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Where is Dajjal?
Who is the Dajjaal and what are his attributes?
Praise be to Allaah.
Meaning of the word Maseeh (Messiah)
There are over fifty scholarly comments on the meaning of the word Maseeh (Messiah). They said that this word is applied both to the Truthful One [True Messiah, i.e., ‘Eesa (Jesus)] and to the misleading liar [the “antichrist” or Dajjaal]. The Messiah is the Truthful One, ‘Eesa ibn Maryam (Jesus the son of Mary), the Messiah of guidance, who healed those who were born blind and lepers, and brought the dead to life by Allaah’s Leave.
The false messiah (al-maseeh al-dajjaal) is the liar who leads people astray, the messiah of misguidance who will tempt people by means of the signs that he is given, such as bringing down rain, reviving the earth to bring forth vegetation, and other “miracles.”
So Allaah has created two messiahs, who are opposites of one another.
The scholars said that the reason why the Dajjaal is called maseeh (a “messiah”) is because one of his eyes is mamsooh (lit. “wiped”; smooth or abraded, i.e., he will be blind or defective in one eye). Or it was said that it is because he will survey or travel throughout the earth (yamsah) in forty days… The former view is more correct, because of what was said in the hadeeth narrated by Muslim (no. 5221) from Anas ibn Maalik, who said: “The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: ‘The Dajjaal will be blind (mamsooh) in one eye, and between his eyes will be written ‘kaafir’…’”.
Meaning of the word Dajjaal
The word Dajjaal is taken from the expression “Dajjala al-ba’eer (he smeared the camel)”, referring to when they covered it with tar.
The root dajala means to mix. The word dajala is used to mean deliberately confusing matters and being vague and ambiguous, The Dajjaal is the one who speaks in vagaries, who tells many lies and deceives many people.
The word “Dajjaal” became a title given to the lying, one-eyed, false messiah. The Dajjaal is so called because he will conceal his kufr from the people by lying to them, deceiving them and confusing them.
Description of the Dajjaal, and the ahaadeeth narrated concerning him
The Dajjaal will be a man from among the sons of Adam. He will have many attributes which were described in the ahaadeeth to acquaint people with him and to warn them of his evil. So when he comes, the believers will know him and will not be misled by him; they will know his features which the Truthful One (the Prophet) (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) has told us about. These features will distinguish him from other people, so that no one will be deceived by him except those who are ignorant and whose doom has already been decreed. We ask Allaah to keep us safe and sound.
Among these attributes are:
He will be a young man with a ruddy complexion, short, with thick curly hair, a wide forehead, and broad upper chest, blind or defective (mamsooh) in the right eye. This eye will be neither prominent nor sunken, and will look like a floating grape.
His left eye will be covered with a thick piece of flesh growing at the edge of his eye. Written between his eyes will be “Kaaf faa’ raa’ (K-F-R)”, in separate (Arabic) letters, or “kaafir”, with the letters joined. This will be read by every Muslim, literate or illiterate.
Another of his characteristics will be that he will be sterile, with no children born to him.
There follow some of the saheeh ahaadeeth in which the above attributes are mentioned. These ahaadeeth form part of the evidence (daleel) concerning the emergence of the Dajjaal:
From ‘Abd-Allaah ibn ‘Umar (may Allaah be pleased with him), who said: “The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: ‘Whilst I was sleeping, I saw myself performing Tawaaf around the Ka’bah, when I saw a dark man with straight hair, standing between two other men, with water dripping from his head. I asked, “Who is this?” They said, “The son of Maryam.” Then I turned and saw a ruddy-complexioned man, well built, with curly hair, blind in his right eye, with his eye looking like a floating grape. I asked, “Who is this?” They said, “This is the Dajjaal.” The person who looks most like him is Ibnu Qatan.’” (Narrated by al-Bukhaari, no. 6508; Ibn Qatan was a man from Banu Mustalaq from Khuzaa’ah).
It was also narrated from Ibn ‘Umar (may Allaah be pleased with them both) that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) mentioned the Dajjaal to the people and said: “Allaah is not one-eyed, but the false messiah (al-maseeh al-dajjaal) is one-eyed, blind or defective in his right eye, with his eye looking like a floating grape…” (narrated by al-Bukhaari, no. 3184).
In the lengthy hadeeth narrated by al-Nawwaas ibn Sam’aan (may Allaah be pleased with him) it says: the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) mentioned the Dajjaal one morning. Sometimes he described him as insignificant and sometimes he described him as so significant that we thought that he was in the cluster of date-palm trees…” One of the features of the Dajjaal that he described was: “He will be a young man with very curly hair, with his eye floating. It is as if he looks like ‘Abd al-‘Uzza ibn Qatan.” (Narrated by Muslim, no. 5228)
It was narrated from ‘Ubaadah ibn al-Saamit (may Allaah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “I have told you so much about the Dajjaal that I fear you will not understand. The Dajjaal will be a short man, pigeon-toed, with curly hair. He will be one-eyed, with his eye neither prominent nor sunken. If you become confused about him, then remember that your Lord is not one-eyed.” (Narrated by Abu Dawood, no. 3763. This hadeeth is saheeh – Saheeh al-Jaami’ al-Sagheer, no. 2455).
Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: “The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: ‘… as for the false messiah, he will be one-eyed, with a wide forehead and broad upper chest, and he will be hunchbacked…’” (Narrated by Ahmad, no. 7564).
Hudhayfah (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: “The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: ‘The Dajjaal will be one-eyed, blind or defective in his left eye, with thick hair. He will have with him a paradise and a hell, but his hell will be a paradise and his paradise will be a hell.’” (Narrated by Muslim, no. 5222).
According to the hadeeth of Anas (may Allaah be pleased with him), the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “No Prophet was sent but he warned his people about the one-eyed liar. He is one-eyed, but your Lord is not one-eyed, and between his eyes will be written ‘kaafir.’” (Narrated by al-Bukhaari, no. 6598). According to another report: “Written between his eyes will be ‘kaaf faa’ raa’.’” (Muslim, no. 5219) According to a report narrated by Hudhayfah, “This will be read by every believer, literate or illiterate.” (Muslim, no. 5223).
