WE ARE IN THE TIMES OF THE SUFYANI by: Abu Dharr al-Muhajir

Praise be to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His last Prophet and His family.

In 2013, a more than a millennium old grave in was desecrated by some militants fighting the Syrian regime. What the damaged grave revealed would have sent shivers down their spines: the body contained therein was still intact, miraculously preserved over the passage of 1300+ years. Videos of the recovered shrine and the divinely preserved body aroused curiosity in the viewers about that holy man. Who was this great person whom Allah wished to reintroduce to the Muslims after 1300+ years, as a great sign and a close friend of His, and why? He was r.a., a noble companion of the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) and an ardent follower of the Noble Commander of the believers, al-Murtada a.s.. He was executed on the orders of emir Muawiyah ibn Abi Sufyan, for protesting against the cursing of Ali a.s. in the and adamantly refusing to abide by this decree until his last breath. (Reported by Ibn Abd al-Barr al-Maliki in his al-Istiab: v.1 p.135 and Ibn al-Athir in his al-Kamil: v.3 p.234-242) Muawiyah's orders to curse Ali a.s. find mention even in books. (eg. Muslim: #6220, Nasai: #8483,8208) For the Shia Muslims, the shrine of Martyr Hujr ibn Adi r.a. symbolizes pure faith, for the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) had promised the Commander of the believers Ali a.s. that none will love him except a mu'min (true believer) and none will hate him except a munafiq (hypocrite). (Muslim: #240) For the Sunni Muslims, the killing of Hujr r.a. by Muawiyah ibn Abi Sufyan was a judicial murder by a monarch; for the Shia Muslims, it exemplified a "Sufyani's" brutality against the "Shia ( for partisans) of Imam Ali a.s.."

"The Sufyani" appears in the Islamic prophecies as a title of two leaders, in the end times, of the massacre of the Prophetic Household (Ahl al-Bayt a.s)'s scions and supporters. To grasp what all the title Sufyani denotes, one needs to delve into the early Islamic history. As a surname, it relates to the Umayyad chief , whose son Muawiyah and grandson Yazid became the first two Umayyad monarchs. The only Sufyani caliphs, the two are known for their fighting, persecuting and killing Ahl al-Bayt a.s. and their supporters. The first Sufyani of the end times, who has already come and gone as we'll show, in sha Allah, had both his name and actions conforming to "Sufyanism". Our purpose behind identifying the first Sufyani is to give an idea about the ilk of which the

second Sufyani is going to be so that the people can be warned.

A comparison table identifying the first Sufyani:

NARRATIONS EVENTS Muawiyah Sufyani belonged to the In modern times, the title Zarqawi Umayyad clan which was also called became the most associated with Abu "sons of Zarqa" (Tirmidhi: #2226, Mus'ab Zarqawi, the leader of AlQaida asSilsilah as-Sahihah: #459), from which in . After the US invasion of Iraq in the Arabic title derived is "Zarqawi". So, 2003, he spearheaded the massacre of Muawiyah Sufyani = Muawiyah the country's Shia on an unprecedented Zarqawi. scale, which would have been soothing for the eyes of Muawiyah Sufyani had he been alive. Zarqawi hailed from the Jordanian city of Zarqa. Going by both his actions and his name, since Zarqawi also carries the meaning of Sufyani, Abu Mus'ab Zarqawi = Abu Mus'ab Sufyani. Abu Bakr ibn Abi Maryam reported Zarqawi's story features his sister's from his teachers that the Sufyani will be dream wherein she saw him praying to told in a dream to rise and set out. Allah and receiving a sword from the (Narrated by Bukhari's teacher Nu'aym heavens with '' inscribed on it. ibn Hammad in his Kitab al-Fitan: #788) Zarqawi took it as a divine command for This suggests that initially he will set out him to embark on the path of jihad. for some just cause. The Sufyani will initially set out with As stated by Abu Jandal Shimali in the seven men (Kitab al-Fitan: #788, al-Qaeda Waziristan issue of IS reported by Abu Bakr ibn Abi Maryam) magazine Dabiq, he was one of the first from the arid valley in the vicinity of seven Jordanian companions of Damascus (the Syrian capital) (Kitab al- Zarqawi (whose native place lies in the Fitan: #777, reported by ibn Syrian Desert region, 'the arid valley Ja'far) and will later be joined by some near Damascus'). Thirty-six Syrians more people from the region. The ruler of had pledged obeisance to Zarqawi for Damascus will set out to confront them fighting the Syrian regime, but then got but then will concede; he engaged with fighting the Western will be from the sons of coalition forces in neighboring Iraq. "Abbas" (some narrations say (Turki Bin'ali's eulogy for IS leader 'Anbasah', both mean 'lion' in Arabic). Adnani) Going by its anti-West policy, (Kitab al-Fitan: #788) Damascus chose not to suppress Zarqawi's Syrian network. Since decades, the hegemony in Damascus lies with the Asad family. (Asad means 'lion' in Arabic)

