from the Dajjal (Antichrist) is Bayt al-Maqdis (Jerusalem), and their stronghold from Gog and Magog is Mount Sinai." It was recorded by Abu Nu'aym in "al-Hilyah" (27). In another report, from Abu al-Darda', that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "The pavilion (fustat) of the Muslims on the day of the Great Battle (al-Malhama) will be in al-Ghutah, next to a city called Damascus, among the best of the cities of al-Sham." Recorded by Abu Dawud (28). Sa'id ibn Mansur recorded in his "Sunan" (29) with his chain of narration from Abu al-Nadr, that 'Awf ibn Malik came to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and said: "O Messenger of Allah, advise me." He said: "You must go to Jabal al-Khamar (30)." He asked: "And what is Jabal al-Khamar?" He replied: "The land of the Gathering (al-Mahshar)." With his chain of narration (31), from 'Ata' al-Khurasani: "It reached me that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: 'May Allah have mercy on the people of the graveyard,' three times. He was asked about that, and he said: 'That is a graveyard that will be in Ascalon' (32)." 'Ata' used to station himself (yurabit) there every year for forty days until he died. Al-Daraqutni recorded in his "Kitab al-Mukharraj 'ala al-Sahihayn," with his chain of narration from Ibn Umar, that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) prayed over a graveyard. It was said to him: "O Messenger of Allah, which graveyard is this?" He said: "A graveyard in the land of the enemy, called Ascalon. People from my Ummah will conquer it; Allah will send forth from it seventy thousand martyrs, and a man will intercede [for as many] as [the tribes of] Rabi'ah and Mudar, and for everyone is a bride (urus), and the bride of Paradise is Ascalon" (33). With his chain of narration, from Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him), that a man came to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and said: "I want to go on a military expedition (ghazw)." He said: "You must go to al-Sham and its people, then remain in al-Sham..."
(27) Al-Hilyah 6/146. (28) In: The Chapter on the Stronghold of the Battles (al-Malahim), from the Book of Battles. Sunan Abi Dawud 2/426. It was also recorded by Imam Ahmad in: Al-Musnad 5/197. (29) This was omitted from [Original] and [A]. Recorded by Sa'id in: The Chapter of what has come regarding what the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) gave as extra (tanaffala), from the Book of Jihad. Al-Sunan 2/255. (30) Al-Khamar: with the vocalization (tahrik), it means intertwined trees or whatever trees hide you. The intended meaning here is the mountain of Jerusalem (Bayt al-Maqdis). (31) In: The Chapter of what has come regarding the virtue of Ribat (stationing on the frontier), from the Book of Jihad. Al-Sunan 2/160. (32) Ascalon: A city in al-Sham, from the provinces of Palestine, on the seashore, between Gaza and Bayt Jibrin. Mu'jam al-Buldan 3/673, 674. (33) Recorded by Ibn Hajar in: The Chapter of the Virtues of Lands, the Chapter of the Virtues of Ascalon. Al-Matalib al-'Aliyah 4/161, 162.
مِنَ الدَّجَّالِ بَيْتُ الْمَقْدِس، ومَعْقِلُهمْ مِنْ يَأْجُوجَ ومَأْجُوجَ طُورُ سَيْناءَ". روَاه أبو نُعَيْمٍ، في "الحِلْيةِ" (٢٧)، وفي خبرٍ آخَرَ، عن أبي الدَّرْداء، أنَّ رسولَ اللَّه -صلى اللَّه عليه وسلم- قال: "إنَّ فُسْطَاطَ الْمُسْلِمينَ يَوْمَ المَلْحَمَةِ بِالْغُوطَةِ، إلَى جَانِبِ مَدِينَةٍ يُقَالُ لَهَا: دِمَشْقُ، مِنْ خَيْرِ مَدائِنِ الشَّامِ". أخرجَهُ أبو داود (٢٨). وروَى سعيدُ بن منصور، [في "سُنَنِه"] (٢٩) بإسْنادِه عن أبي النَّضْرِ، أنَّ عَوْفَ بن مالكٍ، أتَى رسولَ اللَّه -صلى اللَّه عليه وسلم-, فقال: يا رسولَ اللَّه، أَوْصِنِى. قال: "عَلَيْك بِجَبَلِ الْخَمَرِ (٣٠) ". قال: وما جَبَلُ الخَمَرِ؟ قال: "أَرْضُ الْمَحْشَرِ". وبإسْناده (٣١)، عن عَطاء الخُراسانِيِّ: بلَغَنِي أنَّ رسولَ اللَّه -صلى اللَّه عليه وسلم- قال: "رَحِمَ اللَّه أهْلَ المَقْبَرَةِ". ثلاثَ مَرَّاتٍ، فسُئِلَ عن ذلك، فقال: "تِلْكَ مَقْبَرةٌ تَكُونُ بعَسْقَلَانَ" (٣٢). فكان عطاءُ يُرابِطُ بها كُلَّ عامٍ أربعين يومًا حتَّى ماتَ. ورَوَى الدّارَقُطْنِىّ، في "كتابه المُخرَّج على الصَّحِيحَيْن"، بإسْناده عن ابن عُمَرَ، أنَّ النَّبِىَّ -صلى اللَّه عليه وسلم- صلَّى على مَقْبَرةٍ، فقيل له: يا رسولَ اللَّه، أىُّ مَقْبَرةٍ هي؟ قال: "مَقْبَرَةٌ بأرْضِ العَدُوِّ، يُقَالُ لَهَا: عَسْقَلَانُ، يفْتَتِحُهَا نَاسٌ مِنْ أُمَّتِى، يَبْعَثُ اللهُ مِنْهَا سَبْعِينَ ألْفَ شَهِيدٍ، فَيَشْفَعُ الرَّجُلُ فِي مِثْلِ رَبِيعَةَ ومُضَرَ، ولِكُلٍّ عَرُوسٌ، وعَرُوسُ الْجَنَّةِ عَسْقَلَانُ" (٣٣). وبإِسْنادِه، عن ابن عَبَّاس، رَضِىَ اللَّه عنه، أنَّ رجُلًا أَتَى النَّبِيَّ -صلى اللَّه عليه وسلم-، فقال: إنِّي أُرِيدُ أَنْ أَغْزُوَ. فقال: "عَلَيْكَ بِالشَّامِ وَأَهْلِهِ، ثُمَّ الْزَمْ مِنَ الشَّامِ
(٢٧) الحلية ٦/ ١٤٦.(٢٨) في: باب في المعقل من الملاحم، من كتاب الملاحم. سنن أبي داود ٢/ ٤٢٦.كما أخرجه الإِمام أحمد، في: المسند ٥/ ١٩٧.(٢٩) سقط من: الأصل، أ.وأخرجه سعيد، في: باب ما جاء فيما تنفل به النبي -صلى اللَّه عليه وسلم-، من كتاب الجهاد. السنن ٢/ ٢٥٥.(٣٠) الخمر؛ بالتحريك: الشجر الملتف وما واراك من شجر. والمراد جبل بيت المقدس.(٣١) في: باب ما جاء في فضل الرباط، من كتاب الجهاد. السنن ٢/ ١٦٠.(٣٢) عسقلان: مدينة بالشام، من أعمال فلسطين، على ساحل البحر، بين غزة وبيت جبرين. معجم البلدان ٣/ ٦٧٣، ٦٧٤.(٣٣) وأخرجه ابن حجر، في: باب فضائل البلدان، باب فضائل عسقلان. المطالب العالية ٤/ ١٦١، ١٦٢.