From the apparent meaning, this writing will be real, and the fact that some will see it whilst others will not, and that illiterate people will read it, is not problematic. “This is because Allaah causes people to understand something when looking at it, as He wills and when He wills. So the believer will see this with his insight, even if he is illiterate, and the kaafir will not be able to see it, even if he is literate. By the same token, the believer will see with his insight evidence that the kaafir will not see. Allaah will enable the believer to understand without him being literate, because at that time, extraordinary things will be happening.” (Fath al-Baari by Ibn Hajar al-‘Asqallaani, 13/100)
Al-Nawawi said: “The correct view according to those who studied this issue is that this writing should be taken literally, as being real writing which Allaah will create as a sign, one of the definitive proofs that (the Dajjaal) is a kaafir and a liar, to expose his falsehood. Allaah will show this sign to every Muslim, literate or illiterate, and will conceal it from everyone whom He decrees is doomed or whom He wants to test. There is no reason why this should be impossible.” (Sharh al-Nawawi li Saheeh Muslim, 18/60).
Another of his attributes was mentioned in the hadeeth of Faatimah bint Qays (may Allaah be pleased with her), in the story of al-Jassaasah, in which Tameem al-Daari (may Allaah be pleased with him) said; “So we rushed to the monastery, where we saw the most enormous man we had ever seen, fettered with the most chains we had ever seen.” (Narrated by Muslim, no. 5235).
‘Imraan ibn Husayn (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: “I heard the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) say: ‘From the time of the creation of Adam until the Hour begins, there will never be a bigger creation than the Dajjaal.’” (Narrated by Muslim, 5239).
The Dajjaal will not have any children, as stated in the hadeeth of Abu Sa’eed al-Khudri (may Allaah be pleased with him), who described what happened between him and Ibn Sayyaad, who said to him: “Did you not hear the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) say that he will have no children? …” Abu Sa’eed said, ‘I said, ‘Yes…’” (Narrated by Muslim, no. 5209).
From the reports quoted above, we may note that some of them describe his right eye as being blind or defective, and some describe his left eye as being blind or defective. Both accounts are saheeh. Some of the scholars sought to reconcile these reports. Al-Qaadi ‘Iyaad said: “Both eyes of the Dajjaal will be defective, because all the reports are saheeh. His right eye will be the one that is abraded (mamsooh) and dull, unable to see, as stated in the hadeeth of Ibn ‘Umar. And his left eye will be the one that is covered with a thick fold of skin, and will also be defective.” So he will have a defect in both his right eye and his left eye; each of them will be blind, i.e., defective, because the Arabic word used in the hadeeth, a’war, is used to describe anything that is defective and is especially used to describe the eyes of they are impaired. One eye will be non-functional and the other will be defective.”
Al-Nawawi agreed with this reconciliation suggested by al-Qaadi ‘Iyaad, and al-Qurtubi also approved of it.
Where the Dajjaal will emerge
The Dajjaal will emerge from the direction of the east, from Khurasaan, from among the Jews of Isfahaan. Then he will travel throughout the earth and will leave no city without entering it, apart from Makkah and Madeenah, which he will not be able to enter because the angels are guarding them.
According to the hadeeth of Faatimah bint Qays (may Allaah be pleased with her), the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said concerning the Dajjaal:
“He will (emerge) from the direction of the Syrian sea or from the direction of the Yemeni sea… No, rather from the east…” – and he pointed towards the east.
(Narrated by Muslim, no. 5228).
Abu Bakr al-Siddeeq (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: “The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) told us: “The Dajjaal will emerge from a land in the east called Khurasaan.” (Narrated by al-Tirmidhi, no. 2163. Classed as saheeh by al-Albaani, Saheeh al-Jaami’ al-Sagheer, hadeeth 3398).
Anas (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: “The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: ‘The Dajjaal will emerge from among the Jews of Isfahaan, and with him will be seventy thousand Jews, wearing crowns.’” (Narrated by Ahmad, no. 12865).
Places which the Dajjaal will never enter
It is forbidden for the Dajjaal to enter Makkah or Madeenah when he emerges at the end of time, because of the saheeh ahaadeeth narrated to that effect. As far as other places are concerned, he will enter them one after another.
In the hadeeth of Faatimah bint Qays (may Allaah be pleased with her), it says: “(He will say:), ‘I almost have permission to emerge. Then I will emerge and will travel throughout the earth for forty days, and I shall not leave any town without entering it, apart from Makkah and Madeenah, which I will be prevented from entering because every time I try to enter, there will be an angel with an unsheathed sword in his hand, preventing me from entering. On every gate there will be angels defending them.’” (Narrated by Muslim, no. 5228)
It was also reported that the Dajjaal will not enter the mosque of Sinai, or Masjid al-Aqsaa (at Jerusalem). Imaam Ahmad (no. 22572) narrated that Junaadah ibn Umayyah al-Azdi said: “I came to a man from among the Companions of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and said to him, ‘Tell me a hadeeth that you heard from the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) about the Dajjaal.’ He mentioned the hadeeth, and said, ‘He will stay among you for forty days, during which he will go to every place (on the earth) apart from four mosques: Masjid al-Haraam (in Makkah), the mosque of Madeenah, the (mosque of) Sinai and Masjid al-Aqsaa.’”
The followers of the Dajjaal
Most of the followers of the Dajjaal will be from among the Jews, Persians and Turks, and a mixture of other people, mostly Bedouins and women.
Imaam Muslim narrated in his Saheeh (5237) from Anas ibn Maalik (may Allaah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “The followers of the Dajjaal from among the Jews of Isfahaan will number seventy thousand, wearing heavy, striped garments.” According to a report narrated by Imaam Ahmad, “Seventy thousand Jews, wearing crowns.” (hadeeth no. 12865).
According to the hadeeth of Abu Bakr referred to above: “He will be followed by people with faces like burnished shields.” (Narrated by al-Tirmidhi, no. 2136).
With regard to the Bedouin being followers of the Dajjaal, this is because many of them are ignorant. With regard to women, this is because they are readily swayed, and because many of them are ignorant. It was reported that Ibn ‘Umar (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “The Dajjaal will come to this pond in Marriqanaat – a valley in Madeenah – and most of those who go out to him will be women, until a man will come to his mother in law, his mother, his daughter, his sister and his aunt, and will tie them up strongly for fear that they will go out to him.” (Narrated by Ahmad, no. 5099)
The fitnah of the Dajjaal
The fitnah of the Dajjaal will be the greatest fitnah from the time Allaah created Adam until the Hour begins. This will be because of the mighty miracles that Allaah will create with him, which will dazzle people’s minds and amaze them.
