[FONT=Verdana, Helvetica]Another obvious one of these great auspices is the hadith that Imam Ahmad reported in his Musnad that Abdullah bin ‘Amr bin Al-‘As (may Allah be pleased with him) reports ,[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Helvetica]Whilst we were around the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) writing down, he was asked, "Which of the two cities is to be opened first, Constantinople or Rome ?" He (the Prophet) answered, "The city of Heraclius will be opened first!" (Imam Ahmad, and Al-Albany)[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Helvetica]Rome is the metropolis of Italy today, and Constantinople is now Istanbul. What can be grasped from the posed question is that the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them all) knew beforehand that Islam would conquer the two cities, and their people would embrace Islam, but they just wanted to know which of the two cities would precede the other to Islam. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) answered them saying that the city of Heraclius (Constantinople) would be conquered first.[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Helvetica]That prophecy was fulfilled at the hands of the ambitious Ottoman youth, Muhammad ibn Murad (Al- Fateh, aged twenty-three, who was known through history by Muhammad the Conqueror. Thus, Constantinople was conquered in the ninth century A.H. (fifteenth century A.D.), precisely on Tuesday 20th of Jumada Awwal857 A.H. (29 May, 1453 A.D.)[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Helvetica]Thus, remains the second part of the prophetic tidings to be fulfilled; the conquest of Rome, through which Islam will enter Europe once again after it was forced out of it twice: once from Andalusia and the other from the Balkan states.[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Helvetica]Most probably this conquest will be through the power of word and pen, not through the military force, for the world will open its arms and heart to Islam, after being overburdened by the philosophies (ideologies) of materialism and positivism, and will appeal for assistance from heavens, and guidance from Allah, thus it will find none but Islam as a rescuer.[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Helvetica]The peaceful conquest (victory) has its origins in Islam, for Allah, the Most Exalted, has called the Hudaibiyah Peace Treaty a conquest, even a "manifest victory" and on that occasion Surat Al-Fath was revealed in which Allah Almighty says,[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Helvetica](VerilyWe have granted thee a manifest Victory ) (Al-Fath, 48: 1)[/FONT]