Hadith of Najd

The Hadith of Najd is a famous hadith with several chains of narration about three geographical locations. While all Sunni Muslims accept the group of hadith as authentic, the exact location of the area referred to as "najd" is disputed.

Text of the hadith

According to two narrations in Sahih Bukhari, Muhammad asks Allah to bless the areas of 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 (e.g. horns) of Satan." [ [http://www.usc.edu/dept/MSA/fundamentals/hadithsunnah/bukhari/017.sbt.html#002.017.147 Sahih Bukhari Volume 2, Book 17, Number 147] ] [ [http://www.usc.edu/dept/MSA/fundamentals/hadithsunnah/bukhari/088.sbt.html#009.088.214 Sahih Bukhari Volume 9, Book 88, Number 214] ] In a similar narration, Muhammad again asked Allah to bless the areas Medina, Mecca, Sham, and Yemen and, when asked specifically to bless Iraq, repeated similar comments about there being earthquakes, trials, tribulations, and the horns of Satan. ["O Allah bestow your blessings on our Medina, and bestow your blessings on our Mecca, and bestow your blessings on our Sham, and bestow your blessings on our Yemen, and bestow your blessings in our measuring (fee saa`inaa wa muddinaa)." A person said, "O Messenger of Allah and in our Iraq" and so he turned away from him and said, "there will occur earthquakes, trials and tribulations and there will appear the horn of Satan." From Shu'ayb al-Arna'ut: Sharh as-Sunnah’ (14/206-207 fn. 2)] [O Allah bestow your blessings on our Medina, O Allah bestow your blessings in our measuring, O Allah bestow your blessings in our Sham and our Yemen." A person said, "And Iraq O Messenger of Allah?" He said, "from there arises the horn of Satan and the trials and tribulations would come like mounting waves." From al-Awsat by at-Tabaraanee from Hadith of Ibn Umar and authenticated by Ali ibn Abu Bakr al-Haythami in ‘Mujma az-Zawaa`id’ (3/305)]

A hadith related to the three above narrations may also be found in Sahih Muslim specifically addressing the people of Iraq and directly attributing the hadith to that area. [ [http://www.usc.edu/dept/MSA/fundamentals/hadithsunnah/muslim/041.smt.html#041.6943 Sahih Muslim Book 041, Number 6943] ]

Views

Shi'a and some Sunnis hold the position that this refers to the area in Saudi Arabia presently known as Najd. Many people cite modern Saudi Arabia, and of the House of Saud's interpretation of Islam, as evidence of this.

Many Sunnis have pointed out that this idea of najd is incorrect and that the present-day Najd was known by al-Yamama during Muhammad's time and the word "najd" simply means a place that lies to the east, and that the southern region of Iraq (being east and north of Medina) is the correct area. Most cite the above hadith referring specifically to Iraq as further evidence of this.

Najd is in Iraq view

Many Muslim scholars of the past have said that the hadith isn't meant as prophetic to this period of time:

Ibn Hajar Asqalani said after quoting the words of al-Khattabi explaining the meaning of Qarn (horn) that the trials and innovations will come from the east during the first "splitting of the Muslim ranks". [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." From [Fath al-Baaree 13/58 in commentary to the hadeeth of Najd] ] Ibn Hajr quoted al-Khattabi as saying::"the najd in the direction of the east, and for the one who is in Madeenah then his Najd would be the desert of Iraaq and it's regions [baadiya al-Iraaq wa Nawaaheehaa] 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 [the coastal plain along the south-western and southern shores of the Arabian Peninsula] is entirely al-Gawr and Mecca is in Tihaamah.' [...] by this [saying of al-Khattaabee] the weakness of the saying of ad-Daawodee is understood that 'Najd is in the direction of Iraaq' [min Naahiya al-Iraaq] 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." [Fath al-Bari 13/58-59]

Imam Nawawi said that these hadith refer to the Dajjal coming from the east. Furthermore, it is shown in Najd Qarnu ash-Shaytaan that there are thirteen places that have been labeled as najd depending a lot on one's own location, and from Medina, najd would be Iraq. [Al Minhaj bi Sharh Sahih Muslim 2/29]

Other people have appealed to the definition of najd, which is "elevated place", arguing that people supporting the view that the hadith refers to Saudi Arabia are merely interpreting it out of hatred to the Salafi movement.

Furthermore, the interpretation of Najd favored by many individuals following the "Najd is in Saudi" view is in rejection to a number of hadeeth which praise the inhabitants of Arabia as a beneficial people, including narrations from both Sahih Bukhari and Fath al-Bari praising the Banu Tamim. [ [http://www.usc.edu/dept/MSA/fundamentals/hadithsunnah/bukhari/046.sbt.html#003.046.719 Sahih al-Bukhari Volume 3, Book 46, Number 719] ] [Fath al-Bari Number 4366]

Also from Musnad Ahmad ibn Hanbal::"do not say of Bani Tameem anything but good, for indeed they are the severest of people in attacking the Dajjaal."

Banu Tamim are the majority of people in modern day Saudi Arabia. To label the najd of the hadith as that area of Saudi Arabia is felt by many to be in contradiction of the many hadith relating to Bani Tameem especially those in which they fight the Dajjal, who comes from the najd that is to the east.

ee also

*List of hadith

References

External links

Najd is in Iraq view

* [http://www.ahya.org/amm/modules.php?name=Sections&op=viewarticle&artid=101 Najd is in Iraq]

Najd is in Saudi Arabia view

* [http://www.masud.co.uk/ISLAM/misc/najd.htm Najd is not in Iraq]