Praise be to Allah,
No one can know exactly how much time is left for judgment day except Allah. With each passing time, we are going closer and closer to the day where we all will be questioned for our deeds. Allah says,
“Closer and closer to mankind comes their Reckoning: yet they heed not and they turn away.” (al-Anbiyâ’ 21:1)
The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said:
“How can I enjoy life when the bearer of the horn (or trumpet) has put the horn to his lips and is listening, waiting for the command to blow?[i]”
The prophet of Allah (PBUH) has foretold some of the signs which will occur before the day of judgment indicating the nearness of it. These signs boost our faith in Islam as few of them have already occurred and are continuing to occur exactly as the prophet has told us.
There are two signs of the day of judgment:
1- Minor signs of the hour- Minor signs are those signs that may occur long before the Day of judgment. Some of the signs have already occurred or will continue to occur to a more severe degree. Some of them will occur afterward or are yet to occur. They are numerous in comparison to the major signs.
2-Major Signs of the Hour
The major signs are those signs that will appear shortly or relatively near to the Day of Judgement. Hudhaifa b. Usaid Ghifari narrated, “God’s Messenger (PBUH) came to us all of a sudden as we were (busy in a discussion). He said, ‘What are you discussing?’ They (the Companions) said, ‘We are discussing the Last Hour.’ Thereupon he said, ‘It will not come until you see ten signs before it.’ And (in this connection) he made a mention of the smoke, Dajjaal, the beast, the rising of the sun from the west, the descent of Jesus son of Mary (may God praise them), Gog and Magog, and landslides in three places, one in the east, one in the west and one in Arabia, at the end of which a fire would burn forth from Yemen and drive people to the place of their assembly.[ii]’”
Prophet Muhammad(PBUH) has informed us that the greatest trial in human history will be the trial of the Dajjal. There have been no prophets who did not warn their people coming of the Dajjal. Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings of Allah be on him has said,
“There has been no affliction, nor will there be until the hour is established, greater than that of the Dajjal”[iii]
“The Messenger of Allah(PBUH) stood up among the people and praised Allah as He deserves to be praised, then he mentioned the Dajjaal and said: ‘I warn you about him. There is no Prophet who did not warn his people about him, but I will tell you something about him which no Prophet has ever told his people: he is one-eyed and Allah is not one-eyed”[iv]
Meaning of Dajjaal
The word Dajjal is taken from the verb Dajjala, which means mixing, coated, and mixed. Consequently, Dajjal is the one who mixes truth and falsehood, lies in abundance. The word has become a unique name that when one hears this word nothing comes to mind except the false Dajjal[v].
Ibn al-Atheer said: “The Dajjaal is called ‘maseeh because one of his eyes is braided (mamsooh). Maseeh means a person whose face is abraded (mamsooh) on one side, with no eye or eyebrow. This is in contrast to the Messiah (Maseeh) ‘Eesa ibn Maryam, who is so called because he used to wipe (yamsah) the sick and they would be healed by Allah’s leave? And the Dajjaal is the liar[vi].
Descriptions of the Dajjal
From the authentic traditions we come to know the following descriptions of the Dajjal:
- young man
- the ruddy (reddish) complexion,
- Short in stature,
- Pigeon-toed
- thick curly hair,
- wide forehead,
- extremely broad upper chest,
- hunchbacked
- Blind or defective (mamsiih) in the right eye, this eye will
- Upon his left eye, there will be a thick piece of skin.
- Written between his eyes will be ‘Ka fa’ ra’ or (K-F-R)’
- a barren man with no child born to him
Here are some authentic narrations in which the above descriptions are mentioned.
“He will be a young man with very thick curly hair, with his (right) eye floating. It is as if he looks like Abd al-‘Uzza ibn Qatan.”
