Ibn Hawala reported,
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, "Matters will come to such a state that you will become organized armies, an army in Sham, an army in Yemen, and an army in Iraq."Ibn Hawala said, "Choose for me, Messenger of Allah, if I live to see that time."He replied, "You must go to Sham, for it is the best of Allah's lands, to which He draws the best of His servants. But if you refuse, then keep to your Yemen and drink from your pools, for Allah 
has guaranteed me Sham and its people."
Azami 10683
Hasanعن ابن حوالة، أنه قال
قال رسول الله ﷺ: سيصير الأمر إلى أن تكونوا جنودا مجندة، جند بالشام، وجند باليمن، وجند بالعراق قال ابن حوالة: خر لي يا رسول الله إن أدركت ذاك، قال: عليك بالشام، فإنها خيرة الله من أرضه، يجتبي إليه خيرته من عباده، فإن أبيتم فعليكم بيمنكم، واسقوا من غدركم، فإن الله عز وجل قد توكل لي بالشام وأهله.
Reported by Abu Dawud (2483) and Ahmad (17005), both from Haywa bin Shurayh Hadrami, who said, Baqiyyah narrated to me, he said, Buhayr bin Saad narrated to me, from Khalid bin Madan, from Ibn Abu Qutaylah, from Ibn Hawalah, and he mentioned it. Its chain is hasan because of Baqiyyah, for his narration is hasan when he states his sources explicitly. Hakim also reported it (2/510) through another route from Abdullah bin Hawalah, and he graded its chain sahih.