مشكوة المصابيح
Mishkat al-Masabih
كتاب المناقب
The Book of Merits
(فَضِيلَةُ مَدِينَةِ دِمَشْقَ فِي الشَّامِ)
(The virtue of the city of Damascus in Sham)
Hadith 6278
وَعَنْ رَجُلٍ مِنَ الصَّحَابَةِ أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَالَ: سَتُفْتَحُ الشَّامُ فإِذا خُيِّرْتم المنازلَ فِيهَا فَعَلَيْكُم بِمَدِينَة يُقَال لَهُ دِمَشْقُ فَإِنَّهَا مَعْقِلُ الْمُسْلِمِينَ مِنَ الْمَلَاحِمِ وَفُسْطَاطُهَا مِنْهَا أَرْضٌ يُقَالُ لَهَا: الْغُوطَةُ . رَوَاهُمَا أَحْمَدُ
One of the Companions reported God's messenger as saying, "Syria will be conquered, and when you are given your choice of places in which to settle go on a city called Damascus, for it will be the fortress of the Muslims to protect them in the wars during which it will be a place of assembly. In its neighbourhood there is some land called al-Ghuta." Ahmad transmitted the two traditions.
