`Abd Allah ibn Hwala al-Azdi

حَدَّثَنَا حَيْوَةُ بْنُ شُرَيْحٍ الْحَضْرَمِيُّ، حَدَّثَنَا بَقِيَّةُ، حَدَّثَنِي بَحِيرٌ، عَنْ خَالِدٍ، - يَعْنِي ابْنَ مَعْدَانَ - عَنْ أَبِي قُتَيْلَةَ، عَنِ ابْنِ حَوَالَةَ، قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم ‏"‏ سَيَصِيرُ الأَمْرُ إِلَى أَنْ تَكُونُوا جُنُودًا مُجَنَّدَةً جُنْدٌ بِالشَّامِ وَجُنْدٌ بِالْيَمَنِ وَجُنْدٌ بِالْعِرَاقِ ‏"‏ ‏.‏ قَالَ ابْنُ حَوَالَةَ خِرْ لِي يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ إِنْ أَدْرَكْتُ ذَلِكَ ‏.‏ فَقَالَ ‏"‏ عَلَيْكَ بِالشَّامِ فَإِنَّهَا خِيَرَةُ اللَّهِ مِنْ أَرْضِهِ يَجْتَبِي إِلَيْهَا خِيَرَتَهُ مِنْ عِبَادِهِ فَأَمَّا إِنْ أَبَيْتُمْ فَعَلَيْكُمْ بِيَمَنِكُمْ وَاسْقُوا مِنْ غُدُرِكُمْ فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ تَوَكَّلَ لِي بِالشَّامِ وَأَهْلِهِ ‏"‏ ‏.‏

Narrated Ibn Hawalah: The Prophet (ﷺ) said: It will turn out that you will be armed troops, one is Syria, one in the Yemen and one in Iraq. Ibn Hawalah said: Choose for me, Messenger of Allah, if I reach that time. He replied: Go to Syria, for it is Allah's chosen land, to which his best servants will be gathered, but if you are unwilling, go to your Yemen, and draw water from your tanks, for Allah has on my account taken special charge of Syria and its people

حَدَّثَنَا أَحْمَدُ بْنُ صَالِحٍ، حَدَّثَنَا أَسَدُ بْنُ مُوسَى، حَدَّثَنَا مُعَاوِيَةُ بْنُ صَالِحٍ، حَدَّثَنِي ضَمْرَةُ، أَنَّ ابْنَ زُغْبٍ الإِيَادِيَّ، حَدَّثَهُ قَالَ ‏:‏ نَزَلَ عَلَىَّ عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ حَوَالَةَ الأَزْدِيُّ فَقَالَ لِي ‏:‏ بَعَثَنَا رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم لِنَغْنَمَ عَلَى أَقْدَامِنَا فَرَجَعْنَا فَلَمْ نَغْنَمْ شَيْئًا وَعَرَفَ الْجُهْدَ فِي وُجُوهِنَا فَقَامَ فِينَا فَقَالَ ‏:‏ ‏"‏ اللَّهُمَّ لاَ تَكِلْهُمْ إِلَىَّ فَأَضْعُفَ عَنْهُمْ، وَلاَ تَكِلْهُمْ إِلَى أَنْفُسِهِمْ فَيَعْجِزُوا عَنْهَا، وَلاَ تَكِلْهُمْ إِلَى النَّاسِ فَيَسْتَأْثِرُوا عَلَيْهِمْ ‏"‏ ‏.‏ ثُمَّ وَضَعَ يَدَهُ عَلَى رَأْسِي - أَوْ قَالَ ‏:‏ عَلَى هَامَتِي - ثُمَّ قَالَ ‏:‏ ‏"‏ يَا ابْنَ حَوَالَةَ إِذَا رَأَيْتَ الْخِلاَفَةَ قَدْ نَزَلَتْ أَرْضَ الْمُقَدَّسَةِ فَقَدْ دَنَتِ الزَّلاَزِلُ وَالْبَلاَبِلُ وَالأُمُورُ الْعِظَامُ، وَالسَّاعَةُ يَوْمَئِذٍ أَقْرَبُ مِنَ النَّاسِ مِنْ يَدِي هَذِهِ مِنْ رَأْسِكَ ‏"‏ ‏.‏ قَالَ أَبُو دَاوُدَ ‏:‏ عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ حَوَالَةَ حِمْصِيٌّ ‏.‏

Narrated Abdullah ibn Hawalah al-Azdi: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) sent us on foot to get spoil, but we returned without getting any. When he saw the signs of distress on our faces, he stood up on our faces and said: O Allah, do not put them under my care, for I would be too weak to care for them; do not put them in care of themselves, for they would be incapable of that, and do not put them in the care of men, for they would choose the best things for themselves. He then placed his hand on my head and said: Ibn Hawalah, when you see the caliphate has settled in the holy land, earthquakes, sorrows and serious matters will have drawn near and on that day the Last Hour will be nearer to mankind than this hand of mine is to your head. Abu Dawud said: 'Abd Allah b. Hawalah belongs to Hims