Appearance of Dajjal
First of all, we will quote the reports which mention the liars and "dajjals" who will precede the coming off the Dajjal, or Antichrist, who will be the last of them; may Allâh curse them and punish them with Hell-fire.
Jabir ibn Samurah said, "I heard the Prophet say, 'Just before the Hour there will be many liars.'" Jabir said, "Be on your guard against them." (Muslim).
Abû Hurayrah said, "The Prophet said, "The Hour will not come ... until nearly 30 "dajjals" (liars) appear, each one claiming to be a messenger from Allâh.'" (al-Bukhârî Muslim.)
Abû Hurayrah said, "The Prophet said, 'The Hour will not come until 30 "dajjals" appear, each of them claiming to be a messenger from Allâh, wealth increases, tribulations appear and al-Harj increases.'" Someone asked, 'What is al-Harj?' He said, 'Killing, killing.' (Ahmad)
Abû Hurayrah said, "The Prophet said, 'The Hour will not come until 30 "dajjals" appear, all of them lying about Allâh and His Messenger." (Abû Dâwûd)
Thawban said, "The Prophet said, 'There will be 30 liars among my Ummah. Each one will claim that he is a prophet; but I am the last of the Prophets (Seal of the Prophets), and there will be no Prophet after me.'" (Ahmad)
The Prophet said, "Verily before the Day of Resurrection there will appear the Dajjal, and 30 or more liars." (Ahmad)
Abû Bakrah said, "The people spoke a great deal against Musaylimah before the Prophet said anything about him. Then the Prophet got up to give a speech and said: '...as for this man about whom you have spoken so much - he is one of the 30 liars who will appear before the Hour, and there is no town which will not feel the fear of the Antichrist.'" (Ahmad)
In another version of this report, the Prophet said, "He is one of the 30 liars who will appear before the Dajjal. There is no town which will escape the fear of the Dajjal, apart from Madînah. At that time there will be two angels at every entrance of Madînah, warding off the fear of the Antichrist." Anas ibn Malik said, "The Prophet said, 'The time of the Dajjal will be years of confusion. People will believe a liar, and disbelieve one who tells the truth. People will distrust one who is trustworthy, and trust one who is treacherous; and the Ruwaybidah will have a say.' Someone asked, 'Who are the Ruwaybidah?' He said,'Those who rebel against Allâh and will have a say in general affairs.'" (Ahmad)
Ahadîth about the Dajjal
'Abdullâh ibn 'Umar said, "'Umar ibn al-Khattab went along with the Prophet and a group of people to Ibn Sayyad, and found him playing with some children near the battlement of Banu Maghalah. At that time Ibn Sayyad was on the threshold of adolescence; he did not realise that anybody was near until the Prophet struck him on the back. The Prophet (S) said to him: 'Do you bear witness than I am the Messenger of Allâh?' Ibn Sayyad looked at him and said, 'I bear witness that you are the Prophet of the unlettered.' Then Ibn Sayyad said to the Prophet, 'Do you bear witness that I am the Messenger of Allâh?' The Prophet dismissed this and said, 'I believe in Allâh and His Messengers.' Then the Prophet asked him, 'What do you see?' Ibn Sayyad said, 'Sometimes a truthful person comes to me, and sometimes a liar.' The Prophet said to him, 'You are confused', then he said, 'I am hiding something from you.' Ibn Sayyad said, 'It is Dukh.' The Prophet said, 'Silence! You will not be able to go beyond your rank.' 'Omar ibn al-Khattab said, 'O Messenger of Allâh, shall I cut off his head?' The Prophet said, 'If he is (the Dajjal) you will not be able to overpower him, and if he is not, then killing will not do you any good.'"
Salim ibn 'Abdullâh said, "I heard 'Abdullâh ibn 'Omar say, 'After that, the Prophet and Ubayy ibn Ka'b went along to the palm trees where Ibn Sayyad was. The Prophet started to hide behind a tree, with the intention of hearing something from Ibn Sayyad before Ibn Sayyad saw him. The Prophet saw him lying on a bed, murmuring beneath a blanket. Ibn Sayyad's mother saw the Prophet hiding behind a tree, and said to her son, "O Saf (Ibn Sayyad's first name), here is Mohammad!" Ibn Sayyad jumped up, and the Prophet said, "If you had left him alone, he would have explained himself.''
Salim said, "'Abdullâh ibn 'Omar said, The Prophet stood up to address the people. He praised Allâh as He deserved to be praised, then he spoke about the Dajjal: 'I warn you against him; there is no Prophet who has not warned his people against him, even Noah warned his people against him. But I will tell you something which no other Prophet has told his people. You must know that the Dajjal is one-eyed, and Allâh is not one-eyed.'"
