The Book of Tribulations and Portents of the Last Hour

We have killed those who are upon the earth. Let us now kill those who are In the sky and they would throw their arrows towards the sky and the arrows would return to them besmeared with blood. And in the narration of Ibn Hujr (the words are):” I have sent such persons (Gog and Magog) that none would dare fight against them.

He would come but would not be allowed to enter the mountain passes to Medina. So he will alight at some of the barren tracts near Medina, and a person who would be the best of men or one from amongst the best of men would say to him: I bear testimony to the fact that you are Dajjal about whom Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) had informed us. The Dajjal would say: What is your opinion if I kill this (person), then I bring him back to life; even then will you harbour doubt in this matter? They would say: No. He would then kill (the man) and then bring him back to life. When he would bring that person to life, he would say: By Allah, I had no better proof of the fact (that you are a Dajjal) than at the present time (that you are actually so). The Dajjal would then make an attempt to kill him (again) but he would not be able to do that. Abu Ishaq reported that it was said: That person would be Khadir (Allah be pleased with him).

This hadith has been narrated by Zuhri with the same chain of transmitters.

The Dajjal would come forth and a person from amongst the believers would go towards him and the armed men of the Dajjal would meet him and they would say to him: Where do you intend to go? He would say: I intend to go to this one who is coming forth. They would say to him: Don’t you believe in our Lord? He would say: There is nothing hidden about our Lord. They would say: Kill him. Then some amongst them would say: Has your master (Dajjal) not forbidden you to kill anyone without (his consent)? And so they would take him to the Dajjal and when the believer would see him, he would say: O people. he is the Dajjil about whom Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) has informed (us). The Dajjal would then order for breaking his head and utter (these words): Catch hold of him and break his head. He would be struck even on his back and on his stomach. Then the Dajjal would ask him: Don’t you believe in me? He would say: You are a false Masih. He would then order him to be torn (into pieces) with a saw from the parting of his hair up to his legs. After that the Dajjal would walk between the two pieces. He would then say to him: Stand, and he would stand erect. He would then say to him: Don’t you believe in me? And the person would say: It has only added to my insight concerning you (that you are really the Dajjal). He would then say: O people, he would not behave with anyone amongst people (in such a manner) after me. The Dajjal would try to catch hold of him so that he should kill him (again). The space between his neck and collar bone would be turned into copper and he would find no means to kill him. So he would catch hold of him by his hand and feet and throw him (into the air) and the people would think as if he had been thrown in the Hell-Fire whereas he would be thrown in Paradise. Thereupon Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) said: He would be the most eminent amongst persons in regard to martyrdom in the eye of the Lord of the world.

No one asked Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) more about Dajjil than I asked him. He said: He should not be a source of worry to you for he would not be able to do any harm to you. I said: Allah’s Messenger, it is alleged that he would have along with him (abundance of) food and water. Thereupon he said: He would be very insignificant in the eye of Allah (even) with all this.

What did you ask? Mughira replied: I said that the people alleged that he would have a mountain load of bread and mutton and rivers of water. Thereupon he said: He would be more insignificant in the eye of Allah compared with all this.

This hadith has been narrated on the authority of Isma’il through other chains of transmitters with a slight variation of wording.

What is this hadith that you narrate that the Last Hour would come at such and such time? Thereupon he said: Hallowed be Allah, there is no god but Allah (or the words to the same effect). I have decided that I would not narrate anything to anyone now. I had only said that you would see after some time an important event that the (sacred) House (Ka’ba) would be burnt and it would happen and definitely happen. He then reported that Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) said: The Dajjal would appear in my Ummah and he would stay (in the world) for forty – I cannot say whether he meant forty days, forty months or forty years. And Allah would then send Jesus son of Mary who would resemble ‘Urwa b Mas’ud. He (Jesus Christ) would chase him and kill him. Then people would live for seven years that there would be no rancour between two persons. Then Allah would send cold wind from the side of Syria that none would survive upon the earth having a speck of good in him or faith in him but he would die, so much so that even if some amongst you were to enter the innermost part of the mountain, this wind would reach that place also and that would cause his death. I heard Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) as saying: Only the wicked people would survive and they would be as careless as birds with the characteristics of beasts. They would never appreciate the good nor condemn evil. Then Satan would come to them in human form and would say: Don’t you respond? And they would say: What do you order us? And he would command them to worship the idols but, in spite of this, they would have abundance of sustenance and lead comfortable lives. Then the trumpet would be blown and no one would hear that but he would bend his neck to one side and raise it from the other side and the first one to hear that trumpet would be the person who would be busy in setting right the tank meant for providing water to the camels. He would swoon and the other people would also swoon, then Allah would send or He would cause to send rain which would be like dew and there would grow out of it the bodies of the people. Then the second trumpet would be blown and they would stand up and begin to look (around). Then it would be said: O people, go to your Lord, and make them stand there. And they would be questioned. Then it would be said: Bring out a group (out of them) for the Hell-Fire. And then it would be asked: How much? It would be said: Nine hundred and ninty-nine out of one thousand for the Hell-Fire and that would be the day which would make the children old because of its terror and that would be the day about which it has been said: “On the day when the shank would be uncovered” (lxviii. 42).

