Bismillaahir-Rahmaanir-Raheem
The Narration And The Creed:
Al Imaam Aboo Ja’far At-Tahaawee (d. 321 A.H) said:
“And we have faith in the signs of the end of the time, among them are: coming out of the False Messiah…” (Aqeedah at-Tahaawiyyah).
Al Imaam Ahmad Abee ‘AbdiLlaah said:
“To have faith that the Maseeh Ad-Dajjaal is to come out, there being written within his eyes “Kaafir…” (Usool As-Sunnah point. 35). Al Imaam Al-Qurtubee said:
“To have faith in the Dajjaal and his coming out is truth: This is the school of thought of Ahl As-Sunnah wa Al-Jama’ah, the generality of the people of jurisprudence and narration, opposite to those who reject it like Al-Khawaarij and Al Mu’tazillah…”(At Tadhkirah vol.3 p.1282).
Classical Misinterpretation:
Al Imaam Qurtubee mentioned:
"Some of the people had misinterpreted: Written between his two eyes, K-a-a-f-i-r. They say: If this is to be taken apparently, the believer and unbelievers would be parallel in understanding it. (The Imaam said:) This is deviation and distortion from the reality of the narration… the reading ability of the unbelievers is not necessary, because Allah The High would impede them from comprehending it…"(At-Tadhkirah vol.2 p.1282).
An-Nawaawee said:
"The authentic position that the scholars are upon is, the mentioned inscription is real, Allah made it a glare sign to belie the Dajjaal, thus Allah will make it glare to the believers and hidden to those whom He intended his misfortune." (Qissah Al-Dajjaal p.14)
Recent Misinterpretation:
(The Imposter) Mirza Ghulam Ahmad states:
“The word Dajjaal has two connotations: First, it signifies a group which supports falsehood and works with cunning and deceit. Secondly, it is the name of the Satan who is the Father of all falsehood and corruption.” (Haqiqat-ul-Wahi, RuhaniKhazain Volume 22, Pae 326).
(The Imposter) Mirza Ghulam Ahmad also states:
“Dajjaal in fact is none other than the people known as Christian missionaries and European philosophers. They act like the two jaws of the Promised Dajjaal with which he devours people’s faith like a python. First it is the common and ignorant people who get caught in the wiles of the missionaries; and then, those who happen to escape their clutches being disgusted with the disgraceful and false beliefs, are caught in the net of the European philosophers. I see that the common people are more vulnerable to the lies of the clergy, whereas the intellectual ones are more susceptible to the falsehood spread by the philosophers.”(Kitaab-ul-Bariyyah, RuhaniKhazain, Volume 13, Pages 252-253, footnote)
Qaadee Al ‘Iyaadh said:
"There is evidence in these narrations for Ahlus Sunnah on the reality of the existence of (Maseeh) Ad-Dajjaal, he is a specific personality that Allah afflicted His slaves with, he will be capable of doing many things; like reviving the dead that he killed, emergence of fertile land, rivers, paradise and hell, being the controller of the treasure of the land, commanding the sky and will fall the rain, the land will grow vegetation. All these will occur with the Wish of Allah, the He will incapacitate him, the he will not be able to kill the man or anyone else, and then his affair would be faulted and would be killed by (Nabiyy) ‘Eesaa the son of Maryam. Some of the Khawaarij and Mu’tazillah and Jahmiyyah contradict this; they refuted his existence and the authentic narrations." (Al-Qissah p.12).
Al Imaam Aboo ‘AbdirRahmaan Naasirddeen Al-Albaanee said:
"By Allah, indeed having faith in all the textual evidences (on the coming out of the False Messiah) to be symbol or (giving it) false interpretation is a faith that does not worth a penny and has no value to Allaah" (Al-Qissah p.22).
WAYS TO SEEK PROTECTION FROM HIS TRIALS 1) Seeking refuge with Allah The Most High from the evil of his trial, to be saying it as much as possible; especially at the last at tashshahud in the prayer.
(As Sana’aanee said: This narration is an evidence of seeing refuge from what was mentioned, it is the school of thought of Adh-Dhaahiriyah, Ibn Haazm said: It also prooves the obligation of saying it in the initial at tashshaahud acting upon the generality of the wording in Bukhaaree and Muslim [Subulus Salaam vol.1 p.272, Shaykh Mashoor Aal Salmaan also mentioned it in Al-Qawl Al-Mubeen].
Seeking refuge from his trial is a general issue (not restricted to salah alone)…
2) To memorize first ten verses of Surah Al Kahf.
3) To move far away from it, not to show up in front of him, except if he knows that he (False Messiah) cannot harm him, because of the trust in his Lord , and could identify him with the signs the Prophet –sallaLlaahu ‘alayhiwasallam- described him with.
4) To leave in either Makkah or Madinah.This is meant for the believers only; who fulfil the rights of living in them (Summarised from Qasas Al-Maseeh Al Dajjaal pp.31-35).
POINTS OF BENEFITS
1. Descriptive prowess of the Prophet sallaLlaahu ‘alayhiwasallam till the companions – radiyyaLlaahu ‘anhu- could visualise the presence of the dajjaal.
2. Psychological alertness of the prophet sallaLlaahu ‘alayhiwasallam about the well-being of his companions till he could read the fear in the face.
3. The False Messiah will come out (will not be born) as a youth (not as a baby).
4. He is filthy one eyed man from the children of Aadam.
5. His first day on earth will be like a year (360 days), second day will be like a month (30 days), and the third day will be like a week, and all other thirty seven days will be like the normal days (Sharh,
Riyaadhus-Saaliheen vol.6 pp.612-613).
