The True Story of Dajjal - Part 1

The True Story of Dajjal - Part 1 - Dr. Bilal Philips

Opening

(السَّلَامُ عَلَيْكُمْ وَرَحْمَةُ اللَّهِ وَبَرَكَاتُهُ - Assalamu alaykum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh)

(بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ - Bismillahir-Rahmanir-Rahim)

Khutbat al-Hajah (Sermon of Necessity)

Indeed all praise is due to Allah. And as such we should praise Him, seek His help and seek His forgiveness. And we should seek refuge in Allah from the evil which is within ourselves and the evil which results from our deeds. For whomsoever Allah has guided, none can misguide. And whomsoever Allah has allowed to go astray, none can guide. And I bear witness that there is no God worthy of worship but Allah. And I bear witness that Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم is the last messenger of Allah.

The most truthful form of speech is the book of Allah.

(وَخَيْرَ الْهَدْيِ هَدْيُ مُحَمَّدٍ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - Wa khayral-hadyi hadyu Muhammadin sallallahu alayhi wa sallam)

And the best source of guidance was the guidance brought by Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم

(وَشَرَّ الْأُمُورِ مُحْدَثَاتُهَا - Wa sharral-umuri muhdathatuha)

And the most evil of all affairs are the innovations in religion.

(فَإِنَّ كُلَّ مُحْدَثَةٍ بِدْعَةٌ - Fa inna kulla muhdathatin bid'ah)

For every innovation in religion is a cursed innovation.

(وَكُلَّ بِدْعَةٍ ضَلَالَةٌ - Wa kulla bid'atin dalalah)

And every cursed innovation is a source of misguidance.

(وَكُلَّ ضَلَالَةٍ فِي النَّارِ - Wa kulla dalalatin fin-nar)

And all misguidance leads ultimately to the hellfire.

Introduction: Continuing the Story of Dajjal

Brothers and sisters, we continue in this khutbah to look at the story, the true story of Dajjal.

And in the previous khutbah, we spoke about the importance of knowing about Dajjal. Where Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم stressed this knowledge. So much so that he added it as a dua at the end of our daily prayers.

And the Sahaba said that he used to teach us this dua the way that he taught a verse from the Quran. Meaning that this is not something minor, insignificant, in passing. The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم mentioned it.

This is something he stressed. And as we said in the previous khutbah, Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم had said that it would be the most difficult, the most horrendous trial that humankind would face from the time of the creation of Adam until the end of the world.

Who is Dajjal? A Human Being

So we looked at who this individual was. And we clarified in those descriptions given by the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم that Dajjal was a man, was an individual. And he cannot be reinterpreted as some have done today. You can find on the internet those who claim that Dajjal is the United Kingdom, Britain.

As the Protestants back in the 15th century claimed that Dajjal was the Pope, the head of the Catholics. Dajjal is a particular human being. At least the Christians got it right, he was a man.

May have been the wrong man, but at least they had it clear that he was a man. Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم after describing the features of his face, his neck, his build, how he would walk, all of these different things, he went on to say that there is a particular individual amongst them by the name of Abdul Uzza ibn Qatan, who was from, he identified from the Mustalaq clan of the Khuza'a tribe in pre-Islamic times. He was known to the people.

That's who Dajjal most looks like.

The Story of Ibn Sayyad

And in his own time, in Medina, there was an individual by the name of Ibn Sayyad, a man, Ibn Sayyad. Word spread in Medina that he was able to read people's minds.

This is recorded in Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim. He was able to read people's minds. And the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم set off with Umar ibn al-Khattab to go and meet him.

And he asked him to read what was in his mind. And he said, Al-Dukh, Al-Dukh. Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم had in his mind Al-Dukhan. He got a piece of it.

Indicating that he was obviously working with what we might call supernatural forces. But we know those supernatural forces are the forces of the jinn. And when the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم from that confirmed that he wasn't in fact Dajjal.

But the suspicion lay in the mind of Umar ibn al-Khattab. Umar asked permission to go and kill him. And the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم had said, If he was Dajjal, you wouldn't be able to kill him.

And if he wasn't, then I would be known as killing my followers. Because he was among the people of Medina who were supposed to have been a Muslim. Or killing the people of Medina.

Again, this was a human being. The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم confirmed that he wasn't in fact Dajjal. If Dajjal was not a person, then this would not have been an issue talked about at all.