I heard a person saying to ‘Abdullah b. Amr: You say that the Last Hour would come at such and such time, whereupon he said: I had made up my mind that I would not narrate anything to you. I only said: But you would soon see after some time a very significant affair, for example the burning of the House (Ka’ba). Shu’ba said like this and ‘Abdullah b Amr reported Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) having said: The Dajjal would appear in my Ummah. And in another hadith (the words are): None would survive who would have even a speck of faith in his heart, but he would be dead. Muhammad b. Ja’far reported that Shu’ba narrated to him this hadith many a time and I also read it out to him many a time.

I committed to memory a hadith from Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) and I did not forget it after I had heard Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) as saying: The first sign (out of the signs of the appearance of the Dajjal) would be the appearance of the sun from the west, the appearance of the beast before the people in the forenoon and which of the two happens first, the second one would follow immediately after that.

Abu Zur’a reported that three persons amongst Muslims had been sitting in Medina in the presence of Marwan b. Hakam and they heard him narrate these signs from him and the first amongst them was the appearance of the Dajjal. ‘Abdullah b. ‘Amr reported that Marwin said nothing (particular in this connection). I, however, heard a hadith from Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) and I did not forget that after I had heard that from Allah’s Apostle (ﷺ) and he reported a hadith like the foregoing.

I heard Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) as saying. The rest of the hadith is the same, but there is no mention of forenoon.

