Removing The Doubts: The Existence Of al-Dajjaal

بـسـم الله والحـمـد لله والـصلاة والـسـلام عــلى رسـول الله، وبـعـد

Introduction:

Alhamdulillaah! With the advent of technology, the access to any Aayah of the Qur’aan or a Hadeeth is only a click away. And so many Islaamic literatures have been translated and are available over the internet free of charge.

But like everything in this world, it has its advantages and disadvantages. One of the bigger issues seen nowadays is that the young ones* among us are taking everything available over the internet, neither confirming the sources nor checking the authenticity.

* (By the young ones I don’t mean the ones young in age, rather the ones young in `Ilm. Those who have not yet learned the Usool of fiqh, or Hadeeth or Tafseer, neither are they firm in their `Aqeedah.)

There are websites by the Shias, the “Qur’aaniyoon” (the so called “Qur’aan only” sect, those who clearly reject the Ahaadeeth irrespective of its authenticity), the Qaadiyanees, the Ash`arees, the Jahmees, the Soofees and the list goes on. Then there are the enemies of Islaam who try to create doubts in the hearts of the Muslims regarding their faith and who attack Islaam and the Muslims openly. One has to be really careful about the websites he is visiting.

Then there is another issue with these young ones, which is a reason for the confusion and deviation from the true path and that is, by trying to interpret the Ayaat and the Ahaadeeth with their own understanding and judgment, and not approaching the scholars for their doubts. So you see them either giving wrong interpretations or rejecting the text itself because it does not fit their “logic”. You will find them rejecting a Hadeeth, not on the basis of its chain of narration, but rather only because they did not understand it or it was not appealing to their reason.

Authentication of a Hadeeth is not based on one’s logic, reason, desires or dreams. Rather, it has its conditions and set of rules, which the people who study the Usool (principles) of Hadeeth are aware of.

Here is one such Hadeeth, the famous Hadeeth of Tameem al-Daaree, and his encounter with the Dajjaal. The Hadeeth with its Chain of narration is authentic and it is reported by Imaam Muslim in his Saheeh, but still, people doubt its authenticity.

The Hadeeth:

`Aamir b. Sharaheel reported that he asked Fatimah bint Qais, the sister of ad-Dahhaak bin Qais and she was amongst the first the emigrant women: Narrate to me a Hadeeth which you had heard directly from Allaah’s Messenger صلى الله عليه وسلم and there is no extra link in between them. She said: Very well, if you like, I am prepared to do that, and he said to her: Well, do It and narrate that to me. She said: I married the son of Mugheerah and he was a chosen young man of Quraish at that time, but he fell as a martyr in the first Jihad (fighting) on the side of Allaah’s Messenger صلى الله عليه وسلم. When I became a widow, `Abdul-Rahmaan bin `Auf, one amongst the group of the Companions of Allaah’s Messenger صلى الله عليه وسلم, sent me the proposal of marriage. Allaah’s Messenger صلى الله عليه وسلم also sent me such a message for his freed slave Usaamah bin Zaid. And it had been conveyed to me that Allaah’s Messenger صلى الله عليه وسلم had said (about Usaamah): “He who loves me should also love Usaamah”. When Allaah’s Messenger صلى الله عليه وسلم talked to me (about this matter), I said: My affairs are in your hand. You may marry me to anyone whom you like. He said: “You better shift now to the house of Umm Shareek”. And Umm Shareek was a rich lady from amongst the Ansaar. She spent generously for the cause of Allaah and entertained guests very hospitably. I said: Well, I will do as you like. He said: “Do not do that for Umm Shareek is a woman who is very frequently visited by guests and I do not like that your head may be uncovered or the cloth may be removed from your shank and the strangers may catch sight of them which you abhor. You better shift to the house of your cousin `Abdullaah bin `Amr bin Umm Maktum” - and he is a person of the Bani Fihr branch of the Quraish, and he belonged to that tribe (to which Fatimah) belonged. So I shifted to that house, and when my period of waiting was over, I heard the voice of an announcer making an announcement that the prayer would be observed in the Masjid (where) congregational prayer (is observed).

