Central to the Signs of the Latter Days is the appearance of a Monstrous Being called or identified as Dajjal or Massihul Dajjal in the terminology of Islam, about whom a lot of Ahadith had been narrated. The phenomenon is known as the Anti-Christ in Christian terminology. The Dajjal or anti-Christ will unleash on humanity the greatest tribulations (fitna) and mischief of all times or since the Creation of Adam (as). There are many other signs set out in the Holy Qur’an. But first, we will examine some of the highly illuminating Ahadith on the appearance of Dajjal.
The first Hadith is a lengthy one narrated by Al-Nawas ibn Sama’an Al-Kilabi (Muslim Sahih), and reported in Riyadus Saliheen of Imam an-Nawawi (with English Translation by Sir Zaffrulah Khan published by Islam Publication Bureau pp. 824-827; and Dar Al-Manarah Publication No.1053 p.1185-1190). The highlights of the Hadith are as follows:
- Shortly after the appearance of the Dajjal and during his mischiefs, Allah will raise Massih Isa Maoud (the Promised Messiah) at the White Minaret in the East of Damascus.
- The Dajjal will manifest some wonders, some of which include:
- Ordering the sky to rain and it will rain
- He will order the earth to produce plants and it will do
- Cutting a human being into two and re-instating him to life
- His cattle will be very fat and produce plenty of milk such that the milk of a cow will be sufficient for a hamlet
- He will move with the speed of cloud
- He will impoverish the people who refuse to obey him and then exploit their poverty to enslave them.
- He will come to a swampy land and order their resources of and they will follow him like bees follow drone.
- He will spread everywhere on land and sea and wreak mischief all over
- In the process of the activities of the Dajjal, Allah will raise Massih Issa ibnu-Maryam (as) who will descend in the East of Damascus at the white minaret.
- Massih Issa ibnu-Maryam (as) will then chase Dajjal and catch him at the Gate of Lud and kill him.
- Gog and Magog (Yaajuj and Maajuj) will then emerge and will be exceedingly militarily powerful, and emerge between Greater Syria and Iraq;
- Allah will then send revelation to Massih Issa ibnu-Maryam Nabiyyu-Ullah to gather his companions to the Mount Toor for prayer for He, Allah, had sent men to the world whom no one can conquer in war.
- Massih Issa ibnu-Maryam Nabiyy-Ullah (as) will then pray to Allah and Allah will raise Daabal Ardhi that will strike Gog and Magog in the neck as a result of which they will all die in one Day such that dead bodies will fill the whole ground that will leave no space to place a foot.
Some other well-known narrations in Sahih Bukhari and Muslim narrated by several companions (including Hazrat Umar, Abu Huraira, and Anas, Zainab bint Jahsh, and recorded in Sahih Bukhari and Muslim mentioned that Dajjal will
- have fire and water and what appears to be his fire will be paradise, and what appears to be his water and paradise will be hell fire;
- be one-eyed, the right eye will be diseased and the left eye will be very bright;
- have KAFIR written on his forehead or between his eyes
- have some type of donkey, which will have very long ears and will announce its flight and convey people in its abdomen and fly to desired destinations;
- have some type of donkey that will consume coal and emit fire;
- have several lengths of days, someday will be the length of one month, some days like weeks and some like days;
- Gog and Magog will appear and will come through a hole as a result of which calamity will befall the Arabs and many will perish in the Middle East, as a result of increasing evil.
The Holy Prophet (SAW) was reported in a Hadith that when Muslims encounter Dajjal, they should recite the first ten verses of Suratul Kahf and the last ten verses. Those verses speak of those who ascribe a Son to God, worship Allah’s messenger or make a jest of him. This clearly indicates that modern Christianity and Atheism constitute the anti-Christ or Dajjal. It is thus clear that Dajjal in his spiritual dimension symbolizes Latter-Day false Christian doctrines of the sonship of God, or God as the Messiah Son of Mary and the doctrine of Trinity which are diametrically opposed to the pure teachings of Jesus (as), as well reported in the New Testament and Holy Qur’an. Suratul Maryam (19) v. 37 reports Jesus (as) as declaring: “Surely Allah is my Lord and your Lord, so worship Him, and this is the Right Path”. In the New Testament, we read in Matt 4:10 where Jesus (as) said “Get thee hence, Satan, thou shall worship the Lord Thy God, and Him only shall thou serve”, and in Mark 12:29-32, he is reported to have declared: “And Jesus answered him: The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel, The Lord our God is one Lord (v.29). And thou shall love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment (v.30). And the second commandment is like, namely this: Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandments greater than these (v.31). And the Scribe said unto him, Well, Master, thou hast said the truth: for there is one God; and there is none other but He (v.32).” This is also reported in Matt: 22:37. In Matt. 6:9-13 we have our Lord’s prayer: “Our father which art in heaven, hallowed be Thy Name ….. for Thine is the Kingdom, the Power and the Glory, forever, amen”. This indicates that the Kingdom, the Power and the Glory belongs to God forever, as opposed to modern Christian teaching saying that the Kingdom and the Power belong to Jesus!
There is no doubt that we are living presently in the latter days from the Ahadith above. It is obvious from the Ahadith rendered above that the sign of Dajjal ordering the sky to rain and it will rain and ordering the earth to produce plants and it will. We have seen the tremendous achievement in agriculture through vast irrigation systems and hybrid plants that produce immense yields. We have also seen modern medical feats. Modern exotic cows producing more than 30 litres of milk have led to a situation where milk is available in abundance for the poor and the rich alike. Movement of modern means of transportation that are extremely fast. He will decide the future of poor countries by impoverishing them and making subservient. The swampy land that produces plenty of resources may be referring to Niger Delta areas in Nigeria and some other countries with swampy land producing crude oil while the people are no masters of their resources. He will appear between Syria and Iraq, which has been happening at any rate and wreak a lot of mischiefs all over the world.
With all these signs, no one would be left in doubt as the fact that Al-Dajjal having appeared, the Promised Messiah, Isa ibn Maryam, should also have appeared. The Holy Prophet (SAW) said in that Hadith, that if Dajjal were to appear while he, the Holy Prophet (saw), he would argue with him and defend the Muslims. This means that a major instrument of the promised Messiah is unassailable arguments, apart from prayers.
The next episode, Insha Allah, will elucidate the signs of the Latter Days in the Holy Qur’an.
Mashhud Fashola