The Encounter of Tamim Ad-Dari

After this, one of the companions by the name of Tamim Ad-Dari, who was a former Christian who converted to Islam, who had set off on a ship with other companions to the east, the far east, and the ship became shipwrecked on an island.

And he had an experience there on the island. When he came back, they eventually were able to repair their ship. And they came back to Medina.

He came to the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم. And he told him what he experienced there on this island. And the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم had an announcement made in Medina.

In which he called the people to the masjid. And after he finished praying, he stood up before them and he introduced them to Tamim Ad-Dari. Told them about him.

And had him relate his experience. This is authentic tradition of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم. He goes on to explain.

This is found in Sahih Muslim. That they had gone into the island after they were shipwrecked. And they came across a beast that was covered in hair.

And they couldn't determine from the hairiness of the beast which was its head and which was its backside. Couldn't figure it out. They looked the same.

That's how it was described. And it spoke to them. They spoke to it.

It identified itself as Al-Jassasa. And it told them about someone in a monastery that is waiting for them. So they went taking all the precautions.

Assuming that this is something devilish, evil. They came into the monastery and they found there a man. Who met the description that the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم gave of Ad-Dajjal.

And he was chained. Arms chained to his neck. Feet shackled.

And he asked them questions. They answered. Explaining who they were, where they came from, etc.

And in the end when they asked him, so who are you? He said, I am Ad-Dajjal. And a time will come. Not too long from now. When I will be free.

(Sahih Muslim Hadith 2942)

Dajjal's Current Existence

Now Tamim Ad-Dari hadn't heard the description that the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم had given of Ad-Dajjal. This is why the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم brought him.

He was a convert to Islam. He hadn't heard the descriptions. So he had him say to them what they saw, what they experienced.

Because this was confirmation to the people. Not that anybody would disbelieve Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم anyway. But it was just further confirmation of Ad-Dajjal.

And the information that he is already present in the world. But like the Gog and the Magog, Ya'juj and Ma'juj. They are not known to people. Where they are exactly is unknown. The time of their release is with Allah.

He is chained. And his time would come. This is the information that the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم gave us.

Some people would ask, How is it that he was already in the world in the time of Prophet Muhammad صلى الله 1400 عليه وسلم years ago? How long did Prophet Nuh live for? How long has Satan, Iblis been living? We can't argue or discuss about how it is that he could be living for so long. How it is that Prophet Isa is still alive. And will come back at the end of time.

This is not our area to debate or to argue about or to try to interpret. What the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم has told us on this matter is true. The hows of the matter is with Allah.

There are so many other things that we don't know how. We don't need to get stuck on this one little thing. It's a big thing in the general sense of who Dajjal is.

But the issue about him being present in the world even now is not a big issue.

The Signs Before Dajjal's Appearance

Now Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم had informed us that he would appear at a particular time. And we spoke about that in the previous khutbah.

When would Dajjal appear? So that we would not have any confusion. No one would say he's appeared. He's doing his stuff in the world now.

We're coming under the attack. The end of the world is coming. There would be three signs before his coming.

We said the first sign was that one third of the earth for one year rain would stop. The second sign is that in the second year two thirds of the earth there would be no rain. And the third sign is that in the third year there would be a drought throughout the world.

No rain would fall anywhere on the face of the earth. It might seem impossible to us now. But just remember that the Sahara Desert, the Gobi Desert, all these deserts were once lush with vegetation.

They dig up in these areas fossils of the dinosaurs and others. In places that were deserts. Before these deserts weren't deserts, they were forests.

Rain forests. So if that can happen, then know that a time can come when no rain for one year would fall on the earth. That is the time.

Where Dajjal Will Appear: Khorasan

Following that, he would be released from the island and he would make his way to Iran. And this is not a special dawah against the Shiites or anything like this. Yes, we know what Shiism is and what it represents and the treacherous role it has played in the history of Islam, Muslims and continues to play.

But the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم had said specifically in a hadith narrated by Abu Bakr, found in Sunan al- Tirmidhi, authentic narrated, in which he said, Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم had said:

(يَخْرُجُ الدَّجَّالُ مِنْ أَرْضِ بِالْمَشْرِقِ يُقَالُ لَهَا خُرَاسَانُ - Yakhrujud-Dajjal min ardi bil-mashriqi yuqalu laha Khurasan)

Dajjal would appear from a land in the east called Khorasan. A land in the east called Khorasan.

