Question Summary:
The great battle (Almalhama Alkubra)

Question Detail:

I want to enquire about the malhama kubra is it mentioned in quran or hadith? Has this malhama begun? Because we see so many wars everywhere and signs of end of times, how would one know for sure? Is there any specifications mentioned in hadith for us to know of these times?

Answer :

In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
As-salāmu ‘alaykum wa-rahmatullāhi wa-barakātuh.
The Malhama Alkubra is mentioned in the following Hadith,
قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: «الْمَلْحَمَةُ الْكُبْرَى، وَفَتْحُ الْقُسْطَنْطِينِيَّةِ، وَخُرُوجُ الدَّجَّالِ فِي سَبْعَةِ أَشْهُرٍ»
The Prophet (ﷺ) said: Malhama Alkubra (the greatest war), the conquest of Constantinople and the coming forth of the Dajjal (Antichrist) will take place within a period of seven months. (Abu Dawood 4295)
بَيْنَ الْمَلْحَمَةِ وَفَتْحِ الْمَدِينَةِ سِتُّ سِنِينَ وَيَخْرُجُ الْمَسِيحُ الدَّجَّالُ فِي السَّابِعَةِ ‏"
The Prophet (ﷺ) said: The time between the great war and the conquest of the city (Constantinople) will be six years, and the Dajjal (Antichrist) will come forth in the seventh.(Abu Dawood 4296)
The exact time and details of this great battle in unknown. However, from different Ahadith it can be understood that the battle will take place between the Muslims and The Roman (the Christians). The battle will be fought in a large number and extremely intense, in which large number of Muslims will be martyred.
The following Ahadith describe the great battle;
عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ، أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ، قَالَ: " لَا تَقُومُ السَّاعَةُ حَتَّى يَنْزِلَ الرُّومُ بِالْأَعْمَاقِ أَوْ بِدَابِقٍ، فَيَخْرُجُ إِلَيْهِمْ جَيْشٌ مِنَ الْمَدِينَةِ، مِنْ خِيَارِ أَهْلِ الْأَرْضِ يَوْمَئِذٍ، فَإِذَا تَصَافُّوا، قَالَتِ الرُّومُ: خَلُّوا بَيْنَنَا وَبَيْنَ الَّذِينَ سَبَوْا مِنَّا نُقَاتِلْهُمْ، فَيَقُولُ الْمُسْلِمُونَ: لَا، وَاللهِ لَا نُخَلِّي بَيْنَكُمْ وَبَيْنَ إِخْوَانِنَا، فَيُقَاتِلُونَهُمْ، فَيَنْهَزِمُ ثُلُثٌ لَا يَتُوبُ اللهُ عَلَيْهِمْ أَبَدًا، وَيُقْتَلُ ثُلُثُهُمْ، أَفْضَلُ الشُّهَدَاءِ عِنْدَ اللهِ، وَيَفْتَتِحُ الثُّلُثُ، لَا يُفْتَنُونَ أَبَدًا فَيَفْتَتِحُونَ قُسْطَنْطِينِيَّةَ، فَبَيْنَمَا هُمْ يَقْتَسِمُونَ الْغَنَائِمَ، قَدْ عَلَّقُوا سُيُوفَهُمْ بِالزَّيْتُونِ، إِذْ صَاحَ فِيهِمِ الشَّيْطَانُ: إِنَّ الْمَسِيحَ قَدْ خَلَفَكُمْ فِي أَهْلِيكُمْ، فَيَخْرُجُونَ، وَذَلِكَ بَاطِلٌ، فَإِذَا جَاءُوا الشَّأْمَ خَرَجَ، فَبَيْنَمَا هُمْ يُعِدُّونَ لِلْقِتَالِ، يُسَوُّونَ الصُّفُوفَ، إِذْ أُقِيمَتِ الصَّلَاةُ، فَيَنْزِلُ عِيسَى ابْنُ مَرْيَمَ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ، فَأَمَّهُمْ، فَإِذَا رَآهُ عَدُوُّ اللهِ، ذَابَ كَمَا يَذُوبُ الْمِلْحُ فِي الْمَاءِ، فَلَوْ تَرَكَهُ لَانْذَابَ حَتَّى يَهْلِكَ، وَلَكِنْ يَقْتُلُهُ اللهُ بِيَدِهِ، فَيُرِيهِمْ دَمَهُ فِي حَرْبَتِهِ "
Abu Huraira (Radhiallahu Anhu) reported Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) as saying:
The Last Hour would not come until the Romans would land at al-A'maq or in Dabiq. An army consisting of the best (soldiers) of the people of the earth at that time will come from Medina (to counteract them). When they will arrange themselves in ranks, the Romans would say: Do not stand between us and those (Muslims) who took prisoners from amongst us. Let us fight with them; and the Muslims would say: Nay, by Allah, we would never get aside from you and from our brethren that you may fight them. They will then fight and a third (part) of the army would run away, whom Allah will never forgive. A third (part of the army) which would be constituted of excellent martyrs in Allah's eye, would be killed and