Ibn Shihab said: "'Omar ibn Thabit al-Ansari told me that some of the Companions of the Prophet told him that on the day when he warned the people about the Dajjal, the Prophet said: "There will be written between his eyes the word Kafir (unbeliever). Everyone who resents his bad deeds - or every believer- will be able to read it." He also said, "You must know that no one of you will be able to see his Lord until he dies.'" (Muslim, al-Bukhârî). Ibn 'Omar said, "The Prophet mentioned the Dajjal to the people. He said, "Allâh is not one-eyed, but the Dajjal is blind in his right eye, and his eye is like a floating grape.'" (Muslim) Anas ibn Malik said, "The Prophet said, 'there has never been a Prophet who did not warn his people against that one-eyed liar. Verily he is one-eyed and your Lord is not one-eyed. On his forehead will be written the letter Kaf, Fa, Ra (Kafir).'" (Muslim, al-Bukhârî)
Hudhayfah said, "The Prophet said, 'I know more about the powers which the Dajjal will have than he will know himself. He will have two flowing rivers: one will appear to be pure water, and the other will appear to be flaming fire. Whosoever lives to see that, let him choose the river which seems to be fire, then let him close his eyes, lower his head and drink from it, for it will be cold water. The Dajjal will be one-eyed; the place where one eye should be will be covered by a piece of skin. On his forehead will be written the word Kafir, and every believer, whether literate or illiterate, will be able to read it.'" (Muslim)
Abû Hurayrah said, "The Prophet said, 'Shall I tell you something about the Dajjal which no Prophet has ever told his people before me? The Dajjal is one-eyed and will bring with him something which will resemble Paradise and Hell; but that which he calls Paradise will in fact be Hell. I warn you against him as Noah warned his people against him.'" (al-Bukhârî, Muslim)
Mohammad ibn Munkadir said: "I saw Jabir ibn 'Abdullâh swearing by Allâh that Ibn Sayyad was the Dajjal, so I asked him, 'Do you swear by Allâh?' He said, 'I heard 'Omar swear to that effect in the presence of the Prophet, and the Prophet did not disapprove of it.'" Some 'ulama' (scholars) say that some of the Sahabah (Companions of the Prophet) believed Ibn Sayyad to be the greater Dajjal, but that is not the case: Ibn Sayyad was a lesser dajjal. Ibn Sayyad travelled between Makkah and Madînah with Abû Sa'id, and complained to him about the way that people were saying that he was the Dajjal. Then he said to Abû Sa'id, "Did not the Prophet say that the Dajjal would not enter Madînah? I was born there. Did not he say that he would not have any children? - I have children. Did not he say that he would be a Kafir? - I have embraced Islâm. Of all the people, I know the most about him: I know where he is now. If I were given the opportunity to be in his place, I would not resent it.'" (al-Bukhârî, Muslim)
There are many Ahadîth about Ibn Sayyad, some of which are not clear as to whether he was the Dajjal or not. We shall see Ahadîth which indicates that the Dajjal is not Ibn Sayyad, as in the Hadîth of Fatimah Bint Qays al-Fahriyyah, although this does not mean that he was not one of the lesser Dajjal; but Allâh knows best.
THE HADĪTH OF FATIMAH BINT QAYS:
'Amir ibn Sharahil Sha'bi Sha'b Hamdan reported that he asked Fatimah bint Qays, the sister of Dahhak ibn Qays, who was one of the first Muhajirat, "Tell me a Hadîth which you heard directly from the Prophet with no narrator in between." She said, "I can tell you if you like." He said, 'Yes, please tell me," she said, "I married Ibn al-Mughirah, who was one of the best of the youth of Quraysh in those days. But he fell in the first Jihad on the side of the Prophet. "When I became a widow, 'Abd al-Rahman ibn 'Awf, one of the companions of the Prophet sent me a proposal of marriage. The Prophet also sent me a proposal of marriage on behalf of his freedman Usamah ibn Zayd. I had been told that the Prophet had said, 'He who loves me should also love Usamah.' When the Prophet spoke to me, I said, 'It is up to you: marry me to whomever you wish.' "The Prophet said, 'Go and stay with Umm Sharik.' Umm Sharik was a rich Ansari (Muslim originally from Madînah) woman, who spent much in the way of Allâh and entertained many guests. I said, 'I will do as you wish.' Then he said, 'Don't go. Umm Sharik has many guests, and I would not like it if your head or leg were to become uncovered accidentally and people saw something you would not wish them to see. It is better if you go and stay with your cousin 'Abdullâh ibn 'Amr ibn Umm Maktum' ('Abdullâh was of the Banu Fihr of Quraysh, the same tribe as that to which Fatima belonged).