It was reported that he will have a paradise and a hell with him, but his paradise will be his hell and his hell will be his paradise. He will have rivers of water and mountains of bread. He will command the sky to send down rain, and it will rain, and he will command the earth to bring forth vegetation and it will do so. The treasures of the earth will follow him, and he will travel rapidly, like clouds driven by the wind. And he will do other extraordinary feats. All of that was mentioned in the saheeh ahaadeeth. Imaam Muslim narrated in his Saheeh that Hudhayfah (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: “The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: ‘The Dajjaal will be one-eyed, blind in his left eye, and will have thick hair. He will have a paradise and a hell with him, but his paradise will be a hell and his hell will be a paradise.’” (Narrated by Muslim, no. 5222)
Muslim also narrated that Hudhayfah (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: “The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: ‘I know what the Dajjaal will bring with him: he will have two rivers flowing. One will clearly look like water and the other will clearly look like blazing fire. If any one of you sees that, let him choose the river which looks like fire, then let him close his eyes and lower his head and drink from it, for it will be cool water.’” (Narrated by Muslim, no. 5223)
In the hadeeth of al-Nawwaas ibn Sam’aan about the Dajjaal, it is reported that the Sahaabah said: “O Messenger of Allaah, how long will he stay on the earth?” He said, “Forty days: one day like a year, one day like a month, one day like a week, and the rest of the days like your days.” … They said, “How fast will he travel through the earth?” He said, “Like the clouds when they are driven by the wind. He will come to some people and call them, and they will believe in him and respond to him. Then he will command the sky to rain, and the earth to bring forth vegetation, and their cattle will come back to them in the evening, with their humps very high, and their udders full of milk, and their flanks stretched. Then he will come to another people and will call them, but they will reject him. So he will leave them and they will be stricken with famine, with none of their wealth in their hands. He will pass by ruins and will say, ‘Bring forth your treasure!’ – and the treasure will follow him like a swarm of bees. Then he will call a man who is brimming with youth, and will strike him with a sword and cut him in two, then (he will put the pieces apart from one another) the distance of an archer from his target. Then he will call him, and the young man will come forward smiling, with his face shining.” (narrated by Muslim, 5228)
Al-Bukhaari narrated from Abu Sa’eed al-Khudri (may Allaah be pleased with him) that this man whom the Dajjaal will kill will be one of the best people, who will go out to the Dajjaal from the city of the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), and will say to the Dajjaal, “I bear witness that you are the Dajjaal of whom the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) told us.” The Dajjaal will say (to the people): “What do you think – if I kill this man then bring him back to life, will you have any doubts?” They will say, “No.” So he will kill him, then bring him back to life. Then he (the believing man) will say, “By Allaah, I have never been more sure about you than I am today.” The Dajjaal will want to kill him but will not be permitted to. (al-Bukhaari, no. 6599)
According to the hadeeth of Umaamah al-Baahili (may Allaah be pleased with him), the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said of the Dajjaal: “Part of his fitnah will be that he will say to a Bedouin, Do you think that if I resurrect your father and mother for you that you will testify that I am your lord?’ He will say, ‘Yes.’ So two devils will appear to him in the image of his father and mother, saying, ‘O my son, follow him for he is your lord.’” (Narrated by Ibn Maajah, no. 4067. Classed as saheeh by al-Albaani, Saheeh al-Jaami’ al-Sagheer, hadeeth 7752).
Protection against the fitnah of the Dajjaal
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) has taught his ummah about that which will protect them against the fitnah of the false messiah (al-maseeh al-dajjaal). He left his ummah on a path that is clear, and no one deviates from it except the one who is doomed. He did not leave any good thing without pointing it out to his ummah, or any evil thing without warning them against it. Among the things which he warned us against was the fitnah of the Dajjaal, because it is the greatest fitnah which the ummah will face until the Hour comes. Every Prophet warned his ummah against the one-eyed Dajjaal, but Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) was the only Prophet who warned his ummah more about him. Allaah told him many of the attributes of the Dajjaal so that he could warn his ummah. The Dajjaal will undoubtedly emerge among this ummah, because it is the last ummah, and Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) is the Seal of the Prophets. There follow some of the Prophetic guidelines which the Chosen Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) set out for his ummah so that it may be protected against this mighty fitnah, from which we ask Allaah to save us and grant us refuge:
Adhering to Islam, having the right faith and learning the Names and Most Beautiful Attributes of Allaah which are not shared by anyone else. One should know that the Dajjaal will be a human being who will eat and drink, and that Allaah is far above that; the Dajjaal will be one-eyed but Allaah is not one-eyed; no one can see his Lord until he dies, but the Dajjaal will be seen by all people, believers and kaafirs alike, when he emerges.
Seeking refuge with Allaah from the fitnah of the Dajjaal, especially in salaah (prayer). This has been narrated in the saheeh ahaadeeth, such as that narrated from Umm al-Mu’mineen ‘Aa’ishah (may Allaah be pleased with her), the wife of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), who said that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to pray in his salaah: “Allaahumma inni a’oodhu bika min ‘adhaab al-qabri, wa a’oodhu bika min fitnat il-maseeh il-dajjaal, wa a’oodhu bika min fitnat il-mahyaa wa fitnat il-mamaat. Allaahumma inni a’oodhu bika min al-ma’tham wa’l-maghram (O Allaah, I seek refuge with You from the torment of the grave, I seek refuge with You from the fitnah of the Dajjaal, and I seek refuge with You from the trials of life and death. O Allaah, I seek refuge with You from sin and debt).” (Narrated by al-Bukhaari, no. 789)
Muslim narrated that Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: “The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: ‘When any one of you says Tashahhud, let him seek refuge with Allaah from four things, and say: “Allaahumma inni a’oodhi bika min ‘adhaab jahannam wa min ‘adhaab al-qabri wa min fitnat il-mahyaa wa’l-mamaat wa min sharri fitnat al-maseeh al-dajjaal (O Allaah, I seek refuge with You from the torment of Hell, from the torment of the grave, from the trials of life and death, and from the evil of the fitnah of the Dajjaal).”’” (Narrated by Muslim, no. 924)
Memorizing aayaat from Soorat al-Kahf. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) commanded us to recite the opening verses of Soorat al-Kahf against the Dajjaal. According to some reports, the final verses of this soorah was mentioned. This means reciting the first ten verses or the last ten. Among the ahaadeeth narrated concerning this was the lengthy hadeeth narrated by Muslim from al-Nawwaas ibn Sam’aan, in which it says: “Whoever among you sees him (the Dajjaal), let him recite against him the opening verses of Soorat al-Kahf.” (Hadeeth 5228).
