would say: the Dajjāl’s time will see departures from the customary order and momentous events heralding the ruin of the world, the passing of this worldly life, and the nearness of the Hour. Since his emergence will occur during a trial willed by Allah, it cannot be said, “Allah is too kind to His servants to subject them to temptation through the Dajjāl’s extraordinary feats.” Allah is indeed the Most Kind, the All-Aware, but His wisdom required that He test His servants through him, having already warned them about him and cautioned them against him.
After all this, I consider it appropriate to quote here a selection of statements by eminent scholars affirming the Dajjāl’s extraordinary feats and explaining that they will be real phenomena which Allah has made a trial and test for His servants.
Qādī Iyād—may Allah have mercy on him—said: “These hadiths related by Muslim and others concerning the Dajjāl constitute proof for the position of the people of truth: that he truly exists and is a particular individual through whom Allah will test His servants. Allah will empower him to do certain things that lie within His power, including restoring to life the dead man whom he kills; bringing with him worldly splendour and abundance, his garden and his fire, and his two rivers; causing the earth’s treasures to follow him; and commanding the sky to send down rain and the earth to bring forth vegetation, whereupon they will do so. All of this will occur by the power and will of Allah Most High. Allah will then render him powerless, so that he will be unable to kill that man or anyone else. Allah will bring his cause to nothing, Jesus—peace and blessings be upon him—will kill him, and Allah will keep those who believe steadfast.
“This is the position of Ahl al-Sunnah and all hadith scholars, jurists, and scholars of rational inquiry. It is contrary to those among the Kharijites, the Jahmiyya, and some of the Muʿtazila who deny him and dismiss the entire matter ... and others who maintain that he truly exists but that what is alleged about him consists merely of fears and fantasies with no reality. They claimed that, if these things were real, no confidence could be placed in the miracles of the prophets—may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon them.