Hadith 242

(The book) ‘Al Majazaat Al Nabawiya’ –
‘The Prophet-saww said: ‘I-saww have been Commanded with a town consuming the towns, negating the wickedness just as the bellows negate the filth of the iron’’. [77]
Note: – The Seyyid said, ‘His-saww words: ‘I-saww have been Commanded with a town consuming the towns’, is a metaphor, and the intent is that its people are subduing the people of the town, so they are owning their cities and their wealth. It is as if they, with these situations, are consuming them. And this word has emerged upon the well-known way of the Arabs, because they are saying, ‘So and so has consumed (eaten up) his neighbour’, when he is inimical upon him, and violates his sanctity, and chooses to battle him. And from that are his-saww words during the military expedition of Al Hudeybiya: ‘Woe be to Quraysh! The war has consumed them! ’ – intending by it that it has annihilate their men and plundered their wealth. So it became from this aspect, as if it is a food for them. And it is mentioned by Umar Bin Abdul Aziz who said, ‘We heard from Rasool-Allah-saww having said: ‘Al-Medina negates the wickedness of the men just as the bellows negate the filth of the iron’’.