14/05/2024
THE SIGNS BEFORE THE COMING OF DAJJAL,
THE ANTI CHRIST
Narration by Rasulillah (s)
Before the appearance of the Dajjāl, there will be a time of severe hardship and tribulation. Abu Umāmah (radiyallāhu ‘anhu) narrated that Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) said,
“Before the Dajjāl appears there will be three difficult years in which the people will suffer severe famine.
In the first year, Allah will command the sky to withhold one third of its rain and
the earth to withhold one third of its produce.
In the second year, He will command the sky to withhold two thirds of its rain and the earth to withhold two-thirds of its produce.
In the third year, He will command the sky to withhold all of its rain, and not a single drop will fall, and the earth to withhold all of its produce, and nothing will grow.
All cloven-hoofed animals will die, except those that Allah wills.”
It was said: “What will the people live on at that time?
”He said, “Tahleel (lā ilāha illallāh), Takbeer (Allāhu akbar), Tasbeeh (subhānallāh) and Tahmeed (alhamdulillāh).
That will take the place of food for them.”
(Ibn Mājah 4077, Ibn Khuzaymah in At-Tawheed 2/458, Al-Hākim in Al-Mustadrak 8620. Authenticated by Al-Albāni in Saheeh Al-Jāmi’ 7875)
In a wording, the Prophet (ﷺ) said,
“Before the appearance of the Dajjāl, there will be three very hard years wherein the people will be struck with severe hunger.”
Then he will appear after this. Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) stated,
“There will not be any tribulation on earth, since the time Allah created the offspring of Ādam, that will be greater than the tribulation of the Dajjāl.
Allah has not sent any Prophet but he warned his nation about the Dajjāl.
I am the Last of the Prophets and you are the last of the nations.
He will undoubtedly appear among you.” (Ibn Mājah)
The Messenger (ﷺ) explained in detail his appearance, where he will come from and the deception he will use to entrap the people.
The Prophet (ﷺ) said, “He will emerge from Al-Khallah, between Syria and Iraq, and will wreak havoc right and left.
O slaves of Allah, remain steadfast.
I will describe him to you in a manner in which none of the Prophets has described him before me.
He will start by saying, ‘I am a Prophet,’ and there is no Prophet after me.
Then a second time he will say,
‘I am your Lord.’
But you will not see your Lord until you die.
He is one-eyed, and your Lord is not one-eyed, and written between his eyes is the word Kāfir (كفر).
Every believer will be able to read it, whether literate or illiterate.
Part of his fitnah will be that he will have with him in his hands Paradise and Hell, but his Hell will be a Paradise and his Paradise a Hell.
Whoever is tested with his fire, let him seek the help of Allah and recite the first verses of Surah Al-Kahf, then the fire will be cool and safe for him, as the fire was for Ibrāheem.
Part of his fitnah will be that he will say to a bedouin, ‘What do you think, if I resurrect your father and mother for you, will you bear witness that I am your Lord?’
The bedouin will say, ‘Yes.’
Then two devils will appear to him in the form of his father and mother and they will say,
‘O my son, follow him, for he is your Lord.’
Part of his fitnah will be that he will overpower a single soul, a youth and kill him.
Then he will cut him with a saw until he falls into two pieces.
Then he will say, ‘Look at this slave of mine.
I will now resurrect him.
Then he will claim that he has a Lord other than me.’
Then Allah will resurrect that soul and the Dajjāl will say to him, ‘Who is your Lord?’
So, the youth will say,
‘Allah is my Lord, and you are the enemy of Allah, you are the Dajjāl.
By Allah, I have never had more sure insight about you than I have today.’” (Ibn Mājah)
Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) continued,
“Part of his fitnah will be that he will command the sky to rain, and it will rain, and
he will command the earth to bring forth vegetation and it will do so.
Part of his fitnah will be that he will pass by a clan and they will disbelieve in him,
so all their cattle will perish and none will be left.
Part of his fitnah will be that he will pass by a clan who will believe in him,
so he will command the sky to rain and it will rain.
He will command the earth to bring forth vegetation and it will do so, until their cattle will come back in the evening of that day, bigger and fatter than they have ever been, with their flanks stretched and their udders full of milk.
There will be no part of the earth left that he does not enter and prevail over, except for Makkah and Al-Madinah, for he will not approach them on any of their mountain paths except that he will be met by angels with unsheathed swords, until he will stop at the red hill at the end of the marsh.
Then Al-Madinah will be shaken with its people three times, no hypocrite, male or female, will remain therein, all will come out to him.
Thus, it will be cleansed of impurity just as the bellow cleanses the impurity of iron.
That day will be called the Day of Deliverance, ‘Yawmul Khalās’
(Ibn Mājah)
We see how the Messenger (ﷺ) described the Dajjāl with such detail that we can see him in our mind’s eye.
This was so that none is deceived or beguiled by him.
The Dajjāl will claim Ruboobiyyah, Tawheed of Lordship and deceive the people with things that will amaze them.
But the steadfast will not be taken in by the deceit, just as the youth who is cut into half will not be deceived.
‘Imrān Ibn Husayn narrated that Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) said, “Whoever hears that the Dajjāl has appeared, let him stay far away.
For by Allah! A man will approach him thinking that he is a believer, and end up following him due to what he throws at him from doubts and misunderstandings.”
(Abu Dāwood 4319, and authenticated by Al-Albāni)
This hadeeth is used as proof by the scholars that a person must keep away from Ahlul-Bid’ah, and Ahlul-Ahwā.
The Dajjāl uses arguments and doubts that shake a firm believer’s faith and ‘Aqeedah.
This is what happens likewise when one exposes himself to the ideas, writings and speeches of Ahlul-Bid’ah.
A person has good thoughts regarding his own abilities, he believes he knows the truth and can distinguish between it and falsehood.
So, he attends the gatherings of Ahlul-Bid’ah and listens to their speeches, and eventually, he is shaken by their doubts and follows them, just like the man who ends up following the Dajjāl.
The man who approaches the Dajjal is certain that the Dajjāl is a liar, he is a human being who himself is unable to do what he is doing except that Allah has made him a trial.
He sees that he is one-eyed, that he has the word kāfir written between his eyes.
Yet, he ends up following him and taking him as his Lord.
So being deceived by Ahlul-Bid’ah is even easier since they have no such bodily marks warning the people from them,
So a person should never imagine that he is safe from being tricked.
Just as we have been commanded to stay away from the Dajjal when he appears, then likewise we stay away from the gatherings of Ahlul-Ahwā due to doubts and misunderstandings that they cast at the Sunnah and the Qur’ān.
The Messenger (ﷺ) described his features, Ubadah ibn as-Samit said that the Prophet (ﷺ) said,
“I have told you so much about the Dajjāl that I am afraid you may not understand.
The Antichrist is short, hen-toed, tight curled hair, one eyed, an eye-sightless, neither protruding nor deep-seated.
If you are confused about him, know that your Lord is not one-eyed.”
Abu Dawood 4320