Narrate to me a hadith which you had heard directly from Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) and there is no extra link in between them. She said: Very well, if you like, I am prepared to do that, and he said to her: Well, do It and narrate that to me. She said: I married the son of Mughira and he was a chosen young man of Quraish at that time, but he fell as a martyr in the first Jihad (fighting) on the side of Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ). When I became a widow, ‘Abd al-Rahman b. Auf, one amongst the group of the Companions of Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ), sent me the proposal of marriage. Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) also sent me such a message for his freed slave Usama b. Zaid. And it had been conveyed to me that Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) had said (about Usama): He who loves me should also love Usama. When Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) talked to me (about this matter), I said: My affairs are in your hand. You may marry me to anyone whom you like. He said: You better shift now to the house of Umm Sharik, and Umm Sharik was a rich lady from amongst the Ansar. She spent generously for the cause of Allah and entertained guests very hospitably. I said: Well, I will do as you like. He said: Do not do that for Umm Sharik is a woman who is very frequently visited by guests and I do not like that your head may be uncovered or the cloth may be removed from your shank and the strangers may catch sight of them which you abhor. You better shift to the house of your cousin ‘Abdullah b. ‘Amr b. Umm Maktum and he is a person of the Bani Fihr branch of the Quraish, and he belonged to that tribe (to which Fatima) belonged. So I shifted to that house, and when my period of waiting was over, I heard the voice of an announcer making an announcement that the prayer would be observed in the mosque (where) congregational prayer (is observed). So I set out towards that mosque and observed prayer along with Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) and I was in the row of the women which was near the row of men. When Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) had finished his prayer, he sat on the pulpit smiling and said: Every worshipper should keep sitting at his place. He then said: Do you know why I had asked you to assemble? They said: Allah and His Messenger know best. He said: By Allah. I have not made you assemble for exhortation or for a warning, but I have detained you here, for Tamim Dari, a Christian, who came and accepted Islam, told me something, which agrees with what I was telling, you about the Dajjal. He narrated to me that he had sailed in a ship along with thirty men of Bani Lakhm and Bani Judham and had been tossed by waves in the ocean for a month. Then these (waves) took them (near) the land within the ocean (island) at the time of sunset. They sat in a small side-boat and entered that island. There was a beast with long thick hair (and because of these) they could not distinguish his face from his back. They said: Woe to you, who can you be? Thereupon it said: I am al-Jassasa. They said: What is al-Jassasa? And it said: O people, go to this person in the monastery as he is very much eager to know about you. He (the narrator) said: When it named a person for us we were afraid of it lest it should be a devil. Then we hurriedly went on till we came to that monastery and found a well-built person there with his hands tied to his neck and having iron shackles between his two legs up to the ankles. We said: Woe be upon thee, who are you? And he said: You would soon come to know about me. but tell me who are you. We said: We are people from Arabia and we embarked upon a boat but the sea-waves had been driving us for one month and they brought as near this island. We got Into the side-boats and entered this island and here a beast met us with profusely thick hair and because of the thickness of his hair his face could not be distinguished from his back. We said: Woe be to thee, who are you? It said: I am al- Jassasa. We said: What is al-Jassasa? And it said: You go to this very person in the monastery for he is eagerly waiting for you to know about you. So we came to you in hot haste fearing that that might be the Devil. He (that chained person) said: Tell me about the date-palm trees of Baisan. We said: About what aspect of theirs do you seek information? He said: I ask you whether these trees bear fruit or not. We said: yes. Thereupon he said: I think these would not bear fruits. He said: Inform me about the lake of Tabariyya? We said: Which aspect of it do you want to know? He said: Is there water in it? They said: There is abundance of water in it. Thereupon he said: I think it would soon become dry. He again said: Inform me about the spring of Zughar. They said: Which aspect of it you want to know? He (the chained person) said: Is there water in it and does it irrigate (the land)? We said to him: Yes, there is abundance of water in it and the inhabitants (of Medina) irrigate (land) with the help of it, He said: Inform me about the unlettered Prophet; what has he done? We said: He has come out from Mecca and has settled In Yathrib (Medina). He said: Do the Arabs fight against him? We said: Yes. He said: How did he deal with them? We informed him that he had overcome those in his neighbourhood and they had submitted themselves before him. Thereupon he said to us: Has it actually happened? We said: Yes. Thereupon he said: If it is so that is better for them that they should show obedience to him. I am going to tell you about myself and I am Dajjal and would be soon permitted to get out and so I shall get out and travel in the land, and will not spare any town where I would not stay for forty nights except Mecca and Medina as these two (places) are prohibited (areas) for me and I would not make an attempt to enter any one of these two. An angel with a sword in his hand would confront me and would bar my way and there would be angels to guard every passage leading to it; then Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) striking the pulpit with the help of the end of his staff said: This implies Taiba meaning Medina. Have I not, told you an account (of the Dajjal) like this? ‘The people said: Yes, and this account narrated by Tamim Dari was liked by me for it corroborates the account which I gave to you in regard to him (Dajjal) at Medina and Mecca. Behold he (Dajjal) is in the Syrian sea (Mediterranean) or the Yemen sea (Arabian sea). Nay, on the contrary, he is in the east, he is in the east, he is in the east, and he pointed with his hand towards the east. I (Fatima bint Qais) said: I preserved it in my mind (this narration from Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ).

We visited Fatima b. Qais and she served us fresh dates which are called rutab and she also served us barley. I asked her about that woman in whose case three divorces had been pronounced as to how much time she should count as the waiting period. She said: My husband pronounced three divorces in my case and Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) permitted me to spend any waiting period in my family. (It was during this period) that announcement was made for the people to observe prayer in the bigger Mosque. I went there along with people and I was in the front row meant for women and it was adjacent to the last row of men and I heard Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) deliver sermon sitting on the pulpit. He said: The cousin of Tamim (Dari) sailed in the ocean. The rest of the hadith is the same but with this addition:” (I see) as if I am looking to Allah’s Apostle (ﷺ) pointing his rod towards the land (and saying): It is Taiba, i. e. Medina.”

If I were to be permitted to set out I would have covered all the lands except Taiba. Then Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) brought (Tamim Dari) before the public and he narrated to them and said: That is Taiba and that is the Dajjal.

O people, Tamim Dari has reported to me that some persons of his tribe sailed in the ocean in a boat and it capsised and then some of them travelled on one of the planks of the boat and they went to an island in the ocean. The rest of the hadith is the same.

