when the person is dying; for it is precisely then that Satan is most keen to seduce the children of Adam. He comes to the dying individual, whispers to him, sows doubt, and may even urge him to deny Allah. This trial, therefore, is among the gravest of all.

As for the trial of the Antichrist (al-Masīḥ al-Dajjāl): he is a vile, deceitful man whom Allah will send forth near the end of time. Between his eyes the word “disbeliever” is written, and every believer—whether literate or illiterate—will read it. Allah will test people through him by granting him a measure of sway on earth. He will remain forty days: the first day will last as long as a full year, the second as long as a month, the third as long as a week, and the remainder like ordinary days.

He will call people to disbelieve in Allah and to associate partners with Him, declaring, “I am your Lord.” He will appear to possess a garden and a fire; yet what people see as a garden is in fact a fire, and what they see as a fire is truly a garden, as the Prophet ﷺ informed us. People will be deceived by him and tested through him as much as Allah wills. His ordeal is immense, for the Prophet ﷺ said, “Since the creation of Adam until the Hour is established, no tribulation on earth equals the trial of the Antichrist.” Every prophet, therefore, warned his people about him. This is why the Prophet singled him out from among the trials of worldly life—because his trial is so tremendous. We ask Allah to protect us and you from it.