but Allah restores it as it was. Then, when their appointed time has come, they will dig until, when they are about to see the rays of the sun, the one placed over them will say, “Go back, and tomorrow you will dig through it, if Allah wills.” Thus he makes the exception, and when they return to it, it will be as they had left it. They will dig through it and emerge against the people. They will follow the waters, while the people will fortify themselves against them in their strongholds. They will shoot their arrows into the sky, and the arrows will return bearing something like blood. They will say, “We have overcome the people of the earth and risen above the people of heaven.” Then Allah will send worms into the napes of their necks, (1) and they will perish. Indeed, the beasts of the earth will grow fat and thrive (2) on their flesh.” (3)
Ismail ibn Abd al-Qahir informed us; Abd al-Ghafir ibn Muhammad al-Farisi related to us; Muhammad ibn Isa al-Juludi related to us; Ibrahim ibn Muhammad ibn Sufyan narrated to us; Muslim ibn al-Hajjaj narrated to us; Muhammad ibn Mihran al-Razi narrated to us; al-Walid ibn Muslim narrated to us; Abd al-Rahman ibn Yazid ibn Jabir narrated to us, from Yahya ibn Jabir al-Ta'i, from Abd al-Rahman ibn Jubayr ibn Nufayr, from his father, Jubayr ibn Nufayr, from al-Nawwas ibn Sam'an, who said:
One morning, the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, spoke about the Dajjal, alternately downplaying and emphasizing him, until we thought that he was among a cluster of date palms. When we later came to him, he recognized this in us and said, “What is the matter with you?”
We said, “O Messenger of Allah, this morning you spoke about the Dajjal, alternately downplaying and emphasizing him, until we thought that he was among the date palms.”
He said, “There are things other than the Dajjal that I fear more for you. If he emerges while I am among you, I will confront him on your behalf. But if he emerges when I am no longer among you, then every person must confront him on his own behalf, and Allah will take my place in caring for every Muslim. He is a young man with tightly curled hair; (4) his right eye is protruding, (5) as though I were likening him to Abd al-Uzza ibn Qatan. Whoever among you encounters him should recite over him the opening verses of Surah al-Kahf. He will emerge from a passage between Syria and Iraq, spreading corruption to the right and to the left. O servants of Allah, remain steadfast.”
We said, “O Messenger of Allah, how long will he remain on earth?”
He said, “Forty days: one day like a year, one day like a month, one day like a week, and the rest of his days like your days.”
We said, “O Messenger of Allah, on that day which is like a year, will the prayers of one day suffice for us?”
He said, “No; estimate it.”