Ghazwa-e-hind (the Conquest of India)

Ghazwa-e-hind means "military conquest of India", and refers to a prophecy made by Muhammad as recorded in multiple, though mostly weak (daeef), hadith narrations.

Term and usage

In Arabic, ghazwa al-hind (غزوة الهند), but the concept is more well known in it's Urdu/Persian expression, ghazwa-e-hind, which uses the Urdu/Persian ezafe ("-e-" meaning "of"). Ghazwa means military expedition, attack or conquest ^[1] and hind means India ^[2]. This is because it is very often referenced by anti-Indian polemicists living in Pakistan.

An Islamist group in Pakistan called Lashkar-e-Taiba has declared that the Ghazwa-e-Hind prophecy refers to a forthcoming war in which India will be defeated and united with Pakistan, thus bringing the Indian subcontinent under unified Islamic rule.^[3]

The hadiths

This one is graded hasan (good) by Islamic scholars. It promises Muslims being safe from fire, if they invade India:

It was narrated that Thawban, the freed slave of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), said: "The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: 'There are two groups of my Ummah whom Allah will free from the Fire: The group that invades India (تَغْزُو الْهِنْدَ, taghzoo al-hind), and the group that will be with 'Isa bin Maryam, peace be upon him.'"

Sunan an-Nasa'i 1:25:3177 (hasan) from The Book of Jihad, chapter "Invading India"

From the same source there are another two weak hadiths:

It was narrated that Abu Hurairah said: "The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) promised that we would invade India (غَزْوَةَ الْهِنْدِ, ghazwa al-hind). If I live to see that I will sacrifice myself and my wealth. If I am killed, I will be one of the best of the martyrs, and if I come back, I will be Abu Hurairah Al-Muharrar."

Sunan an-Nasa'i 1:25:3176 (weak)

It was narrated that Abu Hurairah said: "The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) promised us that we would invade India (غَزْوَةَ الْهِنْدِ, ghazwa al-hind). If I live to see that, I will sacrifice myself and my wealth. If I am killed, I will be one of the best of the martyrs, and if I come back, I will be Abu Hurairah Al-Muharrar." [1] [1] Al-Muharrar: The one freed (from the Fire).

Sunan an-Nasa'i 1:25:3175 (weak)

References

↑ https://www.almaany.com/en/dict/ar-en/%D8%BA%D8%B2%D9%88%D8%A9/
↑ https://www.almaany.com/en/dict/ar-en/%D9%87%D9%86%D8%AF/
↑ Haqqani, Husain (27 March 2015). "Prophecy & the Jihad in the Indian Subcontinent - by Husain Haqqani". Hudson Institute. For example, Lashkar-e-Taiba has often spoken of Ghazwa-e-Hind as a means of liberating Kashmir from Indian control. The group’s founder, Hafiz Muhammad Saeed, has declared repeatedly that “[i]f freedom is not given to the Kashmiris, then we will occupy the whole of India including Kashmir. We will launch Ghazwa-e-Hind. Our homework is complete to get Kashmir.” Pakistani propagandist Zaid Hamid has also repeatedly invoked Ghazwa-e-Hind as a battle against Hindu India led from Muslim Pakistan. According to Hamid, “Allah has destined the people of Pakistan” with victory and “Allah is the aid and helper of Pakistan.”

[1] ttps://www.almaany.com/en/dict/ar-en/%D8%BA%D8%B2%D9%88%D8%A9/

[2] ttps://www.almaany.com/en/dict/ar-en/%D9%87%D9%86%D8%AF/

[3] Haqqani, Husain (27 March 2015). "Prophecy & the Jihad in the Indian Subcontinent - by Husain Haqqani". Hudson Institute. For example, Lashkar-e-Taiba has often spoken of Ghazwa-e-Hind as a means of liberating Kashmir from Indian control. The group’s founder, Hafiz Muhammad Saeed, has declared repeatedly that “[i]f freedom is not given to the Kashmiris, then we will occupy the whole of India including Kashmir. We will launch Ghazwa-e-Hind. Our homework is complete to get Kashmir.” Pakistani propagandist Zaid Hamid has also repeatedly invoked Ghazwa-e-Hind as a battle against Hindu India led from Muslim Pakistan. According to Hamid, “Allah has destined the people of Pakistan” with victory and “Allah is the aid and helper of Pakistan.”

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