The Great Trial of the Dajjal

Sheikh Muhammad Salih al-Munajjid

Meaning Of the Al-Masih (Messiah).

There are numerous interpretation on the meaning of the word Masih (Messiah). The word is applied both to the Truthful One [True Messiah, i.e., ‘Isa (Jesus)] and to the misleading one [the “antichrist” or Dajjal]. The True Messiah ‘Isa Ibn Maryam (Jesus the son of Mary), the Messiah of guidance, who healed those who were born blind and lepers, and brought the dead to life by Allah’s Leave.

The false messiah (Al-Masih ad-Dajjal) is the liar who leads people astray, the messiah of misguidance who will tempt people by means of the signs that he is given, such as bringing down rain, reviving the earth to bring forth vegetation, and other “miracles.”

Allah would create two messiahs,one is the opposites of one another.

The scholars said that the reason why the Dajjal is called masih (a “messiah”) is because one of his eyes is mamsuh (lit. “wiped”; smooth or abraded, i.e., he will be blind or defective in one eye). Or it was said that it is because he will survey or travel throughout the earth (yamsah) in forty days. The former view is more correct, because a sahih hadith from Anas Ibn Malik, who said: “The Messenger of Allah SAW said: ‘The Dajjal will be blind (mamsuh) in one eye and between his eyes will be written ‘kafir’…’”. [Muslim].

Meaning Of Dajjal.

The word Dajjal is taken from the expression “Dajjal al-Ba’ier (he smeared the camel)”, referring to when they covered it with tar.

The root dajala means to mix. The word dajala is used to mean deliberately confusing matters and being vague and ambiguous, The Dajjal is the one who speaks in vagaries, who tells many lies and deceives many people.

The word “Dajjal” became a title given to the lying, one-eyed, false messiah. The Dajjal is so called because he will conceal his kufur from the people by lying to them, deceiving them and confusing them.

Description Of The Dajjal.

The Dajjal will be a man from among the sons of Adam. He will have many attributes which were described in the hadith to acquaint people with him and to warn them of his evil. So when he comes, the believers will know him and will not be misled by him; they will know his features which the Truthful One (the Prophet-Pace and Bessings of Allah Be Upon him) has told us about. These features will distinguish him from other people, so that no one will be deceived by him except those who are ignorant and whose doom has already been decreed. We seek Allah’s mercy and blessing to protect keep us.

He will be a young man with a ruddy complexion, short, with thick curly hair, a wide forehead, and broad upper chest, blind or defective (mamsuh) in the right eye. The eye will be neither prominent nor sunken, and will look like a floating grape.

His left eye will be covered with a thick piece of flesh growing at the edge of his eye. Written between his eyes will be “Kaf- fa’- ra’ (K-F-R)”, in separate (Arabic) letters, or “kafir”, with the letters joined. This will be read by every Muslim, literate or illiterate.

He would be sterile, with no children born to him.

‘Abd-Allah Ibn ‘Umar RA who said: “The Messenger of Allah SAW said: ‘Whilst I was sleeping, I saw myself performing Tawaf around the Ka’abah, when I saw a dark man with straight hair, standing between two other men, with water dripping from his head. I asked, “Who is this?” They said, “The son of Maryam.” Then I turned and saw a ruddy-complexioned man, well built, with curly hair, blind in his right eye, with his eye looking like a floating grape. I asked, “Who is this?” They said, “This is the Dajjal.” The person who looks most like him is Ibnu Qatan.’” [Al-Bukhari].

Ibn ‘Umar RA said that the Messenger of Allah SAW mentioned the Dajjal to the people and said: “Allah is not one-eyed, but the false messiah (Al-masih al-Dajjal) is one-eyed, blind or defective in his right eye, with his eye looking like a floating grape…” [Al-Bukhari].

Al-Nawwaas Ibn Sam ‘an RA it said that the Messenger of Allah SAW mentioned the Dajjal one morning. Sometimes he described him as insignificant and sometimes he described him as so significant that we thought that he was in the cluster of date-palm trees…” One of the features of the Dajjal that he described was: “He will be a young man with very curly hair, with his eye floating. It is as if he looks like ‘Abd al-‘Uzza Ibn Qatan.” [Muslim].

‘Ubadah Ibn al-Samit RA narrated that the Messenger of Allah SAW said: “I have told you so much about the Dajjal that I fear you will not understand. The Dajjal will be a short man, pigeon-toed, with curly hair. He will be one-eyed, with his eye neither prominent nor sunken. If you become confused about him, then remember that your Lord is not one-eyed.” [Abu Dawud].

Abu Hurairah RA said that The Messenger of Allah SAW said: ‘… as for the false messiah, he will be one-eyed, with a wide forehead and broad upper chest, and he will be hunchbacked…’” [Ahmad].

Hudzaifah RA said that “The Messenger of Allah SAW said:’ The Dajjal will be one-eyed, blind or defective in his left eye, with thick hair. He will have with him a paradise and a hell, but his hell will be a paradise and his paradise will be a hell.’” [Muslim].

Anas RA said that the Prophet SAW said: “No Prophet was sent but he warned his people about the one-eyed liar. He is one-eyed, but your Lord is not one-eyed, and between his eyes will be written ‘kafir.’” (Al-Bukhari].

Another report said that it would be: “Written between his eyes will be ‘kaf fa’ ra’.’” [Muslim]

Hudzaifah narrated that “This will be read by every believer, literate or illiterate.” [Muslim]

“This is because Allah causes people to understand something when looking at it, as He wills and when He wills. So the believer will see this with his insight, even if he is illiterate, and the kafir will not be able to see it, even if he is literate. By the same token, the believer will see with his insight evidence that the kafir will not see. Allah will enable the believer to understand without him being literate, because at that time, extraordinary things will be happening.” (Fath al-Bari by Ibn Hajar al-‘Asqalani, 13/100).

Al-Nawawi said: “The correct view according to those who studied this issue is that this writing should be taken literally, as being real writing which Allah will create as a sign, one of the definitive proofs that (the Dajjal) is a kafir and a liar, to expose his falsehood. Allah will show this sign to every Muslim, literate or illiterate, and will conceal it from everyone whom He decrees is doomed or whom He wants to test. There is no reason why this should be impossible.” [Muslim]


Fatimah binti Qais RA in the story of Al-Jassaasah, in which Tamim Al-Dari RA said: “So we rushed to the monastery, where we saw the most enormous man we had ever seen, fettered with the most chains we had ever seen.” [Muslim].

‘Imran Ibn Husain RA said: “I heard the Messenger of Allah SAW was saying:’ From the time of the creation of Adam AS until the Hour begins, there will never be a bigger creation than the Dajjal.’” [Muslim].

The Dajjal will not have any children, as stated in the hadith of Abu Sa’id al-Khudri RA who described what happened between him and Ibn Sayyaad, who said to him: “Did you not hear the Messenger of Allah SAW say that he will have no children? …” Abu Sa’id said, ‘I said, ‘Yes…’” [Muslim].

We may note that some of them describe his right eye as being blind or defective, and some describe his left eye as being blind or defective. Both accounts are sahih. Some of the scholars sought to reconcile these reports. Al-Qadi ‘Iyad said: “Both eyes of the Dajjal will be defective, because all the reports are sahih. His right eye will be the one that is abraded (mamsuh) and dull, unable to see, as stated in the hadith of Ibn ‘Umar. And his left eye will be the one that is covered with a thick fold of skin, and will also be defective.” So he will have a defect in both his right eye and his left eye; each of them will be blind, i.e., defective, because the Arabic word used in the hadith, a’war, is used to describe anything that is defective and is especially used to describe the eyes of they are impaired. One eye will be non-functional and the other will be defective.”

An-Nawawi agreed with the observation by Al-Qadi ‘Iyad and Al-Qurtubi also agreed with it.

Where The Dajjal Will Emerge.

The Dajjal will emerge from the direction of the east, from Khurasaan, from among the …. Isfahanian. Then he will travel throughout the earth and will leave no city without entering it, apart from Makkah and Madinah, which he will not be able to enter because the angels are guarding them.

Fatimah binti Qais RA the Prophet SAW said concerning the Dajjal: “He will (emerge) from the direction of the Syrian sea or from the direction of the Yemeni sea… No, rather from the east…” – and he pointed towards the east. [Muslim].

