18 – The Book of Miscellanies and Witticisms

370 – Chapter: Hadiths concerning al-Dajjal, the portents of the Hour, and other matters

1817 – An-Nawwas ibn Samʿān (may Allah be pleased with him) reported:

One morning the Messenger of Allah ﷺ spoke about al-Dajjal. He lowered and raised his voice on the subject until we thought he must already be hiding among the nearby palm-trees. Later that day we went to him, and he saw the state we were in and asked, “What is the matter with you?”

We said, “Messenger of Allah, this morning you mentioned al-Dajjal, lowering and raising your voice until we thought he was in the palm-groves.”

He said, “What I fear most for you is something other than the Dajjal. If he appears while I am among you, I will contend with him on your behalf; but if he appears when I am no longer with you, then each person must contend for himself, and Allah is the Guardian of every Muslim. He is a young man with curly hair (1); one of his eyes is bulging and clouded. I liken him to ʿAbd al-ʿUzzā ibn Qaṭan. Whoever among you meets him should recite over him the opening verses of Surah al-Kahf (2). He will emerge on a route between Syria and Iraq and will wreak havoc to the right and to the left. O servants of Allah, stand firm!”

We asked, “Messenger of Allah, how long will he remain on earth?” He replied, “Forty days: a day like a year, a day like a month, a day like a week, and the rest of his days like your ordinary days.”

We said, “Messenger of Allah, on that day which is like a year, will the prayers of one day suffice us?” He said, “No; calculate its length and schedule the prayers accordingly.”

Then we asked, “Messenger of Allah, how swift will his movement be upon the earth?”