"So I went to stay with him, and when I had completed my 'Iddah (period of waiting), I heard the Prophet's announcer calling for congregational prayer. I went out to the mosque, and prayed behind the Prophet. I was in the women's row, which was at the back of the congregation. When the Prophet had finished his prayer, he sat on the pulpit, smiling, and said, 'Everyone should stay in his place.' Then he said, 'Do you know why I had asked you to assemble?' The people said, 'Allâh and His Messenger know best.' "He said, 'By Allâh, I have not gathered you here to give you an exhortation or a warning. I have kept you here because Tamim al-Dari, a Christian man who has come and embraced Islâm, told me something which agrees with that which I have told you about the Dajjal. He told me that he had sailed in a ship with 30 men from Banu Lakhm and Banu Judham. The waves had tossed them about for a month, then they were brought near to an island, at the time of sunset. They landed on the island, and were met by a beast who was so hairy that they could not tell its front from its back. They said, "Woe to you! What are you?" It said, "I am al-Jassasah." They said, "What is al-Jassasah?" It said, "O people, go to this man in the monastery, for he is very eager to know about you." Tamim said that when it named a person to us, we were afraid lest it be a devil." Tamim said, 'We quickly went to the monastery. There we found a huge man with his hands tied up to his neck and with iron shackles between his legs up to the ankles. We said, "Woe to you, who are you?" He said, "You will soon know about me. Tell me who you are." We said, "We are people from Arabia. We sailed in a ship, but the waves have been tossing us about for a month, and they brought us to your island, where we met a beast who was so hairy that we could not tell its front from its back. We said to it, "Woe to you! What are you? and it said , "I am al-Jassasah." We asked, "What is al-Jassasah?" and it told us, "Go to this man in the monastery, for he is very eager to know about you." So we came to you quickly, fearing that it might be a devil.' "The man said, "Tell me about the date-palms of Baysan.' We said, 'What do you want to know about them?" He said, 'I want to know whether these trees bear fruit or not.' We said, 'Yes.' He said, 'Soon they will not bear fruit.' Then he said, "Tell me about the lake of al-Tabariyyah [Tiberias, in Palestine].' We said, 'What do you want to know about it?" He asked, 'Is there water in it?' We said, 'There is plenty of water in it.' He said, 'Soon it will become dry.' Then he said, 'Tell me about the spring of Zughar.' We said, 'What do you want to know about it?' He said, 'Is there water in it, and does it irrigate the land?" We said, 'Yes, there is plenty of water in it, and the people use it to irrigate the land.' "Then he said, "Tell me about the unlettered Prophet ' what has he done?' We said, 'He has left Makkah and settled in Yathrib.' He asked, 'Do the Arabs fight against him?' We said, 'Yes.' He said, 'How does he deal with them?' So we told him that the Prophet had overcome the Arabs around him and that they had followed him. He asked, 'Has it really happened?' We said, 'Yes.' He said, 'It is better for them if they follow him. Now I will tell you about myself. I am the Dajjal. I will soon be permitted to leave this place: I will emerge and travel about the earth. In 40 nights I will pass through every town, except Makkah and Madînah, for these have been forbidden to me. Every time I try to enter either of them, I will be met by an angel bearing an unsheathed sword, who will prevent me from entering. There will be angels guarding them at every passage leading to them.' Fatimah said, "The Prophet striking the pulpit with his staff, said: 'This is Tayyibah, this is Tayyibah, this is Tayyibah, [ie Madînah]. Have I not told you something like this?' The people said, 'Yes.' He said, 'I liked the account given to me by Tamim because it agrees with that which I have told you about the Dajjal, and about Makkah and Madînah. Indeed he is in the Syrian sea or the Yemen sea. No, on the contrary, he is in the East, he is in the East, he is in the East' and he pointed towards the East. Fatimah said: I memorised this from the Prophet." (Muslim).
'Abdullâh ibn 'Umar said, "The Prophet (S) said, 'While I was asleep, I saw myself a dream performing Tawaf (circumambulation) around the Ka'bah. I saw a ruddy man with lank hair and water dripping from his head. I said, 'Who is he?" and they said, "The son of Mary." Then I turned around and saw another man with a huge body, red complexion, curly hair and one eye. His other eye looked like a floating grape. They said, "This is the Dajjal." The one who most resembles him is Ibn Qatan, a man from the tribe of al-Khuza'ah'." (al-Bukhârî, Muslim).
Warnings against the Dajjal
THE Hadîth OF AL-NUWAS IBN SAM'AN AL-KILABI
Al-Nuwas ibn Saman said, "One morning the Prophet - sallallâhu ’alayhi wa sallam - spoke about the Dajjal. Sometimes he described him as insignificant, and sometimes he described him as so dangerous that we thought he was in the clump of date-palms nearby. When we went to him later on, he noticed that fear in our faces, and asked, 'What is the matter with you?' We said, 'O Messenger of Allâh, this morning you spoke of the Dajjal; sometimes you described him as insignificant, and sometimes you described him as being so dangerous that we thought he was in the clump of date-palms nearby. "The Prophet - sallallâhu ’alayhi wa sallam - said, 'I fear for you in other matters besides the Dajjal. If he appears whilst I am among you, I will contend with him on your behalf. But if he appears while I am not among you, then each man must contend with him on his own behalf, and Allâh will take care of every Muslim on my behalf. The Dajjal will be a young man, with short, curly hair, and one eye floating. I would liken him to 'Abd al-Uzza ibn Qatan. Whoever amongst you lives to see him should recite the opening Ayat of Surat al-Kahf. He will appear on the way between Syria and Iraq, and will create disaster left and right. O servants of Allâh, adhere to the Path of Truth." "We said, 'O Messenger of Allâh, for