Abu Bakar As-Siddiq RA said: “The Messenger of Allah SAW told us: “The Dajjal will emerge from a land in the east called Khurasaan.” [At-Tirmidzi].

Anas RA said: “The Messenger of Allah SAW said: ‘The Dajjal will emerge from among the ….Isfahanian, and with him will be seventy thousand [Isfahanian], wearing crowns.’” [Ahmad].

Places Which The Dajjal Will Never Enter.

It is forbidden for the Dajjal to enter Makkah or Madinah when he emerges at the end of time, because of the sahih hadith narrated to that effect. As far as other places are concerned, he will enter them one after another.

Fatimah binti Qais RA, it says: “(He will say :), ‘I almost have permission to emerge. Then I will emerge and will travel throughout the earth for forty days, and I shall not leave any town without entering it, apart from Makkah and Madinah, which I will be prevented from entering because every time I try to enter, there will be an angel with an unsheathed sword in his hand, preventing me from entering. On every gate there will be angels defending them.’” [Muslim].

It was also reported that the Dajjal will not enter the mosque of Sinai, or Masjid al-Aqsa (at Jerusalem). Imam Ahmad (no. 22572) narrated that Junadah Ibn Umayyah al-Azdi said: “I came to a man from among the Companions of the Prophet SAW and said to him, ‘Tell me a hadith that you heard from the Messenger of Allah SAW about the Dajjal.’ He mentioned the hadith, and said, ‘He will stay among you for forty days, during which he will go to every place (on the earth) apart from four mosques: Masjid al-Haram (in Makkah), the mosque of Madinah, and the (mosque of) Sinai and Masjid al-Aqsa.’”

The Followers Of The Dajjal.

Anas Ibn Malik RA reported that the Messenger of Allah SAW said: “The followers of the Dajjal from among the … of Isfahan will number seventy thousand, wearing heavy, striped garments.” According to a report narrated by Imam Ahmad, “Seventy thousand …., wearing crowns.” [Muslim].

Abu Bakar referred to above that: “He will be followed by people with faces like burnished shields.” (At-Tirmidzi].

With regard to the Bedouin being followers of the Dajjal, this is because many of them are ignorant. With regard to women, this is because they are readily swayed, and because many of them are ignorant. It was reported that Ibn ‘Umar RA said: the Prophet SAW said: “The Dajjal will come to this pond in Marriqanat – a valley in Madinah – and most of those who go out to him will be women, until a man will come to his mother in law, his mother, his daughter, his sister and his aunt, and will tie them up strongly for fear that they will go out to him.” [Ahmad].

The Fitnah Of The Dajjal.

The fitnah of the Dajjal will be the greatest fitnah from the time Allah created Adam until the Hour begins. This will be because of the mighty miracles that Allah will create with him, which will dazzle people’s minds and amaze them.

It was reported that he will have a paradise and a hell with him, but his paradise will be his hell and his hell will be his paradise. He will have rivers of water and mountains of bread. He will command the sky to send down rain, and it will rain, and he will command the earth to bring forth vegetation and it will do so. The treasures of the earth will follow him, and he will travel rapidly, like clouds driven by the wind. And he will do other extraordinary feats. All of that was mentioned in the sahih Hadith.

Hudzaifah RA said: The Messenger of Allah SAW said:‘The Dajjal will be one-eyed, blind in his left eye, and will have thick hair. He will have a paradise and a hell with him, but his paradise will be a hell and his hell will be a paradise.’” [Muslim]

Hudzaifah RA narrated that: “The Messenger of Allah SAW said: ‘I know what the Dajjal will bring with him: he will have two rivers flowing. One will clearly look like water and the other will clearly look like blazing fire. If any one of you sees that, let him choose the river which looks like fire, then let him close his eyes and lower his head and drink from it, for it will be cool water.’” [Muslim].

Al-Nawwaas Ibn Sam ‘an said that the a Sahaabah asked the Prophet SAW: “O Messenger of Allah, how long will he stay on the earth?” He said, “Forty days: one day like a year, one day like a month, one day like a week, and the rest of the days like your days.” … They said, “How fast will he travel through the earth?”

The Prophet SAW said: “Like the clouds when they are driven by the wind. He will come to some people and call them, and they will believe in him and respond to him. Then he will command the sky to rain, and the earth to bring forth vegetation, and their cattle will come back to them in the evening, with their humps very high, and their udders full of milk, and their flanks stretched. Then he will come to another people and will call them, but they will reject him. So he will leave them and they will be stricken with famine, with none of their wealth in their hands. He will pass by ruins and will say, ‘Bring forth your treasure!’ – and the treasure will follow him like a swarm of bees. Then he will call a man who is brimming with youth, and will strike him with a sword and cut him in two, then (he will put the pieces apart from one another) the distance of an archer from his target. Then he will call him, and the young man will come forward smiling, with his face shining.” [Muslim].

Abu Sa’id al-Khudri RA said that this man whom the Dajjal will kill will be one of the best people, who will go out to the Dajjal from the city of the Messenger of Allah SAW, and will say to the Dajjal, “I bear witness that you are the Dajjal of whom the Messenger of Allah SAW told us.”The Dajjal will say (to the people): “What do you think – if I kill this man then bring him back to life, will you have any doubts?” They will say, “No.” So he will kill him, and then bring him back to life. Then he (the believing man) will say, “By Allah, I have never been surer about you than I am today.” The Dajjal will want to kill him but will not be permitted to. [Al-Bukhari].

Umamah al-Bahili RA narrated that the Prophet SAW said of the Dajjal: “Part of his fitnah will be that he will say to a Bedouin, Do you think that if I resurrect your father and mother for you that you will testify that I am your lord?’ He will say, ‘Yes.’ So two devils will appear to him in the image of his father and mother, saying, ‘O my son, follow him for he is your lord.’” [Ibn Majah]

Protection Against The Fitnah Of The Dajjal.

The Prophet SAW has taught his ummah about that which will protect them against the fitnah of the false messiah (al-masih al-Dajjal). He left his ummah on a path that is clear, and no one deviates from it except the one who is doomed. He did not leave any good thing without pointing it out to his ummah, or any evil thing without warning them against it. Among the things which he warned us against was the fitnah of the Dajjal, because it is the greatest fitnah which the ummah will face until the Hour comes. Every Prophet warned his ummah against the one-eyed Dajjal, but Muhammad SAW was the only Prophet who warned his ummah more about him. Allah told him many of the attributes of the Dajjal so that he could warn his ummah. The Dajjal will undoubtedly emerge among this ummah, because it is the last ummah, and Muhammad SAW is the Seal of the Prophets. There follow some of the Prophetic guidelines which the Chosen Prophet SAW set out for his ummah so that it may be protected against this mighty fitnah, from which we ask Allah to save us and grant us refuge:

Adhering to Islam, having the right faith and learning the Names and Most Beautiful Attributes of Allah which are not shared by anyone else. One should know that the Dajjal will be a human being who will eat and drink, and that Allah is far above that; the Dajjal will be one-eyed but Allah is not one-eyed; no one can see his Lord until he dies, but the Dajjal will be seen by all people, believers and kafir alike, when he emerges.

Seeking Allah protection from the fitnah of the Dajjal, especially in solah (prayer). This has been narrated in the sahih hadith, such as that narrated from Umm al-Mu’minin ‘Aishah RA, the wife of the Prophet SAW, who said that the Messenger of Allah SAW used to pray in his solah:

“Allahumma inni a’udzu bika min ‘adzab al-qabri, wa a’udzu bika min fitnat il-masih il-dajjal, wa a’udzu bika min fitnat il-mahya wa fitnat il-mamat. Allahumma inni a’udzu bika min al-ma’tham wa’l-maghram (O Allah, I seek refuge with You from the torment of the grave, I seek refuge with You from the fitnah of the Dajjal, and I seek refuge with You from the trials of life and death. O Allah, I seek refuge with You from sin and debt).” [Al-Bukhari]

Abu Hurairah RA said: “The Messenger of Allah SAW said: ‘When any one of you says Tashahhud, let him seek refuge with Allah from four things, and say: ‘Allahumma inni a’udzi bika min ‘adhaab jahannam wa min ‘adzaab al-qabri wa min fitnat il-mahya wa’l-mamaat wa min sharri fitnat al-masih al-dajjaal (O Allah, I seek refuge with You from the torment of Hell, from the torment of the grave, from the trials of life and death, and from the evil of the fitnah of the Dajjal).’” [Muslim]

Surah Al-Kahf.

