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The Signs Before Day of Judgement [Part 1]
by Imaam Ibn Katheer
Translated by Huda Khattab
Ayat and Ahadith about the Hour
Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta'ala) said:
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"They ask thee about the Hour, When will be
its appointed time? Wherein art thou (concerned) with the declaration
thereof? With thy Lord is the Limit fixed therefor. Thou art but a Warner
for such as fear it. The Day they will see it, (it will be) as if they had
tarried but a single evening, or (at most till) the following morn!" (Al-Nazi'at
79: 42-46)
"They ask thee about the (final) Hour - when will be its
appointed time? Say: 'The knowledge thereof is with my Lord (alone): none
but He can reveal as to when it will occur. Heavy were its burden through
the heavens and the earth. Only, all of a sudden will it come to you.'
They ask thee as if thou were eager in search thereof: say: 'The knowledge
thereof is with Allah (alone), but most men know not.'" (Al-A'raf 7:187)
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There are many Ayat and Ahadith concerning this subject:
Allah said:
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"The Hour (of Judgment) is nigh, and the
moon is cleft asunder." (Al-Qamar 54:1) |
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The Prophet (sallallahu alayhe wa sallam) said, whilst
pointing with his index and middle fingers,
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"The time of my advent and the Hour are
like these two fingers." In another report he said, "The Hour almost came
before me." |
This indicates how close we are, relatively speaking, to the
Hour.
Allah said:
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"Closer and closer to mankind comes their
Reckoning: yet they heed not and they turn away." (Al-Anbiya' 21:1)
"(Inevitable) cometh (to pass) the Command of Allah:
seek, ye not then to hasten it.'" (Al-Nahl 16:1)
"Only those wish to hasten it who believe not in it:
those who believe hold it in awe, and know that it is the Truth.'" (Al-Shura
42:18) |
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In Sahih al-Bukhari, there is a Hadith which states that a
Bedouin asked the Prophet about the Hour. He said,
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"It will surely come to pass. What have you
prepared for it?" The man said, "O Messenger of Allah, I have not prepared
much in the way of prayer and good works, but I love Allah and His
Messenger." The Prophet said, "You will be with those you love."
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The Muslims had never rejoiced as much they did when they
heard this Hadith.
Some Ahadith report that the Prophet was asked about the
Hour. He looked towards a young boy and said, "If he lives, he will not grow
very old before he sees your Last Hour coming to you." By this he meant their
death and entering the Hereafter, because everyone who dies enters the
Hereafter; some people say that when a person has died, his judgment has
begun. This Hadith with this meaning is "correct" (Sahih).
Some heretics comment on this Hadith and give it an
incorrect meaning. The exact timing of the Great Hour (al-Sa'at al'Uzma) is
something which Allah alone knows and which He has not revealed to anyone, as
is clear from the Hadith in which the Prophet said: "There are five things
which nobody knows except Allah;" then he recited,
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"Verily the knowledge of the Hour is with
Allah (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 with Allah
is full knowledge and He is acquainted (with all things)." (Laqman 31:34)
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When Gabriel (Jibreel) (alayhe salam) came to the Prophet in
the guise of a Bedouin, he asked him about Islam, Iman (faith) and Ihsan
(excellence of faith); and the Prophet answered his questions. But when he
asked him about the Hour, he said, "The one questioned about it knows no
better than the questioner." Jibreel said, "Tell me about its signs." Then the
Prophet described them, as we shall see later when we quote this Hadith and
others in full.
Hudhayfah said:
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"The Prophet stood up one day to speak to
us, and told us everything that was going to happen until the Hour, and
left nothing unsaid. Some of the listeners learnt it by heart, and some
forgot it; these friends of mine learnt it. I do not remember it
completely, but sometimes it springs to mind, just as one might remember
and recognise the face of a man whom one had forgotten, when one sees
him." (Abu Dawud, Muslim.) |
Imam Ahmad reported via Abu Nudrah that Abu Sa'id said:
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"One day the Prophet led us in praying the
afternoon prayer (Salat al'Asr). Then he stood and addressed us until
sunset. He mentioned everything that was to happen until the Day of
Resurrection, and left nothing unsaid. Some of us remembered it, and some
of us forgot it. One of the things he said was: 'O people, this world is
full of attractive temptations. Allah has appointed you as vicegerents (Khalifah)
in this world, and He will see how you will act. So guard yourselves
against the temptations of this world and of women' Towards the end of
this speech, he said, 'The sun is about to set, and what remains of
this world, compared to what has passed, is like what remains of this day
compared to what has passed.'" |
'Ali ibn Zayed ibn Jad'an al-Timi narrated some Gharib and
Munkar Ahadith - which could bring into question the validity of this Hadith.
But there are some reports which are similar to this Hadith, and which were
transmitted with different isnads. Part of this Hadith is in Muslim, through
Abu Nudrah on the authority of Abu Sa'id. This Hadith refers to something
which is beyond any doubt: what remains of this world, compared to what has
passed, is very little. In spite of that, no-one can know exactly how much
time is left except Allah, and no-one can know exactly how much time has
passed, except Allah.
General Description of The Fitan (Tribulations)
Hudhayfah ibn al-Yaman said,
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"People used to ask the Prophet (sallallahu
alayhe wa sallam) about good things, but I used to ask him about bad
things because I was afraid that they might overtake me. I said, 'O
Messenger of Allah, we were lost in ignorance (Jahiliyyah) and evil, then
Allah brought this good (i.e. Islam). Will some evil come after this good
thing?' He said, 'Yes'I asked, 'And will some good come after that evil?'
He said, 'Yes, but it will be tainted with some evil'I asked,
'How will it be tainted?' He said,'There will be some people who will lead
others on a path different from mine. You will see good and bad in them’.
I asked, 'Will some evil come after that good?' He said, 'Some
people will be standing and calling at the gates of Hell; whoever responds
to their call, they will throw him into the Fire.'I said, 'O
Messenger of Allah, describe them for us.' He said, 'They will be from our
own people, and will speak our language.'I asked, 'What do you advise me
to do if I should live to see that?' He said,'Stick to the main body
(jama'ah[1]) of the Muslims and their leader (Imam)’. I
asked, What if there is no main body and no leader?' He said 'Isolate
yourself from all of these sects, even if you have to eat the roots of
trees until death overcomes you while you are in that state.'"
