The dajjal is a person who is among the Signs of the End of Times, whose appearance was announced by all the prophets to their community. He is a trial against which Muslims actively seek protection from their Lord, the Most High, as recommended by the Messenger of Allah Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him. What is the Islamic ruling regarding his appearance? Is his appearance that of a human or not? That is the theme of the following lines.
Who is the false messiah and what are his names ?
There is an abundance of hadiths about the advent of the Antichrist who is called in Islam ad dajjal. His name does not appear in the Holy Quran. However, in addition to the words of our beloved Prophet Muhammad, may Allah grant him eternal peace and blessings, this creature, found in the Muslim religion as well as in the two other monotheistic religions, is variously called:
- the Liar,
- the false messiah,
- Al Massih Dajjal
- or again the impostor.
As Muslims we acknowledge that he is among the Signs of the End of the World. The latter is named in different ways in the Holy Quran, including the following appellations:
- The Hour
- The Resurrection
- The Event
- The Last Day
- The Truth
Thus the Muslim believes in this Day heavy with consequences for Humanity, but also a happy Day for those who hold firmly to their Meeting with their Creator. The Signs preceding the Meeting with Allah are therefore numerous, and the arrival of the Dajjal is one of them, as the ahadith in the two sahihs, Muslim and Bukhari, inform us.
What are the signs of the End of Times?
Dajjal is among the great forerunning Signs of the Hour. Indeed, the Day of Truth will not arrive before several prophecies of Muhammad, salla Allah alayhi wa salam, have come to pass. These are the minor Signs, most of which have already occurred. Among the Great Signs of the End of Times, it is said that a great famine will last three years before the arrival of the Dajjal.
This creature from the descendants of Adam is described in the sunnah as imposing, and on his forehead will be written Kafir (disbeliever), invisible to the naked eye of men except for the believers among them. He will represent a great threat to men and will present himself to them as a prophet in whom one must believe. Only the believers will be able to read the inscription on his forehead. Their faith with certainty in Allah will save them from this terrible temptation.
According to the following hadith taken from the book Sahih Muslim, the forerunning signs of the Supreme Hour are cited as follows:
Hudhayfa Ben Assis Al-Ghifari reported: the Prophet Muhammad, may the peace and Grace of Allah be upon him, came upon us while we were talking. He said to us: " What were you talking about?" We answered him: " About the Supreme Hour ". He replied: The Supreme Hour will not rise until you see ten forerunning signs. He mentioned the smoke, the Antichrist, the beast, the rising of the sun from its setting place, the descent of Jesus son of Maryam (Mary) - May God grant him His Grace and His Peace -, Yajuj and Majuj (Gog and Magog), three eclipses (…), and the last sign will be a fire that will spring up in Yemen and drive the people to the place of gathering ". (39/2901)
How to protect oneself against the dajjal and what supplication to recite?
It is recommended in the sunnah of our Messenger Muhammad, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, who warns us against the trial of this Liar of the End of Times, to learn the first ten verses of the Surah The Cave (18). He tells us in the prophetic Tradition (ahadith) that reciting every Friday the chapter Al Kahf, or keeping the first ten verses in one's heart, will be, for all believers who apply this, a protection against the dajjal.
The Prophet and Messenger of Allah, salla Allaho alaihi wa salam, said nothing of his own accord or out of passion. His words were inspired by Our Creator or revealed by Him, Azzawajjal, through the Angel Jibril (Gabriel). The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, also had the habit of reciting a supplication in prayer during the last tashahhud, just before the final salutation.
There is therefore no Quranic proof related to the Dajjal, but, even though there is no verse of any surah expressly naming him, the sunnah of our Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, mentions him as follows:
The Messenger of Allah (Salla Allah 'alayhi wa Salam) used to recite this supplication during prayer: " My Lord! I seek Your protection against the punishment of the grave, Your protection against the temptation of the Dajjal, and Your protection against the temptations of the life of this world and those related to death. My Lord! I ask You to protect me against the causes of sin and of (too heavy a financial) responsibility ". [Reported by Al-Bukhari no. 789].
What does the sunnah say about the dajjal ?
Among the numerous ahadith of the Sunnah, a description is detailed there. The dajjal is, according to the hadiths in Muslim:
- One-eyed. His eye protrudes from its socket, and in another version his extinguished eye will be covered with flesh
- His hair very curly
- And between his two eyes will be inscribed the letters "kaf" "fa" "ra" (disbeliever in Arabic), as this prophetic saying reported by Muslim indicates:
Hudhayfa reported that the Messenger of God - May God grant him His Grace and His Peace - said: " I know better than anyone what the Antichrist will bring with him. He will bring two streams of flowing water; the first will appear to the naked eye as white water, and the other as blazing fire. If any of you lives to that time, let him choose what will appear to be fire, let him close his eyes, lower his head and drink of what he believes to be fire, for it will be cold water. Now, the Antichrist will have an extinguished eye covered by a thick piece of flesh. Between his eyes is written the word: disbeliever, which every believer will be able to read, whether literate or illiterate. (105/2934)
Conclusion
The story of the Dajjal and the troubles he will cause on earth at the End of Times is found in numerous ahadith. We know that it is recommended for us to multiply good deeds before his return among men. Young or old, the Muslim seeks to draw closer to Allah Azzawajjal and to remain strong in his faith, hoping not to have to live through this trial. May Allah spare us from it.