Muslim (no. 1342) narrated from Abu’l-Dardaa’ that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever memorizes ten aayaat from the beginning of Soorat al-Kahf will be protected from the Dajjaal” – i.e., from his fitnah. Muslim said: “Shu’bah said, ‘from the end of al-Kahf.’ Hammaam said, ‘from the beginning of al-Kahf.’”
Al-Nawawi said: “The reason for this is because at the beginning of (this soorah), mention is made of wonders and signs, and whoever ponders them will not be deceived by the fitnah of the Dajjaal. And at the end of this soorah, Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): ‘Do then those who disbelieve think that they can take My slaves as awliyaa’ (lords etc.) besides Me?’ [al-Kahf 18:102].” (Sharh Saheeh Muslim, 6/93).
This is one of the special features of Soorat al-Kahf. There are ahaadeeth which encourage reading it, especially on Fridays. Al-Haakim narrated from Abu Sa’eed al-Khudri (may Allaah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever recites Soorat al-Kahf on Friday, it will be a light for him from one Friday to the next.” (al-Mustadrak, 2/368. Classed as saheeh by al-Albaani, Saheeh al-Jaami’ al-Sagheer, hadeeth 6346)
Undoubtedly Soorat al-Kahf is of great significance, containing great aayaat, such as the story of the People of the Cave, the story of Moosa and al-Khidr, the story of Dhu’l-Qarnayn and his building the dam to hold back Ya’jooj and Ma’jooj, proof of the resurrection and the blowing of the Trumpet, and explanation of those whose deeds are most lost, who are those who think that they are guided when in fact they are misguided and blind.
Every Muslim should strive to read this soorah, and to memorize it and read it repeatedly, especially on the best day on which the sun rises, namely Friday.
Fleeing from the Dajjaal and keeping far away from him. The best way is to live in Makkah or Madeenah, and the places which the Dajjaal will not enter. When the Dajjaal emerges, Muslims should keep far away from him, because of the confusion he will cause and the mighty wonders that he will have with him, which Allaah will cause to happen at his hands in order to test mankind. A man will come to him, thinking that he is a strong believer, then he will follow the Dajjaal. We ask Allaah to grant us and all the Muslims refuge from his fitnah.
Imaam Ahmad (19118), Abu Dawood (3762) and al-Haakim (4/31) narrated from ‘Imraan ibn Husayn (may Allaah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever hears of the Dajjaal, let him keep far away from him, for a man will come to him and think that he is telling the truth because of the wonders that are sent with him.”
The death of the Dajjaal
The Dajjaal will die at the hands of the Messiah ‘Eesa ibn Maryam (peace be upon him), as is indicated by the saheeh ahaadeeth. The Dajjaal will appear on earth and will gain many followers, spreading his fitnah far and wide. No one will escape his fitnah except a few of the believers. At that point, ‘Eesa ibn Maryam (peace be upon him) will descend to the eastern minaret in Damascus, and the believing slaves of Allaah will gather around him. He will lead them towards the Dajjaal, who at the time of the descent of ‘Eesa (peace be upon him) will be heading for Bayt al-Maqdis (Jerusalem). ‘Eesa will catch up with him at the gate of Ludd (Lod), a place in Palestine near Bayt al-Maqdis. When the Dajjaal sees him, he will start to melt like salt melting in water, but ‘Eesa (peace be upon him) will say to him, “I have some business with you, you will not get away from me.” Then he will catch up with him and will kill him with his spear. His followers will flee, pursued by the Muslims, who will kill them, and trees and rocks will say, ‘O Muslim, O slave of Allaah, there is Jew behind me – come and kill him!” – apart from the gharqad (box thorn), for it is one of the trees of the Jews.
There follow some of the ahaadeeth narrated about the death of the Dajjaal and his followers:
Muslim (no. 5233) narrated that ‘Abd-Allaah ibn ‘Amr (may Allaah be pleased with them both) said: “The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: ‘The Dajjaal will emerge among my ummah and will stay for forty… Then Allaah will send ‘Eesa ibn Maryam, who looks like ‘Urwah ibn Mas’ood, and he will pursue him and kill him.”
Imaam Ahmad (no. 14920) and al-Tirmidhi (no. 2170) narrated that Majma’ ibn Jaariyah al-Ansaari (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: “I heard the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) say: ‘The son of Maryam will kill the Dajjaal at the gate of Ludd.”
Muslim (no. 5228) narrated a lengthy hadeeth from al-Nawwaas ibn Sam’aan (may Allaah be pleased with him) about the Dajjaal, in which the story of the descent of ‘Eesa and his killing the Dajjaal are mentioned. In this hadeeth the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “… Every kaafir who will smell the fragrance of (‘Eesa) will die, and his fragrance will reach as far as he will be able to see. He will then search for him (the Dajjaal) until he catches up with him at the gate of Ludd, where he will kill him.”
Imaam Ahmad narrated that Jaabir ibn ‘Abd-Allaah (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: “The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: ‘The Dajjaal will emerge at a time when religious commitment is low and knowledge has decreased… Then ‘Eesa ibn Maryam will descend just before dawn and will call people, saying, ‘O people, what is stopping you from coming out against this evil liar?’ They will say, ‘This man is a jinn’, then they will set out. When they reach ‘Eesa ibn Maryam, the time for prayer will come the iqqamah will be given, and it will be said to him, ‘Go forward (to lead the prayer), O Spirit of Allaah.’ He will say, ‘Let your imaam go forward and lead you in prayer.’ When they have prayed fajr, they will go out to meet him (the Dajjaal) and when they see the liar, he will start to dissolve like salt in water. ‘Eesa will go to him and kill him. Even the trees and rocks will call out, ‘O Spirit of Allaah, here is a Jew!’ And none of those who followed him will be left, they will all be killed.” (Hadeeth no. 14426).
When he (may Allaah curse him) is killed, his great fitnah will come to an end. Allaah will save those who believed from his evil and from the evil of his followers, at the hands of the Spirit and Word of Allaah, ‘Eesa ibn Maryam (peace be upon him) and his believing followers. Praise and blessings be to Allaah.
Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid
Who is the Dajjaal and what are his attributes?
Praise be to Allaah.
Meaning of the word Maseeh (Messiah)
There are over fifty scholarly comments on the meaning of the word Maseeh (Messiah). They said that this word is applied both to the Truthful One [True Messiah, i.e., ‘Eesa (Jesus)] and to the misleading liar [the “antichrist” or Dajjaal]. The Messiah is the Truthful One, ‘Eesa ibn Maryam (Jesus the son of Mary), the Messiah of guidance, who healed those who were born blind and lepers, and brought the dead to life by Allaah’s Leave.
The false messiah (al-maseeh al-dajjaal) is the liar who leads people astray, the messiah of misguidance who will tempt people by means of the signs that he is given, such as bringing down rain, reviving the earth to bring forth vegetation, and other “miracles.”
So Allaah has created two messiahs, who are opposites of one another.
The scholars said that the reason why the Dajjaal is called maseeh (a “messiah”) is because one of his eyes is mamsooh (lit. “wiped”; smooth or abraded, i.e., he will be blind or defective in one eye). Or it was said that it is because he will survey or travel throughout the earth (yamsah) in forty days… The former view is more correct, because of what was said in the hadeeth narrated by Muslim (no. 5221) from Anas ibn Maalik, who said: “The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: ‘The Dajjaal will be blind (mamsooh) in one eye, and between his eyes will be written ‘kaafir’…’”.
Meaning of the word Dajjaal
The word Dajjaal is taken from the expression “Dajjala al-ba’eer (he smeared the camel)”, referring to when they covered it with tar.
The root dajala means to mix. The word dajala is used to mean deliberately confusing matters and being vague and ambiguous, The Dajjaal is the one who speaks in vagaries, who tells many lies and deceives many people.
The word “Dajjaal” became a title given to the lying, one-eyed, false messiah. The Dajjaal is so called because he will conceal his kufr from the people by lying to them, deceiving them and confusing them.
Description of the Dajjaal, and the ahaadeeth narrated concerning him
The Dajjaal will be a man from among the sons of Adam. He will have many attributes which were described in the ahaadeeth to acquaint people with him and to warn them of his evil. So when he comes, the believers will know him and will not be misled by him; they will know his features which the Truthful One (the Prophet) (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) has told us about. These features will distinguish him from other people, so that no one will be deceived by him except those who are ignorant and whose doom has already been decreed. We ask Allaah to keep us safe and sound.
Among these attributes are:
He will be a young man with a ruddy complexion, short, with thick curly hair, a wide forehead, and broad upper chest, blind or defective (mamsooh) in the right eye. This eye will be neither prominent nor sunken, and will look like a floating grape.
His left eye will be covered with a thick piece of flesh growing at the edge of his eye. Written between his eyes will be “Kaaf faa’ raa’ (K-F-R)”, in separate (Arabic) letters, or “kaafir”, with the letters joined. This will be read by every Muslim, literate or illiterate.
Another of his characteristics will be that he will be sterile, with no children born to him.
There follow some of the saheeh ahaadeeth in which the above attributes are mentioned. These ahaadeeth form part of the evidence (daleel) concerning the emergence of the Dajjaal:
From ‘Abd-Allaah ibn ‘Umar (may Allaah be pleased with him), who said: “The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: ‘Whilst I was sleeping, I saw myself performing Tawaaf around the Ka’bah, when I saw a dark man with straight hair, standing between two other men, with water dripping from his head. I asked, “Who is this?” They said, “The son of Maryam.” Then I turned and saw a ruddy-complexioned man, well built, with curly hair, blind in his right eye, with his eye looking like a floating grape. I asked, “Who is this?” They said, “This is the Dajjaal.” The person who looks most like him is Ibnu Qatan.’” (Narrated by al-Bukhaari, no. 6508; Ibn Qatan was a man from Banu Mustalaq from Khuzaa’ah).
It was also narrated from Ibn ‘Umar (may Allaah be pleased with them both) that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) mentioned the Dajjaal to the people and said: “Allaah is not one-eyed, but the false messiah (al-maseeh al-dajjaal) is one-eyed, blind or defective in his right eye, with his eye looking like a floating grape…” (narrated by al-Bukhaari, no. 3184).
In the lengthy hadeeth narrated by al-Nawwaas ibn Sam’aan (may Allaah be pleased with him) it says: the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) mentioned the Dajjaal one morning. Sometimes he described him as insignificant and sometimes he described him as so significant that we thought that he was in the cluster of date-palm trees…” One of the features of the Dajjaal that he described was: “He will be a young man with very curly hair, with his eye floating. It is as if he looks like ‘Abd al-‘Uzza ibn Qatan.” (Narrated by Muslim, no. 5228)
It was narrated from ‘Ubaadah ibn al-Saamit (may Allaah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “I have told you so much about the Dajjaal that I fear you will not understand. The Dajjaal will be a short man, pigeon-toed, with curly hair. He will be one-eyed, with his eye neither prominent nor sunken. If you become confused about him, then remember that your Lord is not one-eyed.” (Narrated by Abu Dawood, no. 3763. This hadeeth is saheeh – Saheeh al-Jaami’ al-Sagheer, no. 2455).
Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: “The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: ‘… as for the false messiah, he will be one-eyed, with a wide forehead and broad upper chest, and he will be hunchbacked…’” (Narrated by Ahmad, no. 7564).
Hudhayfah (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: “The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: ‘The Dajjaal will be one-eyed, blind or defective in his left eye, with thick hair. He will have with him a paradise and a hell, but his hell will be a paradise and his paradise will be a hell.’” (Narrated by Muslim, no. 5222).
According to the hadeeth of Anas (may Allaah be pleased with him), the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “No Prophet was sent but he warned his people about the one-eyed liar. He is one-eyed, but your Lord is not one-eyed, and between his eyes will be written ‘kaafir.’” (Narrated by al-Bukhaari, no. 6598). According to another report: “Written between his eyes will be ‘kaaf faa’ raa’.’” (Muslim, no. 5219) According to a report narrated by Hudhayfah, “This will be read by every believer, literate or illiterate.” (Muslim, no. 5223).
