In a world saturated with noise, distraction, and competing ideologies, two of the most critical responsibilities facing every Muslim today are simultaneously urgent and interconnected: the duty to share Islam with sincerity and wisdom, and the imperative to understand — and guard against — the greatest deception in human history. Shaykh Yusuf Estes, founder of Guide US TV and one of America’s foremost voices in Islamic outreach, joined The Deen Show to address both: the deeply personal obligation of Dawah (calling people to the way of Allah) and the prophesied emergence of the Dajjal, the one-eyed false messiah whose fitnah will be unlike anything creation has ever witnessed. These two topics, Dawah and the Dajjal, are more connected than most realise — because a believer prepared with knowledge, rooted in faith, and engaged in calling others to truth is precisely the believer least vulnerable to being deceived.
The Forgotten Duty: Practical Dawah Every Muslim Can Do
One of the most common misconceptions in the Muslim community is that Dawah is the exclusive domain of scholars, imams, and professional preachers. Shaykh Yusuf dismantled this notion clearly, drawing on the words of the Prophet ﷺ himself. The conversation explored how Muslims can overcome nervousness, find common ground, and make meaningful connections — not by memorising a sales pitch, but by leading with sincerity, preparation, and an authentic relationship with Allah. The concept of Dawah itself comes from the Arabic root da’a, meaning to call — and just as du’a is calling upon Allah, Dawah is calling people toward Him. Shaykh Yusuf’s framework began not with clever conversation tactics, but with the night prayer: waking before dawn, performing wudu, praying tahajjud, and crying to Allah to open doors — because every fruitful encounter in the day is preceded by a sincere investment in the night. Practical tips from the episode include:
- Start with theology of words: Learning the etymology of names like “Jerusalem” (Dar al-Salam — place of peace) or “Palestine” (Philistine from the Bible) creates natural, curiosity-driven conversations without forcing the topic.
- Find the common ground of the Creator: Whether speaking to a Hindu, Christian, atheist, or secular Muslim, almost every human being has a latent awareness that something created existence. Begin there.
- Know your audience: Tailor your approach — a computer programmer, a housewife, and a theology student each need a different entry point into the same truth.
- Share even one ayah: Bismillah ar-Rahman ar-Rahim brought one man from Judaism to Islam. Alhamdulillahi rabb il-‘alamin (“Lord of the Worlds” — plural) convinced another man that Islam answers the question of life beyond this planet. One verse can change a life.
- Emphasise Tawheed first: The oneness of Allah is the message of every prophet — don’t get sidetracked by peripheral controversies before establishing the foundation.
- Provide a reference point: Directing someone to a website, a Quran translation, or a resource they can explore privately — on their own terms, in their own time — is often more effective than trying to win an argument on the spot.
“Convey from me even if it’s only one ayah.” — Prophet Muhammad ﷺ (Sahih al-Bukhari)
The Dajjal: Knowing the Liar Before He Arrives
The word Dajjal derives from the Arabic dajala, meaning to smear, to cover, to deliberately obscure — and that etymology is itself a warning. The Dajjal will be the ultimate deceiver: a human being who will emerge from the east, from Khurasaan, and specifically from among the Jews of Isfahan. He will travel the entire earth in forty days — one day like a year, one day like a month, one day like a week — entering every city except Makkah, Madinah, the mosque of Sinai, and Masjid al-Aqsa, which will be guarded by angels. His physical description is consistent across dozens of authentic hadith: young in appearance, ruddy complexion, short, with thick curly hair, a wide forehead and broad upper chest — and crucially, defective in both eyes. His right eye will be non-functional, like a floating grape; his left eye will be covered with a thick fold of skin. Between his eyes, the word kaafir will be written in clear Arabic letters, visible to every believer — literate or not — and concealed from every disbeliever. The fitnah he will bring is unprecedented: he will command the sky to rain and it will rain; he will command the earth to produce vegetation and it will; he will appear to resurrect the dead, split a man in two and revive him, and possess what appears to be both a paradise and a hell — though his paradise is in truth his hell, and his hell is in truth cool water. The Prophet ﷺ emphasised Surah al-Kahf as the primary protection, and the scholars note that its opening and closing verses contain reminders of divine sovereignty and the vanity of worldly spectacle — precisely the antidote to the Dajjal’s conjured wonders. Key facts believers must know:
- He is not yet here: The signs preceding him — including the descent of ‘Eesa ibn Maryam (Jesus, peace be upon him) — have not occurred. Political events, economic crises, and technology are not evidence of his arrival.
- He will be killed by ‘Eesa ibn Maryam: Jesus will descend to the eastern minaret of the great mosque in Damascus, pursue the Dajjal, and kill him at the gate of Ludd (Lod) in Palestine, where he will dissolve like salt in water.
- His followers will be numerous but identifiable: Seventy thousand Jews of Isfahan will follow him, as will many Bedouin and women — not out of evil, but out of ignorance and susceptibility to what is visually spectacular.
- Surah al-Kahf is the prophylactic: Memorising the first or last ten verses of Surah al-Kahf protects against the Dajjal’s fitnah. Reading it every Friday brings light from one Friday to the next.
- Seek refuge in every prayer: The Prophet ﷺ taught us to seek refuge from the fitnah of the Dajjal in the Tashahhud of every salah — making protection against him a daily, embedded practice, not a one-time supplication.
- Distance is safety: Whoever hears of the Dajjal should keep far from him — the strength of his signs is such that a man who considers himself a firm believer may be swayed upon seeing them directly.
“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’.” — Prophet Muhammad ﷺ (Sahih al-Bukhari, no. 6598)
The pairing of Dawah and the Dajjal in a single conversation is not coincidental — it reflects a profound Islamic principle: the believer who is spiritually grounded, theologically informed, and actively engaged in calling others to truth is the very person least likely to be deceived when the greatest deception arrives. The Dajjal’s power lies in spectacle; the believer’s immunity lies in knowledge, remembrance of Allah, and sincerity of purpose. Every conversation we have about the oneness of Allah, every ayah we share, every night prayer we perform seeking guidance for our Dawah — these are not separate acts of piety but a single, continuous preparation. Islam is not a private faith to be practised in silence; it is a complete way of life that includes bearing witness to the truth before all of creation, with wisdom, compassion, and the certainty that comes from worshipping the One God — on His terms, in His way, until the day He ends what He began.
