Imām al-Albānī (رحمه الله) mentions:¹ Allāh the Mighty and Majestic said:

هُوَ الَّذِي أَرْسَلَ رَسُولَهُ بِالْهُدَىٰ وَدِينِ الْحَقِّ لِيُظْهِرَهُ عَلَى الدِّينِ كُلِّهِ وَلَوْ كَرِهَ الْمُشْرِكُونَ ‎﴿٩﴾

“It is He who has sent His Messenger with guidance and the religion of truth, that He may make it prevail over all other religions, no matter how much the disbelievers detest it.”
[al-Ṣaff, 61:9]

We are given the good tidings in this verse that the future is for Islām, which will gain dominance, ascendancy and rule over all other religions. Some people may think that this was fulfilled in the time of the Prophet (ﷺ) and the Rightly guided Khalīfahs (successors) and the righteous kings but that is not the case. Rather, only a part of this true promise was fulfilled then as the Prophet (ﷺ) indicated in his saying:

“Night and day will not pass away until al-Lāt and al ʿUzzā are worshipped.” So ʿĀishah raḍī Allāhu ʿanhā said: O Messenger of Allāh! I thought that when Allāh sent down:

“It is He who has sent His Messenger with guidance and the religion of truth, that He may make it prevail over all other religions, no matter how much the disbelievers detest it.” that it would be complete. He (ﷺ) said:

“There will be of that what Allāh wishes.²

Indeed, there is no doubt that fulfillment of this domination necessitates that the Muslims return to spiritual, material and armed strength, so that they are able to overcome the might of kufr (disbelief) and suppression.

There are other aḥādīth which show how far Islām will reach and dominate and how far it will spread, such that there is no doubt that the future is for islām, by the permission and favour of Allāh. So I will quote what I am able to from these aḥādīth and hopefully they will strengthen the determination of the workers for Islām; and be a proof against those who are indifferent and those who have despaired!

Firstly: “Indeed Allāh gathered up the earth for me so that I saw its east and its west; and indeed the dominion of my Ummah will reach what was gathered up for me from it.”³

And even clearer than it and more general is the ḥadīth:

Secondly: “This affair will reach what is reached by the night and the day; and Allāh will not leave a dwelling of brick, nor fur, except that Allāh will cause this Dīn to enter it bringing honour or humiliation. Honour which Allāh gives to Islām and humiliation which Allāh will give to disbelief.⁴

[Therefore, it is upon the Muslims to prepare themselves, by turning to their Lord, holding on to His Book, following the Sunnah of His Prophet (ﷺ), turning away from all that Allāh has made unlawful and uniting upon that which He the Most Perfect, Most High is pleased with].⁵

Indeed, there is no doubt that fulfillment of this domination necessitates that the Muslims return to spiritual, material and armed strength, so that they are able to overcome the might of kufr (disbelief) and suppression. This good tiding is given to us in the ḥadīth:

Thirdly: From Abū Qabeel who said: We were with ʿAbdullāh ibn ‘Amr ibn al ʿĀs and he was asked which city will be conquered first Constantinople or Rome? So ʿAbdullāh called for a sealed trunk and he said: Take out a book from it. Then ʿAbdullāh said: Whilst we were with the Messenger of Allāh (ﷺ) writing, The Messenger of Allāh (ﷺ) was asked: Which city will be conquered first, Constantinople or Rome? So Allāh’s Messenger (ﷺ) said: “The city of Heraclius will be conquered first ” meaning Constantinople.⁶

The first conquest mentioned, occurred at the hands of Muḥammad al-Fattaah al-Uthmānee as is well known and it occurred more than eight hundred years after the Prophet (ﷺ) foretold of the conquest. So the second conquest will take place, by the permission of Allāh the Most High and it is certain and you will hear of it after a time. There is also no doubt that the fulfillment of the second conquest necessitates the return of the rightly guided Khilāfah to the Muslim Ummah, which is what he (ﷺ) foretold with his saying in the ḥadīth:

Fourthly: “Prophethood will remain amongst you for as long as Allāh wishes it to, then Allāh will raise it up when He wishes to raise it up. Then there will be Khilāfah upon the manner of Prophethood and it will remain amongst you for as long as Allāh wishes it to, then Allāh will raise it up when He wishes to raise it up. Then there will be harsh kingship which will remain amongst you for as long as Allāh wishes it to, then Allāh will raise it up when He wishes to raise it up. Then there will be tyrannical kingship and it will remain amongst you for as long as Allāh wishes it to, then Allāh will raise it up when He wishes to raise it up. Then there will be Khilāfah upon the manner of Prophethood. Then he was silent.⁷

From the good tidings of the return of strength to the Muslims, and their having the ability to utilize the earth to attain their goals, and that they have a bright future even in the economic and agricultural spheres, is his ṣallallāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallam’s saying:

Fifthly: “The Hour will not be established until the land of the ‘Arabs returns to being pastures and rivers.”⁸ The first signs of the fulfillment of this ḥadīth have begun to appear in some parts of the Arab lands, upon which Allāh has poured forth His blessings and great favors such that plentiful water is extracted from the desert, and tomorrow is very near for the one who awaits it.

It must also be known that his ṣallallāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallam’s saying: “A time will not come upon you, except that which comes after it will be worse until you meet your Lord.”⁹. Then this ḥadīth must be understood in the light of the preceding aḥādīth as well as in the light of others such as the aḥādīth about the Mahdī and also the descent of ʿĪsá (Jesus) ʿalayhi al-salām which show that this ḥadīth is not to be understood as having no exceptions. Rather, it is general and has exceptions . Thus, it is not permissible to cause the people to understand it to be unrestricted, so that they fall into despair which no Believer should have as an attribute:

إِنَّهُ لَا يَيْأَسُ مِن رَّوْحِ اللَّهِ إِلَّا الْقَوْمُ الْكَافِرُونَ ‎﴿٨٧﴾

“Indeed, no one despairs of Allāh’s Mercy, except those who disbelieve.”
[Yūsuf, 12:87].

I ask that Allāh makes us all true Believers in Him.

Endnotes:

1. Silsilah al-Aḥādīth al-Ṣaḥīḥah (pp.6 8) of Shaykh al Albānī. All the aḥādīth authentication and checkings have been abridged and edited.
2. Related by Muslim (8/182) and Abū Ya’lā in his Musnad (Q.216/2).
3. Related by Muslim (8/171) and Abū Dāwūd (no.4252), from Thawbaan raḍī Allāhu ʿʿanhu.
4. Ṣaḥīḥ: Related by Aḥmad (4/103) and Ibn Hibbān in his Ṣaḥīḥ (no.1631).
5. Added from Tahdheerus Saajid (p.119).
6. Ṣaḥīḥ: Related by Aḥmad (2/176), al-Dārimī (1/126) and al Haakim (3/422).
7. Ṣaḥīḥ: Related by Aḥmad (4/273), from an Nu’maan ibn Bashīr raḍī Allāhu ʿʿanhu.
8. Related by Muslim (3/84) and al Haakim (4/ 477) from Abū Hurayrah raḍī Allāhu ʿʿanhu.
9. Related by al Bukhārī from the ḥadīth of Anas raḍī Allāhu ʿanhu