In Arabic, 'Ghazwa' implies a war that is guided or based on belief, not aimed at gaining materialistic gain or territorial control. So Ghazwatul Hindi can be interpreted as a holy war against India.
The phrase 'Ghazwatul Hindi' refers to several hadiths of the Prophet Muhammad narrated by Sunan an-Nasa'i. Among others:
It is reported that Abu Hurairah said: “Allah's Messenger promised that we would attack India. If I live (long enough) to see it, then I will sacrifice myself and my fortune. If I am killed, then I will be among the martyrs, and if I survive, then I will become Abu Hurairah Al-Muharrar ((who is free from Hellfire)." [Sunan an -Nasa'i 3174, Sahih degree ]
It is narrated that Thawban, a slave who was freed from the Messenger of Allah, said: "The Prophet Muhammad SAW said: 'There are two groups of my Ummah that Allah will free from fire: namely the group that will attack India, and the group that will be with Isa bin Maryam, AS." [ Sunan an-Nasa'i 3175, degree of Hasan (Darussalam) ]
The relationship between the 'Ghazwatul Hindi' hadith and the hadith guiding the migration to Ash-Sham
I see that 'Ghazwatul Hindi' or the holy war against India is related to the hadith of the Prophet Muhammad which gives instructions for emigrating or migrating to Ash-Sham near the end of time.
As the following hadith says...
From Abdullah bin Amr said, Verily the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: " There will be hijrah after hijrah, the best inhabitants of the earth are those who live in the place where Prophet Ibrahim migrated (...) " (HR. Abu Dawud, Ahmad, Al -Judge)
The sound of the hadith above is related to the following hadith. From Abu Bakrah, Rasulullah SAW said: "There will be a group of people from my Ummah who will settle in an area they call Basrah, on the side of a river called Dijlah, and over the river there is a bridge. The population of that region will increase, and it will become one of the countries of the people who emigrated."
In another hadith it is stated:
"At the end of time there will come a people called Qanthura, their faces will be wide and their eyes will be narrow, until that people will reach the river bank and the inhabitants will split into three groups; one group went following the cows and livestock (going to a distant place with their livestock to cultivate crops) until they were destroyed.
One group took it for their security (applying for or receiving a guarantee of security from the Bani Qanthura) until they finally became infidels.
And one group protected their children and wives and fought against the enemy (Bani Qanthura) until they died as martyrs." (HR. Abu Dawud)
So far, Islamic scholars generally assume that the Basrah referred to in the above hadith is the city of Basrah in Iraq, while the Dijlah river referred to is the Tigris river. However, this determination is not without conflicting opinions.
For example, Imam Syamsul Haq 'Azhim Abadi quotes Imam al-Asyraf's explanation that what is meant by Basrah in this hadith is Baghdad. The reason is, Dajlah is a river, while the Dajlah bridge is in the middle (above) of the Dajlah river, not in the middle of the city of Basrah itself.
Likewise, the term 'Dijlah' for the Tigris river, is only used by Arabic-speaking people, while much older sources such as the Ancient Greeks call it 'Tigris' which means "tiger", and is thought to be adapted from the ancient Persian 'Tigra', and from Elam who also says 'Tigra'.
With this in mind, I think there is a possibility that the 'Basrah' area and the 'Dijlah' river mentioned in the Prophet's hadith, which are claimed to be located in Iraq, "may also have experienced a misinterpretation" like the error that occurred in the interpretation of Syria as the Ash-Sham region which The Prophet called it the place of migration for Prophet Abraham and will also be the place of migration for the people of the end of time.
As I have discussed in previous articles, the claim of Syria and its surroundings as the place where Prophet Ibrahim migrated does not make sense, because the reason for the migration or migration carried out by Prophet Ibrahim was to avoid a very severe drought.
Meanwhile, today's scientific research reveals that Egypt, Syria, Lebanon, Palestine, Iraq and most of the Middle East in general are the main areas experiencing severe drought. (Read my review of this here: Natural disasters during the time of the Prophet Abraham that had a global impact and brought down many civilizations)
As an alternative, I have proposed the region of Meghalaya or Assam in northeastern India, as the place where the Prophet Abraham actually migrated. I have conveyed this opinion accompanied by many reviews of strong arguments. Starting from a review of philological aspects, namely analysis of ancient stories in the Dimasi (indigenous) ethnic tradition, a review of their genealogical aspects, and much more.
For those who haven't had time to read, please read the articles below (it's best to read them in order):
- Finding Traces of the Madyan, Aikah, and Rass People Mentioned in the Koran
- The Hidden Meaning of the Name of the Prophet Shuaib
- Meghalaya, the Little-Known Most Historical Side of Earth
- Findings of Traces of the Prophet Abraham's Migration 4200 Years Ago
- Natural Disasters during the Time of Prophet Abraham that Had a Global Impact and Destroyed Many Civilizations
Consistently with the previous hypothesis, that the region of Assam (in northeastern India) is the land of Ash-Sham referred to in the hadith of the Prophet Muhammad, then the region of Basrah, and the river Dijlah which the Prophet called "one of the lands of the lands of the people who emigrated," I think it should also be looked for in the Assam region.