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'Abd Allah ibn Mas'ud said:
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"The Prophet said, 'Islam began as
something strange, and it will revert to being strange as it was in the
beginning, so good tidings for the strangers.' Someone asked, 'Who are the
strangers?' He said, 'The ones who break away from their people
(literally, 'tribes') for the sake of Islam.' "This Hadith was narrated by
Ibn Majah on the authority of Anas and Abu Hurairah. |
Divisions Within The Main Religious Groups
Abu Hurairah reported that the Prophet (sallallahu alayhe wa
sallam) said:
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"The Jews have split into seventy-one
sects, and my Ummah will divide into seventy-three." |
'Awf ibn Malik reported that the Prophet said:
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"The Jews split into seventy-one sects: one
will enter Paradise and seventy will enter Hell. The Christians split into
seventy-two sects: seventy-one will enter Hell and one will enter
Paradise. By Him in Whose hand is my soul, my Ummah will split into
seventy-three sects: one will enter Paradise and seventy-two will enter
Hell." Someone asked, "O Messenger of Allah, who will they be?" He
replied, "The main body of the Muslims (al-Jama'ah)." |
'Awf ibn Malik is the only one who reported this Hadith, and
its isnad is acceptable.
Anas ibn Malik said,
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"I shall tell you a Hadith which I heard
from the Messenger of Allah, and which no-one will tell you after me. I
heard him say, 'Among the signs of the Hour will be the disappearance of
knowledge and the appearance of ignorance. Adultery will be prevalent and
the drinking of wine will be common. The number of men will decrease and
the number of women will increase until there will be fifty women to be
looked after by one man.'" |
This Hadith was reported in the two Sahihs from the Hadith
of 'Abd Rabbihi.
'Abd Allah said,
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"The Prophet said, 'Just before the Hour,
there will be days in which knowledge will disappear and ignorance will
appear, and there will be much killing.' " (Ibn Majah; also narrated by
Bukhari and Muslim, from the Hadith of al-A'mash.) |
Hudhayfah ibn al-Yaman said,
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"The Prophet said, 'Islam will become worn
out like clothes are, until there will be no-one who knows what fasting,
prayer, charity and rituals are. The Qur'an will disappear in one night,
and no Ayah will be left on earth. Some groups of old people will be left
who will say, 'We heard our fathers saying La ilaha illa Allah, so we
repeated it.' Silah asked Hudhayfah, "What will saying La ilaha illa Allah
do for them when they do not know what prayer, fasting, ritual and charity
are?" Hudhayfah ignored him; then Silah repeated his question three times,
and each time Hudayfah ignored him. Finally he answered, "O Silah, it will
save them from Hell", and said it three times. (Ibn Majah) |
This indicates that in the last days, knowledge will be
taken from the people, and even the Qur'an will disappear from the Mushafs and
from people's hearts. People will be left without knowledge. Only the old
people will tell them that they used to hear people saying La ilaha illa
Allah; and they will repeat it to feel close to Allah, so it will give them
some blessing, even if they do not have any good deeds or beneficial
knowledge.
Knowledge will be taken away from men and ignorance will
increase during the last days, and their ignorance and misguidance will
increase until the end, as in the Hadith of the Prophet:
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"The Hour will not come upon anyone who
says, 'Allah, Allah'; it will only come upon the most evil of men."
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The Evils Which Will Befall The Muslim Ummah During The
Last Days
'Abd Allah ibn 'Umar said,
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"The Prophet (sallallahu alayhe wa sallam)
came to us and said, 'O Muhajirun, (emigrants from Makkah to al-Madinah)
you may be afflicted by five things; God forbid that you should live to
see them. If fornication should become widespread, you should realise that
this has never happened without new diseases befalling the people which
their forebears never suffered. If people should begin to cheat in
weighing out goods, you should realise that this has never happened
without drought and famine befalling the people, and their rulers
oppressing them. If people should withhold Zakat, you should realise that
this has never happened without the rain being stopped from falling; and
were it not for the animals' sake, it would never rain again. If people
should break their covenant with Allah and His Messenger, you should
realise that his has never happened without Allah sending an enemy against
them to take some of their possessions by force. If the leaders do not
govern according to the Book of Allah, you should realise that this has
never happened without Allah making them into groups and making them fight
one another." (Ibn Majah). |
'Ali ibn Abi Talib said,
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"The Prophet said: 'If my Ummah bears
fifteen traits, tribulation will befall it.' Someone asked, 'What are
they, O Messenger of Allah?' He said, 'When any gain is shared out only
among the rich, with no benefit to the poor; when a trust becomes a means
of making a profit; when paying Zakat becomes a burden; when a man obeys
his wife and disobeys his mother; and treats his friend kindly whilst
shunning his father; when voices are raised in the mosques; when the
leader of a people is the worst of them; when people treat a man with
respect because they fear some evil he may do; when much wine is drunk;
when men wear silk; when female singers and musical instruments become
popular; when the last ones of this Ummah curse the first ones - then let
them expect a red wind, or the earth to swallow them, or to be transformed
into animals.'" (Tirmidhi) |
'Ali ibn Abi Talib said,
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"The Prophet led us in praying Salat al-Fajr
(the morning prayer). When he had finished, a man called to him: 'When
will the Hour be?’ The Prophet reprimanded him and said 'Be quiet!' After
a while he raised his eyes to the sky and said, 'Glorified be the One Who
raised it and is taking care of it.' Then he lowered his gaze to the earth
and said, 'Glory be to the One Who has outspread it and has created it.'
Then the Prophet said, 'Where is the one who asked me about the Hour?' The
man knelt down and said, 'I asked you.' The Prophet said, 'The Hour will
come when leaders are oppressors, when people believe in the stars and
reject al-Qadar (the Divine Decree of destiny) when a trust becomes a way
of making a profit, when people give to charity (Sadaqah) reluctantly,
when adultery becomes widespread - when this happens, then your people
will perish.'" |
'Imran ibn Husayn said,
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"The Prophet (saws) said, 'Some people of
this Ummah will be swallowed up by the earth, some will be transformed
into animals, and some will be bombarded with stones.' One of the Muslims
asked, 'When will that be, O Messenger of Allah?' He said, 'When singers
and musical instruments will become popular, and much wine will be
drunk.'" (Narrated by Tirmidhi) |
Greater Signs of the Hour
After the lesser signs of the Hour appear and increase,
mankind will have reached a stage of great suffering. Then the awaited Mahdi
will appear; he is the first of the greater, and clear, signs of the Hour.