the day which is like a year, will one days prayers be sufficient? He said, 'No, you must make an estimate of the time, and then observe the prayers." "We asked, 'O Messenger of Allâh, how quickly will he walk upon the earth? He said, 'Like a cloud driven by the wind. He will come to the people and call them (to a false religion), and they will believe in him and respond to him. He will issue a command to the sky, and it will rain; and to the earth, and it will produce crops. After grazing on these crops, their animals will return with their udders full of milk and their flanks stretched. Then he will come to another people and will call them (to a false religion), but they will reject his call. He will depart from them; they will suffer famine and will possess nothing in the form of wealth. Then he will pass through the wasteland and will say, 'Bring forth your treasures, and the treasures will come forth, like swarms of bees. Then he will call a man brimming with youth; he will strike him with a sword and cut him in two, then place the two pieces at the distance between an archer and his target. Then he will call him, and the young man will come running and laughing.""At that point, Allâh will send the Messiah, son of Mary, and he will descend to the white minaret in the east of Damascus, wearing two garments dyed with saffron, placing his hands on the wings of two angels. When he lowers his head, beads of perspiration will fall from it, and when he raises his head, beads like pearls will scatter from it. Every Kafir who smells his fragrance will die, and his breath will reach as far as he can see. He will search for the Dajjal until he finds him at the gate of Ludd*, where he will kill him." "Then a people whom Allâh has protected will come to Jesus son of Mary, and he will wipe their faces (ie wipe the traces of hardship from their faces) and tell them of their status in Paradise. At that time Allâh will reveal to Jesus: "I have brought forth some of My servants whom no-one will be able to fight. Take My servants safely to al-Tur." "Then Allâh will send Gog and Magog, and they will swarm down from every slope. The first of them will pass by the Lake of Tiberias, and will drink some of its water; the last of them will pass by it and say, "There used to be water here." Jesus, the Prophet of Allâh, and his Companions will be besieged until a bull's head will be dearer to them than one hundred dinars are to you nowadays." "Then Jesus and his Companions will pray to Allâh, and He will send insects who will bite the people of Gog and Magog on their necks, so that in the morning they will all perish as one. Then Jesus and his Companions will come down and will not find any nook or cranny on earth which is free from their putrid stench. Jesus and his Companions will again pray to Allâh, Who will send birds like the necks of camels; they will seize the bodies of Gog and Magog and throw them wherever Allâh wills. Then Allâh will send rain which no house or tent will be able to keep out, and the earth will be cleansed, until it will look like a mirror. Then the earth will be told to bring forth its fruit and restore its blessing. On that day, a group of people will be able to eat from a single pomegranate and seek shelter under its skin (ie the fruit would be so big). A milch camel will give so much milk that a whole party will be able to drink from it; a cow will give so much milk that a whole tribe will be able to drink from it; and a milch-sheep will give so much milk that a whole family will be able to drink from it. At that time, Allâh will send a pleasant wind which will soothe them even under their armpits, and will take the soul of every Muslim. Only the most wicked people will be left, and they will fornicate like asses; then the Last Hour will come upon them." (Muslim)
A Hadîth NARRATED FROM Abû UMAMAH AL-BAHILI
Abû Umamah al-Bahili said, "The Prophet - sallallâhu ’alayhi wa sallam - delivered a speech to us, most of which dealt with the Dajjal and warned us against him. He said, 'No tribulation on earth since the creation of Adam will be worse than the tribulation of the Dajjal. Allâh has never sent a Prophet who did not warn his Ummah against the Dajjal. I am the last of the Prophets, and you are the last Ummah. The Dajjal is emerging among you and it is inevitable. If he appears while I am still among you, I will contend with him on behalf of every Muslim. But if he appears after I am gone, then every person must contend with him on his own behalf. He will appear on the way between Syria and Iraq, and will spread disaster right and left. O servants of Allâh adhere to the path of Truth. I shall describe him for you in a way that no Prophet has ever done before. He will start by saying that he is a Prophet, but there will be no Prophet after me. Then he will say, "I am your Lord," but you will never see your Lord until you die. The Dajjal is one-eyed, but your Lord, glorified be He, is not one-eyed. On his forehead will be written the word Kafir, which every Muslim, literate or illiterate, will be able to read. Among that which he will bring will be the Paradise and Hell he will offer; but that which he calls Hell will be Paradise, and that which he calls Paradise will be Hell. Whoever enters his Hell, let him seek refuge with Allâh and recite the opening Ayat of Surat al-Kahf, and it will become cool and peaceful for him, as the fire became cool and peaceful for Abraham. "He will say to a Bedouin, What do you think if I bring your father and mother back to life for you? Will you bear witness that I am your lord? The Bedouin will say Yes, so two devils will assume the appearance of his father and mother, and will say, "O my son, follow him for he is your lord." "He will be given power over one person, whom he will kill and cut in two with a saw. Then he will say, 'Look at this slave of mine, now I will resurrect him, but he will still claim that he has a Lord other than me. Allâh will resurrect him, and this evil man (the Dajjal) will say to him, 'Who is your Lord? The man will answer, 'My Lord is Allâh, and you are the enemy of Allâh. You are the Dajjal. By Allâh, I have never been more sure of this than I am today."