Abu Sahban ibn Wael said, "you will not The invasion of Iraq by the Western see the Sufyani until the people of the coalition forces in 2003 precipitated the West come to you". (Kitab al-Fitan: rise of Abu Mus'ab Zarqawi. #793)

The Sufyani who will die on the way (i.e. Zarqawi's native place, the Jordanian the first Sufyani), will appear from the city of Zarqa in the Syrian Desert region, east of Baysan district, riding a 'red lies in the eastern vicinity of Baysan camel' (Kitab al-Fitan: #775, reported by district. To defeat the coalition forces in Artat ibn Mundhir) or with 'red flags', Iraq, Zarqawi, a Salafist puritanical having a prayer mark on his forehead zealot, formed an alliance with the (Kitab alFitan: #780, reported by Harith socialists of the ousted Ba'th Party, or ibn Abdillah), and will inflict double informally, 'the Arab Reds'. (Sept.5, defeats on the coalition, then he will die 2005 Weekly Standard: (Kitab al-Fitan: #775). Jordan's Baathists boom; Aug.21, 2005 Reuters: Former Regime Members Run Revolt From Jordan) Abdullah ibn Mas'ud r.a. said that Zarqawi based himself in the Southern Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him vicinity of Baghdad. (IS magazine and his family) said: "When the Sufyani anNaba's article eulogizing Abu Ali will cross the River Euphrates and reach Anbari) From his base in historical a place called Aaqarqufa (near Aaqarqufa, he unleashed a gruesome Baghdad), Allah will efface faith from spate of terrorist attacks on Shias across his heart. From there upto the River the Tigris-Euphrates Valley, styled as Tigris, he will kill seventy thousand "the amir of al-Qaeda in the Land of the persons wielding golden arms; while Two Rivers". He formed the Umar Brigade specially to kill Shias and attack besides them, the common people killed the Shia militias like the Badr Brigade by him will be much more. They will and the Army. Their most brazen storm the 'Golden House'...... Lo! Do offensive came on February 22, 2006 in not hate Hashim's progeny, because Samarra, as the bombing of the Golden from them is the Prophet of Mercy and (also called Askariya shrine) from them is that houses the tombs of the tenth and Ja'far who flies in Paradise." (Kitab eleventh Shia Imams from the Prophet's alFitan: #842) Most Hashimids in Iraq family (peace be upon them all) and are Shia. marks the site from which Imam Mahdi was miraculously taken into occultation, bringing its golden dome down Ka'b narrated that the Sufyani will inflict Zarqawi wrested control of some towns double defeats on the coalition, kill free and territories, and his guerillas in the men and tear apart the bellies of Coalition-held areas kept slaughtering Hashimid women, then he will die. Shia laymen in the streets and blowing (Kitab alFitan: #825) up Shia and Hashimid women at the r.a. narrated that when the Sufyani will shrines, thus confounding the Coalition's reach Kufah (South Iraq), he will kill the stated objectives of Shia empowerment adherents of Muhammad's family and creating a peaceful stable Iraq. (see (peace be upon them) ('Shi'at Aal 'The Shia Revival' authored by Vali Muhammad' in Arabic). (Kitab alFitan: Nasr) #864)

The first Sufyani will die on the way after Zarqawi was killed after moving from exiting Kufah (South Iraq), because of an his base in the southern vicinity of ulcer. (Kitab al-Fitan: #774 and #775 Baghdad, on the way through Diyala. (IS reported by Artat ibn Mundhir, #817 magazine an-Naba's article eulogizing reported by Zuhri, #801 reported by Abu Ali Anbari) A Coalition airstrike Waleed ibn Muslim) targetting the building where he and his aides were staying, injured him. Though caught alive, he succumbed to the blast injuries in his lungs as revealed in his autopsy.