The Prophet SAW commanded us to recite the opening verses of Surat al-Kahf against the Dajjaal. According to some reports, the final verses of this surah were mentioned. This means reciting the first ten verses or the last ten. Among the hadith narrated concerning this was the lengthy hadith narrated by Muslim from al-Nawwaas Ibn Sam ‘an, in which it says: “Whoever among you sees him (the Dajjal); let him recite against him the opening verses of Surah al-Kahf.” [Muslim].

Abu Darda said that the Prophet SAW said: “Whoever memorizes ten ayat from the beginning of Surah al-Kahf will be protected from the Dajjal” – i.e., from his fitnah. Muslim said: “Shu’bah said, ‘from the end of al-Kahf.’ Hammaam said, ‘from the beginning of al-Kahf.’” [Muslim]

Al-Nawawi said: “The reason for this is because at the beginning of (this surah), mention is made of wonders and signs, and whoever ponders them will not be deceived by the fitnah of the Dajjaal. And at the end of this surah, Allah says (interpretation of the meaning): ‘Do then those who disbelieve think that they can take My slaves as awliyaa’ (lords etc.) besides Me?’ [Al-Kahf 18:102].” [Muslim].

This is one of the special features of Surat al-Kahf. There are hadith which encourage reading it, especially on Fridays. Al-Hakim narrated from Abu Sa’id al-Khudri RA that the Prophet SAW said:

“Whoever recites Surat al-Kahf on Friday, it will be a light for him from one Friday to the next.” [Muslim]

Undoubtedly Surat al-Kahf is of great significance, containing great ayat, such as the story of the People of the Cave, the story of Musa and al-Khidir, the story of Dzu’l-Qarnain and his building the dam to hold back Ya’juj and Ma’juj, proof of the resurrection and the blowing of the Trumpet, and explanation of those whose deeds are most lost, who are those who think that they are guided when in fact they are misguided and blind.

Every Muslim should strive to read this surah, and to memorize it and read it repeatedly, especially on the best day on which the sun rises, namely Friday.

Fleeing from the Dajjaal and keeping far away from him. The best way is to live in Makkah or Madinah, and the places which the Dajjaal will not enter. When the Dajjaal emerges, Muslims should keep far away from him, because of the confusion he will cause and the mighty wonders that he will have with him, which Allah will cause to happen at his hands in order to test mankind. A man will come to him, thinking that he is a strong believer, and then he will follow the Dajjaal. We ask Allah to grant us and all the Muslims refuge from his fitnah.

‘Imran Ibn Husain RA said that the Prophet SAW said: “Whoever hears of the Dajjal let him keep far away from him, for a man will come to him and think that he is telling the truth because of the wonders that are sent with him.” [Imam Ahmad), Abu Dawud and al-Hakim]

The Death Of The Dajjal.

The Dajjal will die at the hands of the Messiah ‘Isa Ibn Maryam S.A, as is indicated by the sahih Hadeeth. The Dajjal will appear on earth and will gain many followers, spreading his fitnah far and wide. No one will escape his fitnah except a few of the believers. At that point, ‘Isa Ibn Maryam SA will descend to the eastern minaret in Damascus, and the believing slaves of Allah will gather around him. He will lead them towards the Dajjal, who at the time of the descent of ‘Isa AS will be heading for Batul-Maqdis (Jerusalem). ‘Isa will catch up with him at the gate of Ludd (Lod), a place in Palestine near Batul-Maqdis. When the Dajjaal sees him, he will start to melt like salt melting in water, but ‘Isa RA will say to him, “I have some business with you, you will not get away from me.” Then he will catch up with him and will kill him with his spear. His followers will flee, pursued by the Muslims, who will kill them, and trees and rocks will say, ‘O Muslim, O slave of Allah, there is Jew behind me – come and kill him!” – apart from the gharqad (box thorn), for it is one of the trees of the Jews.

‘Abdallah Ibn ‘Amr RA said: “The Messenger of Allah SAW said: ‘The Dajjal will emerge among my ummah and will stay for forty… Then Allah will send ‘Isa Ibn Maryam, who looks like ‘Urwah Ibn Mas’ood, and he will pursue him and kill him.” [Muslim]

Majma’ Ibn Jaariyah al-Ansaari RA said: “I heard the Messenger of Allah SAW say: ‘The son of Maryam will kill the Dajjal at the gate of Ludd.”[Imam Ahmad and al-Tirmidzi].

Al-Nawwaas Ibn Sam ‘an RA said the Prophet SAW said: “… Every kafir that will smell the fragrance of (‘Isa will die, and his fragrance will reach as far as he will be able to see. He will then search for him (the Dajjal) until he catches up with him at the gate of Ludd, where he will kill him.” [Muslim]

Jabir Ibn ‘Abd-Allah RA said: “The Messenger of Allah RA said: ‘The Dajjal will emerge at a time when religious commitment is low and knowledge has decreased… Then ‘Isa Ibn Maryam will descend just before dawn and will call people, saying, ‘O people, what is stopping you from coming out against this evil liar?’ They will say, ‘This man is a jinn’, then they will set out. When they reach ‘Isa Ibn Maryam, the time for prayer will come the iqqamah will be given, and it will be said to him, ‘Go forward (to lead the prayer), O Spirit of Allah.’ He will say, ‘Let your imam go forward and lead you in prayer.’ When they have prayed fajr, they will go out to meet him (the Dajjal) and when they see the liar, he will start to dissolve like salt in water. ‘Isa will go to him and kill him. Even the trees and rocks will call out, ‘O Spirit of Allah, here is a ...!’ And none of those who followed him will be left, they will all be killed.” [Imam Ahmad].

When he is killed, his great fitnah will come to an end. Allah will save those who believed from his evil and from the evil of his followers, at the hands of the Spirit and Word of Allah, ‘Isa Ibn Maryam AS and his believing followers.

©islamqa.

The Signs At The End Of Time

Imâm Ibn Kathîr

The Emergence Of The Beast.

Among the signs of the Hour will be the emergence of a beast from the earth. It will be very strange in appearance, and extremely huge; one cannot even imagine what it will look like. It will emerge from the earth and shake the dust from its head. It will have with it the ring of Solomon and the rod of Moses. People will be terrified of it and will try to run away, but they will not be able to escape, because such will be the decree of Allah. It will destroy the nose of every unbeliever with the rod, and write the word "Kafir" on his forehead; it will adorn the face of every believer and write the word "Mu'min" (true believer) on his forehead, and it will speak to people.

Allah SWT said:

"And when the Word is fulfilled against them (the unjust), We shall produce from the earth a Beast to (face) them: it will speak to them,'" (Al-Naml, 27.82)

Ibn 'Abbas, al-Hasan and Qutadah said that "It will speak to them" (tukallimuhum) means that it will address them. Ibn Jarir suggested that it means that the Beast will address them with the words"'for that mankind did not believe with assurance in Our Sings" (Al-Naml, 27:82 - latter part of the Ayah). Ibn Jarir reported this from 'Ali and 'Ata' It was reported from Ibn 'Abbas that tukallimuhum means that the Beast will cut them, i.e. it will write the word "Kafir" on the forehead of the unbeliever. It was also reported from Ibn 'Abbas that he will both address them and cut them; this suggestion incorporates both of the previous suggestions; and Allah knows best.

We have already mentioned the Hadith of Hudzaifah ibn Usayd, in which the Prophet s.a.w is reported to have said,

"The Hour will not come until you see ten signs: the smoke; the Dajjal; the Beast; the sun rising from the West; the descent of Jesus son of Mary; Gog and Magog; and three landslides - one in the East, one in the West, and one in Arabia, at the end of which fire will burst forth from the direction of Aden (Yemen) and drive people to the place of their final assembly."