From the apparent meaning, this writing will be real, and the fact that some will see it whilst others will not, and that illiterate people will read it, is not problematic. “This is because Allaah causes people to understand something when looking at it, as He wills and when He wills. So the believer will see this with his insight, even if he is illiterate, and the kaafir will not be able to see it, even if he is literate. By the same token, the believer will see with his insight evidence that the kaafir will not see. Allaah will enable the believer to understand without him being literate, because at that time, extraordinary things will be happening.” (Fath al-Baari by Ibn Hajar al-‘Asqallaani, 13/100)
Al-Nawawi said: “The correct view according to those who studied this issue is that this writing should be taken literally, as being real writing which Allaah will create as a sign, one of the definitive proofs that (the Dajjaal) is a kaafir and a liar, to expose his falsehood. Allaah will show this sign to every Muslim, literate or illiterate, and will conceal it from everyone whom He decrees is doomed or whom He wants to test. There is no reason why this should be impossible.” (Sharh al-Nawawi li Saheeh Muslim, 18/60).
Another of his attributes was mentioned in the hadeeth of Faatimah bint Qays (may Allaah be pleased with her), in the story of al-Jassaasah, in which Tameem al-Daari (may Allaah be pleased with him) said; “So we rushed to the monastery, where we saw the most enormous man we had ever seen, fettered with the most chains we had ever seen.” (Narrated by Muslim, no. 5235).
‘Imraan ibn Husayn (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: “I heard the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) say: ‘From the time of the creation of Adam until the Hour begins, there will never be a bigger creation than the Dajjaal.’” (Narrated by Muslim, 5239).
The Dajjaal will not have any children, as stated in the hadeeth of Abu Sa’eed al-Khudri (may Allaah be pleased with him), who described what happened between him and Ibn Sayyaad, who said to him: “Did you not hear the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) say that he will have no children? …” Abu Sa’eed said, ‘I said, ‘Yes…’” (Narrated by Muslim, no. 5209).
From the reports quoted above, we may note that some of them describe his right eye as being blind or defective, and some describe his left eye as being blind or defective. Both accounts are saheeh. Some of the scholars sought to reconcile these reports. Al-Qaadi ‘Iyaad said: “Both eyes of the Dajjaal will be defective, because all the reports are saheeh. His right eye will be the one that is abraded (mamsooh) and dull, unable to see, as stated in the hadeeth of Ibn ‘Umar. And his left eye will be the one that is covered with a thick fold of skin, and will also be defective.” So he will have a defect in both his right eye and his left eye; each of them will be blind, i.e., defective, because the Arabic word used in the hadeeth, a’war, is used to describe anything that is defective and is especially used to describe the eyes of they are impaired. One eye will be non-functional and the other will be defective.”
Al-Nawawi agreed with this reconciliation suggested by al-Qaadi ‘Iyaad, and al-Qurtubi also approved of it.
Where the Dajjaal will emerge
The Dajjaal will emerge from the direction of the east, from Khurasaan, from among the Jews of Isfahaan. Then he will travel throughout the earth and will leave no city without entering it, apart from Makkah and Madeenah, which he will not be able to enter because the angels are guarding them.
According to the hadeeth of Faatimah bint Qays (may Allaah be pleased with her), the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said concerning the Dajjaal:
“He will (emerge) from the direction of the Syrian sea or from the direction of the Yemeni sea… No, rather from the east…” – and he pointed towards the east.
(Narrated by Muslim, no. 5228).
Abu Bakr al-Siddeeq (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: “The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) told us: “The Dajjaal will emerge from a land in the east called Khurasaan.” (Narrated by al-Tirmidhi, no. 2163. Classed as saheeh by al-Albaani, Saheeh al-Jaami’ al-Sagheer, hadeeth 3398).
Anas (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: “The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: ‘The Dajjaal will emerge from among the Jews of Isfahaan, and with him will be seventy thousand Jews, wearing crowns.’” (Narrated by Ahmad, no. 12865).
Places which the Dajjaal will never enter
It is forbidden for the Dajjaal to enter Makkah or Madeenah when he emerges at the end of time, because of the saheeh ahaadeeth narrated to that effect. As far as other places are concerned, he will enter them one after another.
In the hadeeth of Faatimah bint Qays (may Allaah be pleased with her), it says: “(He will say:), ‘I almost have permission to emerge. Then I will emerge and will travel throughout the earth for forty days, and I shall not leave any town without entering it, apart from Makkah and Madeenah, which I will be prevented from entering because every time I try to enter, there will be an angel with an unsheathed sword in his hand, preventing me from entering. On every gate there will be angels defending them.’” (Narrated by Muslim, no. 5228)
It was also reported that the Dajjaal will not enter the mosque of Sinai, or Masjid al-Aqsaa (at Jerusalem). Imaam Ahmad (no. 22572) narrated that Junaadah ibn Umayyah al-Azdi said: “I came to a man from among the Companions of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and said to him, ‘Tell me a hadeeth that you heard from the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) about the Dajjaal.’ He mentioned the hadeeth, and said, ‘He will stay among you for forty days, during which he will go to every place (on the earth) apart from four mosques: Masjid al-Haraam (in Makkah), the mosque of Madeenah, the (mosque of) Sinai and Masjid al-Aqsaa.’”
The followers of the Dajjaal
Most of the followers of the Dajjaal will be from among the Jews, Persians and Turks, and a mixture of other people, mostly Bedouins and women.
Imaam Muslim narrated in his Saheeh (5237) from Anas ibn Maalik (may Allaah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “The followers of the Dajjaal from among the Jews of Isfahaan will number seventy thousand, wearing heavy, striped garments.” According to a report narrated by Imaam Ahmad, “Seventy thousand Jews, wearing crowns.” (hadeeth no. 12865).
According to the hadeeth of Abu Bakr referred to above: “He will be followed by people with faces like burnished shields.” (Narrated by al-Tirmidhi, no. 2136).
With regard to the Bedouin being followers of the Dajjaal, this is because many of them are ignorant. With regard to women, this is because they are readily swayed, and because many of them are ignorant. It was reported that Ibn ‘Umar (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “The Dajjaal will come to this pond in Marriqanaat – a valley in Madeenah – and most of those who go out to him will be women, until a man will come to his mother in law, his mother, his daughter, his sister and his aunt, and will tie them up strongly for fear that they will go out to him.” (Narrated by Ahmad, no. 5099)
The fitnah of the Dajjaal
The fitnah of the Dajjaal will be the greatest fitnah from the time Allaah created Adam until the Hour begins. This will be because of the mighty miracles that Allaah will create with him, which will dazzle people’s minds and amaze them.
