Hadith of Najd
The Hadith of Najd is a hadith with several chains of narration about three geographical locations, one of which is prophesied to be the source of calamities. While all Sunni Muslims accept the group of hadith as authentic, the exact location of the area referred to as "Najd" is disputed by Salafis, while most other Muslims understand it to mean Najd in Saudi Arabia, which is the geographic origin of the Salafi movement.
Text of the hadith
According to two narrations in Sahih Bukhari, Muhammad asks Allah to bless the areas of Bilad al-Sham and Yemen. When his companions said "Our Najd as well," he replied: "There will appear earthquakes and afflictions, and from there will come out the side of the head of Satan." In a similar narration, Muhammad again asked Allah to bless the areas Medina, Mecca, Sham, and Yemen and, when asked specifically to bless Najd, repeated similar comments about there being earthquakes, trials, tribulations, and the horns of Satan."O Allaah bestow your blessings on our Shaam. O Allaah bestow your blessings on our Yemen." The people said, "O Messenger of Allaah, and our Najd." I think the third time the Prophet, sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam, said, "There will occur earthquakes, trials and tribulations, and from there appears the Horn of Satan."
It has been asserted that this hadith is relating the coming events that shook the Muslim nation, these known as fitnah or 'trials'. It has also been identified as where the Dajjal or Antichrist is said to emerge from. There have also been various theories instigated against the people of the modern day region of Saudi Arabia known as 'Najd', however, linguistical and geographically this argument is disputed.
Location of Najd
The apparent meaning of 'najd' indicates a raised area, it is regarded that there are up to 13 various locations in the region regarded as 'najd'. Historically the location has been accounted as being between the borders of Iraq and modern day Saudi Arabia. This is in accordance to "Najd Qarnu ash-Shaytaan" the definition of Najd depends on one's own location, and from Madina, Najd would be Iraq. The area is indicated by various scholars of hadith as to be in accordance with this.Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani said after quoting the words of al-Khattaabee explaining the meaning of Qarn ;
- "and others have said that the People of the East were disbelievers at that time and the Messenger of Allaah, sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam, informed us that the trials and tribulations would arise from that direction and it was as he said. And the first of the trials that arose, arose from the direction of the east and they were the reason for the splitting of the Muslim ranks, and this is what Satan loves and delights in. Likewise, the innovations appeared from that direction."
- "The najd is in the direction of the east, and for the one who is in Madeenah then his Najd would be the desert of Iraaq and its regions for this is to the east of the People of Madeenah. The basic meaning of Najd is that which is raised/elevated from the earth in contravention to al-Gawr for that is what is lower than it. Tihaamah is entirely al-Gawr and Mecca is in Tihaamah.' by this the weakness of the saying of ad-Daawodee is understood that 'Najd is in the direction of Iraq' for he suggests that Najd is a specific place. This is not the case, rather everything that is elevated with respect to what adjoins it is called Najd and the lower area called Gawr."
- "Najd is the highland region. This name is given to area beyond the Hijâz towards Iraq".
Possible locations
Scholars have elucidated that there are perhaps up to thirteen various regions known as Najd. The geographer and Islamic scholar, of Greek origin, Imam Yaqut al-Hamawi in his encyclopedic work Mu'jam al-Buldan explained the various regions of najd as;1. Najd Yemen.
2. Najd Iraq.
3. Najd Hejaz.
4. Najd Khal.
5. Najd Al-Shari.
6. Najd Azaar.
7. Najd Al-Aqaab.
8. Najd Kabkab.
9. Najd Mari.
10. Najd Alwaz.
11. Najd-e-Aja.
Contemporary theories
A number of authors have claimed that the hadith refers to Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab, the patronym of the Wahhabi movement. It is accounted that the origin of Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab is from the modern day Najd region of Saudi Arabia which happens to be the only surviving region that carried on the title of 'Najd' after the geographical codification regardless that there were several distinct locations known previously as 'Najd'. This theory is generally supported by adherents to Barelvism as well as Twelver Shi'ism that have disdain for Wahhabism. Further Non-Wahhabi-Sunnis, such as scholars from Al-Azhar University, identified Wahhabism as the predicted "Horn of the Devil", or the Islamic Dajjal.Contrary, advocates of Wahhabism consider the Banu Tamim tribe of Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab, in the present-day Saudi Arabia, as the only one, who will resist the Dajjal, citing certain scholary works, such as the Musnad of Ahmad ibn Hanbal: "Do not say of Banu Tamim anything but good, for indeed they are the severest of people in attacking the Dajjaal." Further, the Ibn Hajar praises the Banu Tamim in his Tafsir: "I have loved the people of the tribe of Banu Tamim, ever since I heard three things the Messenger of Allaah, sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam, said about them. I heard him saying, 'these people would stand firm against the Dajjaal.' When the Saddaqat from that tribe came, the Messenger of Allaah, sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam, said, "these are the Saddaqat of our folk." Aa'ishah had a slave girl from that tribe, and the Prophet, sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam, said to Aa'ishah, 'manumit her as she is a descendant of Ismaa'eel, alayhis salaam."
However evidence can be cited from the cluster of hadiths which identify the miqat points for pilgrims. In a hadith narrated by Imam Nasa’i, 'A’isha declared that 'Allah’s Messenger established the miqat for the people of Madina at Dhu’l-Hulayfa, for the people of Syria and Egypt at al-Juhfa, for the people of Iraq at Dhat Irq, and for the people of Najd at Qarn, and for the Yemenis at Yalamlam.' Imam Muslim narrates a similar hadith: 'for the people of Madina it is Dhu’l-Hulayfa – while on the other road it is al-Juhfa – for the people of Iraq it is Dhat Irq, for the people of Najd it is Qarn, and for the people of Yemen it is Yalamlam.'
These texts constitute unarguable proof that the Prophet distinguished between Najd and Iraq, so much so that he appointed two separate miqat points for the inhabitants of each. For him, clearly, Najd did not include Iraq.
Otherwise some scholars assert, the 'Hadith of Najd' actually refers to Iraq, supported by the indication of another hadith: Narrated by Yusair bin 'Amr:I asked Sahl bin Hunaif, "Did you hear the Prophet saying anything about Al-Khawarij?" He said, "I heard him saying while pointing his hand towards Iraq. "There will appear in it some people who will recite the Quran but it will not go beyond their throats, and they will go out from Islam as an arrow darts through the game's body.' "
Ibn 'Abd al-Barr was quoted as saying:
"Allah knows best that the reason behind pointing of Prophet peace be upon him towards east regarding fitna is that the biggest fitna which was the key of troubles was the martyrdom of Uthman ibn Affan may Allah be pleased with him, and that was the reason behind the war of Jamal and Siffeen, these troubles started from the east. Then Khawarij emerged from the land of Najd, Iraq and its regions."