Abû Said said, "The Prophet - sallallâhu ’alayhi wa sallam - said, 'That man will have the highest status among my Ummah in Paradise." Abû Said said, "By Allâh, we never thought that that man would be any other than 'Umar ibn al-Khattab, until he passed away." Al-Muharibi said: "Then we referred to the Hadîth of Abû Rafii, which said, 'Part of his Fitnah will be the fact that he will pass through an area whose people will deny him, and none of their livestock will remain alive. Then he will pass through a second area whose people will believe in him; he will order the sky to rain and the earth to bring forth crops, and their flocks will return from grazing fatter than they have ever been, with their flanks stretched, their udders full. He will pass through every place on earth - except Makkah and Madînah, which he will never enter, for there are angels guarding every gate of them with unsheathed swords - until he reaches al-Zarib al-Ahmar and camps at the edge of the salt-marsh. Madînah will be shaken by three tremors, after which every Munafiq (hypocrite) will leave it, and it will be cleansed of evil, as iron is cleansed of dross. That day will be called Yawm al-Khalas (The Day of Purification)."
Umm Sharik bint Abil-Akr said, "O Messenger of Allâh, where will the Arabs be at that time?" He said, "At that time they will be few; most of them will be in Bayt al-Maqdis (Jerusalem), and their Imâm will be a righteous man. Whilst their Imâm is going forward to lead the people in praying Salat al-Subh (the morning prayer), Jesus son of Mary will descend. The Imâm will step back, to let Jesus lead the people in prayer, but Jesus will place his hand between the mans shoulders and say, 'Go forward and lead the prayer, for the Iqamah was made for you. So the Imâm will lead the people in prayer, and afterwards Jesus - ’alayhis salâm - will say, 'Open the gate. The gate will be opened, and behind it will be the Dajjal and a thousand Jews, each of them bearing a sword and shield. When the Dajjal sees Jesus, he will begin to dissolve like salt in water, and will run away. Jesus will say, 'You will remain alive until I strike you with my sword. He will catch up with him at the eastern gate of Ludd* and will kill him. The Jews will be deflated with the help of Allâh. There will be no place for them to hide; they will not be able to hide behind any stone, wall, animal or tree - except the boxthorn (al-Gharqarah) - without saying, 'O Muslim servant of Allâh! here is a Jew, come and kill him!"
A Test for the People at the End of Time
THE Hadîth OF AL-MUGHIRAH IBN SHU'BAH
Al-Mughirah ibn Shubah said, "No-one asked the Prophet - sallallâhu ’alayhi wa sallam - more questions about the Dajjal than I did. He said, 'You should not worry about him, because he will not be able to harm you.' I said, 'But they say that he will have much food and water! He said, 'He is too insignificant in the sight of Allâh to have all that.' (Muslim.)
Al-Mughirah ibn Shu'bah said, "No-one asked the Prophet - sallallâhu ’alayhi wa sallam - more questions about the Dajjal than I did." One of the narrators said, "What did you ask him?" Al-Mughirah said, "I said, 'They say that the Dajjal will have a mountain of bread and meat, and a river of water. The Prophet - sallallâhu ’alayhi wa sallam - said, 'He is too insignificant in the sight of Allâh to have all that.' (Muslim.)
From these Ahadîth, we can see that Allâh will test His servants with the Dajjal and by the miracles which he will be permitted to perform: as we have already mentioned, the Dajjal will order the sky to rain for those who accept him, and will order the earth to bring forth its fruits so that they and their livestock will eat of it, and their flocks will return fat and with their udders full of milk. Those who reject the Dajjal and refuse to believe in him will suffer drought and famine; people and livestock will die, and wealth and supplies of food will be depleted. People will follow the Dajjal like swarms of bees, and he will kill a young man and bring him back to life. This is not a kind of magic; it will be something real with which Allâh will test His servants at the end of time. Many will be led astray, and many will be guided by it. Those who doubt will disbelieve, but those who believe will be strengthened in their faith.
Al-Qadi 'Iyad and others interpreted the phrase "He is too insignificant in the sight of Allâh to have all that" as meaning that the Dajjal is too insignificant to have anything that could lead the true believers astray, because he is obviously evil and corrupt. Even if he brings great terror, the word Kafir will be clearly written between his eyes; one report explains that it will be written "Kaf, Fa, Ra," from which we can understand that it will be written perceptibly, not abstractly, as some people say. One of his eyes will be blind, protruding and repulsive; this is the meaning of the Hadîth: "...as if it were a grape floating on the surface of the water." Other reports say that it is "dull, with no light in it," or "like white spittle on a wall," i e, it will look ugly.