(Sunan al-Tirmidhi Hadith 2237)

Khorasan is the name of the eastern province, northeastern province of Persia from the time of the Sassanids till today.

Northeastern province.

In the past it used to include parts of Afghanistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, but mainly Iran. Now it is encompassed in Iran.

Iran divided it up into three provinces, north, south and east. And it remains the place where he would first be announced. His presence known in the world.

Dajjal has appeared in Iran, Khorasan. And he will be accompanied the Prophet ﷺ said, by people whose faces look like flat beaten iron. That's how he described it.

From this description before people had said in the 13th century, that this was the Mongols. The Mongols, because the Mongols came from the east and they devastated the Muslim world. Massacred huge numbers.

But it wasn't them. Furthermore, the Prophet ﷺ said, that he would make contact with the Muslim forces between Syria and Iraq. This is where his forces would have come together.

The Forces of Dajjal

Those following him would have come together and the beginning of the battle for the world would take place. The forces that he will be struggling against will be the forces of the Mahdi. And the story of the Mahdi of course is another true story.

Again our children know about Superman, Spiderman and all the other men. But they don't know about the Mahdi. But that is another story.

The point is that he would be one who Allah would raise up amongst the Muslim ummah in that period. Who would reunite the Muslim world and become the world leader of the Muslim states, Muslim peoples. The Khalifa or the Caliphate would be revived at that point.

The Mahdi. Anyway, his forces would come in conflict or in contact with those of Dajjal in the region between Iraq and Syria. Among the followers of Dajjal, Prophet ﷺ had mentioned, that when he appears in Iran, Khorasan, 70,000 Jews of Isfahan wearing their ritual shawls would follow him, would join his forces.

But it's not to say that they represented the totality of his forces. Others will join him from all around the world. Muslims will join his forces.

Isfahan, for those of you that don't know it, is the capital of Isfahan province in Iran. About 340 kilometers south of Tehran. The capital of Iran today.

And it was once one of the greatest cities on the earth. It's known. A major city.

Now it doesn't have much significance to most of the world. But at one time, it was a great city.

Dajjal's Powers and Deception

He would, from those initial conflicts with Muslim forces, defeat those forces. And he would spread his control, his reign, over much of the known world. What we know of the world today, much of it would be under his control.

And we said that when he appeared, he would appear after this period of drought. And he would have with him a mountain of bread and a mountain of meat, which would follow him. Two mountains would follow him, of course. In your mind, you're trying to figure out how mountains are going to follow him.

Don't go into the hows. Leave the hows to Allah. But a mountain of bread and meat would follow him.

Remember, he's coming at the time of mass starvation across the earth. He will call people to believe in him. Believe in him as what? As a prophet? No.

We said he would be calling them to believe in him as God, as Allah. To accept him as their Lord. Now, historically we've had people do this before I mentioned.

In New York City, we had Father Divine, who claimed he was God. He fed the poor during the depression. In South India, we had Sai Baba, who claimed he was God, incarnate.

He fed the poor, set up hospitals, benefited people. So we have had people at different points who claimed that they were God, but their claims could not affect the world. It may have affected the people of that region who were desperate and poor.

So that a number of them may follow them. But they didn't affect the world. It would be nothing compared to the trial of Dajjal.

You have world starvation. And those people who accept his call and believe in him, he will command the sky to rain for them. And it would begin to rain.

And the earth would bear fruit. And for those who still held out, rejected him, when he left their area the next morning, whatever they had stored up, wealth, to buy food, etc., would all be gone.

Wherever he went or he goes, he will command the earth to bring forth its treasures. The gold, the silver, whatever wealth lay beneath the surface of the earth would come out. And it would follow him.

And the Prophet ﷺ had said he would go across the earth from one end to the other, north, south, east, west, like wind driven rain, entering all the cities of the earth.

The Prophet's Warning: Flee from Dajjal

And he warned us, that if we hear that he is coming, not to think that we could stand before him, that we are

going to resist him, but to flee. At that time, if we hear he is coming, flee. Don't wait around, think that you can gather some people together and kill him or whatever.

Run for your lives. Ask Allah to protect us in this time to come. That if it occurs whilst we are living, that we take the advice of the Prophet ﷺ and flee for our lives.

That he make a way for us at that time to escape his trial. And that we are able to remain firm on our faith, on our knowledge of who he is, on our knowledge of who Allah is. And to remain steadfast in our worship of Allah at that great trial and tribulation.

