News that America has sent marines into Syria to first bolster Kurdish forces in the North of the country and then to spearhead the fight to rake Raqqa has raised the prospect of all out war with US boots firmly on the ground.
This sudden injection of US fighting forces has changed the nature of the war being fought to wipe out ISIS. Up until Trump gave the go ahead, the Russian along with Syrian and Iranian forces were fighting head on against ISIS. There have been some wins, but nothing decisive.
With the American military now directly involved in Syria, the battle of Raqqa may prove fatal for the young caliphate. Yet, Donald Trump’s decision to send troops into Syria may offer something else to ISIS, hope.
There is an Islamic Hadith dating back to the time of Muhammed that says the following:
“The Last Hour would not come until the Romans would land at al-A’maq or in Dabiq. An army consisting of the best (soldiers) of the people of the earth at that time will come from Medina (to counteract them).”
The Hadith is referrng to the Western powers coming to do battle with the army of the Caliphate. The US troops were sent to a base West of Manbij. Their first mission was to protect the Kurdish forces there from the Turkish army. Now that this has been accomplished, the US troops and their Kurdish allies will move on Raqqa in an attempt to finish off ISIS.
Look at the map below and notice that Dabiq is about 36 miles from Manbij. The US troops landed west of Manbij, putting them awefully close to Dabiq. Many observers falsely quote the Hadith in saying the battle takes place in Dabiq, but it clearly states they land there.
Have a look at the map below to learn just how close Dabiq is to Manbij.
Map from Google
So why are we quoting a Hadith, afterall Muhammad was crazy, right?
Two points must be made clear. First, Muhammad did not know how to read or write. He was orphaned at a young age and spent lots of time with the Jewish merchants in his area. He began to keep many Jewish traditions. When he proposed that he was actually the long awaited Messiah, many Jewish tribes rejected him outright. Many of these tribes were either killed or expelled.
Despite the Jewish opposition many Jewish tribes actually converted after the Exilarch Shallum ben Hushiel (the head of the Jewish community in Babylon and descendent of King David) met with Muhammed and converted. This weakened the resolve of the Jewish tribes’ opposition to Muhammed.
The Koran and early Hadiths were inspired by Muhammed’s connection to Judaism.
The second point is the fact that Islam draws from what is called “Dark Side Emunah (faith).” This gives its followers strength to see the task through to the end, yet there is something far deeper than simple preserverence. The fact that the Hadith were drawn from a point of faith that was twisted means there are elements of truth to it. Afterall, those Jewish tribes that converted did so even after they saw their brothers and sisters massacred in the battle of Kaibar.
Keep in mind this does not mean the Hadith will come true in its entirety, but that pieces of it may point to signs of an end time war.
The Bible also speaks of an End Time War in the North of Israel in Zecharia and then again in Isaiah chapter 17 with the destruction of Damascus.
Whether it is the Hadith or the Bible, US troops in Syria in combat positions seem to indicate an important line has been crossed. Is the final battle coming? We are certainly closing in on it.