The Dajjal – a man created by Allah, who will appear at the end of time because of something that makes Allah angry. He will spread corruption on earth and will claim divinity, calling on people to worship him.
People will be tested by the extraordinary powers that Allah will grant him, such as causing rain to fall, reviving the earth with vegetation and extracting the treasures of the earth.
The Antichrist will be a young man with a ruddy complexion, short of stature, with curly hair. He will be one-eyed; his right eye will be flat and his other eye will have a thick piece of flesh over it. Written between his eyes will be the word “Kafir” (disbeliever). Most of those who follow him will be Jews. He will meet his end at the hands of ‘Isa ibn Maryam (Jesus the son of Mary) who will kill him with a spear in Lod, which is in Palestine.
Al-Maseeh al-Dajjaal is a man from the sons of Aadam. He has a number of features which were mentioned in the saheeh ahaadeeth, including the following: he will be a young man with a ruddy complexion and curly hair, and will be one-eyed, with his right eye looking like a floating grape. Between his eyes will be written “ka’ fa’ ra'” (in unjoined letters) or “kaafir” (disbeliever), which every Muslim, literate or illiterate, will be able to read. Another of his attributes will be that he is sterile, and will have no children. Among the ahaadeeth that describe him are the following:
- Ibn ‘Umar رَضِى اللهُ عَنْه reported that the Messenger of Allaah صَلىَّ اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمْ said: “Whilst I was sleeping, (I dreamt that) I was doing Tawaaf around the House (the Ka’bah).” He mentioned that he saw ‘Eesaa ibn Maryam, upon whom be peace, then he saw the Dajjaal, and he described him: “He is a well-built man, with a ruddy complexion and curly hair. He is one-eyed, with his eye looking like a floating grape. (Al-Haafiz ibn Hajar said in al-Fath, 6/485: i.e., it is sticking out. The word yatfaa, with no hamzah, is used to describe something that is on top of something else. It is likened to a grape which is part of the bunch but sticks out from the rest. Al-Nawawi said: the word has been narrated both with the hamzah and without the hamzah. With the hamzah it means that the light has gone out of the eye, and without the hamzah it means that it is sticking out.) They said: “This is the Dajjaal” (Reported by al-Bukhaari, 13/90, and Muslim, 2/237)
- Ibn ‘Umar رَضِى اللهُ عَنْه also reported that the Messenger of Allaah صَلىَّ اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمْ described the Dajjaal as living among people, and said:
“Allaah, may He be exalted, is not one-eyed, but al-Maseeh al-Dajjaal is one-eyed, and his right eye looks like a floating grape.” (Sahih Muslim 169e)
- ‘Imraan ibn Husayn (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: “I heard the Messenger of Allaah صَلىَّ اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمْ say: “Between the creation of Aadam and the onset of the Day of Judgement, there will be a creation greater than the Dajjaal.” (Reported by Muslim, 18/86). [This means that] the Dajjaal will appear from the East, from Khurasaan, from among the Jews of Isfahaan, then he will travel around the world, leaving no country but he will enter it, except for Makkah and Madeenah, which he will not be able to enter because the angels are guarding them, as is reported in the hadeeth of Abu Bakr al-Siddeeq (may Allaah be pleased with him): “The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) told us that the Dajjaal would appear from a land in the East called Khurasaan.” (Reported by al-Tirmidhi, 6/495); classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Jaami’, section 3398).
It was narrated that Faatimah bint Qays رَضِى اللهُ عَنْها said:
I heard the voice of the caller, the caller of the Messenger of Allaah صَلىَّ اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمْ, saying: Al-salaatu jaami’ah (prayer is about to begin), so I went out to the mosque and I prayed with the Messenger of Allaah صَلىَّ اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمْ. I was in the women’s row that was closest to the people. When the Messenger of Allaah صَلىَّ اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمْ had finished his prayer, he sat on the minbar and he was smiling. He said: “Let each person stay in the place where he just prayed.” Then he said: “Do you know why I called you together?”