Second Khutbah: The Most Important Lesson

الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ وَالصَّلَاةُ وَالسَّلَامُ عَلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ

The trials of Ad-Dajjal. When one of the companions asked the Prophet ﷺ:

مَتَى السَّاعَةُ

When is the final hour coming?

مَاذَا أَعْدَدْتَ لَهَا

He said, What have you prepared for it?

This is the lesson from what Prophet Muhammad ﷺ has taught us about the times to come that we need to take. This is the most important lesson. On one hand it's good to have this accurate detailed information of the future of events which must take place as they were described by Rasulullah ﷺ

But the essence of the message is being prepared that we are prepared for that time and that preparation is not something that will happen when we finally hear the drought started all of a sudden we start preparing.

The preparation begins from now not like those people you know every year you have somebody coming along saying the end of the world is next year so people start gathering up food and sticking it in the basements no no I don't mean like this. The preparation is spiritual preparation that we would be spiritually prepared to handle the trials of that time preparing ourselves as Prophet Muhammad ﷺ had said pray the farewell prayer now that our prayers should be each and every time we pray a farewell prayer a prayer that we would make if we were informed that this is the last prayer we can pray before we die. The way we would pray at that time this is the goal of prayer for us now to make every prayer like that prayer.

The Spiritual Trials of Dajjal

Now we have to understand that the trial of that time is not only one of starvation people need hunger which will drive them to accept Dajjal it is also a spiritual trial because what he will do in the different places that he goes to he will approach the people and he will say to some of them will you believe that I am your Lord if I bring back to life if I resurrect your father and your mother and people will say yes if you can resurrect my dead father and mother then you have to be Allah because Allah is the one who resurrects this is a delusion that people will be caught up in and when they say yes we will believe he will bring to life the father and the mother of that person and the people who know that person who knew his father and mother will see his father and mother alive before their eyes.

Prophet ﷺ explained that it would be two jinns who would take the form of the father and mother of that person the qareen for example that is with the father and the mother knows what they look like etc would take the form at that time take the form of the father and the mother and they will say to the man or woman oh my dear son believe in him because he is Allah and what are people going to do at that time.

Of course they forget that Prophet Isa عليه السلام in his own time brought the dead back to life this was his miracle by the power of Allah the dead came back to life in the time of Prophet Isa عليه السلام at his command and it is even recorded in the scriptures of the Jews that earlier prophets that also was a miracle for some of them so by the power of Allah any of these things are possible but of course it's easy to forget all of that when you see your father and mother who were dead for the last 20 years or 40 years alive in front of you talking to you so unless faith is firm at that time we'll be finished we will become among his followers.

Mecca and Medina: The Protected Cities

Furthermore the Prophet ﷺ had said and Tamim Ad-Dari narrated the same thing from Dajjal that he would enter every city on the earth except for Mecca and Medina those will be the only two cities on the face of the earth that he will be unable to enter however he will camp outside of Medina and when he is camped outside and the people of Medina know he is there three earthquakes will hit Medina one after the other and tens of thousands of people from Medina will leave and join him they will leave Medina and join his forces.

So know brothers and sisters that will be a time of major trial and it is only a firm belief in Allah which is firmly rooted, deep rooted which drives us before the time of the incident that will get us through that period and it is the same Iman ultimately which will take us to paradise so this is what we need to work on from today and this was the example of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ the example of Iman manifest living Iman Iman was in his deeds in his words and in his heart and it is because of that example that he left why Allah had said to us in the Quran:

There is in the messenger of Allah for you the best of examples.

Quran 33:21

Closing Dua

That we ask Allah to bless him to give us the best of this world and the best of the next and to forgive our sins we ask Allah to forgive our errors of the past and to bring us back to the straight path Sirat al-Mustaqeem we ask Allah to protect our families, our children to forgive those of our relatives who have died, passed away we ask Allah to protect the ummah from the forces that seek to destroy it we ask Allah to support the awakening the movement for awakening all over the Muslim world today and to give this movement success and to bring Muslims back together again to establish the rule of Allah in this world we ask Allah to forgive our rulers who have misruled our nations to these days we ask Allah to give them those around them who would guide them to rule in accordance with the way that Allah has prescribed and we ask Allah to allow the ummah to remain firm on this path of Islam and to leave this world saying:

آمین