The Messenger of Allah, peace, and blessings of Allah be on him, said:
“The Dajjal will be a short (in stature), pigeon-toed, with think curly hair. He will be one-eyed, being neither (na’tiah) bulging (from its socket) nor (jahrau) sunken (in its socket) but will be more like a floating grape. If you become confused about him, then know, assuredly that your Lord is not one-eyed.[vii]”
According to the Hadith of Anas (may Allah be pleased with him), the Prophet said:
…and between his eyes will be written ‘Kafir. [viii]”
The Greatest Trial in the Human History
The appearance of the dajjal will be the greatest trial in human history. This is so because of the great miracles that he will perform which will astonish the minds of the people. Allah will give him the ability to perform miracles which will be as follows:
The power to move swiftly throughout the earth
They(companions) said, “How fast will he travel through the earth?” He (PBUH) said, “Like the clouds when they are driven by the wind. He will come to some people and call them, and they will believe in him and respond to him.[ix]”
The Messenger of Allah, May peace and blessings be on him, said that he will travel around the earth and will not leave any city without entering it, apart from Makkah and Madeenah”.
According to another narration,
“There will be no city which the Dajjaal will not enter apart from Makaah and Madina.[x]”
He will have paradise and hell and two rivers
Dajjal will cause great temptations by causing confusion in the minds of the people. He will have with him things that will look like a paradise and a Hell and that will look like a river of water and a river of fire. The Messenger of Allah (PBUH), said:
‘I am the most knowledgeable about what the Dajjaal will have with him. He will have two rivers, one will appear to be white water, and another will appear to a raging fire. If anyone is put to that test, let him go to the one which he thinks is fire, then let him close his eyes, tilt his head and drink from it, for it is cool water”[xi].
Ability to bring back life
Dajjal will perform miracles to prove that he is the Lord. He will kill a man with his sword and bring him back to life. The messenger of Allah said,
“……Then he will call a man overflowing in youth, and will strike him with a sword and cut him in two, then (he will place the pieces apart from one another) the distance of an archer from his target. Then he will call him, and the young man will come forward smiling, with his face shining.”[xii] –
Help of Shaytan
There is no doubt that such a person will take the help of the shayateen for the fact that their primary role is to spread corruption. The Prophet(PBUH) said,
“And Surely from his great fitnah is that he will say to a Bedouin, ‘Do you think that if I resurrect your father and mother for you, would you then testify that I am your lord?’
He will respond, ‘Yes.’
Then two shaytans (devils) will take the appearance of his father and mother, and will say to him, ‘O my son! Follow (and believe in) him, for verily he is your lord.[xiii]“‘
Ability to cause rain, vegetation, and animals to follow.
He (PBUH) said,
….”Like the clouds when they are driven by the wind. He will come to some people and call them, and they will believe in him and respond to him. Then he will command the sky to rain, and the earth to produce vegetation, and their cattle will re-turn back to them in the evening, with their humps very high, and their udders full of milk, and their flanks (sides) stretched.”[xiv]
Place where Dajjal will emerge and time span of his rule
The authentic narrations point that the dajjal will emerge from the Khurasan in Persia. Abu Bakr al-Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him) said: ‘The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) narrated to us,
“The Dajjal will emerge from a land in the east called Khurasan.[xv]“‘
However, his trial will first appear from the place between Syria and Iraq. The Prophet (PBUH), has said,
“He will emerge from between Syria and ‘Iraq and will spread mischief right and left. 0 ‘ slaves of Allah, stand firm”[xvi].
Dajjal will remain on earth for forty days spreading corruption and bloodshed. However, these forty days will not be like regular days. The first day will be like a year, the second day like a month, and third like a week, and the rest of the days as usual.
Protection from Dajjaal
Dajjal will bring specious arguments supported with miracles that would shake the imaan of even the believers. Consequently, a Muslim should not feel secure in himself. Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) has not only warned us about the dajjal but also informed us of some of the means to protect us from them. This includes having knowledge of Allah’s names and attributes, having a firm Imaan, seeking protection from Allah in all the salaah, fleeing from the dajjal, and memorizing some verses of the Surah al kahf. Another way to protect from the Dajjaal is to flee to Makkah or Madeenah, as he is forbidden to enter them.
Significance of reciting/ memorizing ten verses of Surah kahf
The Prophet (PBUH) taught his followers to memorize the opening ten verses and according to some reports the concluding ten verses of Surah al-Kahf. Muslim also narrates from Abu Darda’ that the Prophet (PBUH) said:
“Whoever memorizes the ten commencing verses from Surah al-Kahf will be protected from the Dajjal – i.e., from his fitnah.”
