The Fitnah from Najd

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ

The Prophet (s.a.w.) said, “What I fear most from my ummah are misguiding leaders.  If they obey them, they are a fitnah by them, and if they disobey them, they are killed by them.”  This is recorded by Imam Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Hanbal (r.a.), in his Musnad; by Imam Abu Muhammad ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Abd ar-Rahman ad-Darimi (r.a.); by Imam Abu Dawud Sulayman ibn Dawud ath-Thayalisi (r.a.); by Qadhi Abu ‘Abdullah Muhammad ibn Salamah al-Qudha’i (r.a.); by Imam Abu al-Qasim Sulayman ibn Ayyub ath-Thabarani (r.a.), in his Mu’jam al-Kabir; and Qadhi Abu Bakr Ahmad ibn ‘Amr adh-Dhahhak ibn Abu ‘Aaswim ash-Shaybani (r.a.).  Similar versions were also recorded by Imam Abu ‘Isa Muhammad ibn ‘Isa as-Sulami at-Tirmidzi (r.a.), Imam Abu Dawud Sulayman ibn al-Ash’ats as-Sijistani (r.a.), Imam Abu Bakr Ahmad ibn Husayn al-Bayhaqi (r.a.), Imam Abu ‘Abdullah Muhammad ibn Yazid ibn Majah (r.a.), Qadhi Abu Ya’la Muhammad ibn al-Husayn ibn al-Farra (r.a.), and Imam Abu Bakr Ahmad ibn ‘Amr al-Bazzar (r.a.). 

In numerous ahadits, the Prophet (s.a.w.) prophesied that earthquakes and major fitan would arise from the Najd, that the “Horn of Shaythan” would appear from it, and he refused to bless it while blessing other lands.  These include ahadits recorded by Imam Abu ‘Abdullah Muhammad ibn Isma’il al-Bukhari (r.a.), in his Swahih; Imam ‘Asakir ad-Din Abu al-Husayn Muslim ibn al-Hajjaj (r.a.); Imam at-Tirmidzi (r.a.); Imam Abu Dawud (r.a.); Qadhi Abu Ya’la (r.a.); Imam Ahmad (r.a.), in his Musnad and his Fadha’il asw-Swahabah; Imam Abu ‘Abdullah Malik ibn Anas (r.a.); Imam al-Bayhaqi (r.a.), in his Sunan al-Kubra; Imam Abu Nu’aym Ahmad ibn ‘Abdullah al-Aswbahani (r.a.), in his Hilyat al-Awliya; Imam ath-Thabarani (r.a.), in his Mu’jam al-Kabir, Mu’jam al-Awsath, and Mu’jam as-Saghir; Qadhi ibn Abu ‘Aaswim (r.a.); Imam ath-Thayalisi (r.a.); Imam Abu Hatim Muhammad ibn Fayswal at-Tamimi ibn Hibban (r.a.); Imam ‘Abd ar-Razzaq ibn Hammam asw-Swan’ani (r.a.), Imam Abu Muhammad al-Husayn ibn Mas’ud al-Baghawi (r.a.), in his Sharh as-Sunnah; Imam al-Bazzar (r.a.); and many others. 

Ahadits in praise of Najd and its people are non-existent, while praises of surrounding areas, such as Yemen, Hijaz, Syria, Egypt, Maghrib, Persia, and so forth abound.  These are the areas taswawwuf flourished.  Additionally, Imam Muhammad Amin ibn ‘Umar ibn ‘Abd al-‘Aziz ibn ‘Abidin (r.a.), the supreme authority of the late Hanafi madzhab, wrote in his Hasyiyat Radd al-Mukhtar ‘ala Durr al-Mukhtar, “The name ‘Khawarij’ is applied to those who part ways with Muslims and declare them disbelievers, as took place in our time with the followers of ibn ‘Abd al-Wahhab, who came out of Najd and attacked the Haramayn.” 

Some have argued that “Najd” in these ahadits really refers to modern Iraq, but this is ridiculous.  The Prophet (s.a.w.) established two different mawaqit of haj for Iraq, Miqatu Dzat ‘Iraq, and for Najd, Miqatu Qarn al-Manazil.  Furthermore, “Najd” itself means “high ground”, which is the geographic characteristic of the Najd area in central and eastern Saudi Arabia, and not Iraq, which is mostly low marshland or flat desert land.