There will be no doubt about his existence, but this will only be clear to the
knowledgeable people. The Mahdi will rule until the False Messiah (al-Masih
al-Dajjal) appears, who will spread oppression and corruption. The only ones
who will know him well and avoid his evil will be those who have great
knowledge and Iman (faith).
The false Messiah will remain for a while, destroying
mankind completely, and the earth will witness the greatest Fitnah
(tribulation) in its history. Then the Messiah Jesus (alayhe sallam) will
descend, bringing justice from heaven. He will kill the Dajjal, and there will
be years of safety and security.
Then the appearance of Yajuj and Majuj (Gog and Magog) will
take mankind by surprise, and corruption will overtake them again. In answer
to Jesus’ faithful prayer to Allah (Subhanahu wa Taala), they will die, and
safety, security, justice and stability will return. This state of affairs
will continue for some years, until the death of Jesus.
The Ulama differ concerning the order in which the other
greater signs of the Hour will come about. They are:
- The destruction of the Kabah and the recovery of its
treasure.
- The rising of the sun from the west.
- The emergence of the Beast from the earth.
- The smoke.
- A wind will take the souls of the believers.
- The Quran will be taken up into heaven.
- A fire will drive the people to their last gathering
place.
- The Trumpet will be sounded: at the first sound everyone
will feel terror; at the second sound all will be struck down; at the last
sound all will be resurrected.
The Mahdi
The Mahdi will come at the end of time; he is one of the
Rightly-Guided Caliphs and Imams. He is not the Mahdi who is expected by the
Shiah, who they claim will appear from a tunnel in Samarra. This claim of
theirs has no basis in reality nor in any reliable source. They allege that
his name is Muhammad ibn al-Hasan ibn al-Askari, and that he went into the
tunnel when he was five years old.
The matter we intend to discuss has been proven by Ahadith
narrated from the Prophet (sallallahu alayhe wa sallam): that the Mahdi will
appear at the end of time. I believe that he will appear before Jesus the son
of Mary comes down, as the Ahadith indicate.
Hajjaj said that he heard Ali say, The Prophet said,
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“Even if there were only one day left for
the world, Allah would send a man from among us to fill the world with
justice, just as it had been filled with oppression and justice.” (Ahmad)
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Ali said, The Prophet said,
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“The Mahdi is one of us, from among the
people of my household. In one night Allah will inspire him and prepare
him to carry out his task successfully.” (Ahmad and Ibn Majah.)
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Ali said, whilst looking at his son al-Hasan,
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“This son of mine is a Sayyid (master), as
the Prophet named him. Among his descendants there will be man named after
your Prophet. He will resemble him in behaviour but not in looks.” Then he
told them the report which mentions that the earth will be filled with
justice. (Abu Dawud.) |
Abu Dawud devoted a chapter of his Sunan to the subject of
the Mahdi. At the beginning of this chapter he quoted the Hadith of Jabir ibn
Samrah, in which the Prophet said,
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“This religion will remain steadfast until
twelve caliphs have ruled over you.” (According to another report he said,
This religion will remain strong until twelve caliphs have ruled over
you.) Jabir said, The people cheered and shouted Allahu akbar! Then the
Prophet whispered something. I asked my father What did he say? My father
said, He said, All of them will be from Quraysh. |
Another report says that when the Prophet returned to his
house, Quraysh came to him and asked, What will happen after that? He said,
”Then there will be tribulation and killing.”
Abu Dawud reported a Hadith from Abd Allah ibn Masud: The
Prophet said,
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“If there were only one day left for the
world, that day would be lengthened until a man from among my descendants
or from among the people of my household, was sent; his name will be the
same as my name, and his fathers name will be the same as my fathers name.
He will fill the earth with justice and fairness, just as it will have
been filled with injustice and oppression. The world will not end until a
man of my household, whose name is the same as mine, holds away.”
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Abd Allah said, The Prophet said,
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“A man from my household, whose name is
like mine, will take power. (Tirmidhi) In another report, from Abu
Hurairah, the Prophet said, “If there were only one day left for this
world, Allah would lengthen it until he took power.” |
Abu Said said, The Prophet said,
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“The Mahdi will be one of my descendants;
he will have a high forehead and a hooked nose. He will fill the earth
with justice and fairness just as it was filled with injustice and
oppression, and he will rule for seven years.” (Abu Dawud.) |
Umm Salamah reported that the Prophet said,
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“People will begin to differ after the
death of a Khalifah. A man from the people of Madinah will flee to Makkah.
Some of the people of Makkah will come to him and drag him out against his
will; they will swear allegiance to him between al-Rukn and al-Maqam. An
army will be sent against him from Syria; it will be swallowed up in the
desert between Makkah and Madinah. When the people see this, groups of
people from Syria and Iraq will come and swear allegiance to him. Then a
man from Quraysh whose mother is from Kalb will appear and send an army
against them, and will defeat them; this will be known as the Battle of
Kalb. Whoever does not witness the spoils of this battle will miss much!
The Mahdi will distribute the wealth, and will rule the people according
to the Sunnah of the Prophet. Then he will die, and the Muslims will pray
for him.” (Abu Dawud.) |
Ali said, The Prophet said,
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“A man named al-Harith ibn Hirath will come
from Transoxania. His army will be led by a man named Mansur. He will pave
the way for and establish the government of the family of Muhammad, just
as Quraysh established the government of the Messenger of Allah. Every
believer will be obliged to support him.” (Abu Dawud.) |
Abd Allah ibn al-Harith ibn Juz al-Zubaydi said, The Prophet
said,
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“A people will come out of the East who
will pave the way for the Mahdi.” (Ibn Majah.) |
Abd Allah said, Whilst we were with the Prophet, some young
men from Banu Hashim approached us. When the Prophet saw them, his eyes filled
with tears and the colour of his face changed. I said, We can see something
has changed in your face, and it upsets us. The Prophet said,
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“We are the people of a Household for whom
Allah has chosen the Hereafter rather than this world. The people of my
Household (Ahl al-Bayt) will suffer a great deal after my death, and will
be persecuted until a people carrying black banners will come out of the
east. They will instruct the people to do good, but the people will
refuse; they will fight until they are victorious, and the people do as
they asked, but they will not accept it from them until they hand over
power to a man from my household. Then the earth will be filled with
fairness, just as it had been filled with injustice. If any of you live to
see this, you should go to him even if you have to crawl across ice.”