They said: Allaah and His Messenger know best. He said:
He said: “By Allah, I did not call you together for an exhortation or for a warning. I have called you together because Tameem al-Daari was a Christian and he came and swore allegiance and became Muslim, and told me something which agrees with what I was telling you about the Dajjaal (false messiah). He told me that he sailed in a ship with thirty men of Lakhm and Judhaam and they were tossed by the waves of the sea for a month. Then they came to an island at sunset. They sat in a small rowing-boat and landed on that island. They were met by a beast with a great deal of hair and they could not distinguish his face from his back because he was so hairy. They said: ‘Woe to you, what are you?’ It said: ‘I am al-Jassaasah.’ They said: ‘What is al-Jassaasah?’ It said: ‘O people, go to this man in the monastery for he keen to know about you.’ He (the narrator) said: When it named a man for us we were afraid of it lest it be a devil. Then we set off, rushing, until we came to that monastery, where we found the hugest man we had ever seen, bound strongly in chains with his hands tied to his neck and his legs bound from the knees to the ankles with iron shackles. We said: ‘Woe to you, who are you?’ He said: ‘You will soon find out about me; tell me who you are.’ They said: ‘We are people from Arabia who embarked on a ship, but the sea became wild and the waves tossed us about for one month, then they brought us to this island of yours. We took to the rowing-boats and landed on this island. We were met by a beast with a great deal of hair and we could not tell his front from his back because he was so hairy. We said: Woe to you, what are you? It said: I am al-Jassaasah. We said: What is al-Jassaasah? It said: Go to this man in the monastery for he is keen to know about you. So we came rushing to you and we fled from it because we could not be sure that it was not a devil.’ He (that chained person) said: ‘Tell me about the date-palm trees of Baysaan.’ We said: ‘What do you want to know about them?’ He said: ‘I am asking you whether these trees bear fruit.’ We said: ‘Yes.’ He said: ‘Soon they will not bear fruit.’ He said: ‘Tell me about the lake of Tabariyyah’ We said: ‘What do you want to know about it?’ He said: ‘Is there water in it?’ They said: ‘There is a great deal of water in it.’ He said: ‘Soon it will dry up.’ Then he said: ‘Tell me about the spring of Zughar (which is in the south of Syria).’ They said: ‘What do you want to know about it?’ He said: ‘Is there water in the spring and do the people grow crops with the water of the spring?’ We said to him: ‘Yes, there is plenty of water in it and the people grow crops with its water.’ He said: ‘Tell me about the Prophet if the unlettered; what has he done?’ We said: ‘He has left Makkah and has settled in Yathrib (Madeenah).’ He said: ‘Do the Arabs fight against him?’ We said: ‘Yes.’ He said: ‘How did he deal with them?’ We told him that he had prevailed over the Arabs in his vicinity and they had shown obedience to him. He said to us: ‘Has it really happened?’ We said: ‘Yes.’ He said: ‘If it is so that is better for them that they show obedience to him. Now I will tell you about myself. I am the Dajjaal and soon I will be given permission to emerge. So I will come out and travel in the land, and will not spare any town but I will stay for forty nights, except Makkah and Taybah (Madeenah). They are both forbidden to me; every time I try to enter one of them, I will be met by an angel with a sword in his hand, who will bar my way, and on every route there will be angels guarding it.’ She said: Then the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) struck the minbar with his staff and said: “This is Taybah, this is Taybah, this is Taybah,” meaning Madeenah. “Did I net tell you this before?” The people said: Yes. [The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said:] “I liked the story of Tameem because it agrees with what I used to tell you about him and about Makkah and Madeenah. But he is in the Syrian Sea (Mediterranean) or the Yemeni Sea (Arabian Sea). No, rather he is in the east, he in the east, he is in the east,” and he pointed towards the east with his hand. She said: I memorized this from the Messenger of Allaah صَلىَّ اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمْ.
Narrated by Muslim in his Saheeh (2942), so it is a saheeh hadeeth. It was also narrated by the scholars in their books, with their isnaads from Faatimah bint Qays رَضِى اللهُ عَنْها. Al-Tirmidhi رَحِمَهُ الله
said in al-Jaami’ al-Saheeh (2253): This is a saheeh ghareeb hadeeth. End quote. Ibn ‘Abd al-Barr said in al-Istidhkaar (7/338): It is saheeh in its isnaad and transmission. End quote.
It was narrated from Anas ibn Maalik that the Messenger of Allaah صَلىَّ اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمْ said: “Seventy thousand of the Jews of Isbahaan wearing large cloaks will follow the Dajjaal.”
Jews are prophesied to be followers of the Dajjal, as narrated by Anas bin Malik:
Anas b. Malik reported that Allah’s Messenger صَلىَّ اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمْ said: The Dajjal would be followed by seventy thousand Jews of Isfahan wearing Persian shawls. (Sahih Muslim 2944)
The Dajjal is prophesied to arrive within seven months of the Fall of Constantinople
Narrated Anas: The Prophet صَلىَّ اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمْ said, “Allah did not send any prophet but that he warned his nation of the one-eyed liar (Ad-Dajjal). He is one-eyed while your Lord is not one-eyed, The word ‘Kafir’ (unbeliever) is written between his two eyes.” (Sahih al-Bukhari 7408)
Anas b. Malik reported that Allah’s Messenger صَلىَّ اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمْ said: There is never a prophet who has not warned the Ummah of that one-eyed liar; behold he is one-eyed and your Lord is not one-eyed. On his forehead are the letters k f. r. (Kafir). (Sahih Muslim 2933a)
Madeenah will be cleansed of kaafirs and hypocrites at the time of the Dajjaal.