It was reported that he will have a paradise and a hell with him, but his paradise will be his hell and his hell will be his paradise. He will have rivers of water and mountains of bread. He will command the sky to send down rain, and it will rain, and he will command the earth to bring forth vegetation and it will do so. The treasures of the earth will follow him, and he will travel rapidly, like clouds driven by the wind. And he will do other extraordinary feats. All of that was mentioned in the saheeh ahaadeeth. Imaam Muslim narrated in his Saheeh that Hudhayfah (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: “The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: ‘The Dajjaal will be one-eyed, blind in his left eye, and will have thick hair. He will have a paradise and a hell with him, but his paradise will be a hell and his hell will be a paradise.’” (Narrated by Muslim, no. 5222)
Muslim also narrated that Hudhayfah (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: “The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: ‘I know what the Dajjaal will bring with him: he will have two rivers flowing. One will clearly look like water and the other will clearly look like blazing fire. If any one of you sees that, let him choose the river which looks like fire, then let him close his eyes and lower his head and drink from it, for it will be cool water.’” (Narrated by Muslim, no. 5223)
In the hadeeth of al-Nawwaas ibn Sam’aan about the Dajjaal, it is reported that the Sahaabah said: “O Messenger of Allaah, how long will he stay on the earth?” He said, “Forty days: one day like a year, one day like a month, one day like a week, and the rest of the days like your days.” … They said, “How fast will he travel through the earth?” He said, “Like the clouds when they are driven by the wind. He will come to some people and call them, and they will believe in him and respond to him. Then he will command the sky to rain, and the earth to bring forth vegetation, and their cattle will come back to them in the evening, with their humps very high, and their udders full of milk, and their flanks stretched. Then he will come to another people and will call them, but they will reject him. So he will leave them and they will be stricken with famine, with none of their wealth in their hands. He will pass by ruins and will say, ‘Bring forth your treasure!’ – and the treasure will follow him like a swarm of bees. Then he will call a man who is brimming with youth, and will strike him with a sword and cut him in two, then (he will put the pieces apart from one another) the distance of an archer from his target. Then he will call him, and the young man will come forward smiling, with his face shining.” (narrated by Muslim, 5228)
Al-Bukhaari narrated from Abu Sa’eed al-Khudri (may Allaah be pleased with him) that this man whom the Dajjaal will kill will be one of the best people, who will go out to the Dajjaal from the city of the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), and will say to the Dajjaal, “I bear witness that you are the Dajjaal of whom the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) told us.” The Dajjaal will say (to the people): “What do you think – if I kill this man then bring him back to life, will you have any doubts?” They will say, “No.” So he will kill him, then bring him back to life. Then he (the believing man) will say, “By Allaah, I have never been more sure about you than I am today.” The Dajjaal will want to kill him but will not be permitted to. (al-Bukhaari, no. 6599)
According to the hadeeth of Umaamah al-Baahili (may Allaah be pleased with him), the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said of the Dajjaal: “Part of his fitnah will be that he will say to a Bedouin, Do you think that if I resurrect your father and mother for you that you will testify that I am your lord?’ He will say, ‘Yes.’ So two devils will appear to him in the image of his father and mother, saying, ‘O my son, follow him for he is your lord.’” (Narrated by Ibn Maajah, no. 4067. Classed as saheeh by al-Albaani, Saheeh al-Jaami’ al-Sagheer, hadeeth 7752).
Protection against the fitnah of the Dajjaal
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) has taught his ummah about that which will protect them against the fitnah of the false messiah (al-maseeh al-dajjaal). He left his ummah on a path that is clear, and no one deviates from it except the one who is doomed. He did not leave any good thing without pointing it out to his ummah, or any evil thing without warning them against it. Among the things which he warned us against was the fitnah of the Dajjaal, because it is the greatest fitnah which the ummah will face until the Hour comes. Every Prophet warned his ummah against the one-eyed Dajjaal, but Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) was the only Prophet who warned his ummah more about him. Allaah told him many of the attributes of the Dajjaal so that he could warn his ummah. The Dajjaal will undoubtedly emerge among this ummah, because it is the last ummah, and Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) is the Seal of the Prophets. There follow some of the Prophetic guidelines which the Chosen Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) set out for his ummah so that it may be protected against this mighty fitnah, from which we ask Allaah to save us and grant us refuge:
Adhering to Islam, having the right faith and learning the Names and Most Beautiful Attributes of Allaah which are not shared by anyone else. One should know that the Dajjaal will be a human being who will eat and drink, and that Allaah is far above that; the Dajjaal will be one-eyed but Allaah is not one-eyed; no one can see his Lord until he dies, but the Dajjaal will be seen by all people, believers and kaafirs alike, when he emerges.
Seeking refuge with Allaah from the fitnah of the Dajjaal, especially in salaah (prayer). This has been narrated in the saheeh ahaadeeth, such as that narrated from Umm al-Mu’mineen ‘Aa’ishah (may Allaah be pleased with her), the wife of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), who said that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to pray in his salaah: “Allaahumma inni a’oodhu bika min ‘adhaab al-qabri, wa a’oodhu bika min fitnat il-maseeh il-dajjaal, wa a’oodhu bika min fitnat il-mahyaa wa fitnat il-mamaat. Allaahumma inni a’oodhu bika min al-ma’tham wa’l-maghram (O Allaah, I seek refuge with You from the torment of the grave, I seek refuge with You from the fitnah of the Dajjaal, and I seek refuge with You from the trials of life and death. O Allaah, I seek refuge with You from sin and debt).” (Narrated by al-Bukhaari, no. 789)
Muslim narrated that Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: “The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: ‘When any one of you says Tashahhud, let him seek refuge with Allaah from four things, and say: “Allaahumma inni a’oodhi bika min ‘adhaab jahannam wa min ‘adhaab al-qabri wa min fitnat il-mahyaa wa’l-mamaat wa min sharri fitnat al-maseeh al-dajjaal (O Allaah, I seek refuge with You from the torment of Hell, from the torment of the grave, from the trials of life and death, and from the evil of the fitnah of the Dajjaal).”’” (Narrated by Muslim, no. 924)
Memorizing aayaat from Soorat al-Kahf. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) commanded us to recite the opening verses of Soorat al-Kahf against the Dajjaal. According to some reports, the final verses of this soorah was mentioned. This means reciting the first ten verses or the last ten. Among the ahaadeeth narrated concerning this was the lengthy hadeeth narrated by Muslim from al-Nawwaas ibn Sam’aan, in which it says: “Whoever among you sees him (the Dajjaal), let him recite against him the opening verses of Soorat al-Kahf.” (Hadeeth 5228).