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This text refers to the rule of the Abbasids, as we have
mentioned above in the text referring to the beginning of their rule in 132
AH. It also indicates that the Mahdi will appear after the Abbasids, and that
he will be one of the Ahl al-Bayt, a descendant of Fatimah, the daughter of
the Prophet, through Hasan, not Husayn, as mentioned in the Hadith from Ali
ibn Abi Talib; and Allah knows best.
Thwaban said, The Prophet said,
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“Three men will be killed at the place
where your treasure is. Each of them will be the son of a Khalifah, and
none of them will get hold of the treasure. Then the black banners will
come out of the East, and they will slaughter you in a way which has never
been seen before. Then he said something which I do not remember; then, If
you see him, go and give him your allegiance, even if you have to crawl
over ice, because he is the Khalifah of Allah, the Mahdi.” (Ibn Majah.)
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The treasure referred to in this text is the treasure of the
Kabah. Towards the end of time, three of the sons of the Khalifahs will fight
to get hold of it, until the Mahdi appears. He will appear from the East, not
from the tunnel of Samarra, as the Shiah claim; they believe that he is in
this tunnel now, and they are waiting for him to emerge at the end of time.
There is no evidence for it in any book or Sahih tradition, and there is no
benefit in believing this.
The truth of the matter is that the Mahdi whose coming is
promised at the end of time will appear from the East, and people will swear
allegiance to him at the Kabah, as some Ahadith indicate.
At the time of the Mahdi, there will be peace and
prosperity, with abundant crops and wealth, strong rulers, and Islam will be
well-established.
Abu Said said, By Allah every ruler we have had has been
worse than the previous one, and every year has been worse than the year
before, but I heard the Prophet say,
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“Among your rulers will be one who will
give out wealth freely, without counting it. A man will come and ask him
for money, and he will say Take; the man will spread his cloak out and the
ruler will pour money into it.” The Prophet spread out a thick cloak he
had been wearing, to demonstrate the mans actions; then he gathered it up
by its corners and said, “Then the man will take it and leave.” (Ahmad.)
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The Signs Before Day of Judgement [Part 2]
by Imaam Ibn Katheer
Translated by Huda Khattab
Signs and Portents
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Abd Allah ibn 'Amr said, "I went to the
Prophet (peace be upon him) one day whilst he was performing Wudu'
(ablution) slowly and carefully. He raised his head, looked at me and
said, 'Six things will happen to this Ummah: the death of your Prophet’
and when I heard that I was aghast, 'this is the first. The second is that
your wealth will increase so much that if a man were given ten thousand,
he would still not be content with it. The third is that tribulation will
enter the house of every one of you. The fourth is that sudden death will
be widespread. The fifth is a peace-treaty between you and the Romans:
they will gather troops against you for nine months - like a woman's
period of childbearing - then they will be the first to break the treaty.
The sixth is the conquest of a city.' I asked, 'O Messenger of Allah,
which city?' He said, 'Constantinople.’" (Ahmad.)
Abu Hurayrah said, "The Prophet 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.’" (Ahmad, Muslim.)
Hudhayfah ibn 'Ubayd said, "The Prophet came upon us
whilst, we were busy in discussion He asked us, 'What are you talking
about?' We said, 'We are discussing the Hour.' He said, 'It 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
land-slides – 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.' " (Ahmad.)
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The Battle with the Romans:
After the battle with the Romans, which ended with the
conquest of Constantinople, the Dajjal will appear, and Jesus son of Mary will
descend from Heaven to the earth, to the white minaret in the east of
Damascus, at the time of Salat al-Fajr (the morning prayer), as we shall see
in the Sahih Traditions.
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Dhu Mukhammar said, "The Prophet (pbuh)
said, 'You will make a peace-treaty with the Romans, and together you will
invade an enemy beyond Rome. You will be victorious and take much booty.
Then you will camp in a hilly pasture; one of the Roman men will come and
raise a cross and say "Victory to the Cross", so one of the Muslims will
come and kill him. Then the Romans will break the treaty, and there will
be a battle. They will gather an army against you and come against you
with eighty banners, each banner followed by 10,000 men.' " (Ahmad, Abu
Dawud, Ibn Majah.) |
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Yusayr ibn Jabir said, "Once there was a
red storm in Kufah. A man came who had nothing to say except, 'O 'Abd
Allah ibn Mas'ud, has the Hour come?" 'Abd Allah was sitting reclining
against something, and said, 'The Hour will not come until people will not
divide inheritance, nor rejoice over booty.' Pointing towards Syria, he
said. 'An enemy will gather forces against the Muslims and the Muslims
will gather forces against them.' I asked, 'Do you mean the Romans?' He
said, 'Yes. At that time there will be very heavy fighting. The Muslims
will prepare a detachment to fight to the death; they will not return
unless they are victorious. They will fight until night intervenes. Both
sides will return without being victorious; then many will be killed on
both sides. On the fourth day, the Muslims who are left will return to the
fight, and Allah will cause the enemy to be routed. There will be a battle
the like of which has never been seen, so that even if a bird were to pass
their ranks, it would fall down dead before it reached the end of them.
Out of a family of one hundred, only one man will survive, so how could he
enjoy the booty or divide any inheritance? While they are in this state,
they will hear of an even worse calamity. A cry will reach them: "The
Dajjal has taken your place among your offspring." So they will throw away
whatever is in their hands and go forward, sending 10 horsemen as a
scouting party. The Prophet said, 'I know their names, and the names of
their fathers, and the colours of their horses. They will be the best
horsemen on the face of the earth on that day.' " (Ahmad, Muslim).
