16 – This passage is corroborated by two hadiths:

The first: The hadith of Asmāʾ bint Yazīd al-Ansāriyyah, related from her by Shahr ibn Hawshab. She said:

The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, came to me with a group of his Companions. He mentioned the Dajjāl, and the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said:

“There will be three years before his emergence. In the first year, the sky will withhold a third of its rainfall and the earth a third of its vegetation. In the second year, the sky will withhold two-thirds of its rainfall and the earth two-thirds of its vegetation. In the third year, the sky will withhold all its rainfall and the earth all its vegetation, until all toothed and hoofed creatures perish. Among the severest trials he will pose is that he will say to a Bedouin, ‘Tell me: if I bring your camels back to life for you, with large udders and tall humps, chewing the cud, will you acknowledge that I am your lord?’”

He said: “The man will reply, ‘Yes.’” He said: “The devils will then appear to him [in the form of his camels, and he will follow him].” He said: “He will also say to a man, ‘Tell me: if I bring your father, brother and mother back to life for you, will you acknowledge that I am your lord?’” He said: “The man will reply, ‘Yes.’” He said: “The devils will then appear to him [in their forms, and he will follow him].”

The report continues: Then the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, went out to attend to his needs, and I set out water for his ablution. The people sobbed until their voices rose. The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, grasped the two sides of the doorway (in another version: its two jambs) and asked, “What is the matter?” [This was an expression the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, used when asking about something: “What is the matter?” Asmāʾ said:] I said, “O Messenger of Allah, you have shaken