Some reports say that it is his right eye which will be blind; others say that it is his left eye. He could be partly blind in both eyes, or there could be a fault in both eyes. This interpretation could be supported by the Hadîth narrated by al-Tabarani, in which he reports that Ibn 'Abbas said, "The Prophet - sallallâhu ’alayhi wa sallam - said, "The Dajjal is curly-haired and white-skinned. His head is like the branch of a tree; his left eye is blind, and the other eye looks like a floating grape. " One may ask: if the Dajjal is going to cause such widespread evil and his claim to be a "lord" will be so widely believed - even though he is obviously a liar, and all the Prophets have warned against him - why does the Qur'ân not mention him by name and warn us against his lies and stubbornness? The answer is:-
1. The Dajjal was referred to in the Ayah: "... The day that certain of the signs of thy Lord do come, no good will it do to a soul to believe in them then, if it believed not before nor earned righteousness through its Faith..." (al-Anam 6:158)
Abû Hurayrah said, "The Prophet - sallallâhu ’alayhi wa sallam - said, 'There are three things which, when they appear, no good will it do a soul to believe in them then, if it believed not before nor earned righteousness through its Faith. They are: The Dajjal, the Beast, and the rising of the sun from the west.' "
2. Jesus son of Mary will descend from Heaven and kill the Dajjal, as we have already mentioned. The descent of Jesus is mentioned in the Ayat: "That they said (in boast), 'We killed Christ Jesus the son of Mary, the Apostle of Allâh; - but they killed him not nor crucified him, but so it was made to appear to them, and those who differ therein are full of doubts, with no (certain) knowledge, but only conjecture to follow, for of a surety they killed him not:- Nay, Allâh raised him up unto Himself; and Allâh is exalted in Power, Wise;- And there is none of the People of the Book but must believe in him before his death; and on the Day of Judgement, he will be a witness against them." (al-Nisa 4:157-9)
We think that the Tafsir (interpretation) of this Ayah is that the pronoun in "before his death" (qabla mawtihi) refers to Jesus; i e, he will descend and the People of the Book who differed concerning him will believe in him. The Christians claimed that he was divine, while the Jews made a slanderous accusation, i.e. that he was born from adultery. When Jesus descends before the Day of Judgement, he will correct all these differences and lies. On this basis, the reference to the descent of the Messiah Jesus son of Mary also includes a reference to the Dajjal (false Mesor Antichrist), who is the opposite of the true Messiah, because sometimes the Arabs refer to one of two opposites and not the other, but mean both.
3. The Dajjal is not mentioned by name in the Qur'ân because he is so insignificant: he claims to be divine, but he is merely a human being. His affairs are too contemptible to be mentioned in the Qur'ân. But the Prophets, out of loyalty to Allâh, warned their people about the Dajjal and the tribulations and misguiding miracles he would bring. It is enough for us to know the reports of the Prophets and the many reports from the Prophet Mohammad - sallallâhu ’alayhi wa sallam -.
One could argue that Allâh has mentioned Pharaoh and his false claims, such as "I am your Lord, Most High" (al-Naziat 79:24) and "O Chiefs! No god do I know for you but myself ..." (al-Qasas 28:38), in the Qur'ân.
This can be explained by the fact that Pharaoh and his deeds are in the past, and his lies are clear to every believer. But the Dajjal is yet to come, in the future; it will be a Fitnah and a test for all people. So the Dajjal is not mentioned in the Qur'ân because he is contemptible; and the fact that he is not mentioned means that it will be a great test. The facts about the Dajjal and his lies are obvious and do not need further emphasis. This is often the case when something is very clear. For example, when the Prophet - sallallâhu ’alayhi wa sallam - was terminally ill, he wanted to write a document confirming that Abû Bakr would be the Khalifah after him. Then he abandoned this idea, and said, "Allâh and the believers will not accept anyone other than Abû Bakr." He decided not to write the document because he knew of Abû Bakr's high standing among the Sahabah (Companions) and was sure that they would not choose anyone else.
Similarly, the facts about the Dajjal are so clear that they did not need to be mentioned in the Qur'ân. Allâh did not mention the Dajjal in the Qur'ân because He - subhânahu wa Ta’âla - knew that the Dajjal would not be able to lead His true servants astray; he would only increase their faith, their submission to Allâh and His Messenger, their belief in the Truth, and their rejection of falsehood.
For this reason the believer whom the Dajjal overpowers will say, when he revives him, "By Allâh, it has only increased my understanding that you are the one-eyed liar about whom the Prophet - sallallâhu ’alayhi wa sallam - spoke."
MORE Ahadîth ABOUT THE DAJJAL
The Prophet - sallallâhu ’alayhi wa sallam - said, "The Dajjal will emerge in a land in the east called Khurasan. His followers will be people with faces like hammered shields.
Abû Hurayrah (radiAllâhu anhu) said, "The Prophet - sallallâhu ’alayhi wa sallam - said, 'The Hour will not come until the Muslims fight the Jews and kill them. When a Jew hides behind a rock or a tree, it will say, "O Muslim, O servant of Allâh! There is a Jew behind me, come and kill him!" All the trees will do this except the box-thorn (al-Gharqad), because it is the tree of the Jews.' " (Ahmad)
PROTECTION AGAINST THE DAJJAL
1. Seeking refuge with Allâh from his tribulation. It is proven in the Saheeh (authentic) Ahadîth that the Prophet - sallallâhu ’alayhi wa sallam - used to seek refuge with Allâh from the tribulation of the Dajjal in his prayers, and that he commanded his Ummah to do likewise: Allâhumma inna naudhu bika min 'adhabi jahannam, wa min 'adhabi 'l-qabr, wa min fitnati 'l-mahya'i wa'l-mamat, wa min fitnati' l-masihi 'd-dajjal." "O Allâh! We seek refuge with You from the punishment of Hell, from the punishment of the grave, from the tribulations of life and death, and from the tribulation of the False Messiah (Dajjal)." This Hadîth was narrated by many Sahabah, including Anas. Abû Hurayrah, 'A'ishah, Ibn 'Abbas, and Sa'd.