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Abu Hurayrah said, "The Prophet said, 'The
Hour will not come until the Romans camp at al-A'mash or Dabiq. An army,
composed of the best people on earth at that time, will come out from
Madinah to meet them. When they have arranged themselves in ranks, the
Romans will say, 'Do not stand between us and those who took prisoners
from amongst us. Let us fight with them.' One-third will run away, and
Allah will never forgive them. One-third will be killed, and they will be
the best of martyrs in Allah's sight. One-third, who will never be
subjected to trials or tribulations, will win, and will conquer
Constantinople. Whilst they are sharing out the booty, after hanging their
swords on the olive-trees, Satan will shout to them that the Dajjal has
taken their place among their families. When they come to Syria, the
Dajjal will appear, while they are preparing for battle and drawing up the
ranks. When the time for prayer comes, Jesus the son of Mary will descend
and lead them in prayer. When the enemy of Allah (i.e. the Dajjal) sees
him, he will start to dissolve like salt in water, but Allah will kill
him.' " (Muslim.)
The Prophet said, "The Hour will not come until the
furthest border of the Muslims will be in Bula." Then he said, "O 'Ali!"
'Ali said, "May my father and mother be sacrificed for you!" The Prophet
said, "You will fight the Romans, and those who come after you will fight
them, until the best people among the Muslims, the people of al-Hijaz,
will go out to fight them, fearing nothing but Allah. They will conquer
Constantinople with Tasbih and Takbir (saying "Subhan Allah" and "Allahu
Akbar"), and they will obtain booty the like of which has never been seen
- they will share it out by scooping it up with their sheilds. Someone
will come and say, 'The Dajjal has appeared in your land', but he will be
lying. Anyone who takes notice of him will regret it, and anyone who
ignores him will regret it." (Ibn Majah.)
Nafi' ibn 'Utbah said, "The Prophet said, 'You will
attack Arabia, and Allah will enable you to conquer it. Then you will
attack Persia, and Allah will enable you to conquer it. Then you will
attack Rome, and Allah will enable you to conquer it. Then you will attack
the Dajjal, and Allah will enable you to conquer him.' " (Muslim)
|
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When Mustawrid al-Qurashi was sitting with
'Amr ibn al-'As, he said, "I heard the Prophet say, 'The Hour will come
when the Romans will be in the majority.' 'Amr asked him, "What are you
saying?" He said, "I am repeating that which I heard from the Prophet." 'Amr
said, "If you say this, it is true, because they have four good
characteristics: they are the most able to cope with tribulation, the
quickest to recover after disaster and to return to the fight after
disaster, and are the best as far as treating the poor, weak and orphans
is concerned. They have a fifth characteristic which is very good; they do
not allow themselves to be oppressed by their kings." |
| |
The Prophet said, "You will fight the
Romans, and Believers from the Hijaz will fight them after you, until
Allah enables them to conquer Constantinople and Rome with Tasbih and
Takbir ("Subhan Allah" and "Allahu Akbar"). Its fortifications will
collapse, and they will obtain booty the like of which has never been
seen, so that they will share it out by scooping it up with their shields.
Then someone will cry, 'O Muslims! The Dajjal is in your country, with
your families', and the people will leave the wealth. Anyone who takes
notice will regret it and anyone who ignores it will regret it. They will
ask, 'Who shouted?' but they will not know who he is. They will say, you
will hear about his deeds.' So they will go and see, and if they see that
everything is normal, they will say, 'No-one would give a shout like that
for no reason, so let us go together to Ilya'.' If we find the Dajjal
there we will fight him together, until Allah decides between us and him.
If we do not find the Dajjal, we will go back to our country and our
families.' "
Mu'adh ibn Jabal said, "The Prophet said, 'The building
of Bayt al-Maqdis (in Jerusalem) will be followed by the destruction of
Yathrib (Madinah), which will be followed by the conquest of
Constantinople, which will be followed by the appearance of the Dajjal.'
Then he put his hand on the thigh or the shoulder of the one with whom he
was speaking (i.e. Mu'adh), and said, 'This is as true as the fact that
you are here (or as true as you are sitting here).' " |
This does not mean that Madinah will be destroyed completely
before the appearance of the Dajjal, but that will happen at the end of time,
as we shall see in some authentic Ahadith. But the building of Bayt al-Maqdis
will be the cause of the destruction of Madinah, as it was proven in the
Hadith that the Dajjal will not be able to enter Madinah. He will be prevented
from doing so because it is surrounded by angles bearing unsheathed swords.
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Abu Hurayrah said, "The Prophet said about
Madinah: 'Neither plague nor the Dajjal can enter it.' " (Bukhari.)
|
Appearance of Dajjal
First of all, we will quote the reports which mention the
liars and "dajjals" who will precede the coming off the Dajjal, or Antichrist,
who will be the last of them; may Allah curse them and punish them with
Hell-fire.
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Jabir ibn Samurah said, "I heard the
Prophet say, 'Just before the Hour there will be many liars.'" Jabir said,
"Be on your guard against them." (Muslim).
Jabir said, "I heard the Prophet say, 'Just before the
Hour there will be many liars; among them is the one in al-Yamamah, the 'Ansi
in San'a', the one in Himyar, and the Dajjal. This will be the greatest
fitnah.''' (Ahmad.)
Abu Hurayrah said, "The Prophet said, ‘The Hour will not
come ... until nearly 30 "dajjals" (liars) appear, each one claiming to be
a messenger from Allah.'" (Bukhari Muslim.)
Abu Hurayrah said, "The Prophet said, 'The Hour will not
come until 30 "dajjals" appear, each of them claiming to be a messenger
from Allah, wealth increases, tribulations appear and al-Harj increases.'"
Someone asked, 'What is al-Harj?' He said, 'Killing, killing.'”(Ahmad.)
Abu Hurayrah said, "The Prophet said, 'The Hour will not
come until 30 "dajjals" appear, all of them lying about Allah and His
Messenger.’" (Abu Dawud.)
Abu Hurayrah said, "The Prophet said, 'Just before the
Hour, there will be 30 "dajjals", each of whom will say, I am a Prophet.'"
(Ahmad.)
Abu Hurayrah said, "The Prophet said, 'There will be "dajjals"
and liars among my Ummah. They will tell you something new, which neither
you nor your forefathers have heard. Be on your guard against them, and do
not let them lead you astray.'" (Ahmad.)
