36/30. Chapter:
Sunan Ibn Majah 4063 — The Army Swallowed by the Earth
The Army of Al-Bayda'
Hadith About the Army Swallowed by the Earth at Bayda
Sunan Ibn Majah : 4063
Sunan Ibn MajahHadith Number 4063
حَدَّثَنَا هِشَامُ بْنُ عُمَّارٍ، حَدَّثَنَا سُفْيَانُ بْنُ عُيَيْنَةَ، عَنْ أُمَيَّةَ بْنِ صَفْوَانَ بْنِ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ صَفْوَانَ، سَمِعَ جَدَّهُ عَبْدَ اللَّهِ بْنَ صَفْوَانَ، يَقُولُ أَخْبَرَتْنِي حَفْصَةُ، أَنَّهَا سَمِعَتْ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ـ صلى الله عليه وسلم ـ يَقُولُ " لَيَؤُمَّنَّ هَذَا الْبَيْتَ جَيْشٌ يَغْزُونَهُ حَتَّى إِذَا كَانُوا بِبَيْدَاءَ مِنَ الأَرْضِ خُسِفَ بِأَوْسَطِهِمْ وَيَتَنَادَى أَوَّلُهُمْ آخِرَهُمْ فَيُخْسَفُ بِهِمْ فَلاَ يَبْقَى مِنْهُمْ إِلاَّ الشَّرِيدُ الَّذِي يُخْبِرُ عَنْهُمْ " . فَلَمَّا جَاءَ جَيْشُ الْحَجَّاجِ ظَنَنَّا أَنَّهُمْ هُمْ فَقَالَ رَجُلٌ أَشْهَدُ عَلَيْكَ أَنَّكَ لَمْ تَكْذِبْ عَلَى حَفْصَةَ وَ أَنَّ حَفْصَةَ لَمْ تَكْذِبْ عَلَى النَّبِيِّ ـ صلى الله عليه وسلم ـ .
Hafsah Narrated from:
Hafsah narrated that she heard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) say: “An invading army will come towards this House until, when they are in Bayda’, the middle of them will be swallowed up by the earth, and the first of them will call out to the last of them, and they will be swallowed up, until there is no one left of them except a fugitive who will tell them of what happened to them.” When the army of Hajjaj came, we thought that they were (the ones mentioned in this Hadith). A man said: “I bear witness that you did not attribute a lie to Hafsah and that Hafsah did not attribute a lie to the Prophet (ﷺ).”
Reference : Sunan Ibn Majah 4063In-book reference : Book 36, Hadith 138English translation : Vol. 5, Book 36, Hadith 4063
Summary of Sunan Ibn Majah Hadith 4063
This hadith about the army swallowed by the earth describes a future event involving an invading army that comes toward this House. When they reach Bayda, the middle of the army is swallowed up. The first of them call out to the last of them, and then they are swallowed too. Only a fugitive remains to tell others what happened. The narration also mentions that when the army of Hajjaj came, some people thought it might be the army spoken about in the hadith. The main lesson is clear: attacking what Allah has made sacred is not a small matter. The report also shows how the Companions and later narrators took the Prophet’s words seriously and watched events through that warning.
What we learn from this hadith
- The hadith warns about an army that attacks the House.
- The punishment described happens when the army reaches Bayda.
- Only one fugitive remains to report what happened.
- The narration shows that people took the Prophet’s warning seriously.
