CLASS 3
FEATURES & ATTRIBUTES OF DAJJAAL
The Dajjaal’s Physical Features
One-Eyed, Blind in the Other
Allah’s messenger ﷺ said, “The Dajjāl is one-eyed, his left eye, and very hairy. He will have with him a paradise and a fire, but his fire is actually a paradise and his paradise actually a fire. (Muslim, Ahmad & Ibn Majah)
Also the Prophet ﷺ mentioned al-Masīḥ al-Dajjāl then said: “Certainly, Allah does not conceal things from you; Allah is surely not one-eyed, blind. (The prophet then pointed to his eye.) And the Dajjāl Messiah is indeed one-eyed, his right eye, his eye resembling a floating grape”. (Bukhari & Muslim)
Some other ahadeeth where the prophet ﷺ said,
“Allah is certainly not one-eyed, but the Dajjāl Messiah is one-eyed, his right eye, as if his eye is a floating grape. I was shown in a dream one night that near the Ka’bah there was a reddish-brown-complexioned man from the best looking men. His hair fell between his shoulders and it was anointed with water trickling down from his head. He had his hands placed on the shoulders of two other individuals so that he was between them, circling the house (Ka’bah). I asked, “Who is this?” They said, “The Messiah, the son of Mary.” I then saw a man behind him with very curly hair and blind in his right eye. Of those I have seen, Ibn Qaṭan most closely resembles him. He too had his hands on the shoulders of two others, circling the house. I asked, “Who is this?” They replied, “The Dajjāl Messiah.” (Bukhari & Muslim)
“Shall I tell you a statement about the Dajjāl that no other prophet before me told his people? He is indeed one-eyed (blind in one). And he will come with what appears to be paradise and fire. What he says is paradise is actually the fire. I am warning you about him similar to how Noah warned his people”. (Bukhari & Muslim)
“I warn you about him just as every other prophet warned his people about him; Noah warned his people about him. But I will tell you a statement about him that no other prophet told his people: You must know that he is one-eyed (blind in one) and surely Allah is not one-eyed”. (al-Bukhārī, Muslim, Abū Dāwūd, and al-Tirmidhi)
One of His Eyes is Green like Glass
Ubayy Ibn Ka’b R.A. said that the Prophet ﷺ mentioned the Dajjal with him and said, “His eye is green like glass”. (Aḥmad and Abū Na’īm and al-Albānī says it is authentic)
Written Between His Eyes is: (Kāfir) “Disbeliever”
The prophet ﷺ said,”There was no prophet except that he warned his nation about the one-eyed liar. He is indeed one-eyed (blind in one) and surely your Lord is not one-eyed. Written between his two eyes is: (ر ف ك kā fā rā)”. (Bukhari & Muslim)
In a similar ḥadīth the companions reported that Allah’s messenger ﷺ said on the day he was warning people about the Dajjal: “Written between his two eyes is: (كافر) kāfir – “disbeliever”. Whoever hates his actions will be able to read it, or every believer will be able to read it. Know that not a single one among you will ever see his Lord until he dies”. (Muslim)
The wording in the hadīth that states, “Written between his two eyes is: كافر) kāfir – ‘disbeliever’)” has come in many narrations, unanimously reported through many chains of narrators (i.e. they are mutawātir), from many companions including: Anas, Abū Bakrah, Muā’dh, Abū Umāmah, Jābir, and Asmā Bint ‘Umays (may Allah be pleased with them all). Yet some may still ask, “How will a Muslim who does not know how to read be able to read what is written between the Dajjal’s eyes? Is the word actually and literally written there?” Ibn Ḥajar answers this in Fatḥ alBārī:
His statement, “Every believer, literate or illiterate, will be able to read it,” informs about something that is real and actual. This is because Allah creates the perception within a worshipper’s sight however he wants, whenever he wants. This will be something a believer will perceive without his sight (alone) even if he cannot read or write. And a disbeliever will be unable to see it even if he can read and write just as a believer may see proofs with his eyes and perception that a disbeliever cannot realize. So Allah will create for a believer such perception without having ever learned…
And his statement, “Whoever hates his actions will be able to read it,” is understood to mean the believers in general, and it could even mean only some of them – those whose faith is strong.
