The trial of Al-Dajjal
Question:
We heard about the story of Fitnah (trial) of Al-Masih-ul-Dajjal (the Antichrist), that he will command the sky to rain and the earth to produce and bring out its treasures, and kill a man and revive him again. Our teachers say that what Al-Dajjal will do will not be real, they will be illusions by which he will delude people. Appreciate your guidance may Allah guide you!
Answer:
It is authentically reported from the Prophet (peace be upon him) that Al-Masih Al-Dajjal will appear at the end of time and will command the sky to rain, so it will, and command the earth to bring forth vegetation, so it will. He will kill a Mu’min (believer) and order him to come back to life, so he will. Afterwards, Al-Dajjal will tell the man: “I am your lord”, the man will reply: “You have told a lie, you are the One-Eyed Liar of whom the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) told us. By Allah I have only become more certain of you (i.e. your identity).” Al-Dajjal will then want to kill him, but he will not be permitted to do so. He (Al-Dajjal) will also claim deism. The Prophet (peace be upon him) has clarified three signs indicating his lie in claiming deism.
The first of which is that he is one-eyed (blind in his right eye) and Allah (Exalted be He) is not one-eyed. The second is that the word Kafir (disbeliever) is written between his eyes, and this word will be read by every literate and illiterate believer. The third is that he will be seen in the worldly life, while Allah (Exalted be He) will only be seen in the Hereafter.
This is denoted in the Hadith narrated on the authority of Al-Nawwas ibn Sam’an (may Allah be pleased with him) in Sahih Muslim in the Chapter on Mentioning the Afflictions of Al-Dajjal regarding the saying of the Prophet (peace be upon him): “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.” 1
The Prophet (peace be upon him) also said: “Then he will call a man brimming with youth, and will strike him with a sword and cut him in two pieces, then (he will move the pieces apart from one another) the distance between an archer and his target. Then he will call him, and he (the man) will come forward smiling, his face beaming with joy.” 2
In another narration by Muslim, Abu Sa’id Al-Khudry (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated: “A person being the best of men or the best amongst men, will go out to him (Al-Dajjal) and say, “I bear witness that you are the Dajjal (the Antichrist) of whom the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) told us.” Al-Dajjal will say, “What do you think if I kill the man then bring him back to life, will you have any doubts (in me)? They will say, “No.” So, he will kill him then bring him back to life. The man (the believer) will thereafter say, “By Allah, I have never been more certain about you than I am now. Al-Dajjal will then want to kill him (again) but he will not be permitted to do so.” 3
Muslim also narrated: “Al-Dajjal will have water and fire with him. His fire will clearly look like water and his water will clearly look like blazing fire, so do not destroy yourselves.” 4
This last Hadith is the one indicating artifice (Qumrah), but the rest of the events will be a real fact that Allah will bring about at the hands of Al-Dajjal together with the evidence of his lie in claiming deism, as a Fitnah (Trial) through which good and evil will be distinguished. Muslim (may Allah have mercy upon him) said: Abu Khaythamah Zuhayr ibn Harb told us on the authority of Al-Walid ibn Muslim on the authority of ‘Abdul-Rahman ibn Yazid ibn Jabir on the authority of Yahya ibn Jabir Al-Ta’iy, The judge of Homs on the authority of ‘Abdul-Rahman ibn Jubayr on the authority of his father Jubayr ibn Nufayr Al-Hadramy that he heard Al-Nawwas ibn Sam`an Al-Kilaby.
Also, Muhammad ibn Mahran Al-Razy told me by the same sanad (chain of narrators) regarding the narration of Al-Nawwas ibn Sam`an that: “He (Al-Dajjal) will come to some people and call them, and they will believe in 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, their udders full of milk, and their flanks stretched. Then he will come to another group of people and 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.” 5
In the Hadith also: “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 beaming with joy.“…etc. 6
In another narration by Muslim on the authority of Abu Sa’id Al-Khudry reads: “A person being the best of men or the best amongst men, will go out to him (Al-Dajjal) and say, “I bear witness that you are the Dajjal (the Antichrist) of whom the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) told us.” Al-Dajjal will say, “What do you think if I kill the man then bring him back to life, will you have any doubts (in me)? They will say, “No.” So, he will kill him then bring him back to life. The man (the believer) will thereafter say, “By Allah, I have never been more clear-sighted than I am now. Al-Dajjal will then want to kill him (again) but he will not be permitted to do so.” 7 Kitab Al-Fitan (Book of Trials), Al-Masih-ul-Dajjal (the Antichrist) Chapter, Part 18
Muslim, Sahih, Book on trials and signs of the Hour, no. 2937; Al-Tirmidhi, Sunan, Book on trials, no. 2240; and Ahmad, Musnad, vol. 4, p. 182. ↩
Muslim, Sahih, vol. 8, p. 197; and Ibn Mandah, Al-Iman, no. 1027. ↩
Muslim, Sahih, vol. 8, p. 199. ↩
Al-Bukhari, Sahih, Book on trials, no. 7130; and Muslim, Sahih, Book on trials and signs of the Hour, no. 2934. ↩
Muslim, Sahih, Book on trials and signs of the Hour, no. 2937; Al-Tirmidhy, Sunan, Book on trials, no. 2240; and Ahmad, Musnad, vol. 4, p. 182. ↩
Muslim, Sahih, Book on trials and signs of the Hour, no. 2937; Al-Tirmidhy, Sunan, Book on trials, no. 2240; Ibn Majah, Sunan, no. 4075. ↩
Al-Bukhari, Sahih, Book on Hajj, no. 1882; Muslim, Sahih, Book on trials and signs of the Hour, no. 2938; and Ahmad, Musnad, vol. 3, p. 36. ↩
- Chairman : Shaykh Abdul-Aziz ibn Baz
- Deputy Chairman : Shaykh Abdul-Razzaq Al-Afifi
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