the third who would never be put to trial would win and they would be conquerors of Constantinople. And as they would be busy in distributing the spoils of war (amongst themselves) after hanging their swords by the olive trees, the Satan would cry: The Dajjal has taken your place among your family. They would then come out, but it would be of no avail. And when they would come to Syria, he would come out while they would be still preparing themselves for battle drawing up the ranks. Certainly, the time of prayer shall come and then Esa (Jesus) (peace be upon him) son of Mary would descend and would lead them in prayer. When the enemy of Allah would see him, it would (disappear) just as the salt dissolves itself in water and if he (Esa Alahi Assalaam) were not to confront them at all, even then it would dissolve completely, but Allah would kill them by his hand and he would show them their blood on his lance.(Muslim2897)
In another Hadith,
Once there blew a red storm in Kufah that there came a person who had nothing to say but (these words): Abdullah b. Mas'ud, the Last Hour has come. He ('Abdullah b. Mas'ud) was sitting reclining against something, and he said: The Last Hour would not come until the people divide in- heritance and rejoice over booty, and then said pointing towards Syria, with the gesture of his hand like this: The enemy shall muster strength against Muslims and the Muslims will muster strength against them (Syrians). I said: You mean Rome? And he said: Yes, and there would be a terrible fight and the Muslims would prepare a detachment (for fighting unto death) which would not return but victorious. They will fight until night will intervene them; both the sides will return without being victorious and both will be wiped out. The Muslims will again prepare a detachment for fighting unto death so that they may not return but victorious. When it would be the fourth day, a new detachment out of the remnant of the Muslims would be prepared and Allah will decree that the enemy should be routed. And they would fight such a fight the like of which would not be seen, so much so that even if a bird were to pass their flanks, it would fall down dead before reaching the end of them. (There would be such a largescale massacre) that when counting would be done, (only) one out of a hundred men related to one another would be found alive. So what can be the joy at the spoils of such war and what inheritance would be divided! They would be in this very state that they would hear of a calamity more horrible than this. And a cry would reach them: The Dajjil has taken your place among your off- spring. They will, therefore, throw away what would be in their hands and go forward sending ten horsemen, as a scouting party. Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said: I know their names and the names of their forefathers and the colour of their horses. They will be best horsemen on the surface of the earth on that day or amongst the best horsemen on the surface of the earth on that day. (Muslim 2899)
It must be noted that many of the signs of Qiyamah are present and the Muslims are facing difficulties all over the world. However, rather than exerting our efforts in identifying these signs, we maximize our efforts in Ibadaat, Dua and preparing for the Hereafter.
A Bedouin asked the Prophet (Sallallaahu 'Alahi Wa Sallam) about the Hour (Qiyamah).   He (Sallallaahu 'Alahi Wa Sallam) said, "It will surely come to pass. What have you prepared for it?" (Bukhari)
And Allah Ta’āla Knows Best
Arshad Ali
Student Darul Iftaa
Trinidad
Checked and Approved by,
Mufti Ebrahim Desai.
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