Abu Hurairah said: "The Prophet s.a.w said, 'Hasten to do good deeds before six things happen: the rising of the sun from the West, the smoke, the Dajjal, the Beast, the (death) of one of you or general tribulation." (Muslim.)

Baridah said: "The Prophet s.a.w took me to a place in the desert, near Makkah. It was a dry piece of land surrounded by sand. The Prophet s.a.w said, 'The Beast will emerge from this place. It was a very small area.’" (Ibn Majah.)

It was reported from Abu Hurairah that the Prophet s.a.w said, "The Beast of the Earth will emerge, and will have with it the rod of Moses and the ring of Solomon." It was also reported that he said, "(The Beast) will destroy the noses of the unbelievers with the ring, - so that people seated around one table will begin to address one another with the words "O Believer!" or "O Unbeliever!" (i.e. everyone's status will become clear). (Ibn Majah.)

'Abd Allah ibn 'Amr said, "I memorised a Hadith from the Prophet s.a.w which I have not forgotten since. I heard the Prophet s.a.w say, 'The first of the signs (of the Hour) to appear will be the rising of the sun from the West and the appearance of the Beast before the people in the forenoon. Whichever of these two events happens first, the other will follow immediately.'" (Muslim).

That is to say, these will be the first extraordinary signs. The Dajjal, the descent of Jesus a.s, the emergence of Gog and Magog, are less unusual in that they are all human beings. But the emergence of the Beast, whose form will be very strange, its addressing the people and classifying them according to their faith or unbelief, is something truly extraordinary. This is the first of the earthly signs, as the rising of the sun from the West is the first of the heavenly signs.

The Rising Of The Sun From The West.

Allah s.w.t says:

"Are they waiting to see if the angels come to them, or thy Lord (Himself), or certain of the Signs of thy Lord? 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. Say: 'Wait ye: we too are waiting'" (Al-An'am 6:158.)

It was reported from Abu Sa'id al-Khudri that the Prophet s.a.w explained, "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", referring to the rising of the sun from the West. (Ahmad.)

Abu Hurairah said, "The Prophet s.a.w said, 'The Hour will not come until the sun rises from the West. When the people see it, whoever is living on earth will believe, but that will be the time when - No good will it do to a soul to believe in them then, if it believed not before'" (Bukhari.)

It was also reported from Abu Hurairah that the Prophet s.a.w said, "The Hour will not come until the sun rises from the West. When it rises and the people see it, they will all believe. But that will be the time when 'No good will it do to a soul to believe in them then'" (Bukhari.)

It was reported from Abu Hurairah that the Prophet s.a.w said, "There are three things which, if they appear, 'No good will it do to a soul to believe in them then, if it believed not before nor earned righteousness through its faith' They are: the rising of the sun from the West, the Dajjal, and the Beast of the Earth." (Ahmad, Muslim, Tirmizhi.)

Abu Dharr said, "The Prophet s.a.w asked me, 'Do you know where the sun goes when it sets? I said, 'I do not know' He said, 'It travels until it prostrates itself beneath the Throne, and asks for permission to rise again. But a time will come when it will be told, 'Go back whence you came.' That will be the time when 'No good will it do to a soul to believe in them then, if it believed not before nor earned righteousness through its faith'" (Bukhari.)

'Amr ibn Jarir said, "Three Muslims were sitting with Marwan in Madinah, and heard him say, whilst talking about the Signs of the Hour, that the first of them would be the appearance of the Dajjal. The three went to 'Abd Allah ibn 'Amr, and told him what they had heard Marwan say concerning the Signs. 'Abd Allah said, 'Marwan has not said much. I memorised a Hadith like that from the Prophet which I have not forgotten since. I heard the Prophet (sallallahu alayhe wa sallam) say: The first of the signs will be the rising of the sun from the West, and the emergence of the Beast in the forenoon. Whichever of the two comes first, the other will follow immediately'"

Then 'Abdallah, who was widely-read, said, 'I think that the first to happen will be the rising of the sun from the West. Every time it sets, it goes beneath the Throne, prostrates itself, and seeks permission to rise again. A time will come when three times it will seek permission and will receive no reply, until, when part of the night has passed and it realises that even if it were given permission, it would not be able to rise on time, it will say: "O my Lord, how far the rising-point is from me! What can I do for the people now?" Then it will seek permission to go back, and it will be told: 'Rise from where you are now' - and it will rise from the West'" Then 'Abdallah recited the Ayat:

"No good will it do to a soul to believe in them then, if it believed not before nor earned righteousness through its faith." (Ahmad.)

Some scholars interpret "the rising of the sun from the West" as meaning that Islam will appear in the West, as strong as it was in the beginning, and that the people of the West will carry the flag of Islam.

The Smoke Which Will Appear At The End Of Time.

Masruq said:

"While a man was giving a speech among the people of Kindah, he said, 'There will be smoke on the Day of Resurrection which will deprive the hypocrites of their hearing and sight, but the believers will only suffer something like a cold' We were terrified, so we went to Ibn Masud, who was reclining. When he heard about this, he became angry and sat up, and said: 'O people, whoever knows a thing, let him say it; but whoever does not know, let him say, "Allah knows best." It is a part of knowledge, when one does not know something, to say "Allah knows best." Allah SWT said to His Prophet Mohammad (sallallahu alayhe wa sallam): "Say: 'No reward do I ask of you for this (Qur'an), nor am I a pretender'" (Sad, 38:86.)

"Quraysh were being slow in embracing Islam, so the Prophet s.a.w prayed against them, saying, 'O Allah, help me against them by sending seven years of famine like those of Joseph.' They were afflicted by a year of famine in which they were destroyed, and ate dead animals and bones. They began to see something like smoke between the sky and the earth. Abu Sufyan came and said, 'O Mohammad! You came to command us to keep good relations with our relatives, and your people have perished, so pray that Allah may relieve them'"

Then Ibn Mas'ud recited:

"Then watch thou for the Day that the sky will bring forth a kind of smoke (or mist) plainly visible,Enveloping the people: this will be a Penalty Grievous.(They will say:) 'Our Lord! Remove the Penalty from us, for we do truly believe!How shall the Message be (effectual) for them, seeing that an Apostle explaining things clearly has (already) come to them?Yet they return away from him and say: 'Tutored (by others), a man possessed!We shall indeed remove the Penalty for a while, (but) truly ye will revert (to your ways)." (Ad-Dukhan, 44:10-15)

Ibn Masud asked: "Will their punishment in the Hereafter be removed so they can go back to their Kufr?"

Allah SWT said:

"One day We shall seize you with a mighty onslaught: We will indeed (then) exact Retribution!" (Ad-Dukhan, 44:16)

"...and soon will come the inevitable (punishment)!" (Al-Furqan, 25:77)

These Ayat refer to the Day (Battle) of Badar.

Allah SWT said:

"Alif-Lam-Mim. The Romans (Byzantines) have been defeated - in a land close by; but they, (even) after (this) defeat of theirs, will soon be victorious - within a few years'" (Ar-Rum, 30: 1-3) (Bukhari.)

This speaker's suggestion - that the idea that the smoke would be on the Day or Resurrection was not a good one - made Ibn Masud react angrily. But the smoke will appear before the Day of Resurrection; it will be one of the signs, which are: the Beast, the Dajjal, the Smoke, and Gog and Magog, as the Ahadith narrated from Abu Sarihah, Abu Hurairah and other Sahabah indicate.

As mentioned in the Sahih Ahadith, the fire which will appear before the Day of Resurrection will burst forth from the direction of Aden, and drive the people to the place of their final assembly. It will move with them and halt with them, and will devour any who lag behind.

The Hour Will Not Come Until...

It was reported from Abu Sa'id al-Khudri that the Prophet s.a.w said, "Thunderbolts will increase so much as the Hour approaches that when a man comes to a people, he will ask, 'Who amongst you was struck by a thunderbolt this morning?' and they will say, 'So-and-so and so-and-so was struck'." (Ahmad)

Heavy Rain Before The Day Of Resurrection.

It was reported from Abu Hurairah that the Prophet s.a.w said, "The hour will not come until there has been rain which will destroy all dwellings except tents."

We have already mentioned many Ahadith about the signs of the Hour. Now we will turn our attention to some Ahadith which could indicate that the Hour is close at hand.

