The dark elements which are often popularised in TV programmes and movies are very real to us Muslims. The Quran and hadith literature is replete with warnings of the evilness of Shaytan and his dark forces. This is something which we have to take very seriously. One of the problems of our time is that evil is trivialised, marginalised and humourized.
This leads me into a topic which is both topical, relevant and deeply connected to our deen.
Many of you will have received the news that from 01.01.2020 Netflix will be showing a programme which for all intents and purposes is about the Dajjal! Given the relevance of this, the clearly frightening nature of it being dramatized and how important it is to us Muslims, it is worth reminding ourselves about the Dajjal.
Note the following two hadith of the Prophet (SAW):
- “I heard Abu Hurairah say that the Messenger of Allah (saw) said: ‘When any one of you finishes the last Tashahhud, let him seek refuge with Allah from four things: From the torment of Hell, from the torment of the grave, from the trials of life and death, and from the Fitnah (tribulation) of Masihud-Dajjal.’ (Ibn Majah)
- “The Messenger of Allah (saw) used to teach us this supplication just as he would teach us a Surah from the Quran: ‘Allahumma inni a’udhu bika min ‘adhabi jahannam, wa a’udhu bika min ‘adhabil-qabr, wa a’udhu bika min fitnatil-masihil-dajjal, wa a’udhu bika min fitnatil-mahya wal-mamat (O Allah, I seek refuge with You from the torment of Hell, and I seek refuge with You from the torment of the grave, and I see refuge with you from the tribulation of False Christ, and I seek refuge with You from the trials of life and death).‘”
اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنْ عَذَابِ جَهَنَّمَ وَمِنْ عَذَابِ الْقَبْرِ وَأَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنْ فِتْنَةِ الْمَسِيحِ الدَّجَّالِ وَأَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنْ فِتْنَةِ الْمَحْيَا وَالْمَمَاتِ
That is enough to underscore the importance of this subject. So what of the Dajjal? In short he is the biggest fitna/trial or tribulation faced by the Muslims.
- “There will not be any tribulation on earth, since the time Allah created the offspring of Adam, that will be greater than the tribulation of the Dajjal. Allah has not sent any Prophet but he warned his nation about the Dajjal. I am the Last of the Prophets and you are the last of the nations. He will undoubtedly appear among you.” (Ibn Majah).”
We know he comes towards the end of time, we don’t know when and whilst we have clues you could sum them up by saying he will come when
(a) Normal becomes abnormal and societal order is superceded by disorder.
Now, all the old norms have become abnormal and the abnormal has become the new normal – I will leave this to your imagination but right has become wrong and falsehood has become truth. Look at our leaders! You have people in power who have no right to leadership, but this is accepted as normal.
(b) The faith of the Muslims becomes low.
Trials will afflict mankind, such that during them a man will awake a believer but become a disbeliever by the evening. People will eventually end up in one of two camps: the camp of faith which will contain no hypocrisy, and the camp of hypocrisy which will contain no faith. “When that happens,” the Prophet (SAW) said, “expect the Dajjal that day or the next
Understand that 1/3 or even 1/2 of Muslims will be taken in, deluded, fooled, duped by the dajjal. You may think how? He comes with one eye, has kafir on his forehead, a dodgy arm and bowed legs. These physical manifestations will only come to light after he has been followed. He will literally fly around the world showing miracles to people who want to believe. Society will be such that there is war, famine, drought, disease and people will be in despair. Rather than holding tight in these times of hardship they will be looking for hope in other than Allah, they will find their hope in the Dajjal.
Why wouldn’t they? We sell our souls to Google, Amazon, Samsung, Apple, drugs and pretty much anything where we get something paltry in return. So what of someone who comes with “gifts from the heavens”? At a time when people are in desperate need? See how a drug addict will kill for a fix, we see it all the time, people around us being killed for drugs.
- “I know what the Dajjal will have with him. He will have two flowing rivers, one that appears to the eye to be clear water, and one that appears to the eye to be a flaming fire. If anyone sees that, let him go to the river which he thinks is fire and close his eyes, then lower his head and drink from it, for it is cool water.” (Muslim)
This is where deep rooted faith is so very important. Our deen is not about articulation on the tongue, but manifestation in the heart.
- “Whoever hears that the Dajjāl has appeared, let him stay far away. For by Allah! A man will approach him thinking that he is a believer, and end up following him due to what he throws at him from doubts and misunderstandings.”
So, what can we do?
- “It is other than the Dajjāl that I fear for you [i.e. the Sahaba]. If he comes forth while I am among you, I shall contend with him on your behalf, but if he comes forth when I am not among you, each person must contend with him on his own behalf, and Allah will take care in looking after every Muslim even after I have gone. Those of you who live up to his time should recite before him the opening verses of Surat al–Kahf, for they are your protection from his trial.”
The answer is right there, how many have learnt it? How many of us have taught it to our children? How many of us speak to our children about the fitnah of the dajjal.
During that time there will be great famine and drought so the sahaba asked, “What will the people live on at that time?” He said, “Tahleel (lā ilāha illallāh), Takbeer (Allāhu akbar), Tasbeeh (subhānallāh) and Tahmeed (alhamdulillāh). That will take the place of food for them.” (Ibn Majah).
Where are we with our dhikr? Seriously, where are we? At madressah we spend 5 minutes reciting this dhikr so that the children’s hearts are filled with it, so that their tongues are moist with it, do you do this, do you this with your children? Islam is a reality which is lived and experienced not just read about and memorised.
However, we shouldn’t get dismayed or saddened, rather we have hope in the Mercy and Protection of Allah – but that comes through action.
We must be people of action. The first is the prayer and the other five pillars, then attachment to dhikr, be people of dhikr, Quran, tahleel, takbeer, tasbeeh, tahmeed, curb your attachment to this life! It’s very hard, but we need to unplug from this matrix as much as possible, don’t depend on technology, don’t depend upon processed foods, because if we live to that time when the Dajjal appears we will find it very hard to cope – think of how a person addicted his drugs can kill his mother for money for a fix!
اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنْ عَذَابِ جَهَنَّمَ وَمِنْ عَذَابِ الْقَبْرِ وَأَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنْ فِتْنَةِ الْمَسِيحِ الدَّجَّالِ وَأَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنْ فِتْنَةِ الْمَحْيَا وَالْمَمَاتِ
The above is a transcript of the following video:
Lote Tree 