The appearance of the Dajjal

Hudhaifa and Abu Mas’ud got together and Hudhaifah said:
I know best what the Dajjal (Antichrist) will have with him. He will have with him a sea of water and a river of fire, and what you see as fire will be water and what you sea as water will be fire. If any of you who lives up to that time and desires water, he should drink from what he sees as fire, for he will find it water. Abu Mas’ud al-Badri said: I heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ say in this way.

حَدَّثَنَا الْحَسَنُ بْنُ عَمْرٍو، حَدَّثَنَا جَرِيرٌ، عَنْ مَنْصُورٍ، عَنْ رِبْعِيِّ بْنِ حِرَاشٍ، قَالَ اجْتَمَعَ حُذَيْفَةُ وَأَبُو مَسْعُودٍ فَقَالَ حُذَيْفَةُ لأَنَا بِمَا مَعَ الدَّجَّالِ أَعْلَمُ مِنْهُ إِنَّ مَعَهُ بَحْرًا مِنْ مَاءٍ وَنَهْرًا مِنْ نَارٍ فَالَّذِي تَرَوْنَ أَنَّهُ نَارٌ مَاءٌ وَالَّذِي تَرَوْنَ أَنَّهُ مَاءٌ نَارٌ فَمَنْ أَدْرَكَ ذَلِكَ مِنْكُمْ فَأَرَادَ الْمَاءَ فَلْيَشْرَبْ مِنَ الَّذِي يَرَى أَنَّهُ نَارٌ فَإِنَّهُ سَيَجِدُهُ مَاءً . قَالَ أَبُو مَسْعُودٍ الْبَدْرِيُّ هَكَذَا سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ يَقُولُ .

Anas b. Malik reported the Prophet ﷺ as saying:
No prophet was sent who had not warned his people about the one-eyed. Between his eyes will be written “infidel” (kafir).

حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو الْوَلِيدِ الطَّيَالِسِيُّ، حَدَّثَنَا شُعْبَةُ، عَنْ قَتَادَةَ، قَالَ سَمِعْتُ أَنَسَ بْنَ مَالِكٍ، يُحَدِّثُ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ أَنَّهُ قَالَ " مَا بُعِثَ نَبِيٌّ إِلاَّ قَدْ أَنْذَرَ أُمَّتَهُ الدَّجَّالَ الأَعْوَرَ الْكَذَّابَ أَلاَ وَإِنَّهُ أَعْوَرُ وَإِنَّ رَبَّكُمْ لَيْسَ بِأَعْوَرَ وَإِنَّ بَيْنَ عَيْنَيْهِ مَكْتُوبًا كَافِرٌ " .

Shu’bah said in his version:
“the letters k, f, r” (are on his forehead).

حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ الْمُثَنَّى، عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ جَعْفَرٍ، عَنْ شُعْبَةَ، ك ف ر .

The tradition mentioned above has also been transmitted by Anas b. Malik through a different chain of narrators, This version adds:
Every Muslim will read it.

حَدَّثَنَا مُسَدَّدٌ، حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ الْوَارِثِ، عَنْ شُعَيْبِ بْنِ الْحَبْحَابِ، عَنْ أَنَسِ بْنِ مَالِكٍ، عَنِ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ فِي هَذَا الْحَدِيثِ قَالَ " يَقْرَؤُهُ كُلُّ مُسْلِمٍ " .

Narrated Imran ibn Husayn:

The Prophet ﷺ said: Let him who hears of the Dajjal (Antichrist) go far from him for I swear by Allah that a man will come to him thinking he is a believer and follow him because of confused ideas roused in him by him.