It was reported from Abu Hurairah that the Prophet s.a.w said: "The Hour will not come until the following events have come to pass: people will compete with one another in constructing high buildings; two big groups will fight one another, and there will be many casualties - they will both be following the same religious teaching; earthquakes will increase; time will pass quickly; afflictions and killing will increase; nearly thirty dajjals will appear, each of them claiming to be a messenger from Allah; a man will pass by a grave and say, 'Would that I were in your place'; the sun will rise from the West; when it rises and the people see it, they will all believe, but that will be the time when'No good will it do to a soul to believe in them then, if it believed not before' (Al-An'am 6:158); and a wealthy man will worry lest no-one accept his Zakat." (Bukhari, Muslim).

It was reported from Anas that the Prophet s.a.w said: "Among the signs of the Hour are the following: knowledge will decrease and ignorance will prevail; fornication and the drinking of wine will be common; the number of men will decrease and the number of women will increase, until one man will look after fifty women." (Bukhari.)

'Aishah said, "I heard the Prophet say, 'Day and night will not pass away until people begin to worship Lat and 'Uzza' (two goddesses of pre-Islamic Arabic). I said, 'O Messenger of Allah, I thought that when Allah revealed the Ayat"It is He Who has sent His Apostle with Guidance and the Religion of Truth, to proclaim over all religion, even though the Pagans may detest (it)" (al-Tawbah 9:33), it implied that (this promise) would be fulfilled'. The Prophet s.a.w said, 'It will happen as Allah wishes. Then Allah will send a pleasant breeze, which will take everyone who has as much faith as a grain of mustard-seed in his heart. Only those with no goodness in them will be left, and they will revert to the religion of their forefathers'." (Muslim)

It was narrated from Abu Hurairah that one day, while the Prophet was sitting with the people, a Bedouin came to him and asked him about Iman and Islam ' then he asked, "O Messenger of Allah, when will the Hour be?" He said, "The one who is asked about it does not know more than the one who asks, but I tell you about its signs. When a slave gives birth to her mistress, and when the bare-footed and naked become the chiefs of the people - these are among the signs of the Hour. There are five things which no-one knows except Allah." Then he recited:

"Verily the knowledge of the Hour is with God (alone). It is He Who sends down rain, and He Who knows what is in the wombs. Nor does anyone know what it is that he will earn on the morrow: nor does anyone know in what land he is to die. Verily God is All-Knowing, All Aware." (Luqman, 31:34).

Then the man went away, and the Prophet said, "Call him back to me," but when the people went to call him, they could not see anything. The Prophet said, "That was Gabriel, who came to teach the people their religion." (Bukhari, Muslim).

"The bare-footed and naked paupers will compete with one another in constructing high buildings" means that they will become the chiefs of people. They will become rich, and their only concern will be to compete in constructing high buildings. This is as in the Hadith we shall see later: "The Hour will not come until the happiest people in the world will be the depraved sons of the depraved."

It was reported from Abu Sa'id that the Prophet s.a.wsaid: "The Hour will not come until the time when a man will leave his home, and his shoes or whip or stick will tell what is happening to his family." (Ahmad).

It was reported from Abu Sa'id that the Prophet (sallallahu alayhe wa sallam) said: "By Him in Whose hand is my soul, the Hour will not come until wild animals talk to men, and a man speaks to his whip or his shoe, and his thigh will tell him about what happened to his family after he left."

Anas said, "We were discussing the fact that the Hour would not come until there is no rain, the earth does not produce crops, and fifty women will be cared for by one man; and if a woman passes by a man, he will look at her and say, 'This woman once had a husband'." (Ahmad.)

Abu Hurairah said: "The Prophet (sallallahu alayhe wa sallam) said: 'The Hour will not come until time passes so quickly that a year will be like a month, a month like a week, a week like a day, a day like an hour, and an hour like the time it takes for a palm-leaf to burn'." (Ahmad.)
Abu Hurairah said, "The Prophet said: 'The world will not pass away until the one who enjoys it the most is the depraved son of the depraved'." (Ahmad.)

Abu Hurairah said, "The Prophet said, 'Before the Hour comes, there will be years of deceit, in which a truthful person will be disbelieved and a liar will be believed; and the insignificant will have a say'." (Ahmad)

Abu Hurairah said: "I heard the Prophet (sallallahu alayhe wa sallam) say: 'The Hour will not come until the sheep with horns no longer fights the sheep without horns'." (Ahmad.)

It was reported from Abu Hurairah that the Prophet (sallallahu alayhe wa sallam) said, "The Hour will not come until wealth increases so much that a wealthy man will be worried lest no-one accept his Sadaqah: tribulations will appear; and there will be much Harj." The people asked, "What is Haraj", O Messenger of Allah?" He said, "Killing, killing" (Ahmad.)

It was reported from Abu Hurairah that the Prophet s.a.w said, "By Him Who sent me with the Truth, this earth will not pass away until people are afflicted with landslides, are pelted with stones, and are transformed into animals." The people asked, "When will that be, O Messenger of Allah?" He said, "When you see women riding in the saddle, when singers are common, when bearing false witness becomes widespread, and when men lie with men and women with women".

Tariq ibn Shihab said, "We were sitting with 'Abd Allah ibn Mas'ud, when a man came and told us that the time for prayer had come. So we got up and went to the mosque. After the prayer, a man came to 'Abd Allah ibn Mas'ud and said, 'As-salam 'alayka (Peace be upon you), O Abu 'Abd al-Rahman'. 'Abd Allah answered, 'Allah and His Messenger have spoken the truth'. When we went back, we asked one another, 'Did you hear the answer he gave? Who is going to ask him about it?’ I said, 'I will ask him'; so I asked him when he came out. He narrated from the Prophet (sallallahu alayhe wa sallam): 'Before the Hour comes, there will be a special greeting for the people of distinction; trade will become so widespread that a woman will help her husband in business; family ties will be cut; the giving of false witness will be common, while truthful witness will be rare; and writing will be widespread.’" (Ahmad.)

Description Of The People Who Will Be Alive At The End Of Time.

It was reported from 'Abd Allah ibn 'Amr that the Prophet said, "The Hour will not come until Allah takes away the best people on earth; only the worst people will be left; they will not know any good or forbid any evil." (Ahmad.)

'Abd Allah ibn Mas'ud said, "I heard the Prophet say: Eloquence can be bewitching; the worst of the people are those upon whom the Hour will come while they are still alive, and those who turn graves into mosques'." (Ahmad.)

It was reported from Anas that the Prophet s.a.w said, "The Hour will not come until no-one on earth says 'La ilaha illa Allah'." (Ahmad.)

It was also reported from Anas that the Prophet s.a.w said: "The Hour will not come until no-one on earth says, 'Allah, Allah'." (Ahmad)

There are two suggestions as to the meaning of the phrase, "until no-one on earth says 'Allah, Allah'":

It could mean that no-one will forbid evil, or try to correct another if he sees him doing something wrong. We have already come across this in the Hadith of 'Abd Allah ibn 'Amr: "Only the worst people will be left; they will not know any good or forbid any evil."

It could mean that Allah will no longer be mentioned, and His Name will not be known; this will be part of the prevalent corruption and Kufur, as in the previous Hadith, "Until no-one on earth says 'La ilaha illa Allah'."

'Aishah said. "The Prophet came in, saying 'O 'Aishah, your people will be the first of my Ummah to join me. When he sat down, I said, 'O Messenger of Allah, may I be sacrificed for you! When you came in, you were saying something which scared me. He asked, 'What was that?' I said, 'You said that my people would be the first of your Ummah to join you.' He said, 'Yes' I asked, 'Why is that?’ He said, 'Death will be widespread among them, and their relatives will be jealous of them.' I said, 'How will people be after that?' He said, 'Like locusts: the strong will devour the weak, until the Hour comes.'" (Ahmad.)

'Alba'al-Salami said, "I heard the Prophet s.a.w say: 'The Hour will only come upon the worst of the people'." (Ahmad.)

A Test at the End of Time

A Test at the End of Time

Ibn Kathir.

Allāh, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful;

All the praise and Thanks are due to Allāh, the Lord of the al-ā’lamīn. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allāh, and that Muhammad, sallallāhu alayhi wa sallam, is His Messenger.