It was narrated from Anas ibn Maalik رَضِى اللهُ عَنْه that the Prophet صَلىَّ اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمْ said: “There is no city that the Dajjaal will not enter, except Makkah and Madeenah. He will not approach any of their alleyways but there will be angels standing guarding it. Then Madeenah will be shaken with its people three times, and Allaah will bring forth every kaafir and hypocrite.”
Anas b. Malik reported that Allah’s Messenger صَلىَّ اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمْ said: There will be no land which would not be covered by the Dajjal but Mecca and Medina, and there would no passage out of the passages leading to them which would not be guarded by angels arranged in rows. Then he (the Dajjal) would appear in a barren place adjacent to Medina and it would rock three times that every unbeliever and hypocrite would get out of it towards him. (Sahih Muslim 2943a)
The Holy Prophet صَلىَّ اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمْ said: “The false Messiah (Dajjal) would live on earth for 40 days (i.e., after his release from his chains) in which one day would be like a year, one day would be like a month, one day would be like a week, and all (the rest of) his days would be like your days.” (Sahih Muslim)
“The Dajjāl is a young man with curly hair. [One] eye of his is blind. I can liken him to ‘Abdul ‘Uzzā ibn Qatān. Whoever comes across him from amongst you, he should recite the opening verses of Sūrah al Kahf upon him. He will emerge from a place between Shām and Iraq and will spread mischief right and left. O Slaves of Allāh! Remain firm [against him].”
The Companions inquired,
“O Allāh’s Messenger صَلىَّ اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمْ , How long will he (Dajjāl-the Anti- Christ) stay on earth?”
The Prophet صَلىَّ اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمْ replied,“40 days; a day like a year, a day like a month, a day like a week and the remaining days will be like your [normal] days.”
The Companions asked,
“O Messenger of Allāh صَلىَّ اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمْ , [on] that day that will be like a year; will the prayers of one day be sufficient for us?” He answered, “No, [rather] at that time make calculations [for the timings of the prayers]”
The Companions then asked,“How quick will be his (Dajjāl-the Anti- Christ) pace on earth?”
He replied,
“Like rain that is driven by wind. He will approach a community and invite them [to accept his divinity] and they will believe in him and respond to his call. He will then order the sky [to rain] and consequently it will rain. He will give an order to the earth and subsequently it will bring forth produce. Their herds will return to them in the evening with their humps as high as ever, their udders full and their flanks stretched.
He will then go to [another] community and invite them however they will reject his claim [to divinity]. He will then leave them and they will [end up] being afflicted with drought. All of their wealth will be gone from their hands.
He (Dajjāl-the Anti- Christ) will pass by a [land in] ruins and say to it, “Bring forth your treasures.” As a result its treasures will [come out and] follow him like a swarm of bees. Then he will call a man brimming with youth and strike him with a sword. He will cut him in two pieces and place [each piece] as far [from each other] as a target from an archer. He will then summon him and he will come forth with his face gleaming and laughing.
Protection from Dajjal
The Prophet صَلىَّ اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمْ taught his ummah how they can protect themselves from the evil of the fitnah of the Dajjaal, as is reported in the hadeeth of Abu Hurayrah رَضِى اللهُ عَنْه , who said that the Messenger of Allaah صَلىَّ اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمْ said:
“When any one of you pronounces the Shahaadah, let him seek refuge with Allaah from four things, and let him say: ‘Allaahumma innee a’oodhu bika min ‘adhaab jahannam, wa min ‘adhaab al-qabr, wa min fitnati’l-mahyaa wa’l-mamaat, wa min sharri fitnati’l-maseeh al-dajjaal (O Allaah, I seek refuge with You from the punishment of Hell, from the punishment of the grave, from the trials of life and death, and from the evil of the tribulation of the Dajjaal).” (Muslim, 588a).
Another way of protecting oneself is by memorizing the first aayaat of Soorat al-Kahf. The Prophet صَلىَّ اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمْ enjoined reciting the first verses of Soorat al-Kahf against the Dajjaal, by reciting the first ten verses, as was reported by al-Nawwaas ibn Sam’aan, who said that the Prophet صَلىَّ اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمْ said:
“Whoever of you encounters him (the Dajjaal), let him recite the first verses of Soorat al-Kahf against him.” (Sahi Muslim). Abu’l-Dardaa’ رَضِى اللهُ عَنْه reported that the Prophet صَلىَّ اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمْ said:
“Whoever memorizes ten aayaat from the beginning of Soorat al-Kahf will be protected from the Dajjaal.” (Sahi Muslim 809a).