So I set out towards that Masjid and observed prayer along with Allaah’s Messenger صلى الله عليه وسلم and I was in the row of the women which was near the row of men. When Allaah’s Messenger صلى الله عليه وسلم had finished his prayer, he sat on the pulpit smiling and said: “Every worshipper should keep sitting at his place.” He then said: “Do you know why I had asked you to assemble?” They said: Allaah and His Messenger know best. He said: “By Allaah. I have not made you assemble for exhortation or for a warning, but I have detained you here, for Tamim al-Daaree, a Christian, who came and accepted Islaam, told me something, which agrees with what I was-telling, you about the Dajjaal. He narrated to me that he had sailed in a ship along with thirty men of Bani Lakhm and Bani Judham and had been tossed by waves in the ocean for a month. Then these (waves) took them (near) the land within the ocean (island) at the time of sunset. They sat in a small side-boat and entered that Island. There was a beast with long thick hair (and because of these) they could not distinguish his face from his back. They said: Woe to you, who can you be? Thereupon it said: I am al-Jassaasah. They said: What is al-Jassaasah? And it said: O people! Go to this person in the monastery as he is very much eager to know about you. He (the narrator) said: When it named a person for us we were afraid of it lest it should be a Devil. Then we hurriedly went on till we came to that monastery and found a well-built person there with his hands tied to his neck and having iron shackles between his two legs up to the ankles. We said: Woe be upon you, who are you? And he said: You would soon come to know about me. But tell me who are you? We said: We are people from `Arabia and we embarked upon a boat but the sea-waves had been driving us for one month and they brought as near this island. We got into the side-boats and entered this island and here a beast met us with profusely thick hair and because of the thickness of his hair his face could not be distinguished from his back. We said: Woe be to you, who are you? It said: I am al- Jassaasah. We said: What is al-Jassaasah? And it said: You go to this very person in the monastery for he is eagerly waiting for you to know about you. So we came to you in hot haste fearing that that might be the Devil. He (that chained person) said: Tell me about the date-palm trees of Baisan. We said: About what aspect of theirs do you seek information? He said: I ask you whether these trees bear fruit or not.

We said: Yes. Thereupon he said: I think these would not bear fruits. He said: Inform me about the lake of Tabariyya? We said: Which aspect of it do you want to know? He said: Is there water in it? They said: There is abundance of water in it. Thereupon he said: I think it would soon become dry. He again said: Inform me about the spring of Zughar. They said: Which aspect of it you want to know? He (the chained person) said: Is there water in it and does it irrigate (the land)? We said to him: Yes, there is abundance of water in it and the inhabitants (of Madeenah) irrigate (land) with the help of it, He said: Inform me about the unlettered Prophet; what has he done? We said: He has come out from Makkah and has settled In Yathrib (Madeenah). He said: Do the Arabs fight against him? We said: Yes. He said: How did he deal with him? We informed him that he had overcome those in his neighborhood and they had submitted themselves before him. Thereupon he said to us: Had it actually happened? We said: Yes. Thereupon he said: If it is so that is better for them that they should show obedience to him. I am going to tell you about myself and I am Dajjaal and would be soon permitted to get out and so I shall get out and travel in the land, and will not spare any town where I would not stay for forty nights except Makkah and Madeenah as these two (places) are prohibited (areas) for me and I would not make an attempt to enter any one of these two. An angel with a sword in his hand would confront me and would bar my way and there would be angels to guard every passage leading to it; then Allaah’s Messenger صلى الله عليه وسلم striking the pulpit with the help of the end of his staff said: This implies Tayyibah meaning Madeenah. Have I not, told you an account (of the dajjal) like this?” The people said: Yes. (The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said): “And this account narrated by Tamim al-Daaree was liked by me for it corroborates the account which I gave to you in regard to him (Dajjaal) at Madeenah and Makkah. Behold he (dajjal) is in the Syrian sea (Mediterranian) or the Yemen sea (Arabian sea). Nay, on the contrary, he is In the east, he is in the east, he is in the east, and he pointed with his hand towards the east.” I (Fatima bint Qais) said: I preserved It In my mind (this narration from Allaah’s Messenger صلى الله عليه وسلم.

Authenticity of the Hadeeth:

The Hadeeth was reported by Imaam Muslim in his Saheeh (7028). It was also reported by Abu Dawood (4326), Tirmidhee (2253) and it was graded as “Saheeh” by Shaikh al-Albaanee. All of them report it on the authority of Fatimah bint Qais رضي الله عنها.

This Hadeeth, in its shorter form, is also reported by Abu Yu`laa in his Musnad (2/112-113) on the authority of Jaabir bin `Abdullaah رضي الله عنه and its chain is “Hasan”.

The Hadeeth, about the existence of Dajjaal and al-Jassaasah, is authentic in its chain (of narration) as well as in its text; and it is free from defect. There is no Muhaddith (to the best of my knowledge) who has denied or doubted the authenticity of this Hadeeth.

The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم attested what Tamim al-Daaree رضي الله عنه had said. And we also believe in it.

