He will be sent forth at the end of time. First he will claim to be a prophet; then—God forbid—he will claim to be divine. His trial is the greatest tribulation that will strike the earth from the creation of Adam until the Day of Resurrection, as the Prophet ﷺ informed us. The Prophet also said, “If he appears while I am still among you, I will contend with him on your behalf; but if I am no longer with you, then Allah is the protector of every Muslim.”

The Messenger of Allah ﷺ repeatedly warned about his trial, and every prophet before him cautioned his own people, so that the children of Adam might ready themselves for this momentous ordeal. Although it is known that he will not come until the very end of time, the advance warning underscores the enormity of his fitnah—so great that none will be spared from it except those whom Allah protects.

Allah will allow astonishing signs to occur at this impostor’s hands as a test for the people. Among them: he will command the sky and it will send down rain; he will command the earth and it will bring forth vegetation. He will visit a community whose land has no pasture and whose livestock are weak and scrawny. He will invite the people and make alluring promises, and they will follow him. Thereupon he will order the sky to rain and the earth to sprout, and their animals will return in the evening with more milk than ever and fleshier than ever.

Then he will go to another group, call them, and they will reject him; by morning their land will be desolate, without a single plant. Can you imagine a greater trial—especially for those who live in the deserts? Many people will follow him, and whoever follows him he will admit into what he calls his “paradise.”