2. Memorising certain Ayat from Surat al-Kahf. Al-Hafiz al-Dhahabi said, "Seeking refuge with Allâh from the Dajjal is mentioned in many Mutawatir Ahadîth (those with numerous lines of narrators). One way of doing this is to memorise ten Ayat from Surat al-Kahf." Abûl-Dira reported that the Prophet - sallallâhu ’alayhi wa sallam - said, "Whoever memorises the first ten Ayat of Surat al-Kahf will be protected from the Dajjal." (Abû Dâwûd)
3. Keeping away from the Dajjal One way to be protected from the tribulation of the Dajjal is to live in Madînah or Makkah. Abû Hurayrah reported that the Prophet - sallallâhu ’alayhi wa sallam - said, "There are angels standing at the gates of Madînah; neither plague nor the Dajjal can enter it." (al-Bukhârî, Muslim.) Abû Bakr reported that the Prophet - sallallâhu ’alayhi wa sallam - said, "The terror caused by the Dajjal will not enter Madînah. At that time it will have seven gates; there will be two angels guarding every gate." (al-Bukhârî) Anas said, "The Prophet - sallallâhu ’alayhi wa sallam - said, 'The Dajjal will come to Madînah, and he will find angles guarding it. Neither plague nor the Dajjal will enter it, in sha Allâh.' " (at-Tirmidhî, al-Bukhârî)
It has been proven in the Saheeh Ahadîth that the Dajjal will not enter Makkah or Madînah, because the angels will prevent him from entering these two places which are sanctuaries and are safe from him. When he camps at the salt-marsh (Sabkhah) of Madînah, it will be shaken by three tremors - either physically or metaphorically - and every hypocrite will go out to join the Dajjal. On that day, Madînah will be cleansed of its dross and will be refined and purified; and Allâh knows best.
THE LIFE AND DEEDS OF THE DAJJAL
The Dajjal will be a man, created by Allâh to be a test for people at the end of time. Many will be led astray through him, and many will be guided through him; only the sinful will be led astray. As we have already seen in the Saheeh Ahadîth, Malik and others think that Ibn Sayyad was not the Dajjal; he was one of a number of "lesser dajjals." Later he repented and embraced Islâm; Allâh knows best his heart and deeds.
The "greater" Dajjal is the one mentioned in the Hadîth of Fatimah bint Qays, which she narrated from the Prophet - sallallâhu ’alayhi wa sallam -, from Tamim al-Dari, and which includes the story of the Jassasah.
The Dajjal will be permitted to appear at the end of time, after the Muslims have conquered a Roman city called Constantinople. He will first appear in Isfahan, in an area known as the Jewish quarter (al-Yahudiyyah). He will be followed by seventy thousand Jews from that area, all of them armed. Seventy thousand Tatars and many people from Khurasan will also follow him. At first he will appear as a tyrannical king, then he will claim to be a prophet, then a lord. Only the most ignorant of men will follow him; the righteous and those guided by Allâh will reject him.
He will start to conquer the world country by country, fortress by fortress, region by region, town by town; no place will remain unscathed except Makkah and Madînah. The length of his stay on earth will be forty days: one day like a year, one day like a month, one day like a week, and the rest of the days like normal days, i e his stay will be approximately one year and two and a half months. Allâh will grant him many miracles, through which whoever He wills will be astray, and the faith of the believers will be strengthened. The descent of Jesus son of Mary, the true Messiah, will happen at the time of the Dajjal, the false messiah. He will descend to the minaret in the east of Damascus. The believers and true servants of Allâh will gather to support him, and the Messiah Jesus son of Mary will lead them against the Dajjal, who at that time will be heading for Bayt al-Maqdis (Jerusalem). He will catch up with him at 'Aqabah 'Afiq. The Dajjal will run away from him, but Jesus will catch up with him at the gate of Ludd, and will kill him with his spear just as he is entering it. He will say to him, "I have to deal you a blow; you cannot escape." When the Dajjal faces him, he will begin to dissolve like salt in water. So Jesus will kill him with his spear at the gate of Ludd, and he will die there, as many Sahîh Ahadîth indicate. Majma ibn Jariyah is reported to have said, "I heard the Prophet - sallallâhu ’alayhi wa sallam - saying, 'The son of Mary will kill the Dajjal at the gate of Ludd.' " (at-Tirmidhî.)
FOOTNOTE:
"When he (Dajjal) sleeps, his eyes will be closed but his heart (or mind) will still be active" - means that his evil ideas will still come to him even while he is asleep.