Supporting evidence:

The fact that Dajjaal does exist is also proven from the following Hadeeth:

Narrated `Abdullaah (bin `Umar bin al-Khattaab) رضي الله عنهما: The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم mentioned the Maseeh Al-Dajjaal in front of the people saying: “Allaah is not one eyed while Maseeh, Al-Dajjaal is blind in the right eye and his eye looks like a bulging out grape. While sleeping near the Ka`bah last night, I saw in my dream a man of brown color the best one can see amongst brown color and his hair was long that it fell between his shoulders. His hair was lank and water was dribbling from his head and he was placing his hands on the shoulders of two men while circumambulating the Ka`bah. I asked, 'Who is this?' They replied, 'This is `Eesaa, son of Maryam.' Behind him I saw a man who had very curly hair and was blind in the right eye, resembling Ibn Qattaan (i.e. an infidel) in appearance. He was placing his hands on the shoulders of a person while performing Tawaaf around the Ka`bah. I asked, 'Who is this?' They replied, 'The Maseeh, Al-Dajjaal.'" [Saheeh al-Bukhaaree (3440, 5902, 6999) and Saheeh Muslim (251, 252, 253)]

Where is the location?

Allaah knows best where it is. And the fact – that the whole world has been explored and there is no sign of that island – does not affect the authenticity of this Hadeeth. Only because we did not find it, not necessarily mean that it does not exist.

By Allaah! Allaah mentioned Ya’jooj and Ma’jooj and how they are being held within a barrier:

{Then he (Dhul-Qarnain) followed (another) way * Until, when he reached between the two mountains, he found before (near) them (those two mountains) a people who scarcely understood a word. * They said: “O Dhul-Qarnain! Verily, Ya’jooj and Ma’jooj (Gog and Magog people) are doing great mischief in the land. Shall we then pay you a tribute in order that you might erect a barrier between us and them?” * He said: "That (wealth, authority and power) in which my Lord had established me is better (than your tribute). So help me with strength (of men), I will erect between you and them a barrier. * “Give me pieces (blocks) of iron;” then, when he had filled up the gap between the two mountain-cliffs, he said: “Blow;” then when he had made them (red as) fire, he said: “Bring me molten copper to pour over them.” So they (Ya’jooj and Ma’jooj) could not scale it or dig through it.} [Surah al-Kahf (18): 92-97]

So, should we also reject the above ayaat only because we failed to find the location of that barrier? No, by Allaah! We believe in what Allaah and His Messenger صلى الله عليه وسلم informed us.

When will the Dajjaal appear?

Again, only Allaah knows best. And the fact – that more 1400 years have passed and still there is no sign of Dajjaal – does not affect the authenticity of this Hadeeth either.

Narrated Anas رضي الله عنه: Allaah's Messenger صلى الله عليه وسلم said: “The last Hour and I have been sent like these two” (and he would join his forefinger and middle finger.) [Saheeh al-Bukhaaree (6504 and also 4936, 5301, 6503, 6505) and Saheeh Muslim (5249 and also 1441, 5248, 5250, 5251)]

The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said that he and the last hour are so close; but still after that, more than 1400 years have gone by, so it doesn’t mean that the Qiyaamah is not going to come. Verily everything has its appointed time.

Verily! The coming of the Dajjaal is from the greater signs of the Qiyaamah, but before that, there are other prophesies which should be fulfilled. And Subhaan-Allaah! We have seen so many prophesy already being fulfilled.

So, we end this by saying: “We reject the one who rejects these Ahaadeeth.”

  

From the people who rejected this Hadeeth was Abu A`laa al-Maudoodee, Allaah have mercy on him. Even though he believed in the coming of the Dajjaal, but unfortunately he did not believe in this Hadeeth of Tameem al-Daree.

He said in Rasaail wa Masaail vol. 1:

“The thing which I called as fiction (afsaana) is the thought that the Dajjaal has been locked somewhere.”

He also said:

“The Messenger of Allaah صلى الله عليه وسلم used to think that the Dajjaal would come out in his time, or close to his time. However, 1350 years passed away and many long generations came and went, yet the Dajjaal did not come out. So it is confirmed that what the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم thought did not prove true!!”

And he further said:

“Indeed, 1350 years have passed…yet the Dajjaal has not come out, so this is the reality.”

And he also said:

“It is confirmed that everything which is related in the ahaadeeth of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم concerning the Dajjaal is the opinion and analogical deduction of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم and it is a doubtful misgiving from his affair.”

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If a person like al-Maudoodee رحمه الله can fall into such errors, then we are more prone into falling into greater mistakes than this. Allaah’s help is sought.

Allaah keep us firm upon the straight path; and make us see the truth as truth and to accept it; and make us see falsehood as falsehood and to reject it.