The Holy Prophet (peace be upon him and his noble family) cursed the one who violates the sanctity of Ahl al-Bayt. (Tirmidhi: #2154) (may Allah be pleased with them both) narrated that Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him and his noble family) said: " O sons of Abdul Muttalib (the Prophet's grandfather)! I have asked Allah for three things for you; that He keep you steadfast, guide those of you who are astray and grant knowledge to the ignorants among you. And I have asked Allah that He make you noble, valiant and compassionate. If a person keeps praying and fasting between the black stone (of Ka'bah) and the station of Abraham (peace be upon him), but meets Allah having hatred for the household of Muhammad (peace be upon them), then he will definitely enter the hell-fire." (Hakim: #4712, as-Silsilah as-Sahihah: #2488) Zayd ibn Ali reported in his Musnad from his father Imam Ali Zayn al-Abideen, from his grandfather Imam Husayn (peace be upon them), from his great grandfather, our Master Ali (may Allah ennoble his face) that he said, "Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him and his family) said: "My Lord said to me the night I was taken for the Journey (of Ascent to the heavens, viz. Isra al-Me'raj), 'Whom did you leave behind over your nation O Muhammad?' I said, 'You are the most knowing O my Lord!'. He said, 'O Muhammad! Verily I have selected you for delivering My Message and I have chosen you specially for Myself, so you are My Prophet and My favorite from My creation. Then is the greatest saint (as-Siddeeq al-Akbar), pure, purified, whom I have created from your clay and have made him your deputy and the father of your two grandsons, masters, martyrs, pure, purified, masters of the youth of Paradise, and his wife is the best woman of the universe. You are a tree, and Ali is its branches, and Fatimah is its leaves, and Hasan and Husayn are its fruits; I have created you all from the clay of Illiyyeen (the highest heavenly stations) and have created your Shia (Arabic for 'partisans') from you, even if their necks are struck with swords, they will only love you more and more.' I said, 'O my Lord! And who is the greatest saint?' He said, 'Your brother Ali ibn Abi Talib.' " (after narrating that), Ali (may Allah ennoble his face) said, "Allah's messenger (peace and blessings be upon him and his noble household) gave me glad tidings of her (i.e. Lady Fatimah, peace be upon her) and my two sons, Hasan and Husayn from her, before Hijrah, three years before (my marriage)." (peace be upon them all). (Musnad Zayd ibn Ali; accepted by Ustadh Abdul Qadir ibn Badran Salafi to be Zayd ibn Ali's compendium in his contribution to a preface of the book by Shaykh Abdul-Wase' Wase'i Yamani)

The authentic narrations and fulfilled prophecies about the first Sufyani and the Shia covered in this treatise suffice to suggest the way the Shia should be treated, exposing the falsehood of the scarce narrations calling for the excommunication and slaughter of 'the rejecters (Rafidah) of Abu Bakr and Umar', viz. the Shia. Why should the Shia be required to respect the first two caliphs, when numerous reports authenticated by their hadith experts allege the duo's usurping Ali's right to and seizing Fatimah's land in Fadak after the Prophet's death, and attacking their house which led to Fatimah having a miscarriage of her son Muhsin ? Also, their hadith experts view many narrations to have been fabricated and distorted, politically motivated, in favor of the first two caliphs and their backers. So, it is understandable that what should a Shiite mean by being loyal to the Prophet and his family (peace be upon them all). Whether a Sunni or a Shiite, each should consider that like him, the other too relies on the hadith reported by the narrators and authenticated by the hadith experts trusted by him, being driven in his stance by his love for the last Prophet (peace be upon him) and (barring egoistical chauvinists like Kharijites), thus finding out ways of reconciliation and peaceful co-existence, while avoiding provocations, learning to be tolerant of each other. Intolerance for the way the issue of the caliphate is viewed by Ahl al-Bayt and their adherents in any time, lies at the heart of Sufyanism. This led to fighting and cursing Haydar as-Siddeeq al-Akbar (may Allah ennoble his face), murdering his companions (may Allah be pleased with them), the tragedy of Karbala (may Allah bless its martyrs) and the persecution of Shiites throughout history. In modern times, Sufyanism got equipped with misinformation campaign and sectarian propaganda against Shiites, with the patronage of Arab regimes after the appeal of the 1979 Iranian Revolution next door threatened them, attributing to Shiites beliefs discarded as heresies in Shia mainstream. The second Sufyani will have mainly anti-Shiism and Arab chauvinism in common with the first Sufyani, and will be worse than him. He is out there, about to rise, as we will show in sha Allah. Ka'b narrated: "The (first) Sufyani will inflict double defeats on the coalition, kill free men and tear apart the bellies of Hashimid women, then he will die. Thereafter, a man from the clan of the same woman will revolt after some years, whose name will be Abdullah (meaning worshipper of Allah), though he would have never worshipped Allah. He will be the worst man, ugly, cursed. Whoever will follow and call towards him, dwellers of the heavens and the Earth will curse him. He will be from the sons of heart and liver eaters (alluding to Abu Sufyan's wife Hind who chewed the liver of Hamzah, the martyred uncle of the Prophet may Allah bless them both). He will reach Damascus (the Syrian capital) and occupy its pulpit. His issue will get ignited in Homs and will lighten in Damascus. It will happen after two men from the sons of Abbas (meaning lion), both of them rulers would have been rejected. During the strife over the second (ruler), the (second) Sufyani will appear." (Kitab al-Fitan: #825) The Asads (meaning lions) have been ruling from Damascus since decades. In 1982, a Muslim Brotherhood revolt against Hafez al-Asad was crushed. The current revolt against his son Bashshar al-Asad started in the city of Homs. (compare with the last narration) Yazid ibn Abi Habib reported that Allah's Messenger (may Allah bless him and his family) said: "The Sufyani will appear after 39 (i.e. in the 40s)." (Kitab al-Fitan: #795) The second Sufyani will rise some years after the first Sufyani, in the 40s. Zarqawi, the first Sufyani, rose and died in the 15th century Hijri and we are in its 40th decade. Before his rise, the Sufyani would have fought Byzantines and Turks in Circassia. (Kitab al-Fitan: #850 reported by Artat ibn Mundhir) The resumption of hostilities between the Byzantine-Armenians and the Turkic-Azeris (mostly Shia) in Circassia after decades and the deploying of Syrian rebels there by Turkey say much. These comparisons suggest that most probably the second Sufyani is present among the Syrian rebels.