The Hadith of Al-Mughirah ibn Shu'bah

Al-Mughirah ibn Shubah said, "No-one asked the (sallallāhu '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 Allah to have all that." (Muslim.)

Al-Mughirah ibn Shu'bah said, "No-one asked the Prophet (sallallāhu '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 (sallallāhu 'alayhi wa sallam) said, 'He is too insignificant in the sight of Allah to have all that." (Muslim.)

From these Hadith, we can see that Allah 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 Allah 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 Allah 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 Hadith: "...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 Hadith narrated by al-Tabarani, in which he reports that Ibn 'Abbas said,

"The Prophet (sallallāhu '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 Quran not mention him by name and warn us against his lies and stubbornness?

The answer is:

1. The Dajjal was referred to in the Ayat:

"... 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)

Abu Hurairah said, "The Prophet (sallallāhu '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 Allah; - 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, Allah raised him up unto Himself; and Allah 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 Judgment, he will be a witness against them." (An-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 Judgment, 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 Messiah 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 Quran 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 Quran. But the Prophets, out of loyalty to Allah, 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 (sallallāhu 'alayhi wa sallam).

One could argue that Allah 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 Quran. 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'an 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 (sallallāhu 'alayhi wa sallam) was terminally ill, he wanted to write a document confirming that Abu Bakar would be the Khalifah after him. Then he abandoned this idea, and said, "Allah and the believers will not accept anyone other than Abu Bakar."He decided not to write the document because he knew of Abu Bakar'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'an.

Allah did not mention the Dajjal in the Quran because Allah SWT knew that the Dajjal would not be able to lead His true servants astray; he would only increase their faith, their submission to Allah 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 Allah, it has only increased my understanding that you are the one-eyed liar about whom the Prophet s.a.w spoke."

More Hadith about The Dajjal

The Prophet (sallallāhu '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."

Asma' bint Yazid al-Ansariyyah said, "The Prophet (sallallāhu 'alayhi wa sallam)  said, 'During the three years just before the Dajjal comes, there will be one year when the sky will withhold one third of its rain and the earth one-third of its fruits. In the second year the sky will withhold two-thirds of its rain, and the earth two-thirds of its fruits. In the third year the sky will withhold all of its rain, and the earth all of its fruits, and all the animals will die. It will be the greatest tribulation: the Dajjal will bring a Bedouin and say to him, "What if I bring your camels to life for you? Will you agree that I am your lord?" The Bedouin will say "Yes." So devils will assume the forms of his camels, with the fullest udders and the highest humps. Then he will bring a man whose father and brother have died, and will ask him, "What do you think if I bring your father and brother back to life? Will you agree that I am your lord?" The man will say "Yes," so the devils will assume the forms of his father and brother. Then the Prophet went out for something, and then returned. The people were very concerned about what he had told them. He stood in the doorway and asked, 'What is wrong, Asma'? I said, 'O Messenger of Allah, you have terrified us with what you said about the Dajjal. He said, 'He will certainly appear. If I am still alive, I will contend with him on your behalf; otherwise Allah will take care of every Muslim on my behalf.’ I said, 'O Messenger of Allah, we do not bake our dough until we are hungry, so how will it be for the believers at that time?’ The Prophet (sallallāhu 'alayhi wa sallam) said, 'The glorification of Allah which suffices the people of Heaven will be sufficient for them.’"

Abu Hurairah RA said, "The Prophet (sallallāhu '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 Allah! 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 Allah from his tribulation.

It is proven in the Sahih (authentic) hadith that the Prophet (sallallāhu 'alayhi wa sallam)  used to seek refuge with Allah from the tribulation of the Dajjal in his prayers, and that he commanded his Ummah to do likewise:

“Allahumma inna naudzu bika min 'adzabi jahannam, wa min 'adzabi 'l-qabr, wa min fitnati 'l-mahya'i wa'l-mamat, wa min fitnati' l-masihi 'd-dajjal."

"O Allah! 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 Hadith was narrated by many Sahabah, including Anas. Abu Hurairah, 'Aishah, Ibn 'Abbās and Sa'd.]

2. Memorising certain Ayat from Surat al-Kahf.

Al-Hafiz al-Dhahabi said, "Seeking refuge with Allah from the Dajjal is mentioned in many Mutawatir hadith (those with numerous lines of narrators). One way of doing this is to memorise ten Ayat from Surat al-Kahf."

Abul-Dira reported that the Prophet (sallallāhu 'alayhi wa sallam) said:"Whoever memorizes the first ten Ayat of Surat al-Kahf will be protected from the Dajjal." (Abu Dawud.)

3. Keeping away from the Dajjal.

One way to be protected from the tribulation of the Dajjal is to live in Madinah or Makkah.

Abu Hurairah reported that the Prophet (sallallāhu 'alayhi wa sallam) said, "There are angels standing at the gates of Madinah; neither plague nor the Dajjal can enter it." (Bukhari, Muslim.)

Abu Bakar reported that the Prophet (sallallāhu 'alayhi wa sallam) said, "The terror caused by the Dajjal will not enter Madinah. At that time it will have seven gates; there will be two angels guarding every gate." (Bukhari.)

Anas said, "The Prophet (sallallāhu 'alayhi wa sallam) said, 'The Dajjal will come to Madinah, and he will find angles guarding it. Neither plague nor the Dajjal will enter it, in sha Allah." (Tirmidzi, Bukhari.)

It has been proven in the Sahih hadith that the Dajjal will not enter Makkah or Madinah, 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 Madinah, it will be shaken by three tremors - either physically or metaphorically - and every hypocrite will go out to join the Dajjal. On that day, Madinah will be cleansed of its dross and will be refined and purified; and Allah knows best.

The Life and Deeds of the Dajjal.

The Dajjal will be a man, created by Allah 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.

Al-Hafiz Ibn 'Ali al-Abar wrote in his book of history (Al-Tarikh) that the Dajjal's Kunyah (nickname or paternal title) would be Abu Yusuf.

Abu Bakrah said, "The Prophet (sallallāhu 'alayhi wa sallam) said, "The Dajjal's parents will remain childless for thirty years, then a one-eyed child will be born to them. He will be very bad and will cause a great deal of trouble. When he sleeps, his eyes will be closed but his heart (or mind) will still be active [1]. Then he described his parents: 'His father will be a tall and bulky man, with a long nose like a beak; his mother will be a huge, heavy-breasted woman."

Abu Bakrah said: "We heard that a child had been born to some of the Jews in Madinah. Al-Zubayr ibn al-Awam and I went see his parents, and found that they matched the description given by the Prophet (sallallāhu 'alayhi wa sallam), We saw the boy lying in the sun, covered with a blanket, murmuring to himself. We asked his parents about him, and they said, 'We remained childless for thirty years, then this one-eyed boy was born to us. He is very bad and causes a great deal of trouble. When we went out, we passed the boy. He asked us, 'What were you doing? We said, 'Did you hear us?’. He said, 'Yes; when I sleep, my eyes are closed but my heart (mind) is still active.’ That boy was Ibn Sayyad." (Ahmad, Tirmidzi; this Hadith is not very strong.)

As we have already seen in the Sahih Ahadith, 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 Islam; Allah knows best his heart and deeds.

The "greater" Dajjal is the one mentioned in the Hadith of Fatimah bint Qais, which she narrated from the Prophet (sallallāhu '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, and 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 Allah 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 Madinah. 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. Allah 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 Allah 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 Baitul-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 Sahih Ahadith indicate.

Majma ibn Jariyah is reported to have said, "I heard the Prophet (sallallāhu 'alayhi wa sallam) saying, 'the son of Mary will kill the Dajjal at the gate of Ludd.’" (Tirmidzi.)

The Descent of Jesus at the End of Time.

Abdallah ibn 'Amr said, "The Prophet (sallallāhu '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 Allah will send Jesus a.s, 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 Allah 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 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 abundance, 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 Allah will send (or send down) rain like dew, and the bodies of the people (i.e. 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)

Abu Hurairah said, "The Prophet (sallallāhu '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 abundance, 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)

Abu Hurairah said, "The Prophet (sallallāhu '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 abundance 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." Abu Hurairah said, 'If you wish, recites 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 Judgment he will be a witness against them ..." (Al-Nisa 4:159) (Bukhari, Muslim).

