A Muslim Convert Once Before

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ Imam Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Hanbal ( r.a. ) recorded this hadits in his Musnad , and Imam Muhammad ibn ‘Abdullah al-Khathib at-Tabrizi ( r.a. ) in his Mishkat al-Maswabih .   Both are major compilations of ahadits .   The text as from Musnad Ahmad reads on the authority of Sayyidina Shurayh ibn ‘Ubayd ( r.a. ) that when the people of Sham were mentioned in Sayyidina ‘Ali ibn Abu Thalib’s ( k.w. ) presence, someone said, “O Prince of the Believers, curse them!” Sayyidina ‘Ali ( k.w. ) replied, “No!   I heard Allah’s Messenger ( s.a.w. ) saying, ‘The Abdal will be in Syria.   They are forty men; whenever one dies, Allah ( s.w.t. ) Replaces him with another man.   By virtue of them, He Provides rain and by virtue of them, He Provides Help against the enemies.   By virtue of them, punishment is Averted from Sham.’”

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ Imam Muhammad ibn ‘Abdullah al-Khathib at-Tabrizi ( r.a. ) wrote, in Mishkat al-Maswabih , that Sayyidina Ziyad ibn Hudayr al-Asadi ( r.a. ) reported that Amir al-Mu’minin , Sayyidina Abu Hafsw ‘Umar ibn al-Khaththab al-Faruq ( r.a. ) asked, “Do you know what can destroy Islam?” Sayyidina Ziyad ( r.a. ) replied, “No.” Sayyidina ‘Umar ( r.a. ) said, “It is destroyed by the errors of scholars, the argument of the hypocrites about the Book, and the opinions of misguided leaders.”