Thawban said, "The Prophet said, 'There will be 30 liars
among my Ummah. Each one will claim that he is a prophet; but I am the
last of the Prophets (Seal of the Prophets), and there will be no Prophet
after me.'" (Ahmad.)
The Prophet said, "Verily before the Day of Resurrection
there will appear the Dajjal, and 30 or more liars." (Ahmad.)
Ibn 'Umar said, "I heard the Prophet say, 'Among my
Ummah there will be more than 70 callers, each of whom will be calling
people to Hell-fire. If I wished, I could tell you their names and
tribes.'"
Abu Bakrah said, "The people spoke a great deal against
Musaylimah before the Prophet said anything about him. Then the Prophet
got up to give a speech and said: '...as for this man about whom you have
spoken so much - he is one of the 30 liars who will appear before the
Hour, and there is no town which will not feel the fear of the
Antichrist.'" (Ahmad.)
In another version of this report, the Prophet said, "He
is one of the 30 liars who will appear before the Dajjal. There is no town
which will escape the fear of the Djjal, apart from Madinah. At that time
there will be two angels at every entrance of Madinah, warding off the
fear of the Antichrist."
Anas ibn Malik said, "The Prophet said, 'The time of the
Dajjal will be years of confusion. People will believe a liar, and
disbelieve one who tells the truth. People will distrust one who is
trustworthy, and trust one who is treacherous; and the Ruwaybidah will
have a say.' Someone asked, 'Who are the Ruwaybidah?' He said, 'Those who
rebel against Allah and will have a say in general affairs.'" (Ahmad.)
|
The Signs Before Day of Judgement [Part 3]
by Imaam Ibn Katheer
Translated by Huda Khattab
Ahadith about the Dajjal
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'Abd Allah ibn 'Umar said, "'Umar ibn al-Khattab
went along with the Prophet and a group of people to Ibn Sayyad, and found
him playing with some children near the battlement of Banu Maghalah. At
that time Ibn Sayyad was on the threshold of adolescence; he did not
realise that anybody was near until the Prophet struck him on the back.
The Prophet (S) said to him: 'Do you bear witness than I am the Messenger
of Allah?' Ibn Sayyad looked at him and said, 'I bear witness that you are
the Prophet of the unlettered.' Then Ibn Sayyad said to the Prophet, 'Do
you bear witness that I am the Messenger of Allah?' The Prophet dismissed
this and said, 'I believe in Allah and His Messengers.' Then the Prophet
asked him, 'What do you see?' Ibn Sayyad said, 'Sometimes a truthful
person comes to me, and sometimes a liar.' The Prophet said to him, 'You
are confused', then he said, 'I am hiding something from you.' Ibn Sayyad
said, 'It is Dukh.' The Prophet said, 'Silence! You will not be able to go
beyond your rank.' 'Umar ibn al-Khattab said, 'O Messenger of Allah, shall
I cut off his head?' The Prophet said, 'If he is (the Dajjal) you will not
be able to overpower him, and if he is not, then killing will not do you
any good.'"
Salim ibn 'Abd Allah said, "I heard 'Abd Allah ibn 'Omar
say, 'After that, the Prophet and Ubayy ibn Ka'b went along to the palm
trees where Ibn Sayyad was. The Prophet started to hide behind a tree,
with the intention of hearing something from Ibn Sayyad before Ibn Sayyad
saw him. The Prophet saw him lying on a bed, murmuring beneath a blanket.
Ibn Sayyad's mother saw the Prophet hiding behind a tree, and said to her
son, "O Saf (Ibn Sayyad's first name), here is Mohammad!" Ibn Sayyad
jumped up, and the Prophet said, "If you had left him alone, he would have
explained himself.''
Salim said, "Abd Allah ibn 'Omar said, The Prophet stood
up to address the people. He praised Allah as He deserved to be praised,
then he spoke about the Dajjal: 'I warn you against him; there is no
Prophet who has not warned his people against him ? even Noah warned his
people against him. But I will tell you something which no other Prophet
has told his people. You must know that the Dajjal is one-eyed, and Allah
is not one-eyed.'"
Ibn Shihab said: "'Omar ibn Thabit al-Ansari told me
that some of the Companions of the Prophet told him that on the day when
he warned the people about the Dajjal, the Prophet said: "There will be
written between his eyes the word Kafir (unbeliever). Everyone who resents
his bad deeds - or every believer- will be able to read it." He also said,
"You must know that no one of you will be able to see his Lord until he
dies.'" (Muslim, Bukhari).
Ibn 'Omar said, "The Prophet 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 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 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 Hurayrah said, "The Prophet said, 'Shall I tell you
something about the Dajjal which no Prophet has ever told his people
before me? The Dajjal is one-eyed and will bring with him something which
will resemble Paradise and Hell; but that which he calls Paradise will in
fact be Hell. I warn you against him as Noah warned his people against
him.'" (Bukhari, Muslim) |
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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,
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"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) |
There are many Ahadith about Ibn Sayyad, some of which are
not clear as to whether he was the Dajjal or not. We shall see Ahadith which
indicates that the Dajjal is not Ibn Sayyad, as in the Hadith of Fatimah Bint
Qays al-Fahriyyah, although this does not mean that he was not one of the
lesser Dajjal; but Allah knows best.
The Hadith of Fatimah bint Qays:
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‘Amir ibn Sharahil Sha'bi Sha'b Hamdan
reported that he asked Fatimah bint Qays, the sister of Dahhak ibn Qays,
who was one of the first Muhajirat, "Tell me a Hadith which you heard
directly from the Prophet with no narrator in between." She said, "I can
tell you if you like." He said, 'Yes, please tell me," she said, "I
married Ibn al-Mughirah, who was one of the best of the youth of Quraysh
in those days. But he fell in the first Jihad on the side of the Prophet.
"When I became a widow, 'Abd al-Rahman ibn 'Awf, one of
the companions of the Prophet sent me a proposal of marriage. The Prophet
also sent me a proposal of marriage on behalf of his freedman Usamah ibn
Zayd. I had been told that the Prophet had said, 'He who loves me should
also love Usamah.' When the Prophet spoke to me, I said, 'It is up to you:
marry me to whomever you wish.'