And Ibn Ḥajar continues: And his statement, “Every believer, literate or illiterate, will be able to read it,” does not necessitate that the writing is not real and actual. Rather, Allah is capable of giving an illiterate (believer) the knowledge of perception so that he can read it, even if he had never before known how to read or write. It is as if there is a subtle secret in that both literate and illiterate (believers) will be able to read that which is appropriate (for them) because all others who see him will only perceive that he is blind (i.e. unable to read “disbeliever”) and Allah knows best.33
In another wording from Muslim, the prophet ( مّوسل عليه اهلل ىّصل ( said: » مَكْتُوبٌ بَيْنَ عَيْنَيْهِ : كَافِرٌ ، ثُمَّ تَهَجَّاهَا : ك ف ر ، يَقْرَؤُهُ كُلُّ مُسْلِم.ٍ« …Written between his two eyes is: كافر)kāfir – “disbeliever”). Then spelled them (the letters) out: ر ف ك) kā fā rā). Every Muslim will be able to read it. (Muslim)
al-Nawawī says explaining this ḥadīth in his explanation of Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim:
In other narrations, the wording is, “Every believer, literate or illiterate, will be able to read it.” What is correct is what the scholars (who study narrations) hold in that this writing is taken on its apparent meaning – that it is real. It is real, literal writing which Allah makes as one of the clearly convincing signs of his (the Dajjal’s) disbelief, his deceit and falsehood. Allah ( تعاىل ( will make this plain to every Muslim, literate or illiterate, and he will conceal it from anyone for whom he wishes distress and tribulations. There is nothing that contradicts that (apparent, real meaning). al-Qāḍī mentions other statements contrary to this understanding. While some said it is actual writing as we have stated, others said it is metaphorical and symbolic of his speech. They use this same statement as their proof, “Every believer, literate or illiterate, will be able to read it,” but this is a weak understanding.
He is Huge
Imam Ahmad collected from Ibn ‘Abbas R.A. that Allah’s messenger ﷺ saw the Dajjāl. When asked about him, he ﷺ said: “I saw him having a huge, bloated body”. (classed as Hasan by Albani)
Also, in the long hadith in Sahih Muslim in which the Prophet ﷺ described Tamīm al-Dārī’s meeting with the Dajjāl, he ﷺ said “…the most enormous man we had ever seen”. (Muslim) (Full hadeeth discussed under the topic, has anyone seen dajjaal)
He is Short, Curly-Haired, & Pigeon-Toed
The Prophet ﷺ said, “I have surely informed you about the Dajjal so much that I feared you would not comprehend (it all). The Dajjal Messiah is a short man, pigeon-toed*, with twisted, curly hair. He is one-eyed – one eye with the edge of its eyelid not clearly distinguished, neither bulging nor sunken. If you become confused about him then know that your Lord is not one-eyed. (Abu Dawood & Ahmad; authenticated by Albani)
*The Arabic word used here, (afḥaj), is someone whose feet point inwards, his ankles far apart, and the middle of his legs spread out. (Lisān al-‘Arab)
He is White with a Large, Very Round Head
Allah of messenger ﷺ described Dajjaal and said, “One-eyed (blind in the other), white, as if his head is large and very round*. The one who most resembles him among people is ‘Abdul-‘Uzzá Ibn Qaṭan”**. When people become destroyed (by his deceit), then (know that) your Lord is not one-eyed. (Ahmad & Ibn Habban; authenticated by Albani)
*The Arabic word used to describe his head, أَصَلَة (aṣalah), is explained as being large and very round in Lisān al-Arab. However, commenting on the ḥadīth in al-Silsilah al-Ṣaḥīḥah (no. 1193), al-Albānī said, “It is said it is a large, yet short snake, and the Arabs used to compare someone’s small head that moves frequently with that of a snake as is mentioned in al-Nihāyah.”
** Ibn Qaṭan was a man from Bani al-Muṣṭaliq from Khuzā’ah. al-Zuhrī said he died in the pre-Islamic period of ignorance. Fatḥ al-Bārī (13/98)
Commenting on this ḥadīth in al-Silsilah al-Ṣaḥīḥah, al-Albānī says: The ḥadīth is explicit in that the greater Dajjal is a human being. He has human descriptions especially since he the prophet ﷺ compared him to ‘Abdul- ‘Uzzá Ibn Qaṭan.
He continued: The ḥadīth is one of the many evidences proving the falsehood of some people who misinterpret the Dajjal, claiming he is not actually a man. They say it is symbolic representing European culture, its influence and temptations. But the Dajjal is actually a man and his tribulations are much greater than that just as the authentic ḥadīth collectively indicate and support. We seek protection with Allah from him.
The Dajjaal will Have No Children
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “The Dajjāl will have no children, and he will not enter Medina or Mecca”. (Ahmad, Sahih Jami according to Albani)
The Dajjaal’s Stay & Travels
The Length of the Dajjaal’s stay on Earth
In the well-known ḥadīth in Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim, al-Nawwās Ibn Sam’ān R.A. said: We asked, “Messenger of Allah ﷺ, and how long will he remain on earth?” He ﷺ answered: “…Forty days: one day as long as a year, one day as long as a month, one day as long as a week, and the remainder of his days will be like your normal days”.
