Silsilat al-Ahadith al-Sahihah

Umair bin Aswad and Kathir bin Murrah Hadhrami say that Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) and Ibn Simt used to say that Muslims will remain present on the earth until the Day of Resurrection, because the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "A group from my Ummah will remain steadfast on Allah’s command; their opponents will not be able to harm them in any way. They will continue to fight against their enemies; whenever one battle ends, another will begin. Allah will keep turning people’s hearts away so that He may provide them sustenance through them (i.e., through the spoils of war), until the Day of Resurrection comes. It will be as if they are pieces of a dark night, and because of this, they will become anxious, until they wear small coats of mail." And the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "These are the people of Sham (Greater Syria)." Then he (peace and blessings be upon him) pointed towards Sham with his finger, scratching the ground (i.e., drawing a line towards Sham), until it caused him discomfort.