A Test for People at the End of Time
The Hadith of Al-Mughirah ibn Shu’bah
| 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,
| “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:
| “… 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 (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:
| “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) |
| 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, 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:
| 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 |
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 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,
| “Whoever memorises 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 (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.
| 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,
| “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,
| “I heard the Prophet (sallallahu alayhe wa sallam) saying, ‘The son of Mary will kill the Dajjal at the gate of Ludd.” (Tirmidhi.) |
The Descent of Jesus at the End of Time
| Abd Allah ibn ‘Amr said, “The Prophet (sallallahu alayhe 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 (alayhe salam), 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 most wicked people will be left; they will be as careless as birds, with the characteristics of beasts, and will have no concern for right and wrong. Satan will come to them in the form of man and will say, “Don’t you respond?” They will say, “What do you order us to do?” He will order them to worship idols, and in spite of that they will have sustenance in 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 (sallallahu alayhe 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 (sallallahu alayhe 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, recite the Ayah:
(Bukhari, Muslim)
Abu Hurairah reported that the Prophet (sallallahu alayhe wa sallam) said, “The Prophets are like brothers; they have different mothers but their religion is one. I am the closest of all the people to Jesus son of Mary, because there is no other Prophet between him and myself. He will come again, and when you see him, you will recognise him. He is of medium height and his colouring is reddish-white. He will be wearing two garments, and his hair will look wet. He will break the cross, kill the Ibn Masud reported that the Prophet (sallallahu alayhe 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 Kafirs, 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 Kafirs, and the people will return to their own lands. Then Gog and Magog will appear from all directions, eating and drinking everything they find. The people will complain to me, so I will pray to 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'” (Ahma, Ibn Majah) |
Description of the Messiah Jesus Son of Mary, Messenger of Allah
| Abu Hurairah said, “The Prophet (sallallahu alayhe 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 (sallallahu alayhe wa sallam) said, “Whilst I was asleep, I saw myself (in a dream) making Tawaf around the Ka’bah. I saw a brown-skinned man, with straight hair, being supported by two men, and with water dripping from his head. I said, ‘Who is this?’ They said, ‘The son of Mary’ I turned around and saw a fat, ruddy man, with curly hair, who was blind in his right eye; his eye looked like a floating grape. I asked, ‘Who is this?’ They said, ‘The Dajjal’ The one who most resembles him is Ibn Qatan.” Al-Zuhri explained: Ibn Qatan was a man from Khuzaah who died during the Jahiliyyah (before the coming of 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 (sallallahu alayhe 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 (alayhe salam), there was a king called Dhu’l-Qarnayn. He performed Tawaf around the Ka’bah with Abraham (alayhe salam) when he first built it; he believed and followed him. Dhu’l-Qarnayn 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 Dhu’l-Qarnayn. 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 Dhu’ -Qarnayn 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, 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 Kabah
At the end of time, Dhu’l-Suwayqatayn[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’b al-Ahbar that Dhu’l-Suwayqatayn 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 Dhu’l-Suwayqatayn, 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.”
| ‘Abd Allah ibn ‘Amr said, “I heard the Prophet (sallallahu alayhe wa sallam) say, Dhu’l-Suwayqatayn 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 ‘Abd Allah ibn ‘Umar that the Prophet (sallallahu alayhe 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 Dhu’l-Suwayqatayn from Abyssinia.” (Abu Dawud, in the chapter on the prohibition of provoking the Abyssinians) Ibn ‘Abbas narrated that the Prophet (sallallahu alayhe 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’bah stone by stone.” (Ahmad)
The Prophet (sallallahu alayhe wa sallam) said, “The Hour will not come until a man from Qahtan appears and rules the people.” (Muslim; similar Hadith in Bukhari) This man could be Dhu’l-Suwayq, someone else, because this man comes from Qahtan, while other reports say that Dhu’l-Suwayqatayn Abu Hurairah said, “The Prophet (sallallahu alayhe 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 Suwayqatayn from Abyssinia; and Allah knows best. ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab reported that he heard the Prophet (sallallahu alayhe 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 Ahadith, 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 to ward him off and prevent him from entering.
It was reported from Abu Hurairah that the Prophet (sallallahu alayhe 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 (sallallahu alayhe wa sallam) 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'” (Al-Nur 24-26) |
Madinah will remain inhabited during the days of the Dajjal, and during the time of Jesus son of Mary (AS), until he dies and is buried there. Then it will be destroyed.
| ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab said, “I heard the Prophet (sallallahu alayhe wa sallam) say, ‘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 Dhu’l-Suwayqatayn: al-Suwayqatayn is the diminutive of al-Saqayn (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.
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