We further asked, “Messenger of Allah, the day which is as long as a year, will the prayers of a single day (i.e. five) be enough for us during that day?” He ﷺ said: “No, calculate during it its proper amount (of prayers)”.
Explaining these forty days mentioned in the ḥadīth, Imām al-Nawawī says: The scholars say that this ḥadīth is to be understood upon its apparent, literal meaning in that the (first) three days will be as long as is mentioned in the ḥadīth. And his statement, “and the remainder of his days will be like your normal days” indicates this (literal meaning).
And about the statement, “No, calculate during it its proper amount,” al-Nawawī continues: After the time of the morning prayer, when there has passed the length of time between it and the afternoon prayer like every other day, then pray the afternoon prayer. Then when the length of time from then until the late afternoon prayer normally passes, pray the late afternoon prayer. And from then, when the (typical) length of time until sunset has passed, then pray the sunset prayer and likewise the night prayer, then the morning prayer...” ( Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim biSharḥ al-Nawawī)
His Travels Throughout the Earth
In a long ḥadīth collected by Imām Muslim from al-Nawwās Ibn Sam’ān R.A. the Prophet ﷺ was asked, “Messenger of Allah, and what about (the speed of) his travels throughout the earth?” He ﷺ answered: “…Like the rain driven by the wind. (Muslim)
The Dajjaal, however, will be unable to enter Mecca or Medina as the Prophet ﷺ said: “There is no land the Dajjāl will not enter except Mecca and Medina. There is not a single path leading to them except that there are angels in rows guarding them. Medina will then be shaken by three earthquakes whereby Allah will remove every disbeliever and hypocrite (from Medina)”. (Bukhari & Muslim)
Has Anyone Seen the Dajjaal?
Yes, several people have actually seen the Dajjāl.
The Prophet ﷺ himself
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “During my night of ascent, I saw Moses, a tall brownish man with curly hair as if he were one of the men of the Shanūah (tribe). I also saw Jesus, a man of medium height with between red and white complexion and straight hair. And I saw (the angel) Mālik, the keeper of the fire, and the Dajjāl among the signs Allah showed me. So do not be in doubt of meeting him”. (Bukhari & Muslim)
The Prophet ﷺ saw the Dajjāl with his own eyes, not in a dream. When asked about him, he ﷺ said: “I saw him having a huge, bloated body.” (Ahmad; classed as Hasan by Albani)
Tamīm al-Dārī & His Companions
In a long ḥadīth in Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim, Fāṭimah Bint Qays ( رضي الله عنها ) narrated the following story:
“…I hear the caller of Allah’s messenger ﷺ calling for prayer so I went to the mosque and prayed with the messenger of Allah ﷺ. I was in the women’s row right behind the men. After Allah’s messenger ﷺ finished his prayer, he sat on the pulpit, smiling and said:
Let every person remain in the place he has prayed.
He ﷺ then asked: “Do you know why I have gathered you all?”
They said, “Allah and his messenger know best.”
He ﷺ then said: “By Allah, I did not gather you to advise you, instilling within you hope or fear. Rather, I gathered you because Tamīm al-Dārī used to be a Christian, but he has come to pledge allegiance and accept Islam. He has related to me a narrative that is consistent with what I have told you of the Dajjāl Messiah. He told me that he sailed on a ship with thirty others from (the tribes of) Lakhm and Judhām. The waves tossed them in the ocean for a month until they approached an island in the sea at sunset. They then boarded smaller boats, came to the island, and went ashore. They were met by a huge beast with thick, dense hair; they could not tell its front from its back because of so much hair”. They said, “Woe to you, what are you?” It replied, “I am al-Jassāsah.” They further asked, “And what is al-Jassāsah?” It said, “Oh people, go to the man in the abandoned monastery, for he is anxious to hear news from you.” When it (the beast) had named a man among us, we fled from it, fearing it was a devil.
He (Tamīm al-Dārī) continued: We quickly left until we entered the abandoned monastery, and behold, we found in it the most enormous man we had ever seen.
He was severely shackled with both of his hands chained to his neck and iron shackles from his knees to his ankles. We said, “Woe to you, what are you?” He replied, “You will soon know of me. So tell me who you are.” They answered, “We are a people from the Arabs. We were sailing in a ship when the sea suddenly began tossing us, the waves tossing and turning us for a month. We then headed toward this island of yours, boarded our boats and came ashore. A huge beast met us having so much thick hair that its front could not be distinguished from its back. We asked it, ‘Woe to you, what are you?’ and it told us it was al-Jassāsah. We then asked, ‘And what is al-Jassāsah?’ but it only told us, ‘Proceed to the man in the monastery as he is anxious to hear your news.’ So we quickly came to you, terrified of it, not knowing if it was a devil or not.”