Abu Hurairah reported that the Prophet (sallallāhu '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 coloring 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 Islam. During his time, Allah will end every religion and sect other than Islam, 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, and then die, and the Muslims will pray for him." (Ahmad)

Ibn Mas’ud reported that the Prophet (sallallāhu '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 Allah; what my Lord told me was that the Dajjal will appear, and when he sees me he will begin to melt like lead. Allah will destroy him when he sees me. The Muslims will fight against the Kefirs, and even the trees and rocks will say, "O Muslim, there is a Kafir hiding beneath me - come and kill him!" Allah will destroy the Kefirs, 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 Allah and He will destroy them, so that the earth will be filled with their stench. Allah 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 Allah.

Abu Hurairah said, "The Prophet (sallallāhu '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'" (Bukhari, Muslim)

The Prophet (sallallāhu 'alayhi wa sallam) said, "Whilst I was asleep, I saw myself (in a dream) making Tawaf around the Ka'abah. 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 Islam). (Bukhari)

The Appearance of Gog and Magog

They (two tribes or peoples) will appear at the time of Jesus son of Mary, after the Dajjal. Allah will destroy them all in one night, in response to the supplication of Jesus.

Abu Hurairah reported that the Prophet (sallallāhu 'alayhi wa sallam) said, "Every day, Gog and Magog are trying to dig a way out through the barrier. When they begin to see sunlight through it, the one who is in charge of them says, 'Go back; you can carry on digging tomorrow,' and when they come back, the barrier is stronger than it was before. This will continue until their time comes and Allah wishes to send them forth. They will dig until they begin to see sunlight, then the one who is in charge of them will say, 'Go back; you can carry on digging tomorrow, insha'Allah.' In this case he will make an exception by saying Insha' Allah, thus relating the matter to the Will of Allah. They will return on the following day, and find the hole as they left it. They will carry on digging and come out against the people. They will drink all the water, and the people will entrench themselves in their fortresses. Gog and Magog will fire their arrows into the sky, and they will fall back to earth with something like blood on them. Gog and Magog will say, 'We have defeated the people of earth, and overcome the people of heaven. Then Allah will send a kind of worm in the napes of their necks, and they will be killed by it' 'By Him in Whose hand is the soul of Muhammad, the beasts of the earth will become fat.'"

Gog and Magog are two groups of Turks, descended from Yafith (Japheth), the father of the Turks, one of the sons of Noah. At the time of Abraham a.s, there was a king called Dzul-Qarnain. He performed Tawaf around the Ka'abah with Abraham a.s when he first built it; he believed and followed him. Dzul-Qarnain was a good man and a great king; Allah gave him great power and he ruled the east and west. He held sway over all kings and countries, and travelled far and wide in both east and west. He travelled eastwards until he reached a pass between two mountains, through which people were coming out. They did not understand anything, because they were so isolated; they were Gog and Magog. They were spreading corruption through the earth, and harming the people, so the people sought help from Dzul-Qarnain. They asked him to build a barrier between them and Gog and Magog. He asked them to help him to build it, so together they built a barrier by mixing iron, copper and tar.

Thus Dzul -Qarnian restrained Gog and Magog behind the barrier. They tried to penetrate the barrier, or to climb over it, but to no avail. They could not succeed because the barrier is so huge and smooth. They began to dig, and they have been digging for centuries; they will continue to do so until the time when Allah decrees that they come out. At that time the barrier will collapse, and Gog and Magog will rush out in all directions, spreading corruption, uprooting plants, and killing people. When Jesus (AS) prays against them, Allah will send a kind of worm in the napes of their necks, and they will be killed by it.

The Destruction of the Ka’bah.

At the end of time, Dzzul-Suwaiqatain [2], who will come from Abyssinia (al-Habash), will destroy the Ka'bah in order to steal its treasure and Kiswah (cloth covering). The Ka'bah is the ancient building which was built by Abraham, and whose foundations were laid by Adam.

As Tafsir (interpretation) of the Ayah” Until the Gog and Magog (people) are let through (their barrier)" (Al-Anbiya, 21:96), it was reported from Ka'ab al-Ahbar that Dzul-Suwaiqatain will first emerge at the time of Jesus, son of Mary. Allah will send Jesus at the head of a vanguard of between seven and eight hundred. While they are marching towards Dzul-Suwaiqatain, Allah will send a breeze from the direction of Yemen, which will take the soul of every believer. Only the worst of people will be left, and they will begin to copulate like animals. Ka'b said: "At that time, the Hour will be close at hand."

'Abdallah ibn 'Amr said, "I heard the Prophet (Sallallāhu 'alayhi wa sallam) say, Dzul-Suwaiqatain from Abyssinia will destroy the Ka'bah and steal its treasure and Kiswah. It is as if I could see him now: he is bald-headed and has a distortion in his wrists. He will strike the Ka'bah with his spade and pick-axe'." (Ahmad)

It was reported from 'Abdallah ibn 'Umar that the Prophet (sallallāhu 'alayhi wa sallam) said, "Leave the Abyssinians alone so long as they do not disturb you, for no-one will recover the treasure of the Ka'bah except Dzu'l-Suwayqatayn from Abyssinia." (Abu Dawud, in the chapter on the prohibition of provoking the Abyssinians)

Ibn 'Abbas narrated that the Prophet (Sallallāhu 'alayhi wa sallam) said, "It is as if I can see him now: he is black and his legs are widely spaced. He will destroy the Ka'abah stone by stone." (Ahmad)

The Prophet (Sallallāhu 'alayhi wa sallam) said, "The Hour will not come until a man from Qatan appears and rules the people." (Muslim; similar Hadith in Bukhari) This man could be Dhul-Suwaiqatain, someone else, because this man comes from Qahtan, while other reports say that Dhul-Suwaiqatain comes from Abyssinia; and Allah knows best.

Abu Hurairah said, "The Prophet (Sallallāhu 'alayhi wa sallam) said, 'Day and night will not come to an end until a freed man called Jahjah holds sway'" (Ahmad) This could be the name of Dhul Suwaiqatain from Abyssinia; and Allah knows best.

'Umar ibn al-Khattab reported that he heard the Prophet (Sallallāhu 'alayhi wa sallam) say: "The people of Makkah will leave, and only a few people will pass through it. Then it will be resettled and rebuilt; then the people will leave it again, and no-one will ever return."

Madinah will remain inhabited at the time of the Dajjal.

It has been proven in the Sahih hadith, as already stated, that the Dajjal will not be able to enter Makkah and Madinah, and that there will be angels at the gates of Makkah toward him off and prevent him from entering.

It was reported from Abu Hurairah that the Prophet (Sallallāhu 'alayhi wa sallam) said, "Neither the Dajjal nor plague will be able to enter Madinah." as mentioned above, the Dajjal will camp outside Madinah, and it will be shaken by three tremors. Every hypocrite and sinner will go out to join the Dajjal, and every believer and Muslim will stay. That day will be called the Day of Purification (Yawm al-Khalas). Most of those who go out to join the Dajjal will be women. As the Prophet said, "Verily it (Madinah) is good; its evil will be eliminated and its goodness will be obvious."

Allah SWT said:

"Women impure are for men impure, and men impure for women impure and women of purity are for men of purity, and men of purity are for women of purity'" (An-Nur, 24-26)

Madinah will remain inhabited during the days of the Dajjal, and during the time of Jesus son of Mary (Alaihis-Salam), until he dies and is buried there. Then it will be destroyed.

'Umar ibn al-Khattab said, "I heard the Prophet (Sallallāhu 'alayhi wa sallam) said, 'A rider will go around Madinah and say, There used to be many Muslims here'" (Ahmad)..

Footnotes:

1 "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.

2 Dzu'l-Suwayqatayn: al-Suwayqatayn is the diminutive of al-Sequin (legs); his legs are described as being "small" because they are thin. Thin legs are, in general, a characteristic of the Sudanese and people of the Horn of Africa.

