Where is Najd?

[Shehzad Sattar]

Where is Najd?

Ibn Abbas narrated that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) made the following du'a:

"O Allah bestow your blessings in our measuring and bestow your blessings on our Shaam and our Yemen." A person from amongst the people said, "O Prophet of Allah and our Iraq?" He said, "indeed there is the Horn of Shaytan, and the trials and tribulations and indeed harshness/estrangement is in the East." [Mu'jam al-Kabeer, Tabarani - with all narrators in the isnad being thiqat]

And if you see history where did the fitna take place? In Iraaq or Saudi Arabia?

Murder of Ali (ra), murder of Hussain (ra), battles of Jamal and Siffin between the sahabah, Hajjaj ibn Yousaf ath Thaqafi was governor of Iraaq where he killed nearly one hundred thousand Muslims, the fitna Abbassiyya where thousands were killed, then the deviated sects jahmiyyah, khawaarij, raafidha, qadariyyah, mutazillah all came from Iraaq, even today where is fitna? Look at Iraaq compared to Riyaadh and where will Dajjaal come from - Khurrasaan - between Iraaq & Afghanistan.

Opinions of the Ulema

1. Allama Ibn Manzoor Afriki(630 h-711 h) said
The high place from tahama t Iraq is najd
[Lisaan al-Arab 3/413]

2. Allama Ibn Atheer (544h-606h) said
Najd is high place, This is a special name of a place related to Iraq outside Hijaz
[alNihaya fe gharib al hadeeth wal athar 5/19]

3. Imam Ibn Abdul Bar (368h-463h) said
Allah knows best that the reason behind pointing of Prophet peace be upon him towards east regarding fitna is that the biggest fitna which was the key of troubles was the martyrdom of uthman bin affan radhiAllahanho, and that was the reason behind the war of Jamal and Siffeen, these troubles started from the east. Then Kharjities emerged from the land of najd,Iraq and it's regions
[alIstadhkaar 8/519]

4 . Same is said by Ibn Battaal (449h) in sharah saheeh Bukhari
[10/44]

5. Imam Kirmani said
The najd of the people of Madina Tayyiba (صلى الله على ساكنها وسلم) is Iraq and it is situated in east.

6. Imam Khattabi (319h-388h) said
'and for the one who is in Madeenah then his Najd would be the desert of Iraaq and it's regions for this is to the east of the People of Madeenah. The basic meaning of Najd is that which is raised/elevated from the earth
[Ailaam al hadith of Imam Khattabi 2/1274 alMagharabiya]

7. Imam Ibn Hajr asqalani said regarding problems and troubles
This was started from Iraq which is on the side if east
[Fath ul Bari 13/13]

8. Imam Ibn Tamiya said
It is known that Koofa was (land of) fitna and division as there is nus and consensus.[Majmoo Fatawa 20/316]