He (the shackled man in the monastery) said, “Tell me about the date trees of Baysān.” We asked, “What do you want to know about them?” “I am asking you about its date palms, do they yield fruit?” he asked. We told him, “Yes.” He then said, “Surely, they will soon produce no fruit.” He said, “Tell me about Lake Tiberius.” We again asked, “What do you want to know about it?” He asked, “Is there water in it?” and we answered, “There is plenty of water in it.” He then said, “Surely, its water will soon be gone.” He further said, “Tell me about the spring of Zughar (in al-Shām).” They said, “What do you want to know about it?” He said, “Does it have water and do its people irrigate their land with its spring water?” We answered, “Yes, it has plenty of water and the people irrigate with its water.” The man then asked, “Tell me about the prophet of the illiterate people, what has he done?” We responded, “He has left Mecca and settled in Yathrib (Medina).” He further asked, “Have the Arabs fought against him?” We said, “Yes.” “How has he dealt with them?” So we told him that he has prevailed over the neighboring Arabs and they have now obeyed him. He asked, “Has it actually happened?” and we answered, “Yes.” He then said, “It is certainly better for them to obey him.”
He (the man) continued, “I will now tell you about myself. I am the Messiah.*
Soon I will be allowed to leave. I will then emerge and travel throughout the earth for forty days, leaving not a single village except that I will enter it with the exception of Mecca and Ṭaybah (Medina) for they are both forbidden for me. Each time I try to enter either of them, an angel will confront me with an unsheathed sword in his hand, preventing me from entering. And there is upon every path leading to them angels guarding them.”
Fāṭimah Bint Qays ( رضي الله عنها ) continued: Allah’s messenger ﷺ then said,
striking the pulpit with his staff: “This is Ṭaybah, this is Ṭaybah, this is Ṭaybah (meaning Medina). Have I not told you similar to that?”
The people answered him, “Yes.”
“The story of Tamīm has delighted me as it coincides with what I have told you about him (the Dajjāl) and about Medina and Mecca. He is in the Sea of al-Sham or the Sea of Yemen. No, rather he is in the East, he is in the East, he is in the East”.
He then pointed toward the East.” She (Fāṭimah Bint Qays) concluded, “I memorized this from the messenger of Allah ﷺ (Muslim)
*In the shorter version of the narration collected by al-Tirmidhī, when asked, “Who are you?” he explicitly replied, “I am the Dajjāl.” See al-Albānī’s Ṣaḥīḥ Sunan al-Tirmidhī (no. 1837).
Dajjaal is not a system as claimed by some
The above Hadeeths prove that
Dajjal is a person who is chained, Tamim Dari saw him and spoke to him. If Tamim Dari was lying then Allah would have told the Prophet ﷺ and he would have refuted his claim.
Dajjal is in the east from Medina.
Also in a hadeeth about how Dajjal will be defeated, it is mentioned that he would be killed by Eisa (Alaihi salam) by a lance, and his blood will be on the lance. (Will be discussed in future classes)
So it should be clear that Dajjal isn’t just a symbol or a system but a person in actual.
Tomorrow InShaAllah we will study about the Fitna of Dajjaal.
TIPS FOR THE TEST
Do not have to memorize the Ayahs & ahadeeth word for word but get a good understanding about what it means and the message in it.
Remember the signs.
ATTENDANCE/ASSIGNMENT
Please do this assignment before taking the test, there will be a question asked about the Assignment worth 10 marks in the test: -
I. Invite atleast 15 people to the course (can invite via WhatsApp, Facebook, Email, telegram or word of mouth) 3 Marks. (check the note below for exceptions)
Note:
Those who have already invited whether on Whatsapp, Email or FB, do not need to invite again.
It does not matter, whether people join or not, our job is to invite.
II. Talk to 5 people (friends or family) about any three topics from the course - (5 Marks)
III. Make Dua for the Muslims that are being oppressed around the world and also for those who are not to get their acts right and start helping the Ummah. (2 Marks)
Please take this assignment as a motivation to start talking about Islam and make it part of your regular day (even if you do not know too much, spread the little that you know, as the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said “Convey from me, even if it is one verse”, most of us are too shy to talk about Islam but are ok to talk about anything under the sky.
May Allah make us all amongst those who call others to good by spreading the Deen of Allah and help us in this noble path.
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