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Dhul-Suwayqatayn (Arabic:ذو السويقتين,lit. 'the man with two thin legs',[1]Amharic:ዱል-ሱወይቃታይን) is a figure mentioned in thehadith of theIslamic prophetMuhammad,[1] according to which a group ofAbyssinian (Ethiopian) men are destined to permanently destroy theKa‘aba at the end of times and remove its treasure. It will be dismantled brick-by-brick, therefore in a peaceful manner. At this time faith inGod will have disappeared, so the destruction will go unnoticed.[1]Abd Allah ibn Amr ibn al-As andIbn Kathir interpreted that this will occur after thesecond coming of Yeshua (Isa) (AKA Jesus Christ).[2]
References to this are recorded in all six traditionalSunni compilations of hadith, theKutub al-Sitta, including the earliest and the most revered ones, namelySahih al-Bukhari andSahih Muslim.[3] The tradition is likely related to theYear of the Elephant, when theAxumite generalAbraha is said to have attacked Mecca.[4]
Following theFifth Crusade (1217–1221), this tradition was transferred to Europe when BishopOliver of Paderborn'sHistoria Damiatina described aNubian king as an omen indicating the end of Islam.[5]