Based on these considerations, the 'Batshar' area in Nalbari district, Assam, becomes the most viable option. Apart from the shape of 'Batshar' which is identical to 'Basrah', its location which is also close to the Brahmaputra river gives it strength. This is as stated in the hadith that in Basrah there is the Dijlah river and a bridge.
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| Location of Batshar in Assam. (Docpri) |
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| Saraighat Bridge stretches for 1.49 km over the Brahmaputra river, Connecting Guwahati with the north side of the Brahmaputra river (docpri) |
Even though the name of the Brahmaputra river is very different from the form of the name of the Dijlah river as mentioned in the hadith, it is possible that the term 'Dijlah' is related to the form of the word 'Dighala' which in the local language (Bengali) means "long".
Meanwhile, in the local ethnic language (Bodo), the form 'di' is equivalent in meaning to 'river'. This is shown by the names of rivers in this region which generally begin with the syllable 'di'. Such as: Dikhan, Dikhu, Dikrang, Digaru, Dichu, Diputa, Diphang, Diphu, Diphlu, Dibong, Dibru, Dima, Dimla, Dimu, Dilao (Brahmaputra), Dilih, and many more.
The following is the explanation in the book Bengali and Other Related Dialects of South Assam ...
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| Sudhamsu Sekhara Tunga: "Bengali and Other Related Dialects of South Assam", 1995: 13 (docpri) |
So, the river Dijlah mentioned in the hadith, could refer to the word 'Dighala' which means 'long' and contains the form 'di' which means river. So Dighala can mean a long river or a wide river. This at least corresponds to the wide body of the Brahmaputra river.
As for the Bani Qanthura in the hadith narrated by HR. Abu Dawud came to attack Basrah, it can be assumed that he was a local ethnic in that area.
As I have reviewed in a previous article ( Finding Traces of the Prophet Abraham's Migration 4200 Years Ago ), the Dimasa People (also called Dimasa-Kachari) are an indigenous ethnic community and are considered to be the oldest inhabitants inhabiting the states of Assam and Naga land in eastern India sea, I have identified as a direct descendant of the Prophet Ibrahim and his wife Hajar (under another name Keturah).
I have also stated in this article that the Dimasa ethnic group is unique because they trace their clan along two lines, namely, patriclan (clan from the father's lineage) and matriclan (clan from the mother's lineage).
In fact, the name 'Dimasa' or 'Kachari' which significantly refers to the maternal line, quite clearly shows that in the past (and perhaps even now) this ethnicity was dominated by the strong influence of the maternal line. Therefore, it is quite consistent that in the Prophet's hadith they are referred to as Bani Qanthura (Keturah).
Thus, the mention of the Bani Qanthura as a people who will come to attack the residential area where the people emigrated at the end of time, has further strengthened the previous hypothesis that the Assam area is indeed the real Ash-Sham (place of emigration at the end of time).
It can be assumed that the attack "might" be the result of social friction that arose between the native population (Dimasi ethnic group and others) and the immigrants (the people who emigrated to fulfill the Prophet's instructions).
Likewise, 'Ghazwatul Hindi' (battle against India) is also most likely an excess of native ego agitation against the immigrants who occupied their territory.
This is the scenario that I think so far can explain why in the hadith of the Prophet Muhammad there is mention of war against the Bani Qanthura and holy war against India (Ghazwatul Hindi).
And apparently, this scenario can also explain the following most famous hadith:
Rasulullah SAW said, "Three people will fight on the side of your treasury (ed: Kaaba). They were all sons of the caliph. But none of them managed to master it. Then black banners rose from the east, and they killed you with a murder that had never been experienced by any people before you."
Then he SAW mentioned something that I didn't remember, then said, "So if you see him, take allegiance even by crawling in the snow, because he is the caliph of Allah al-Mahdi.". [Explanation of Hadith: Sunan Ibn Majah, Buku Al-Fitan Chapter Khuruj al-Mahdi 2:1467: Mustadrak al-Hakim 4:463-464]
It was from this region (Assam) that troops moved with black banners, which is why they were called rising or coming from the east.
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Apart from all the comments above, I strongly suspect that the war referred to in these hadiths will only occur after a major disaster such as that which occurred during the time of the Prophet Abraham.
Only a devastating natural disaster, lasting a long time, and followed by massive social upheaval, can destroy the order of life, especially socio-political, and force people to migrate to look for a more conducive place to live.
On the other hand, global unrest is very likely to occur in such a difficult situation. This, for example, occurred around 1200 BC, during the collapse of the late Bronze Age in the Aegean Sea region and the Near East.
According to experts, the collapse of ancient social order at that time was caused by devastating disasters that came one after another. Starting from the onslaught of earthquakes, climate change, to droughts that result in famine.
The Sea Peoples, who are thought to be the cause of the collapse of many kingdoms, and were even thought to be the cause of the collapse of the late Bronze Age in that region, could simply be those who appeared to take advantage of the situation, where the region they wanted to plunder was in its weakest defense condition. .
So, when the world experiences destruction due to very severe natural disasters, there will always be parties who appear to want to take advantage of the crisis situation for their personal or group interests.
That's all I have to say. Hope it is useful. Regards.
Read related articles: 'Bashrah' Place of Hijrah for People of the End Times and 'Ghazwa Hind'