It is narrated from Shurayh bin Ubaid that the Commander of the Faithful, Sayyiduna Ali bin Abi Talib (may Allah be pleased with him) was in Iraq, and the people began to mention the people of Syria in his presence. The people said: O Commander of the Faithful! Curse them. He said: No, no, I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) say that in Syria there will be forty men who will attain the rank of Abdal. When one of them dies, Allah Almighty will bring another in his place. Through them, rain will be sought, and through them, help will be sought against the enemy, and because of them, punishment will be averted from the people of Syria.

Sayyiduna Khuraim bin Fatik Asadi (may Allah be pleased with him) said: The people of Sham are Allah’s rod on the earth; through them, Allah will take revenge from whomever He wills, in whatever manner He wills. The hypocrites of Sham will not prevail over the believers there, and they will perish due to some distress, anger, or grief.

It is narrated from a Companion of the Messenger of Allah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Soon you will conquer Syria, and when you are given the opportunity to choose a place to settle, select the city called Damascus. In bloody battles, it will be the abode of Muslims, and one part of it, the city of Ghouta, will be like a tent of safety for the Muslims.

(Second chain) A similar narration is reported, except that it states: In Syria, there will be a city named Ghouta; during the bloody battles, it will be one of the best places for the Muslims.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Darda (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: During the days of bloody battles, a place called Ghouta, located in the outskirts of Damascus, will be like a tent for the Muslims.

It is narrated from Humr bin Abd Kallal that Amir al-Mu’minin Sayyiduna Umar bin Khattab, may Allah be pleased with him, after his first journey, set out towards Syria. When he neared Syria, he received news that a plague epidemic had spread there. His companions said to him that he should not go there and should return from here, because if he went there, they feared he might be afflicted by it. So he turned back towards Madinah Munawwarah. On the first night of the return journey, he stopped somewhere to rest for a while. Of all the people, I was the closest to him. When he woke up, I also sat up. I heard him saying,“I had reached as far as Syria, but these people made me return, merely because there was a plague there. Yet, my returning from there cannot delay my death, and my going there would not have hastened my death. Beware! Now, after going to Madinah and completing my necessary tasks, I will again go towards Syria and then stay in Homs. I have heard the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, say: Allah Almighty will raise from there, on the Day of Resurrection, seventy thousand such people upon whom there will be no reckoning or punishment. They will be raised from Barath-e-Ahmar, between its olives and its gardens.”

It is narrated from the servant of the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), Sayyida Maymunah bint Sa’d (may Allah be pleased with her), that she said: O Messenger of Allah! Please tell us something about Bayt al-Maqdis. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: It is the place where people will be gathered and resurrected. Go there and offer prayers, for one prayer there is better than a thousand prayers elsewhere. She asked: What is your opinion if someone cannot go there or cannot bear the hardship of travel, what should he do? The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: He should send olive oil to be burnt there (for its lamps). Whoever sends oil there, it is as if he has prayed there.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Amr bin Aas (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Sulaiman bin Dawood (peace be upon him) made three supplications to Allah Almighty. Allah accepted two of his supplications, and we hope that Allah will also accept his third supplication. He prayed to Allah that his judgment should be in accordance with Allah’s judgment, and Allah accepted this supplication. His second supplication was that Allah grant him such a kingdom that no one after him would have such a kingdom, and Allah also accepted this supplication. His third supplication was that whoever leaves his house solely to perform prayer in Masjid Al-Aqsa, he should be cleansed of sins as pure as he was on the day of his birth. We hope that Allah Almighty has also accepted this supplication of his.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Anas bin Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Asqalan is one of the two brides; on the Day of Resurrection, seventy thousand people will be raised from here who will not be held accountable, and fifty thousand martyrs will be raised from here who will be presented before Allah. There will be rows of such martyrs here whose severed heads will be in their hands and blood will be gushing from their veins, and they will be saying: "Our Lord, grant us what You promised us through Your messengers; indeed, You do not break the promise." Allah will say: My servants are speaking the truth. O angels! Bathe them in the river of radiance. Thus, they will come out from there purified and cleansed of every kind of filth, and they will roam in Paradise wherever they wish.

It is narrated from Urwah bin Ruwaym that Sayyiduna Anas bin Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) went to the service of Sayyiduna Muawiyah bin Abi Sufyan in Damascus. When he arrived, Sayyiduna Muawiyah (may Allah be pleased with him) said to him: "Narrate to us a hadith that you heard directly from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), which you heard from the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) without any intermediary between you and the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him)." Sayyiduna Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "True faith is indeed Yemeni, and likewise among the tribes of Lakhm and Juzam."