What next?

FUTURE PRESENT After the Sufyani wrests control of The Islamic , a group will move from there and Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) of return to Khurasan (historical name for Iran has a strong presence in Syria and the region stretching from the plateau has been instrumental, along with of Iran to the Afghan-Pak border Iranbacked militias, in protecting Shia- region). (Kitab al-Fitan: #838 reported dminated villages and Shia shrines from by Ali, may Allah ennoble his face, the Syrian rebels, while keeping them #839 reported by Ammar, may Allah be away from seizing power in Damascus. pleased with him, #850 reported by (The excesses and abuse of human rights Artat ibn Mundhir) committed by the Asad regime can in no way be justified, nor can the other stakeholders there be blamed for them.)

The cavalries of the Sufyani will reach When modern Iraq was formed, 75% of Kufah (South Iraq) in search of Karbala's population was Khurasanians and will massacre Iranian. (The Shia Revival: pg. 108) Shiat Aal Muhammad (the partisans Najaf and Karbala have substantial of Muhammad's family, peace be numbers of ethnic Persian residents. upon them all) there. While (ibid. pg. 110) Hundreds of thousands of Khurasanians will call towards Mahdi Iranian pilgrims travel to Iraq along the (peace be upon him), search for him, highway from Tehran to Najaf. (ibid. pg. pray for him and will support and help 213) Mahdavism is typical of Shiism, him. (Kitab al-Fitan: and Iranians believe Imam Mahdi (peace #838, #839, #850) be upon him) to be the real ruler of Iran, their Supreme Leader to be his deputy (Naeb-e-Imam) and their soldiers to be his sentinels. (ibid. pg. 131-133) A man will come from Khurasan, The elite Quds Force of the IRGC is from Ray (in Tehran, the responsible for carrying out foreign Iranian capital), named Shu'ayb ibn military operations of Iran, with the Saleh, with four thousand men dressed ultimate goal of liberating al-Quds. It in white whose flags will be black. He provides support to the Palestinian will lead the vanguard of Imam Mahdi's Hamas and Islamic Jihad and to the army. They will defeat the Sufyani's Lebanese Hezbollah in fighting against men and will encamp in al-Quds Israel, and works to defend embattled (Jerusalem). They will make way for Shia communities in warzones. Its the rule of Imam Mahdi (peace be upon military uniform is a white-off white him). (Kitab alFitan: #851 reported by camouflage. Israel, the Sunni Arab Muhammad ibn Hanafiyyah (peace be regimes and the Western backed Syrian upon him), 854 reported by Hasan rebels are gradually coming together to Basri) build a strong alliance against Iran, in which they see a common arch-enemy. Observers know that the Iranian leadership's policy is driven by Shia millennarian expectations, guided by the goal of Imam Mahdi's advent.

The hegemony of the second Sufyani will last for nine or seven months. (Kitab al- Fitan: #776 reported by Ka'b al Ahbar)