‘Shu’bah said,
‘(that they are) from the concluding verses of Surah al-Kahf’[xvii]
There are many ahadith encouraging that it be recited especially on Fridays. Al-hakim relates from Abu Sa’id al-Khudri (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (PBUH) said:
‘Whoever recites Surah al-Kahf on Friday, then it will illuminate light for him from one Friday to the next”[xviii]
Imam al-Nawawi comments: ‘The reason for this is because at the great wonders and great signs it’s commencing verses contain. For whoever reflects deeply upon them shall not be put to trial by the Dajjal.”[xix]
Allah Knows Best
[i] At-Tirmidhi reported in As-Sunan 1980
[ii] Sahih Muslim 2901bIn-book reference: Book 54, Hadith 52. Quoted in The Minor Resurrection, Dr. Umar S. al- Ashqar, Page 249
[iii] Ahmad [3 / 292], Yusuf ibn ‘Abdullah ibn Yusuf al-Wabil, Translated by Abu ‘Abdullah, THE DAJJAL & THE RETURN OF JESUS, page 4
[iv][iv] The Minor Resurrection, Dr. Umar S. al- Ashqar, Page- 258. Bukhari, Volume 4, Book 55, Number 553:
[v] Yusuf ibn ‘Abdullah ibn Yusuf al-Wabil, Translated by Abu ‘Abdullah, THE DAJJAL & THE RETURN OF JESUS, page-14
[vi] The Minor Resurrection, Dr. Umar S. al- Ashqar, Page-259
[vii] Reference : Sunan Abi Dawud 4320. In-book reference: Book 39, Hadith 30
[viii] Yusuf ibn ‘Abdullah ibn Yusuf al-Wabil, Translated by Abu ‘Abdullah, THE DAJJAL & THE RETURN OF JESUS, page- 21-22
[ix] Yusuf ibn ‘Abdullah ibn Yusuf al-Wabil, Translated by Abu ‘Abdullah, THE DAJJAL & THE RETURN OF JESUS, page- 81
[x] Saheeh al-jami as-sagheer, 5/99 hadith number- 5309. The Minor Resurrection, Dr. Umar S. al- Ashqar, Page-272.
[xi] Muslim, 4/2249, hadith number- 2934
[xii] Yusuf ibn ‘Abdullah ibn Yusuf al-Wabil, Translated by Abu ‘Abdullah, THE DAJJAL & THE RETURN OF JESUS, page- 80. Muslim, Kitab uf-Fitan [18/ 65-66]
[xiii] Sunan ibn Majah kitab al-Fitan, [2/ 1309-1363]. Yusuf ibn ‘Abdullah ibn Yusuf al-Wabil, Translated by Abu ‘Abdullah, THE DAJJAL & THE RETURN OF JESUS, page-82
[xiv] Saheeh Muslim, Kitab uf-Fitan [I8/65-66] . Yusuf ibn ‘Abdullah ibn Yusuf al-Wabil, Translated by Abu ‘Abdullah, THE DAJJAL & THE RETURN OF JESUS, page-81
[xv] Jam’ial-Tirmidhi [6/495]. Yusuf ibn ‘Abdullah ibn Yusuf al-Wabil, Translated by Abu ‘Abdullah, THE DAJJAL & THE RETURN OF JESUS, page-72
[xvi] The Minor Resurrection, Dr. Umar S. al- Ashqar, Page-277. Muslim, ad-Dajjal, hadith number- 2937
[xvii] Muslim, Kitab al-Fitan[18/65]
[xviii] See ‘Mustadrak Al-Hakim, (2/368] who said: ‘This ‘hadith has an authentic chain of transmission.
[xix] Sharh an-Nawwai Muslim’, (6/ 93]. Yusuf ibn ‘Abdullah ibn Yusuf al-Wabil, Translated by Abu ‘Abdullah, THE DAJJAL & THE RETURN OF JESUS, page-109