"The Prophet said, 'Go and stay with Umm Sharik.' Umm
Sharik was a rich Ansari (Muslim originally from Madinah) woman, who spent
much in the way of Allah and entertained many guests. I said, 'I will do
as you wish.' Then he said, 'Don't go. Umm Sharik has many guests, and I
would not like it if your head or leg were to become uncovered
accidentally and people saw something you would not wish them to see. It
is better if you go and stay with your cousin 'Abd Allah ibn 'Amr ibn Umm
Maktum' (Abd Allah was of the Banu Fihr of Quraysh, the same tribe as that
to which Fatima belonged).
"So I went to stay with him, and when I had completed my
'Iddah (period of waiting), I heard the Prophet's announcer calling for
congregational prayer. I went out to the mosque, and prayed behind the
Prophet. I was in the women's row, which was at the back of the
congregation. When the Prophet had finished his prayer, he sat on the
pulpit, smiling, and said, 'Everyone should stay in his place.' Then he
said, 'Do you know why I had asked you to assemble?' The people said,
'Allah and His Messenger know best.'
He said, 'By Allah, I have not gathered you here to give
you an exhortation or a warning. I have kept you here because Tamim
al-Dari, a Christian man who has come and embraced Islam, told me
something which agrees with that which I have told you about the Dajjal.
He told me that he had sailed in a ship with 30 men from Banu Lakhm and
Banu Judham. The waves had tossed them about for a month, then they were
brought near to an island, at the time of sunset. They landed on the
island, and were met by a beast who was so hairy that they could not tell
its front from its back. They said, "Woe to you! What are you?" It said,
"I am al-Jassasah." They said, "What is al-Jassasah?" It said, "O people,
go to this man in the monastery, for he is very eager to know about you."
Tamim said that when it named a person to us, we were afraid lest it be a
devil.
Tamim said, 'We quickly went to the monastery. There we
found a huge man with his hands tied up to his neck and with iron shackles
between his legs up to the ankles. We said, "Woe to you, who are you?" He
said, "You will soon know about me. Tell me who you are." We said, "We are
people from Arabia. We sailed in a ship, but the waves have been tossing
us about for a month, and they brought us to your island, where we met a
beast who was so hairy that we could not tell its front from its back. We
said to it, "Woe to you! What are you?” and it said , "I am al-Jassasah."
We asked, "What is al-Jassasah?" and it told us, "Go to this man in the
monastery, for he is very eager to know about you." So we came to you
quickly, fearing that it might be a devil.'
The man said, ‘Tell me about the date-palms of Baysan.'
We said, 'What do you want to know about them?’ He said, 'I want to know
whether these trees bear fruit or not.' We said, 'Yes.' He said, 'Soon
they will not bear fruit.' Then he said, ‘Tell me about the lake of al-Tabariyyah
[Tiberias, in Palestine].' We said, 'What do you want to know about it?"
He asked, 'Is there water in it?' We said, 'There is plenty of water in
it.' He said, 'Soon it will become dry.' Then he said, 'Tell me about the
spring of Zughar.' We said, 'What do you want to know about it?' He said,
'Is there water in it, and does it irrigate the land?" We said, 'Yes,
there is plenty of water in it, and the people use it to irrigate the
land.'
Then he said, "Tell me about the unlettered Prophet,
what has he done?' We said, 'He has left Makkah and settled in Yathrib.'
He asked, 'Do the Arabs fight against him?' We said, 'Yes.' He said, 'How
does he deal with them?' So we told him that the Prophet had overcome the
Arabs around him and that they had followed him. He asked, 'Has it really
happened?' We said, 'Yes.' He said, 'It is better for them if they follow
him. Now I will tell you about myself. I am the Dajjal. I will soon be
permitted to leave this place: I will emerge and travel about the earth.
In 40 nights I will pass through every town, except Makkah and Madinah,
for these have been forbidden to me. Every time I try to enter either of
them, I will be met by an angel bearing an unsheathed sword, who will
prevent me from entering. There will be angels guarding them at every
passage leading to them.'
Fatimah said, "The Prophet striking the pulpit with his
staff, said: 'This is Tayyibah, this is Tayyibah, this is Tayyibah, [ie
Madinah]. Have I not told you something like this?' The people said,
'Yes.' He said, 'I liked the account given to me by Tamim because it
agrees with that which I have told you about the Dajjal, and about Makkah
and Madinah. Indeed he is in the Syrian sea or the Yemen sea. No, on the
contrary, he is in the East, he is in the East, he is in the East' and he
pointed towards the East. Fatimah said: I memorised this from the
Prophet." (Muslim).
'Abd Allah ibn 'Umar said, "The Prophet (S) said, 'While
I was asleep, I saw myself a dream performing Tawaf (circumambulation)
around the Ka'bah. I saw a ruddy man with lank hair and water dripping
from his head. I said, 'Who is he?" and they said, "The son of Mary." Then
I turned around and saw another man with a huge body, red complexion,
curly hair and one eye. His other eye looked like a floating grape. They
said, "This is the Dajjal." The one who most resembles him is Ibn Qatan, a
man from the tribe of al-Khuza'ah'." (Bukhari, Muslim).
Jabir ibn 'Abd Allah said, "The Prophet 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 Salat al-Subh (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:
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Al-Nuwas ibn Saman said, "One morning the
Prophet (sallallahu alayhe wa sallam) spoke about the Dajjal. Sometimes he
described him as insignificant, and sometimes he described him as so
dangerous that we thought he was in the clump of date-palms nearby. When
we went to him later on, he noticed that fear in our faces, and asked,
'What is the matter with you?’ We said, 'O Messenger of 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 (sallallahu
alayhe wa sallam) said, 'I fear for you in other matters besides the
Dajjal. If he appears whilst I am among you, I will contend with him on
your behalf. But if he appears while I am not among you, then each man
must contend with him on his own behalf, and 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) |
A Hadith Narrated From Abu Umamah Al-Bahili
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Abu Umamah al-Bahili said, "The Prophet (sallallahu
alayhe wa sallam) delivered a speech to us, most of which dealt with the
Dajjal and warned us against him. He said, 'No tribulation on earth since
the creation of Adam will be worse than the tribulation of the Dajjal.
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 Surat al-Kahf, and it will
become cool and peaceful for him, as the fire became cool and peaceful for
Abraham.
