During his final illness the Messenger of Allah ﷺ resolved to dictate a written document appointing Abu Bakr al-Ṣiddīq as his successor, but then he abandoned the idea and said, “Allah—and the believers—will accept none but Abu Bakr.” ⦗1⦘

He therefore refrained from naming him outright because his eminence and the greatness of his standing among the Companions—may Allah have mercy on them—were already perfectly clear, and he knew that they would never prefer anyone over him after the Prophet. That is exactly what came to pass. For this reason the report is cited among the proofs of Prophethood, as we have already mentioned more than once in various places of this book.

The point under discussion falls under the same principle: a matter can be so evident that it needs no explicit statement; its clarity is such that no further explanation is required beyond what the hearts already know. The Dajjal is plainly blameworthy and manifestly deficient in relation to the claim he makes—lordship itself—so Allah left him unnamed and unmentioned. The Almighty knows that His believing servants cannot fail to recognize the Dajjal’s misguidance; he will not shake them but will only increase them in faith, in submission to Allah and His Messenger, in affirmation of truth, and in rejection of falsehood.

Thus, when the Dajjal is granted power over a believer, kills him and then brings him back to life, that believer will say, “By Allah, you have only increased my insight into your reality. You are the one-eyed liar about whom the Messenger of Allah ﷺ informed us.” This does not necessarily mean he heard about the Dajjal directly from the Prophet.

Ibrāhīm ibn Muḥammad ibn Sufyān—the jurist who transmitted Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim—took the wording at face value and reported from some scholars that this believer is al-Khadir (peace be upon him). ⦗2⦘ Qāḍī ʿIyāḍ likewise related that view from Maʿmar in his Jāmiʿ. ⦗3⦘

Ahmad in his Musnad, Abū Dāwūd in his Sunan, and al-Tirmidhī in his Jāmiʿ all transmitted—through their chains from Abū ʿUbaydah—that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “Perhaps the one who will encounter him is someone who has seen me and heard my words.” Some supporters of the above opinion draw strength from this report, yet its chain is unusual. ⦗4⦘ It may well have been uttered before the Prophet ﷺ was given the detailed knowledge of the Dajjal that was clarified later. Allah knows best.

We have already discussed, in the story of al-Khadir, what people have said about his being alive and have adduced proofs for his death. Whoever wishes to review them should consult the Stories of the Prophets section of this book. Allah knows best what is right.

A mention of what protects against the Dajjal

One such protection is seeking refuge from his trial, for authentic hadiths, transmitted through several independent chains, establish that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