[Via Islamic Network]

The Dajjal

Imam Ibn Kathîr


Ibn 'Omar said, "The Prophet SAW mentioned the Dajjal to the people. He said, "Allah 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 SAW 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, Bukhari)

Hudhayfah said, "The Prophet SAW 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)

Abu Hurairah said, "The Prophet SAW 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.'" (Bukhari, Muslim)

Mohammad ibn Munkadir said: "I saw Jabir ibn 'Abd Allah swearing by Allah that Ibn Sayyad was the Dajjal, so I asked him, 'Do you swear by Allah?' 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 Madinah with Abu Sa'id, and complained to him about the way that people were saying that he was the Dajjal. Then he said to Abu Sa'id,

"Did not the Prophet say that the Dajjal would not enter Madinah? 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 Islam. 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.'" (Bukhari, Muslim)

'Abdullah ibn 'Umar said, "The Prophet SAW said, 'While I was asleep, I saw myself a dream performing Tawaf (circumambulation) around the Ka'abah. 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'." (Bukhari, Muslim).

Jabir ibn 'Abdallah said, "The Prophet SAW said, 'The Dajjal will appear at the end of time, when religion is taken lightly. He will have 40 days in which to travel throughout the earth. One of these days will be like a year, another will be like a month, a third will be like a week, and the rest will be like normal days. He will be riding a donkey; the width between its ears will be 40 cubits. He will say to the people: "I am your lord." He is one-eyed, but your Lord is not one-eyed. On his forehead will be written the word Kafir, and every believer, literate or illiterate, will be able to read it. He will go everywhere except Makkah and Madinah, which Allah has forbidden to him; angels stand at their gates. He will have a mountain of bread, and the people will face hardship, except for those who follow him. He will have two rivers, and I know what is in them. He will call one Paradise and one Hell. Whoever enters the one he calls Paradise will find that it is Hell, and whoever enters the one he calls Hell will find that it is Paradise. Allah will send with him devils who will speak to the people. He will bring a great tribulation; he will issue a command to the sky and it will seem to the people as if it is raining. Then he will appear to kill someone and bring him back to life. After that he will no longer have this power. The people will say, "Can anybody do something like this except the Lord?" The Muslims will flee to Jabal al-Dukhan in Syria, and the Dajjal will come and besiege them. The siege will intensify and they will suffer great hardship. Then Jesus son of Mary will descend, and will call the people at dawn: "O people, what prevented you from coming out to fight this evil liar?" They will answer, "He is a Jinn." Then they will go out, and find Jesus son of Mary. The time for prayer will come, and the Muslims will call on Jesus to lead the prayer, but he will say, "Let your Imam lead the prayer." Their Imam will lead them in praying Solat al-Subuh (Morning prayer), then they will go out to fight the Dajjal. When the liar sees Jesus, he will dissolve like salt in water. Jesus will go to him and kill him, and he will not let anyone who followed him live'." (Ahmad).

Warnings against the Dajjal.

The Hadith of Al-Nuwas ibn Sam'an Al-Kilabi

Al-Nuwas ibn Saman said, "One morning the Prophet SAW 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 Allah, 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 SAW 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 Allah 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 Allah, adhere to the Path of Truth.’

We said, 'O Messenger of Allah, 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 Allah, 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, Allah 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[1], where he will kill him.

Then a people whom Allah has protected will come to Jesus son of Mary, and he will wipe their faces (i.e. wipe the traces of hardship from their faces) and tell them of their status in Paradise. At that time Allah 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 Allah 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 Allah, 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 Allah, 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 Allah, Who will send birds like the necks of camels; they will seize the bodies of Gog and Magog and throw them wherever Allah wills. Then Allah 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 (i.e. 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, Allah 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)

Hadith Narrated From Abu Umamah Al-Bahili

Abu Umamah al-Bahili said, "The Prophet SAW 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. Allah 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 Allah 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 the tr 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 Allah and recite the opening Ayat of Surah 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. Allah will resurrect him, and this evil man (the Dajjal) will say to him, 'Who is your Lord?’ The man will answer, 'My Lord is Allah, and you are the enemy of Allah. You are the Dajjal. By Allah, I have never been more sure of this than I am today.’

Abu Said said, "The Prophet SAW said, 'That man will have the highest status among my Ummah in Paradise."

Abu Said said, "By Allah, 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 Hadith of Abu 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 believen 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 Madinah, 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. Madinah 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 Allah, where will the Arabs be at that time?" He said, "At that time they will be few; most of them will be in Baitul-Maqdis (Jerusalem), and their Imam will be a righteous man. Whilst their Imam is going forward to lead the people in praying Solat al-Subuh (the morning prayer), Jesus son of Mary will descend. The Imam 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 Imam will lead the people in prayer, and afterwards Jesus (alaihissalam) 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 a.s 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[1] and will kill him. The Jews will be deflated with the help of Allah. 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 Allah! here is a Jew, come and kill him!"

The Prophet SAW said, "The time of the Dajjal will be forty years; one year like half a year, one year like a month, and one month like a week. The rest of his days will pass so quickly that if one of you were at one of the gates of Madinah, he would not reach the other gate before evening fell."

Someone asked, "O Messenger of Allah, how will we pray in those shorter days?" He said, "Work out the times of prayer in the same way that you do in these longer days, and then pray." The Prophet SAW said, "Jesus son of Mary will be a just administrator and leader of my Ummah. He will break the cross, kill the pigs, and abolish the Jizyah (tax on non-Muslims). He will not collect the Sadaqah,[2] so he will not collect sheep and camels. Mutual enmity and hatred will disappear. Every harmful animal will be made harmless, so that a small boy will be able to put his hand into a snakes mouth without being harmed, a small girl will be able to make a lion run away from her, and a wolf will go among sheep as if he were a sheepdog. The earth will be filled with peace as a container is filled with water. People will be in complete agreement, and only Allah will be worshipped. Wars will cease, and the authority of Quraish will be taken away. The earth will be like a silver basin, and will produce fruits so abundantly that a group of people will gather to eat a bunch of grapes or one pomegranate and will be satisfied. A bull will be worth so much money, but a horse will be worth only a few dirhams."

Someone asked, "O Messenger of Allah, why will a horse be so cheap?" He said, "Because it will never be ridden in war." He was asked, "Why will the bull be so expensive?" He said, "Because it will plough the earth. For three years before the Dajjal emerges, the people will suffer severe hunger. In the first year, Allah will order the sky to withhold a third of its rain, and the earth to withhold two-thirds of its fruits. In the third year, He will order the sky to withhold all of its rain, and the earth to withhold all of its fruits, so that nothing green will grow. Every cloven-hoofed creature will die except for whatever Allah wills." Someone asked, "How will the people live at that time?" He said, "By saying La ilaha illa Allah, Allahu Akbar, Subhan Allah and Al-Hamdu-lillah. This will be like food for them."

The Prophet SAW said, "The Dajjal will come forth, and one of the Believers will go towards him. The armed men of the Dajjal will ask him, 'Where are you going? He will say, 'I am going to this one who has come forth. They will say, 'Kill him!’ Then some of them will say to the others, 'Hasnt your lord [ie the Dajjal] forbidden you to kill anyone without his permission?’ So they will take him to the Dajjal, and when the Believer sees him, he will say, 'O People, this is the Dajjal whom the Prophet s.a.w told us about. Then the Dajjal will order them to seize him and wound him in the head; they will inflict blows all over, even in his back and stomach. The Dajjal will ask him, 'Dont you believe in me?’ He will say, 'You are a false Messiah.’ The Dajjal will order that he be sawn in two from the parting of his hair to his legs; then he will walk between the two pieces. Then he will say 'Stand! and the man will stand up. The Dajjal will say to him, 'Dont you believe in me?’ The believer will say, 'It has only increased my understanding that you are the Dajjal.’ Then he will say, 'O people! He will not treat anyone else in such a manner after me.’ The Dajjal will seize him to slaughter him, but the space between his neck and collar-bone will be turned into copper, and the Dajjal will not be able to do anything to him. He will take the man by his arms and legs and throw him away; the people will believe that he has been thrown into Hell, whereas in fact he will have been thrown into Paradise." The Prophet SAW said, "He will be the greatest of martyrs in the sight of Allah, the Lord of the Worlds." (Muslim). © Islamic Network.