He will say to a Bedouin, What do you think if I bring
your father and mother back to life for you? Will you bear witness that I
am your lord? The Bedouin will say Yes, so two devils will assume the
appearance of his father and mother, and will say, "O my son, follow him
for he is your lord."
He will be given power over one person, whom he will
kill and cut in two with a saw. Then he will say, 'Look at this slave of
mine, now I will resurrect him, but he will still claim that he has a Lord
other than me. 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 (sallallahu alayhe wa sallam)
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 Bayt al-Maqdis (Jerusalem), and their Imam
will be a righteous man. Whilst their Imam is going forward to lead the
people in praying Salat al-Subh (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 (alayhe salam)
will say, 'Open the gate. The gate will be opened, and behind it will be
the Dajjal and a thousand Jews, each of them bearing a sword and shield.
When the Dajjal sees Jesus, he will begin to dissolve like salt in water,
and will run away.
Jesus will say, 'You will remain alive until I strike
you with my sword. He will catch up with him at the eastern gate of Ludd[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 (sallallahu alayhe wa sallam) 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 (sallallahu
alayhe wa sallam) 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 Quraysh 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 (sallallahu alayhe wa sallam) 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 (sallallahu alayhe wa sallam) 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 (sallallahu
alayhe wa sallam) said, "He will be the greatest of martyrs in the sight
of Allah, the Lord of the Worlds." (Muslim). |
Footnotes:
1 Ludd: the biblical Lydda, now known as Lod, site of the
zionist states major airport.
2 "He will break the cross and kill pigs", i.e. Christianity
will be annulled.
"He will not collect the Sadaqah (i.e. Zakat)” - because
there will be so much wealth, and no-one will be in need of Sadaqah.
The Signs Before Day of Judgement [Part 4]
by Imaam Ibn Katheer
Translated by Huda Khattab
A Test for People at the End of Time
The Hadith of Al-Mughirah ibn Shu'bah
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Al-Mughirah ibn Shubah said, "No-one
asked the Prophet (sallallahu alayhe 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 (sallallahu alayhe 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 (sallallahu
alayhe wa sallam) said, 'He is too insignificant in the sight of
Allah to have all that." (Muslim.) |
From these Ahadith, 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,
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"The Prophet (sallallahu alayhe 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 Ayah:
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"... 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) |
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Abu Hurairah said, "The Prophet (sallallahu
alayhe 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:
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"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." (al-Nisa 4:157-9) |
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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 (sallallahu alayhe 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 (sallallahu alayhe wa
sallam) was terminally ill, he wanted to write a document confirming
that Abu Bakr would be the Khalifah after him. Then he abandoned this
idea, and said, "Allah and the believers will not accept anyone other
than Abu Bakr."He decided not to write the document because he knew of
Abu Bakr's high standing among the Sahabah (Companions) and was sure
that they would not choose anyone else. Similarly, the facts about the
Dajjal are so clear that they did not need to be mentioned in the Qur'an.
Allah did not mention the Dajjal in the Quran because
He (subhanahu wa ta'ala) 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 (sallallahu alayhe wa sallam) spoke."
More Ahadith About The Dajjal
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The Prophet (sallallahu alayhe 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
(sallallahu alayhe 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 (sallallahu alayhe wa sallam) 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 (sallallahu
alayhe wa sallam) said, 'The glorification of Allah which suffices
the people of Heaven will be sufficient for them.’"
Abu Hurairah (radiallahu anhu) said, "The Prophet
(sallallahu alayhe 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) Ahadith that the
Prophet (sallallahu alayhe 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:
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“Allahumma inna naudhu bika min 'adhabi
jahannam, wa min 'adhabi 'l-qabr, wa min fitnati 'l-mahya'i
wa'l-mamat, wa min fitnati' l-masihi 'd-dajjal."
"O 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, 'A'ishah, Ibn 'Abbas, and Sa'd.
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2. Memorising certain Ayat from Surat al-Kahf.
Al-Hafiz al-Dhahabi said,
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"Seeking refuge with Allah from the
Dajjal is mentioned in many Mutawatir Ahadith (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 (sallallahu alayhe
wa sallam) said,
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"Whoever memorises the first ten Ayat
of Surat al-Kahf will be protected from the Dajjal." (Abu Dawud.)
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3. Keeping away from the Dajjal
One way to be protected from the tribulation of the
Dajjal is to live in Madinah or Makkah.
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Abu Hurairah reported that the
Prophet (sallallahu alayhe wa sallam) said, "There are angels
standing at the gates of Madinah; neither plague nor the Dajjal can
enter it." (Bukhari, Muslim.)
Abu Bakr reported that the Prophet (sallallahu
alayhe 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 (sallallahu alayhe 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." (Tirmidhi, Bukhari.) |
It has been proven in the Sahih Ahadith 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.
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Abu Bakrah said, "The Prophet (sallallahu
alayhe 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,
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"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 (sallallahu alayhe 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, Tirmidhi; 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 Qays, which she narrated from the Prophet (sallallahu
alayhe wa sallam), from Tamim al-Dari, and which includes the story of
the Jassasah. The Dajjal will be permitted to appear at the end of time,
after the Muslims have conquered a Roman city called Constantinople. He
will first appear in Isfahan, in an area known as the Jewish quarter
(al-Yahudiyyah). He will be followed by seventy thousand Jews from that
area, all of them armed. Seventy thousand Tatars and many people from
Khurasan will also follow him. At first he will appear as a tyrannical
king, then he will claim to be a prophet, then a lord. Only the most
ignorant of men will follow him; the righteous and those guided by 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 Bayt al-Maqdis
(Jerusalem). He will catch up with him at 'Aqabah 'Afiq. The Dajjal will
run away from him, but Jesus will catch up with him at the gate of Ludd,
and will kill him with his spear just as he is entering it. He will say
to him, "I have to deal you a blow; you cannot escape."
When the Dajjal faces him, he will begin to dissolve
like salt in water. So Jesus will kill him with his spear at the gate of
Ludd, and he will die there, as many Sahih Ahadith indicate.
Majma ibn Jariyah is reported to have said,
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"I heard the Prophet (sallallahu
alayhe wa sallam) saying, 'The son of Mary will kill the Dajjal at
the gate of Ludd.’" (Tirmidhi.) |
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