حَدَّثَنَا مُوسَى بْنُ إِسْمَاعِيلَ، حَدَّثَنَا جَرِيرٌ، حَدَّثَنَا حُمَيْدُ بْنُ هِلاَلٍ، عَنْ أَبِي الدَّهْمَاءِ، قَالَ سَمِعْتُ عِمْرَانَ بْنَ حُصَيْنٍ، يُحَدِّثُ قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ " مَنْ سَمِعَ بِالدَّجَّالِ فَلْيَنْأَ عَنْهُ فَوَاللَّهِ إِنَّ الرَّجُلَ لَيَأْتِيهِ وَهْوَ يَحْسِبُ أَنَّهُ مُؤْمِنٌ فَيَتَّبِعُهُ مِمَّا يُبْعَثُ بِهِ مِنَ الشُّبُهَاتِ أَوْ لِمَا يُبْعَثُ بِهِ مِنَ الشُّبُهَاتِ " . هَكَذَا قَالَ .

Narrated Ubadah ibn as-Samit:

The Prophet ﷺ said: I have told you so much about the Dajjal (Antichrist) that I am afraid you may not understand. The Antichrist is short, hen-toed, woolly-haired, one-eyed, an eye-sightless, and neither protruding nor deep-seated. If you are confused about him, know that your Lord is not one-eyed.

Abu Dawud said: 'Amr bin Al-Aswad was appointed a judge.

حَدَّثَنَا حَيْوَةُ بْنُ شُرَيْحٍ، حَدَّثَنَا بَقِيَّةُ، حَدَّثَنِي بَحِيرٌ، عَنْ خَالِدِ بْنِ مَعْدَانَ، عَنْ عَمْرِو بْنِ الأَسْوَدِ، عَنْ جُنَادَةَ بْنِ أَبِي أُمَيَّةَ، عَنْ عُبَادَةَ بْنِ الصَّامِتِ، أَنَّهُ حَدَّثَهُمْ أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ قَالَ " إِنِّي قَدْ حَدَّثْتُكُمْ عَنِ الدَّجَّالِ حَتَّى خَشِيتُ أَنْ لاَ تَعْقِلُوا إِنَّ مَسِيحَ الدَّجَّالِ رَجُلٌ قَصِيرٌ أَفْحَجُ جَعْدٌ أَعْوَرُ مَطْمُوسُ الْعَيْنِ لَيْسَ بِنَاتِئَةٍ وَلاَ جَحْرَاءَ فَإِنْ أُلْبِسَ عَلَيْكُمْ فَاعْلَمُوا أَنَّ رَبَّكُمْ لَيْسَ بِأَعْوَرَ " . قَالَ أَبُو دَاوُدَ عَمْرُو بْنُ الأَسْوَدِ وَلِيَ الْقَضَاءَ .

Al-nawwas b. Sim’an al-Kilabi said:
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ mentioned the Dajjal (Antichrist) saying: If he comes forth while I am among you I shall be the one who will dispute with him on your behalf, but if he comes forth when I am not among you, a man must dispute on his own behalf, and Allah will take my place in looking after every Muslim. Those of you who live up to his time should recite over him the opening verses of Surat al – Kahf, for they are your protection from his trial. We asked: How long will he remain on the earth ? He replied : Forty days, one like a year, one like a month, one like a week, and rest of his days like yours. We asked : Messenger of Allah, will one day’s prayer suffice us in this day which will be like a year ? He replied : No, you must make an estimate of its extent. Then Jesus son of Marry will descend at the white minaret to the east of Damascus. He will then catch him up at the date of Ludd and kill him.

حَدَّثَنَا صَفْوَانُ بْنُ صَالِحٍ الدِّمَشْقِيُّ الْمُؤَذِّنُ، حَدَّثَنَا الْوَلِيدُ، حَدَّثَنَا ابْنُ جَابِرٍ، حَدَّثَنَا يَحْيَى بْنُ جَابِرٍ الطَّائِيُّ، عَنْ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنِ جُبَيْرِ بْنِ نُفَيْرٍ، عَنْ أَبِيهِ، عَنِ النَّوَّاسِ بْنِ سَمْعَانَ الْكِلاَبِيِّ، قَالَ ذَكَرَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ الدَّجَّالَ فَقَالَ " إِنْ يَخْرُجْ وَأَنَا فِيكُمْ فَأَنَا حَجِيجُهُ دُونَكُمْ وَإِنْ يَخْرُجْ وَلَسْتُ فِيكُمْ فَامْرُؤٌ حَجِيجُ نَفْسِهِ وَاللَّهُ خَلِيفَتِي عَلَى كُلِّ مُسْلِمٍ فَمَنْ أَدْرَكَهُ مِنْكُمْ فَلْيَقْرَأْ عَلَيْهِ فَوَاتِحَ سُورَةِ الْكَهْفِ فَإِنَّهَا جِوَارُكُمْ مِنْ فِتْنَتِهِ " . قُلْنَا وَمَا لُبْثُهُ فِي الأَرْضِ قَالَ " أَرْبَعُونَ يَوْمًا يَوْمٌ كَسَنَةٍ وَيَوْمٌ كَشَهْرٍ وَيَوْمٌ كَجُمُعَةٍ وَسَائِرُ أَيَّامِهِ كَأَيَّامِكُمْ " . فَقُلْنَا يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ هَذَا الْيَوْمُ الَّذِي كَسَنَةٍ أَتَكْفِينَا فِيهِ صَلاَةُ يَوْمٍ وَلَيْلَةٍ قَالَ " لاَ اقْدُرُوا لَهُ قَدْرَهُ ثُمَّ يَنْزِلُ عِيسَى ابْنُ مَرْيَمَ عِنْدَ الْمَنَارَةِ الْبَيْضَاءِ شَرْقِيَّ دِمَشْقَ فَيُدْرِكُهُ عِنْدَ بَابِ لُدٍّ فَيَقْتُلُهُ " .

A similar tradition has been transmitted by Abu Umamah from the prophet ﷺ through a different chain of narrators. In this version he mentioned the prayers to the same effect.

حَدَّثَنَا عِيسَى بْنُ مُحَمَّدٍ، حَدَّثَنَا ضَمْرَةُ، عَنِ السَّيْبَانِيِّ، عَنْ عَمْرِو بْنِ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ، عَنْ أَبِي أُمَامَةَ، عَنِ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ نَحْوَهُ وَذَكَرَ الصَّلَوَاتِ مِثْلَ مَعْنَاهُ .

Abu al-Darda’ reported the prophet ﷺ as saying :

If anyone memorizes ten verses from the beginning of surat al-Kahf, he will be protected from the trial of Dajjal (Antichrist).

Abu Dawud said: In this way Hashim al-dastawa’I transmitted it from Qatadah, but he said : “If anyone memorizes the closing verses of surat al-Kahf.” Shu’bah narrated from Qatadah the words “from the end of al-Kahf.

حَدَّثَنَا حَفْصُ بْنُ عُمَرَ، حَدَّثَنَا هَمَّامٌ، حَدَّثَنَا قَتَادَةُ، عَنْ سَالِمِ بْنِ أَبِي الْجَعْدِ، عَنْ مَعْدَانَ بْنِ أَبِي طَلْحَةَ، عَنْ حَدِيثِ أَبِي الدَّرْدَاءِ، يَرْوِيهِ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ قَالَ " مَنْ حَفِظَ عَشْرَ آيَاتٍ مِنْ أَوَّلِ سُورَةِ الْكَهْفِ عُصِمَ مِنْ فِتْنَةِ الدَّجَّالِ " . قَالَ أَبُو دَاوُدَ وَكَذَا قَالَ هِشَامٌ الدَّسْتَوَائِيُّ عَنْ قَتَادَةَ إِلاَّ أَنَّهُ قَالَ " مَنْ حَفِظَ مِنْ خَوَاتِيمِ سُورَةِ الْكَهْفِ " . وَقَالَ شُعْبَةُ عَنْ قَتَادَةَ " مِنْ آخِرِ الْكَهْفِ " .