Arabic (Original)
حَدَّثَنَا حَيْوَةُ بْنُ شُرَيْحٍ وَيَزِيدُ بْنُ عَبْدِ رَبِّهِ قَالَا حَدَّثَنَا بَقِيَّةُ قَالَ حَدَّثَنِي بَحِيرُ بْنُ سَعْدٍ عَنْ خَالِدِ بْنِ مَعْدَانَ عَنْ أَبِي قُتَيْلَةَ عَنِ ابْنِ حَوَالَةَ أَنَّهُ قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ سَيَصِيرُ الْأَمْرُ إِلَى أَنْ تَكُونَ جُنُودٌ مُجَنَّدَةٌ جُنْدٌ بِالشَّامِ وَجُنْدٌ بِالْيَمَنِ وَجُنْدٌ بِالْعِرَاقِ فَقَالَ ابْنُ حَوَالَةَ خِرْ لِي يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ إِنْ أَدْرَكْتُ ذَاكَ قَالَ عَلَيْكَ بِالشَّامِ فَإِنَّهُ خِيرَةُ اللَّهِ مِنْ أَرْضِهِ يَجْتَبِي إِلَيْهِ خِيرَتَهُ مِنْ عِبَادِهِ فَإِنْ أَبَيْتُمْ فَعَلَيْكُمْ بِيَمَنِكُمْ وَاسْقُوا مِنْ غُدُرِكُمْ فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ قَدْ تَوَكَّلَ لِي بِالشَّامِ وَأَهْلِهِ.
English Translation
Hayyah ibn Shurayh and Yazid ibn Abd Rabbih told us, saying: Baqiyyah told us, saying: Bahir ibn Sa'd told me, from Khalid ibn Ma'dan, from Abu Qutaylah, from Ibn Hawalah, that he said: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said: "The affair will come to be that there will be organized armies: an army in Syria, an army in Yemen, and an army in Iraq." Ibn Hawalah said: "Choose for me, O Messenger of Allah, if I should live to see that." He said: "Hold to Syria, for it is the choicest of Allah's lands, to which He draws His chosen servants. But if you refuse, then hold to your Yemen, and drink from your cisterns, for Allah, Mighty and Majestic, has taken it upon Himself to look after Syria and its people for me."