The hadith was also recorded by Ibn Majah (4199) and Abu Ya‘la (4/1776), through another route from ‘Abd al-Rahman ibn Yazid, with the same wording but without the phrase concerning this worldly life.
1735 — “Gog and Magog dig every day. When they are about to see the rays of the sun, the one in charge of them says, ‘Go back, and tomorrow we shall dig through it.’ But Allah restores it to an even stronger state than it was. Then, when their appointed time has come and Allah wishes to send them forth against the people, they will dig until they are about to see the rays of the sun. The one in charge of them will say, ‘Go back, and tomorrow we shall dig through it, if Allah, Most High, wills.’ Thus, they make the exception, and when they return to it, they find it as they had left it. They then dig through it and emerge against the people. They will drain the water, while the people take refuge from them in their fortresses. Then they will shoot their arrows toward the sky, and the arrows will return to them covered in blood. They will say, ‘We have subdued the people of the earth and risen above the inhabitants of heaven.’ Then Allah will send worms into the napes of their necks, by which they will be killed.” The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said: “By Him in Whose Hand is my soul, the creatures of the earth will grow exceedingly fat from their flesh.”
It was recorded by al-Tirmidhi (2/197), Ibn Majah (4080), Ibn Hibban (1908), al-Hakim (4/488), and Ahmad (2/510–511 and 511), through various routes from Qatadah, who said: Abu Rafi‘ related to us from Abu Hurayrah, attributing it to the Prophet. Al-Tirmidhi said: “It is a good, singular hadith; we know it only through this route.” Al-Hakim said: “It is authentic according to the conditions of the two Shaykhs.” Al-Dhahabi agreed with him, and it is as they said. It has a corroborating narration from the hadith of Abu Sa‘id, whose verification will follow under no. 1793. Its final portion is also corroborated in the lengthy hadith concerning the Dajjal, from al-Nawwas ibn Sam‘an, attributed to the Prophet. It was recorded by Muslim (8/197–199) and others, as will follow under hadith no. 1780.