Who Will Liberate Palestine?

A questioner wrote: “Dear brothers—may Allah prolong your lives in service of the Ummah of Muḥammad (peace and blessings be upon him).

Regarding the hadith of Abū Hurayrah (may Allah raise his rank), in which the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said:

‘The Hour will not come until the Romans land at al-Aʿmāq or Dābiq; an army from Madinah—consisting of the best people on earth that day—will then go out to face them…’

1. 1. What is the name of the commander of this army that departs from Madinah?

1. 1. Will this army’s departure occur before or after the army led by the Sufyānī that invades the Sacred House in Makkah?”

Answer

All praise is due to Allah, and may peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah, his family, and his Companions.

From the apparent meaning of several narrations, it can be understood that the commander of the army (emerging from Madinah to face the Romans) will be the Mahdī, because ʿĪsā (Jesus, peace be upon him) descends upon the remainder of that same army according to the latter part of the hadith mentioned by the questioner. It is well established that the leader of the army upon whom ʿĪsā descends is the Mahdī.

In Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim, there is a hadith stating: “A group from my Ummah will continue to fight upon the truth, clearly victorious, until the Day of Judgment. Then ʿĪsā ibn Maryam will descend, and their leader will say to him: ‘Come, lead us in prayer.’ But he (ʿĪsā) will say, ‘No…’”

In another narration recorded by al-Ḥārith ibn Abī Usāmah in his Musnad:

“ʿĪsā ibn Maryam will descend, and their leader, the Mahdī, will say: ‘Come, lead us in prayer.’”

Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allah have mercy on him) remarked in al-Manār that the chain of this report is good (jayyid).

As for whether this army’s departure to confront the Romans occurs before or after the coming of the Sufyānī, it is most likely after the emergence of the Sufyānī. The evidence comes from comparing multiple narrations:

1. 1. A hadith states:“A man called the Sufyānī will emerge in the depths of Damascus, and most of those who follow him will be from the tribe of Kalb. He will kill relentlessly, even cutting open women’s bellies and murdering children. The tribe of Qays will gather to fight him, and he will annihilate them until no one can stop him. A man from my family will rise in al-Ḥarra, and when the Sufyānī hears of this, he will dispatch a force against him, but they will be defeated. Then the Sufyānī will march forth with his own army until they reach a desert (al-Baydaʾ), and the earth will swallow them up, leaving only one survivor to relay the news.”This report is recorded by al-Ḥākim, who deemed it authentic (ṣaḥīḥ), and al-Dhahabī concurred.

1. 1. By examining this in light of the earlier Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim report (on the army confronting the Romans at al-Aʿmāq or Dābiq), one deduces that the events involving the Sufyānī—some of which target the Hijāz—come first. Afterwards, the Mahdī is recognized (possibly in the initial phase of his appearance), and then the conflict with the Roman forces ensues.

1. 1. Further evidence for this sequence is that ʿĪsā (peace be upon him) will descend upon the army of Muslims who battled the Romans. We also know ʿĪsā appears after the Dajjāl (Anti-Christ) has emerged, and then Gog and Magog (Yaʾjūj wa Maʾjūj) will come forth. Following that, a gentle wind (breeze) will take the souls of the believers, leaving only the worst of mankind to witness the final Hour.

Detailed Hadith on End Times (from Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim)

In an extended narration found in Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim from al-Nawwās ibn Samʿān, it is reported that:

The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) spoke one morning about the Dajjāl, at times lowering his voice and at times raising it, so much so that we thought he was hiding in a nearby cluster of date palms. Later, when we went to him, he could see the concern on our faces and asked, “What troubles you?” We said: “O Messenger of Allah, you mentioned the Dajjāl this morning—your tone went high and low—so much so that we thought he might be among the date palms (nearby)!”

He said: “Other things worry me more for you than the Dajjāl. If he appears while I am among you, I will contend with him on your behalf. But if he appears when I am not among you, then each person must defend himself, and Allah will take care of every Muslim in my absence. The Dajjāl is a young man with curly hair and a blind eye. I liken him to ʿAbd al-ʿUzzā ibn Qaṭan. Whoever encounters him should recite the opening verses of Sūrat al-Kahf over him. He will emerge in a region between Syria and Iraq, sowing corruption left and right. O servants of Allah, remain steadfast!

