حَدَّثَنَا حَيْوَةُ بْنُ شُرَيْحٍ الْحَضْرَمِيُّ حَدَّثَنَا بَقِيَّةُ حَدَّثَنِي بَحِيرٌ عَنْ خَالِدٍ يَعْنِي ابْنَ مَعْدَانَ عَنْ ابْنِ أَبِي قُتَيْلَةَ عَنْ ابْنِ حَوَالَةَ قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّی اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ سَيَصِيرُ الْأَمْرُ إِلَی أَنْ تَکُونُوا جُنُودًا مُجَنَّدَةً جُنْدٌ بِالشَّامِ وَجُنْدٌ بِالْيَمَنِ وَجُنْدٌ بِالْعِرَاقِ قَالَ ابْنُ حَوَالَةَ خِرْ لِي يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ إِنْ أَدْرَکْتُ ذَلِکَ فَقَالَ عَلَيْکَ بِالشَّامِ فَإِنَّهَا خِيرَةُ اللَّهِ مِنْ أَرْضِهِ يَجْتَبِي إِلَيْهَا خِيرَتَهُ مِنْ عِبَادِهِ فَأَمَّا إِنْ أَبَيْتُمْ فَعَلَيْکُمْ بِيَمَنِکُمْ وَاسْقُوا مِنْ غُدُرِکُمْ فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ تَوَکَّلَ لِي بِالشَّامِ وَأَهْلِهِ
سنن ابودوٗد · Hadith 2483
Narrated Ibn Hawalah: 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.
Translated by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan · Reviewed by Islamic University of Madinah · Published March 2020