquest of Jerusalem, a plague that will afflict you (and kill you in great

numbers) as the plague that afflicts sheep…

8) The Prophet (ملسو هيلع هللا ىلص) predicted that his grandson, Al-Hasan, would bring about

peace between two warring, Muslim factions. This is exactly what happened

during the time of Mu’awwiyya, when Al-Hasan relinquished his claim to the

leadership of the Muslim empire, in order to avoid further war with

Mu’awwiyya, who was also vying for leadership. a. Abu Bakrah said: "I saw the Messenger of Allah (ملسو هيلع هللا ىلص) on the Minbar, and Al-Hasan was with

him. He would turn to the people sometime and turn to him (Al-Hasan) sometimes, and he

said: 'This son of mine is a leader (Sayyid) and Allah (SWT) may make peace between two

large groups of Muslims through him.'"

b. Jabir narrated: The Prophet (ملسو هيلع هللا ىلص) said about Al-Hasan ibn Ali: This son of mine is a leader, and

Allah will certainly make peace through him between two large groups of Muslims.

9) The Prophet (ملسو هيلع هللا ىلص) predicted that the Prophetic Khilafa would last for 30 years

after he died, then there will be a Kingship, then harsh authoritarian rule. If

we count the number of years of rule of Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman, Ali then

Al-Hasan ibn Ali it adds to exactly 30 years. Mu’awiyyah then became the

Caliph after this, and he changed the system of leadership into Kingship. a. Sa'eed bin Jumhan narrated: "Safinah narrated to me, he said: 'The Messenger of Allah (ملسو هيلع هللا ىلص)

said: "Al-Khilafah will be in my Ummah for thirty years, then there will be monarchy after

that."'…

b. Hudhaida said: The Prophet (ملسو هيلع هللا ىلص) said: “There will be Prophethood for as long as Allah wills it

to be, then He will remove it when He wills, then there will be Khilafah on the Prophetic

method and it will be for as long as Allah wills, then He will remove it when He wills, then

there will be biting Kingship for as long as Allah Wills, then He will remove it when He wills,

then there will be oppressive kingship for as long as Allah wills, then he will remove it when

He wills, and then there will be Khilafah upon the Prophetic method” and then he remained

silent.”

c. Abu Ubaidah said: The Prophet (ملسو هيلع هللا ىلص) said: Your religion first began with Prophethood and

mercy, then there will be Khilafa and mercy, then there will be Kingship and oppression, and

spilling blood will be done freely. (This is my rough translation, the book I got this from

hasn’t been translated to English).

10) The Prophet (ملسو هيلع هللا ىلص) predicted Suraqa ibn Malik would be wearing the

bracelets of Chosroes, the then emperor of Persia. Note: I couldn’t find an English translations of these narrations, so I’ve roughly translated the

relevant parts and provided the sources for anyone interested in reading further.

a. On the authority of Al-Hasan Al-Basri, that the Prophet said to Suraqa ibn Malik: “How would

it be for you to wear the bracelets of Chosroes”, so when the bracelets of Chosroes were

brought to Umar, and his crown too, Umar called for Suraqa and made him wear them (the

crown and bracelet) and he (Suraqa) was a short, fat man with a lot of hair on his forearms,

so he (Umar) said to him (Suraqa): “lift up your hands and praise Allah, the One who took

them (the crown and bracelets) from Chosroes, the son of Hormuz, and made them worn

by a bedouin, Suraqa, from the tribe of Madlaj.”

b. When Umar was informed of what happened in Iraw (it’s conquest), the guardian of the

Bayt Al-Maal said to him, I will put the booty (from Iraq) into the Bayt Al-Maal, he (Umar)

said: “No, by the Lord of the Ka’ba, it will not be put under the roof of a house until I divide

it”, so Umar order the booty to be put in the mosque, and the men of the Muhajireen and

the Ansaar were guarding it…The next morning…Umar saw a sight he had never seen

before (the sheer amount of booty)…Umar started to cry…The Umar said “Where is Suraqa

ibn Ju’shum, so he was brought and he had hairy forearms…Umar gave Suraqa the bracelets

of Chosroes and told him: “wear them” so he did…”

Reflection: Notice in these ahadith the Umar actually CALLS for Suraqa. Suraqa was a very minor companion,

who accepted Islam very late in the Prophet’s (ملسو هيلع هللا ىلص) mission. Why would Umar specifically be calling this man

to wear the bracelets, if not only to fulfil the Prophecy of the Prophet (ملسو هيلع هللا ىلص)? This prediction clearly could

have not come true at all. For example, Suraqa could have died, or he might not have been present in the

area at that moment in time.

References

1) http://www.al-

eman.com/%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%83%D8%AA%D8%A8/%D9%86%D8%B8%D9%85+%D8%A7%D

9%84%D9%85%D8%AA%D9%86%D8%A7%D8%AB%D8%B1+%D9%85%D9%86+%D8%A7%D9%84

%D8%AD%D8%AF%D9%8A%D8%AB+%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85%D8%AA%D9%88%D8%A7%D8%

AA%D8%B1+**/i24&p1

2) http://www.al-

eman.com/%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%83%D8%AA%D8%A8/%D9%86%D8%B8%D9%85%20%D8%A7

%D9%84%D9%85%D8%AA%D9%86%D8%A7%D8%AB%D8%B1%20%D9%85%D9%86%20%D8%A7

%D9%84%D8%AD%D8%AF%D9%8A%D8%AB%20%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85%D8%AA%D9%88%D

8%A7%D8%AA%D8%B1%20**/%D8%AD%D8%AF%D9%8A%D8%AB%20:%20%E2%80%8F%D9%8

5%D9%86%20%D9%83%D8%B0%D8%A8%20%D8%B9%D9%84%D9%8A%20%D9%85%D8%AA%D

8%B9%D9%85%D8%AF%D8%A7%D9%8B%20/i24&d43840&c&p1#s4

3) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dG2c1-9Bi6I

4) Bosworth, C.E. (1986). Encyclopedia of Islam, Vol 5, Khe - Mahi (New ed. ed.). Leiden [u.a.]: Brill

[u.a.] pp. 55–59 5) http://library.islamweb.net/newlibrary/display_book.php?bk_no=52&ID=2104&idfrom=6497&id

to=6606&bookid=52&startno=17

6) http://fatwa.islamweb.net/fatwa/index.php?page=showfatwa&Option=FatwaId&Id=139706