Could You Please Tell Me about Ghazwat Al-Hind in Detail?

Answered by Abdul-Rahim Reasat

Question

Could you please tell me about ghazwat al-Hind in detail? What is it? Are there any narrations by the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) that talk about it?

Answer

I couldn’t find much detailed information on the Ghazwa of Hind. There are a couple of narrations, however, but without much detail.

Abu Hurayra (Allah be pleased with him) said, “The Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) promised us that there would be a military campaign in India. If I am killed in it, I’ll be of the greatest of martyrs, and if I return, I’ll be Abu Hurayra the Freed (from Hell).” [Ahmad; Nasa’i]

Shaykh Ahmad Shakir, the Egyptian hadith expert, who died in 1958, considered the narration in the Musnad of Imam Ahmad to be rigorously authenticated (sahib). Other contemporary experts, such as Shaykh Shu‘ayb Arna’ut, have classed most of these narrations as weak.

There is some discussion around the time of this campaign. It either occurred during the rule of Mu’awiya (Allah be well pleased with him), or it happened at the end of times when Imam Mahdi was alive. I couldn’t find anything conclusive due to the weakness of most of the narrations.

May Allah grant you the best of both worlds.

[Shaykh] Abdul-Rahim Reasat
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Shaykh Abdul-Rahim Reasat began his studies in Arabic Grammar and Morphology in 2005. After graduating with a degree in English and History he moved to Damascus in 2007 where, for 18 months, he studied with many erudite scholars. In late 2008 he moved to Amman, Jordan, where he continued his studies for the next six years in Sacred Law (fiqh), legal theory (Usul al-fiqh), theology, hadith methodology, hadith commentary, and Logic. He was also given licenses of mastery in the science of Quranic recital and he was able to study an extensive curriculum of Quranic sciences, tafsir, Arabic grammar, and Arabic eloquence.