We asked: ‘O Messenger of Allah, how long will he remain on earth?’ He said: ‘Forty days: one day like a year, one day like a month, one day like a week, and the rest as your normal days.’ We asked: ‘O Messenger of Allah, for the day that is like a year, will one day’s prayers suffice?’ He replied: ‘No. Estimate the timings (and pray accordingly).’ We asked: ‘O Messenger of Allah, how quickly will he travel through the earth?’ He said: ‘Like a cloud driven by the wind. He will approach a people and invite them (to follow him), and they will believe in him and obey him. He will command the sky to rain and the earth to produce vegetation. Their livestock will return to them with their udders full of milk and their flanks full (of meat). Then he will come to another people and invite them, but they will reject him, so he turns away from them, and they will be afflicted with drought, losing all their wealth.

He will pass through ruins and command them, “Bring forth your treasures!” and the treasures will follow him like swarms of bees. Then he will call a young man, strike him with a sword, cutting him into two pieces, and place them as far apart as an archer’s target. Then he will call him, and the young man will come forward, his face gleaming and laughing.

While the Dajjāl is in this state, Allah will send the Messiah, ʿĪsā ibn Maryam. He will descend by the white minaret in the east of Damascus, wearing two garments lightly dyed with saffron, placing his hands on the wings of two angels. When he lowers his head, droplets fall, and when he raises it, pearls scatter from it. Every disbeliever who smells his breath will die, and his breath will reach as far as his eye can see. He will pursue the Dajjāl and catch him at the gate of Ludd (near Jerusalem) and kill him.

Then ʿĪsā ibn Maryam will come to a people whom Allah has protected from the Dajjāl. He will wipe their faces and tell them of their places in Paradise. While this is happening, Allah will reveal to ʿĪsā: ‘I have brought forth servants of Mine against whom no one can fight. So take My servants safely to the mountain (Mount Ṭūr).’ Then Allah will release Gog and Magog (Yaʾjūj wa Maʾjūj), and they will pour forth from every slope. The first of them will pass by Lake Ṭabariyyah and drink all its water. By the time the last ones pass it, they will say, ‘Once, there was water here.’

ʿĪsā (peace be upon him) and his followers will be besieged until the head of a bull will be dearer to them than one hundred dinars are to you now. They will supplicate to Allah, who will send worms (an infestation) upon Gog and Magog, causing them all to perish at once. Then ʿĪsā and his followers will come down from the mountain and find the earth filled with their corpses, emitting a terrible stench. So they will pray to Allah again, who will send birds with necks like camels to carry the bodies away wherever Allah wills. Then Allah will send rain that leaves no house of mud or hair untouched. It will wash the earth thoroughly until it is clear.

Then it will be said to the earth: ‘Bring forth your vegetation and restore your blessings.’ On that day, a group of people will eat from a single pomegranate and take shade under its peel. Milk will be so blessed that the milk of one camel will suffice many people, the milk of one cow will suffice a tribe, and the milk of one goat will suffice a whole family. While they are in that state, Allah will send a pleasant wind that takes them from under their armpits, taking the soul of every believer and every Muslim. Only the most evil people will remain, behaving shamelessly like beasts, and upon them the Hour will be established.”

Final Note

Thus, when examining these end-time events and all the relevant narrations:

1. 1. The Sufyānī emerges in Damascus, targeting various groups and even threatening the Hijāz.

1. 1. The Mahdī appears (he may be the one from the Prophet’s household mentioned in earlier signs).

1. 1. A great Muslim army confronts the Romans near al-Aʿmāq or Dābiq—led by the Mahdī.

1. 1. ʿĪsā (Jesus) descends during or after this conflict to finally defeat the Dajjāl.

1. 1. Gog and Magog emerge afterward, followed by further cosmic events culminating in the final Hour.

This broader sequence suggests that the liberation of Palestine (and many pivotal events in Islamic eschatology) will be intimately connected to the appearance of the Mahdī and the descent of ʿĪsā (peace be upon him). The ultimate knowledge of how and when these events unfold rests with Allah alone.

And Allah knows best.