The Descent of Jesus at the End of Time
'Abdullâh ibn 'Amr said, "The Prophet - sallallâhu ’alayhi wa sallam - said, 'The Dajjal will appear in my Ummah, and will remain for forty - "I cannot say whether he meant forty days, forty months or forty years." - Then Allâh will send Jesus - ’alayhis salâm -, the son of Mary, who will resemble 'Urwah ibn Mas'ud. He will chase the Dajjal and kill him. Then the people will live for seven years during which there will be no enmity between any two persons. Then Allâh will send a cold wind from the direction of Syria, which will take the soul of everyone who has the slightest speck of good or faith in his heart. Even if one of you were to enter the heart of a mountain, the wind would reach him there and take his soul. "Only the most wicked people will be left; they will be as careless as birds, with the characteristics of beasts, and will have no concern for right and wrong. Satan will come to them in the form of man and will say, "Don't you respond?" They will say, "What do you order us to do?" He will order them to worship idols, and in spite of that they will have sustenance in Abûndance, and lead comfortable lives. "Then the Trumpet will be blown, and everyone will tilt their heads to hear it. The first one to hear it will be a man busy repairing a trough for his camels. He and everyone else will be struck down. Then Allâh will send (or send down) rain like dew, and the bodies of the people (ie the dead) will grow out of it. Then the trumpet will be sounded again, and the people will get up and look around. Then it will be said, "O people, go to your Lord and account for yourselves." It will be said, "Bring out the people of Hell," and it will be asked, "How many are there?" - the answer will come: "Nine hundred and ninety-nine out of every thousand." "On that day a child will grow old and the shin will be laid bare." (Al-Qalam 68:42) (Muslim)
Abû Hurayrah said, "The Prophet - sallallâhu ’alayhi wa sallam - said, 'The son of Mary will come down as a just leader. He will break the cross, and kill the pigs. Peace will prevail and people will use their swords as sickles. Every harmful beast will be made harmless; the sky will send down rain in Abûndance, and the earth will bring forth its blessings. A child will play with a fox and not come to any harm; a wolf will graze with sheep and a lion with cattle, without harming them.' (Ahmad)
Abû Hurayrah said, "The Prophet - sallallâhu ’alayhi wa sallam - said, 'By Him in Whose hand is my soul, surely the son of Mary will come down among you as a just ruler. He will break the cross, kill the pigs and abolish the Jizyah. Wealth will be in such Abûndance that no-one will care about it, and a single prostration in prayer will be better than the world and all that is in it.' "
Abû Hurayrah said, 'If you wish, recite the Ayah: "And there is none of the People of the Book but must believe in him before his death; and on the Day of Judgement he will be a witness against them ..." (Al-Nisa 4:159) (al-Bukhârî, Muslim)
Abû Hurayrah reported that the Prophet - sallallâhu ’alayhi wa sallam - said, "The Prophets are like brothers; they have different mothers but their religion is one. I am the closest of all the people to Jesus son of Mary, because there is no other Prophet between him and myself. He will come again, and when you see him, you will recognise him. He is of medium height and his colouring is reddish-white. He will be wearing two garments, and his hair will look wet. He will break the cross, kill the pigs, abolish the Jizyah and call the people to Islâm. During his time, Allâh will end every religion and sect other than Islâm, and will destroy the Dajjal. Then peace and security will prevail on earth, so that lions will graze with camels, tigers with cattle, and wolves with sheep; children will be able to play with snakes without coming to any harm. Jesus will remain for forty years, then die, and the Muslims will pray for him." (Ahmad)
Ibn Masud reported that the Prophet - sallallâhu ’alayhi wa sallam - said, "On the night of the Isra (night journey), I met my father Abraham, Moses and Jesus, and they discussed the Hour. The matter was referred first to Abraham, then to Moses, and both said, 'I have no knowledge of it. Then it was referred to Jesus, who said, 'No-one knows about its timing except Allâh; what my Lord told me was that the Dajjal will appear, and when he sees me he will begin to melt like lead. Allâh will destroy him when he sees me. The Muslims will fight against the Kafirs, and even the trees and rocks will say, "O Muslim, there is a Kafir hiding beneath me - come and kill him!" Allâh will destroy the Kafirs, and the people will return to their own lands. Then Gog and Magog will appear from all directions, eating and drinking everything they find. The people will complain to me, so I will pray to Allâh and He will destroy them, so that the earth will be filled with their stench. Allâh will send rain which will wash their bodies into the sea. My Lord has told me that when that happens, the Hour will be very close, like a pregnant woman whose time is due, but her family do not know exactly when she will deliver'" (Ahmad, Ibn Majah)
DESCRIPTION OF THE MESSIAH JESUS SON OF MARY, MESSENGER OF Allâh
Abû Hurayrah said, "The Prophet - sallallâhu ’alayhi wa sallam - said, 'On the night of the Isra' (miraculous journey to Jerusalem) I met Moses - he was a slim man with wavy hair, and looked like a man from the Shanu'ah tribe. I also met Jesus - he was of medium height and of a red complexion, as if he had just come out of the bath'" (al-Bukhârî, Muslim)
The Prophet - sallallâhu ’alayhi wa sallam - said, "Whilst I was asleep, I saw myself (in a dream) making Tawaf around the Ka'bah. I saw a brown-skinned man, with straight hair, being supported by two men, and with water dripping from his head.' I said, 'Who is this?' They said, 'The son of Mary' I turned around and saw a fat, ruddy man, with curly hair, who was blind in his right eye; his eye looked like a floating grape. I asked, 'Who is this?' They said, 'The Dajjal' The one who most resembles him is Ibn Qatan."
Al-Zuhri explained: Ibn Qatan was a man from Khuzaah who died during the Jahiliyyah (before the coming of Islâm). (al-Bukhârî)
