Harith Harrath of Transoxania and Mansur

الحمد لله رب العلمين

وأفضل الصلاة وأتم التسليم على سيدنا محمد وعلى آله الطيبين وصحبه الغر المحجلين ومن والاهم واتبع هداهم إلى يوم الدين

In the preceding entry I discussed the real possibility of the Taliban, or at least elements that originate from the contemporary Taliban, being that force which heeds the call of the promised Mahdi and begins a westward expansion that results in the liberation of Jerusalem. This is quite conceivable as I mentioned given the revival of the Taliban and United States’ desperate desire to conclude a peace agreement with the former which will allow them to withdraw their remaining troops from Afghanistan. Additionally, the imminent collapse of the Iranian regime will leave a vacuum in that country for an invading force from the east to move in. Again, the Taliban are the natural candidate to seize the opportunity and enter into Iran from the east in the aftermath of Iran’s devastating defeat in a great conventional war with her foreign enemies. Reportedly, the Prophet (peace be upon him) said:

تَخْرُجُ مِنْ خُرَاسَانَ رَايَاتٌ سُودٌ لاَ يَرُدُّهَا شَيْءٌ حَتَّى تُنْصَبَ بِإِيلِيَاءَ

“Black standards will come from Khorasan. Nothing will turn them back until they are planted in Aelia (Jerusalem).” (Jami at-Tirmidhi #2269)

As I explained in a post nearly a year ago, this Hadith is slightly weak and should therefore be treated with skepticism. That is not to discount the Hadith altogether. Now keep in mind that at present the official flag of the Taliban is white:

But the Taliban are based in what is known as Khorasan, a region that includes modern-day Afghanistan. If the Hadith is sound we can expect a force to emerge from the land of Afghanistan with black standards that is possibly a generational descendant or breakaway faction of the contemporary Taliban. Undoubtedly we should never entertain the possibility that the Hadith prophecy points to one of the Kharijite factions, notably ISIL, or the Rafidites, both known for hoisting black flags. The deviation of these groups from our blessed Religion is undeniably clear and that is sufficient to discount their candidacy of being the fulfillment of this prediction. The Prophet (peace be upon him) severely condemned the Kharijites in particular in his well known prophecies concerning them which are established while the narrations concerning black standards are not.

Another region we may look to concerning End Times prophecy is Transoxania, which is modern day Uzbekistan. Transoxania, the land beyond the blessed Oxus River, may be crucial to the future of Islam. Reportedly, the Prophet (peace be upon him) said:

يَخْرُجُ رَجُلٌ مِنْ وَرَاءِ النَّهْرِ يُقَالُ لَهُ الْحَارِثُ حَرَّاثٍ عَلَى مُقَدِّمَتِهِ رَجُلٌ يُقَالُ لَهُ مَنْصُورٌ يُوَطِّئُ أَوْ يُمَكِّنُ لآلِ مُحَمَّدٍ كَمَا مَكَّنَتْ قُرَيْشٌ لِرَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم وَجَبَ عَلَى كُلِّ مُؤْمِنٍ نَصْرُهُ

“A man will come from beyond the river who is called al-Harith Harrath. His army will be led by a man who is called Mansur. They will consolidate or establish for the Family of Muhammad like how Quraysh established for the Apostle of Allah - sall Allahu alayhi wasallam. Every Believer is duty bound to support him.” (Sunan Abi Dawud #4290)

Imam Abi Dawud al-Sijistani (rahimahullah) has brought out this Hadith in his Kitab al-Mahdi, though it is weak due to two unknown narrators and should therefore be treated with skepticism. Historically, Transoxania played a great role in the history of Islam and development of Islamic civilization and culture. At various times heroic champions of Islam rose from that land, especially from the Prophetic progeny, to bring about the redemption of the Muslim world and establish a messianic state, though none of them could achieve actual success. It is quite possible that one day such a figure who is reminiscent of those ancient Islamic heroes shall appear and launch a successful uprising that brings about our redemption. If so, the names Harith Harrath and Mansur are likely titles and not their personal names, but Allah knows best. These figures will particularly resurrect the mission of establishing an Islamic state or caliphate that consolidates power for the Ahl al-Bayt, the heartfelt desire of the most sincere Muslims on this planet. This is why Imam Abi Dawud put this narration in his Kitab al-Mahdi, because these figures will likely have some connection or loyalty to the promised Mahdi, or otherwise be his forerunners, may Allah hasten his arrival (Amin).