A Test for the People at the End of Time


The Hadith of Al-Mughirah Ibn Shubah:

Al-Mughirah Ibn Shubah said, "No-one asked the Prophet more questions about the Dajjal than I did. He said, 'You should not worry about him, because he will not be able to harm you.' I said, 'But they say that he will have much food and water! He said, 'He is too insignificant in the sight of Allah to have all that.' (Muslim.)

Al-Mughirah Ibn Shubah said, "No-one asked the Prophet more questions about the Dajjal than I did." One of the narrators said, "What did you ask him?" Al-Mughirah said, "I said, 'They say that the Dajjal will have a mountain of bread and meat, and a river of water. The Prophet said, 'He is too insignificant in the sight of Allah to have all that.' (Muslim.)

From these Hadith, we can see that Allah will test His servants with the Dajjal and by the miracles which he will be permitted to perform: as we have already mentioned, the Dajjal will order the sky to rain for those who accept him, and will order the earth to bring forth its fruits so that they and their livestock will eat of it, and their flocks will return fat and with their udders full of milk. Those who reject the Dajjal and refuse to believe in him will suffer drought and famine; people and livestock will die, and wealth and supplies of food will be depleted. People will follow the Dajjal like swarms of bees, and he will kill a young man and bring him back to life. This is not a kind of magic; it will be something real with which Allah will test His servants at the end of time. Many will be led astray, and many will be guided by it. Those who doubt will disbelieve, but those who believe will be strengthened in their faith.

Al-Qadi 'Iyad and others interpreted the phrase "He is too insignificant in the sight of Allah to have all that" as meaning that the Dajjal is too insignificant to have anything that could lead the true believers astray, because he is obviously evil and corrupt. Even if he brings great terror, the word Kafir will be clearly written between his eyes; one report explains that it will be written "Kaf, Fa, Ra," from which we can understand that it will be written perceptibly, not abstractly, as some people say. One of his eyes will be blind, protruding and repulsive; this is the meaning of the Hadith: "...as if it were a grape floating on the surface of the water." Other reports say that it is "dull, with no light in it," or "like white spittle on a wall," i e, it will look ugly.

Some reports say that it is his right eye which will be blind; others say that it is his left eye. He could be partly blind in both eyes, or there could be a fault in both eyes. This interpretation could be supported by the Hadith narrated by al-Tabarani, in which he reports that Ibn 'Abbas said, "The Prophet said, "The Dajjal is curly-haired and white-skinned. His head is like the branch of a tree; his left eye is blind, and the other eye looks like a floating grape." One may ask: if the Dajjal is going to cause such widespread evil and his claim to be a "lord" will be so widely believed - even though he is obviously a liar, and all the Prophets have warned against him - why does the Qu'ran not mention him by name and warn us against his lies and stubbornness? The answer is:

1. The Dajjal was referred to in the Surah 6.Al-Anaam (Cattle) verse 158:
"Are they waiting to see if the angels come to them, or thy Lord (Himself), or certain of the signs of thy Lord! the day that certain of the signs of thy Lord do come, no good will it do to a soul to believe in them then if it believed not before nor earned righteousness through its faith. Say: "Wait ye: we too are waiting."

Abu Hurayrah said, "The Prophet said, 'There are three things which, when they appear, no good will it do a soul to believe in them then, if it believed not before nor earned righteousness through its Faith. They are: The Dajjal, the Beast, and the rising of the sun from the west.' "

2. Isa (Jesus) son of Mary will descend from Heaven and kill the Dajjal, as we have already mentioned. The descent of Isa (Jesus) is mentioned in the Surah 4.An-Nisa, verse 157, 158 & 159:

 "That they said (in boast), "We killed Isa the son of Mary, the Apostle of Allah";- but they killed him not, nor crucified him, but so it was made to appear to them, and those who differ therein are full of doubts, with no (certain) knowledge, but only conjecture to follow, for of a surety they killed him not:-

Nay, Allah raised him up unto Himself; and Allah is Exalted in Power, Wise;-

And there is none of the People of the Book but must believe in him before his death; and on the Day of Judgment he will be a witness against them;- "

3. The Dajjal is not mentioned by name in the Qu'ran because he is so insignificant: he claims to be divine, but he is merely a human being. His affairs are too contemptible to be mentioned in the Qu'ran. But the Prophets, out of loyalty to Allah, warned their people about the Dajjal and the tribulations and misguiding miracles he would bring. It is enough for us to know the reports of the Prophets and the many reports from the Prophet Mohammad. One could argue that Allah has mentioned Pharaoh and his false claims, such as Surah 79.An-Naziat (Those Who Drag Forth) Ayah 24:

"Saying, "I am your Lord, Most High".

And the Surah 79. 28. Al-Qasas (The Story) Ayah 38:

"Pharaoh said: "O Chiefs! no god do I know for you but myself: therefore, O Human! light me a (kiln to bake bricks) out of clay, and build me a lofty palace, that I may mount up to the god of Moses: but as far as I am concerned, I think (Moses) is a liar!" " ,

This can be explained by the fact that Pharaoh and his deeds are in the past, and his lies are clear to every believer. But the Dajjal is yet to come, in the future; it will be a Fitnah and a test for all people. So the Dajjal is not mentioned in the Qu'ran because he is contemptible; and the fact that he is not mentioned means that it will be a great test. The facts about the Dajjal and his lies are obvious and do not need further emphasis. This is often the case when something is very clear. For example, when the Prophet was terminally ill, he wanted to write a document confirming that Abu Bakr would be the Khalifa after him. Then he abandoned this idea, and said, "Allah and the believers will not accept anyone other than Abu Bakr." He decided not to write the document because he knew of Abu Bakr's high standing among the Shahadah (Companions) and was sure that they would not choose anyone else.

Similarly, the facts about the Dajjal are so clear that they did not need to be mentioned in the Qu'ran. Allah did not mention the Dajjal in the Qu'ran because He subhanahu wa Ta’ala  knew that the Dajjal would not be able to lead His true servants astray; he would only increase their faith, their submission to Allah and His Messenger, their belief in the Truth, and their rejection of falsehood.

For this reason the believer whom the Dajjal overpowers will say, when he revives him, "By Allah, it has only increased my understanding that you are the one-eyed liar about whom the Prophet spoke."

Abu Hurayrah said, "The Prophet said, 'The Hour will not come until the Muslims fight the Jews and kill them. When a Jew hides behind a rock or a tree, it will say, "O Muslim, O servant of Allah! There is a Jew behind me, come and kill him!" All the trees will do this except the box-thorn (al-Gharqad), because it is the tree of the Jews.' " (Ahmad)