—with wording akin to the foregoing, and this chain of transmission is sound. Aḥmad alone related it, yet it is supported by the long ḥadith of Abū Umāmah, and by another report from ʿĀʾishah that will follow through a different route; and Allah knows best ⦗1⦘.

Aḥmad also said: Hashim narrated to us; ʿAbd al-Ḥamīd narrated to us; Shahr narrated to us; Asmāʾ told me that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said in a ḥadith:

“Whoever is present at my gathering and hears my words, let the one who is present convey them to the one who is absent. And know that Allah—exalted is He—is whole and not one-eyed, whereas the Dajjāl is one-eyed, with a wiped-out eye. Written between his eyes is: kāfir (disbeliever), which every believer, whether literate or illiterate, will read.”

A similar report will appear later from Asmāʾ bint ʿUmays, yet the reliably preserved version is the one just cited; and Allah knows best ⦗2⦘.

[Ḥadith of ʿĀʾishah (may Allah be pleased with her)]

Imam Aḥmad said: ʿAbd al-Ṣamad narrated to us; Ḥammād narrated to us; ʿAlī ibn Zayd narrated to us, from al-Ḥasan, from ʿĀʾishah:

The Messenger of Allah ﷺ spoke of a severe hardship that will precede the coming of the Dajjāl. The people asked, “Which kind of wealth will be best on that day?” He replied, “A vigorous youth who brings water to his family; as for food, there will be none.” They said, “Then what will be the nourishment of the believers on that day?” He answered, “tasbīḥ (saying ‘Subḥān Allah’), takbīr (saying ‘Allāhu akbar’), taḥmīd (saying ‘al-ḥamdu li-llāh’), and tahlīl (saying ‘lā ilāha illā Allah’).” ʿĀʾishah asked, “Where will the Arabs be on that day?” He said, “The Arabs will be few on that day.”

Aḥmad is alone in transmitting this isnād; it is sound, though unusual. It is corroborated by the reports of Asmāʾ and Abū Umāmah, and Allah knows best ⦗3⦘.

[Another route from her]

Aḥmad said: Sulaymān ibn Dāwūd narrated to us; Ḥarb ibn Shaddād narrated to us, from Yaḥyā ibn Abī Kathīr; al-Ḥaḍramī ibn Lāḥiq told me that Dhakwān Abū Ṣāliḥ informed him that ʿĀʾishah informed him:

She said: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ entered upon me while I was weeping and asked, “What makes you weep?” I replied, “O Messenger of Allah, I remembered the Dajjāl, and it made me cry.” The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:

“If the Dajjāl appears while I am alive, I will deal with him on your behalf; but if he emerges after my death, then your Lord—exalted is He—is not one-eyed. He will come forth from the Jewish quarter of Isfahān, then proceed until he reaches Madinah and camp on its outskirts. On that day it will have seven gates, with two angels at every gate. The worst of its inhabitants will go out to him, and he will then travel to Syria, to a town in Palestine at the gate of Ludd. Thereupon Jesus son of Mary (peace be upon him) will descend and slay him. After that Jesus (peace be upon him) will remain on earth for forty years as a just leader and equitable judge.”

Aḥmad alone recorded this chain ⦗4⦘.