Muslim (no. 1342) narrated from Abu’l-Dardaa’ that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever memorizes ten aayaat from the beginning of Soorat al-Kahf will be protected from the Dajjaal” – i.e., from his fitnah. Muslim said: “Shu’bah said, ‘from the end of al-Kahf.’ Hammaam said, ‘from the beginning of al-Kahf.’”
Al-Nawawi said: “The reason for this is because at the beginning of (this soorah), mention is made of wonders and signs, and whoever ponders them will not be deceived by the fitnah of the Dajjaal. And at the end of this soorah, Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): ‘Do then those who disbelieve think that they can take My slaves as awliyaa’ (lords etc.) besides Me?’ [al-Kahf 18:102].” (Sharh Saheeh Muslim, 6/93).
This is one of the special features of Soorat al-Kahf. There are ahaadeeth which encourage reading it, especially on Fridays. Al-Haakim narrated from Abu Sa’eed al-Khudri (may Allaah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever recites Soorat al-Kahf on Friday, it will be a light for him from one Friday to the next.” (al-Mustadrak, 2/368. Classed as saheeh by al-Albaani, Saheeh al-Jaami’ al-Sagheer, hadeeth 6346)
Undoubtedly Soorat al-Kahf is of great significance, containing great aayaat, such as the story of the People of the Cave, the story of Moosa and al-Khidr, the story of Dhu’l-Qarnayn and his building the dam to hold back Ya’jooj and Ma’jooj, proof of the resurrection and the blowing of the Trumpet, and explanation of those whose deeds are most lost, who are those who think that they are guided when in fact they are misguided and blind.
Every Muslim should strive to read this soorah, and to memorize it and read it repeatedly, especially on the best day on which the sun rises, namely Friday.
Fleeing from the Dajjaal and keeping far away from him. The best way is to live in Makkah or Madeenah, and the places which the Dajjaal will not enter. When the Dajjaal emerges, Muslims should keep far away from him, because of the confusion he will cause and the mighty wonders that he will have with him, which Allaah will cause to happen at his hands in order to test mankind. A man will come to him, thinking that he is a strong believer, then he will follow the Dajjaal. We ask Allaah to grant us and all the Muslims refuge from his fitnah.
Imaam Ahmad (19118), Abu Dawood (3762) and al-Haakim (4/31) narrated from ‘Imraan ibn Husayn (may Allaah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever hears of the Dajjaal, let him keep far away from him, for a man will come to him and think that he is telling the truth because of the wonders that are sent with him.”
The death of the Dajjaal
The Dajjaal will die at the hands of the Messiah ‘Eesa ibn Maryam (peace be upon him), as is indicated by the saheeh ahaadeeth. The Dajjaal will appear on earth and will gain many followers, spreading his fitnah far and wide. No one will escape his fitnah except a few of the believers. At that point, ‘Eesa ibn Maryam (peace be upon him) will descend to the eastern minaret in Damascus, and the believing slaves of Allaah will gather around him. He will lead them towards the Dajjaal, who at the time of the descent of ‘Eesa (peace be upon him) will be heading for Bayt al-Maqdis (Jerusalem). ‘Eesa will catch up with him at the gate of Ludd (Lod), a place in Palestine near Bayt al-Maqdis. When the Dajjaal sees him, he will start to melt like salt melting in water, but ‘Eesa (peace be upon him) will say to him, “I have some business with you, you will not get away from me.” Then he will catch up with him and will kill him with his spear. His followers will flee, pursued by the Muslims, who will kill them, and trees and rocks will say, ‘O Muslim, O slave of Allaah, there is Jew behind me – come and kill him!” – apart from the gharqad (box thorn), for it is one of the trees of the Jews.
There follow some of the ahaadeeth narrated about the death of the Dajjaal and his followers:
Muslim (no. 5233) narrated that ‘Abd-Allaah ibn ‘Amr (may Allaah be pleased with them both) said: “The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: ‘The Dajjaal will emerge among my ummah and will stay for forty… Then Allaah will send ‘Eesa ibn Maryam, who looks like ‘Urwah ibn Mas’ood, and he will pursue him and kill him.”
Imaam Ahmad (no. 14920) and al-Tirmidhi (no. 2170) narrated that Majma’ ibn Jaariyah al-Ansaari (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: “I heard the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) say: ‘The son of Maryam will kill the Dajjaal at the gate of Ludd.”
Muslim (no. 5228) narrated a lengthy hadeeth from al-Nawwaas ibn Sam’aan (may Allaah be pleased with him) about the Dajjaal, in which the story of the descent of ‘Eesa and his killing the Dajjaal are mentioned. In this hadeeth the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “… Every kaafir who will smell the fragrance of (‘Eesa) will die, and his fragrance will reach as far as he will be able to see. He will then search for him (the Dajjaal) until he catches up with him at the gate of Ludd, where he will kill him.”
Imaam Ahmad narrated that Jaabir ibn ‘Abd-Allaah (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: “The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: ‘The Dajjaal will emerge at a time when religious commitment is low and knowledge has decreased… Then ‘Eesa ibn Maryam will descend just before dawn and will call people, saying, ‘O people, what is stopping you from coming out against this evil liar?’ They will say, ‘This man is a jinn’, then they will set out. When they reach ‘Eesa ibn Maryam, the time for prayer will come the iqqamah will be given, and it will be said to him, ‘Go forward (to lead the prayer), O Spirit of Allaah.’ He will say, ‘Let your imaam go forward and lead you in prayer.’ When they have prayed fajr, they will go out to meet him (the Dajjaal) and when they see the liar, he will start to dissolve like salt in water. ‘Eesa will go to him and kill him. Even the trees and rocks will call out, ‘O Spirit of Allaah, here is a Jew!’ And none of those who followed him will be left, they will all be killed.” (Hadeeth no. 14426).
When he (may Allaah curse him) is killed, his great fitnah will come to an end. Allaah will save those who believed from his evil and from the evil of his followers, at the hands of the Spirit and Word of Allaah, ‘Eesa ibn Maryam (peace be upon him) and his believing followers. Praise and blessings be to Allaah.
Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid
