• another sign is that no one will behold his Lord until he dies, and that the Dajjāl will try to kill—yet again—the very man he slew first, only to find himself powerless to kill him.

Thus the Dajjāl carries with him clear indications of his own mendacity, proving that what he brings is no genuine proof of truthfulness. The situation is entirely different with the miracles of the prophets, for no human being or jinn can produce anything comparable to them or render them void: Moses’ staff turning into a living serpent; the she-camel that sprang from the earth for Sālih; Jesus raising the dead; and, for Muhammad (may Allah bless him and grant him peace), the splitting of the moon, the revelation of the Qur’an, and other signs. When the polytheists asked the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) for a sign and suggested that he split the moon, he showed it to them.

Allah, exalted be He, has spoken of this in the Qur’an:

“The Hour has drawn near, and the moon has split. Yet if they see a sign, they turn away and say, ‘Persistent sorcery.’ They have denied and followed their desires, but every matter will come to a conclusion. Indeed, there has already come to them such reports as contain deterrence—perfect wisdom—but warnings are of no avail. So turn away from them. On the Day the Caller will summon to something terrible, their eyes humbled, they will emerge from the graves like scattered locusts.” (Al-Qamar 54:1-7)

He then recounts what befell earlier deniers—the people of Noah, Hūd, Sālih, Lot, and finally Pharaoh. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) used to recite this sūrah at the largest gatherings he held, namely the two festival prayers, where everyone could hear him mention the splitting of the moon and the unbelievers’ claim that it was sorcery.