Eruption of Fire in the Land of the Hijaz

Abu Hurayrah reported that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “The Hour will not be established till a fire will come out of the land of Hijaz, and it will throw light on the necks of the camels at Busra.” ⁽¹⁾

This remarkable event, foretold by the truthful and trusted Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) as something that would occur in the future, came to pass exactly as he had described. The fire erupted in 654 AH (1256 CE).

The Eruption of a Fire in the Land of the Hijaz

The eminent historian Ibn Kathir discussed this fire in his account of the events of 654 AH. He wrote:

“The appearance of the fire from the land of the Hijaz, which illuminated the necks of camels in Busra, occurred as stated in the hadith agreed upon by Al-Bukhari and Muslim. Shaykh, Imam, eminent scholar, and hadith master Shihab Ad-Din Abu Shama Al-Maqdisi discussed this event at length in his book Al-Dhayl and its commentary. He drew upon numerous reports that had arrived in Damascus from the Hijaz in successive waves, describing the fire, which people had witnessed firsthand, as well as its emergence and characteristics.”

A summary of Abu Shama’s account ⁽²⁾ follows:

Letters arrived in Damascus from the Prophet’s city of Madinah, may the finest blessings and peace be upon its inhabitants, reporting that a fire had erupted there on the fifth of Jumada al-Akhirah of that year. The letters were written on the fifth of Rajab, when the fire was still burning, and reached Damascus on the tenth of Sha`ban.

Abu Shama then wrote:

“In the name of Allah, the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful.

In early Sha`ban of the year 654 AH, letters arrived in Damascus from the city of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), describing a momentous event that had occurred there, confirming what is recorded in the authentic collections of Al-Bukhari and Muslim in the hadith of Abu Hurayrah.

The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: ‘The Hour will not be established till a fire will come out of the land of Hijaz, and it will throw light on the necks of the camels at Busra.’

Someone I trust, who had witnessed the fire, informed me that he had heard that people in Tayma were writing by its light.

He said: ‘During those nights, we remained in our homes, and it was as though every house had a lamp burning inside. Despite its enormous size, the fire emitted neither heat nor scorching flames. It was simply one of the signs of Allah, the Almighty.’

Abu Shama continued: ‘The following is a copy of one of the letters I came across describing the event:

On the night of Wednesday, the third of Jumada al-Akhirah, in the year 654 AH, a tremendous rumbling was heard in Madinah, followed by a powerful earthquake. The ground, walls, ceilings, wooden structures, and doors shook violently, with the tremors recurring from time to time until Friday, the fifth of that month.

Then an enormous fire appeared in the volcanic plain known as Al-Harrah, near Qurayzah. From inside the city, we could see it from our homes as though it were right beside us. It was an immense blaze, more intense than the flames of three minarets combined.

Streams of fire flowed into the valley of Shaza, a channel through which water ordinarily runs, blocking it completely so that the water could no longer flow.

By Allah, a group of us went out to observe it, and we saw mountains pouring forth fire. The fire blocked the Iraqi pilgrims’ route through Al-Harrah. It continued advancing until it reached the area where we feared it might come upon us. Then it stopped and began flowing eastward.

From its midst rose towering columns and mountains of fire that consumed rocks, resembling the description Allah gives in His Book: {Indeed, it hurls sparks ˹as big˺ as huge castles, and ˹as dark˺ as black camels.} [Al-Mursalat 77:32–33]

The fire consumed the ground. I wrote this letter on the fifth of Rajab, in the year 654 AH, and the fire continues to grow without any sign of diminishing.

It has spread again across the volcanic terrain near Qurayzah, covering the entire route taken by the Iraqi caravans through Al-Harrah with blazing fire. At night, we can see it from Madinah, resembling the torches carried by pilgrims.

As for the main source of the fire, it consists of red-hot mountains of flame. The great central mass from which the streams of fire flow lies near Qurayzah. It has grown larger, and people no longer know what will happen next.

May Allah bring matters to a good conclusion. I am unable to describe this fire adequately.’” ⁽³⁾

Ibn Kathir then remarked:

“The hadith concerning this fire is recorded in both Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim through the chain of transmission of Al-Zuhri, from Sa‘id ibn Al-Musayyib, from Abu Hurayrah, who reported that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: ‘The Hour will not be established until a fire emerges from the land of the Hijaz, illuminating the necks of camels in Busra.’ This is the wording reported by Al-Bukhari.”

Among the great scholars who were alive when this fire erupted was Imam Al-Nawawi, may Allah have mercy on him. In his commentary on Sahih Muslim, he wrote:

“A fire erupted in Madinah in our time, in the year 654 AH. It was an enormous fire that emerged from the eastern side of the city, beyond Al-Harrah. News of its eruption spread through reliable, widespread reports throughout the Levant and other lands. I was informed by people from Madinah who had witnessed it.” ⁽⁴⁾

The eyewitness descriptions clearly indicate that this was a massive volcanic eruption accompanied by powerful earthquakes. The key point is that the fire emerged in the manner foretold by the truthful and trusted Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him).

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