There will be no land which would not be covered by the Dajjal but Mecca and Medina, and there would no passage out of the passages leading to them which would not be guarded by angels arranged in rows. Then he (the Dajjal) would appear in a barren place adjacent to Medina and it would rock three times that every unbeliever and hypocrite would get out of it towards him.

This hadith has been transmitted on the authority of Anas that Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) said this but with this addition that (the Dajjal would come) and pitch his tent in the waste-land of Juruf and thus there would come out of (the city) every hypocrite, man and woman.

The Dajjal would be followed by seventy thousand Jews of Isfahan wearing Persian shawls.

I heard Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) as saying: The people would run away from the Dajjal seeking shelter in the mountains. She said: Where would be the Arabs then in that day? He said: They would be small in number.

This hadith has been narrated on the authority of Ibn Juraij with the same chain of transmitters.

We used to go to Imran b. Husain passing in front of Hisham b. ‘Amir. He, one day, said: You pass by me (in order) to go to some persons, but (amongst the living persons) none remained in the company of Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) more than I and none knows more ahadith than I. I heard Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) as saying: There would be no creation (creating more trouble) than the Dajjal right from the creation of Adam to the Last Hour.

This hadith has been transmitted on the authority of ‘Imran b. Husain with a slight variation of wording.

Hasten to do good deeds before six things happen: the rising of the sun from the west, the smoke, the Dajjal, the beast and (the death) of one of you or the general turmoil.

Hasten in performing these good deeds (before these) six things (happen): (the appearance) of the Dajjal, the smoke, the beast of the earth, the rising of the sun from the west, the general turmoil (leading to large-scale massacre) and death of masses and individuals.

This hadith has been narrated on the authority of Qatada through another chain of transmitters.

Worshiping during the period of widespread turmoil is like emigration towards me.

The previous hadith is narrated through Abu Kamil from Hammad with the same chain.

The Last Hour would affect (most terribly) the wicked persons.

I and the Last Hour are (close to each other) like this (and he, in order to explain it) pointed (by joining his) forefinger, (one) next to the thumb and the middle finger (together).

I and the Last Hour have been sent like this. Shu’ba said: I heard Qatada as saying in his narration: The excellence of one over the other. And I do not know whether he narrated it from Anas or Qatada himself said so.

I heard Qatada and Abu Tayyab narrating that both of them heard Anas as narrating that Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) said: I and the Last Hour have been sent like this, and Shu’ba drew his forefinger and middle finger near each other while narrating it.

This hadith has been narrated on the authority of Anas through another chain of transmitters.

Anas reported Allah’s Apostle (ﷺ) as saying like this, but he narrated it through another chain of transmitters.

I and the Last Hour have been sent like this and (he while doing it) joined the forefinger with the middle finger.

If he lives he would not grow very old that he would find your Last Hour coming to you (he would see you dying).

If this young boy lives, he may not grow very old till (he would see) the Last Hour coming to you.

When would the Last Hour come? Thereupon Allah’s Messenger (way peace be upon him) kept quiet for a while. Then looked at a young boy in his presence belonging to the tribe of Azd Shanu’a and he said: If this boy lives he would not grow very old till the Last Hour would come to you. Anas said that this young boy was of our age during those days.

A young boy of Mughira b. Shu’ba happened to pass by (the Holy Prophet) and he was of my age. Thereupon Allah’s Apostle (ﷺ) said: If he lives long he would not grow very old till the Last Hour would come (to the old people of this generation).

The Last Hour would come (so sudden) that a person would be milking the she- camel and the (milk) would not reach the brim of the vessel that the Last Hour would come, and the two persons would be engaged in buying and selling of the clothes and their bargain would not be struck before the Last Hour would come. And someone would be setting his tank in order and he would have hardly set it right when the Last Hour would come.

Between the two blowings of the trumpet (there would be an interval of forty). They said: Abu Huraira, do you mean forty days? He said: I cannot say anything. They said: Do you mean forty months? He said: I cannot say anything. They said: Do you mean forty years? He said: I cannot say anything. Then Allah would cause the water to, descend from the sky and they (people) will sprout like vegetable. The only thing in a man which would not decay would be one bone (spinal chord) from which the whole frame would be reconstituted on the Day of Resurrection.

The earth would consume every son of Adam except his spinal chord from which his body would be reconstituted (on the Day of Resurrection).

There is a bone in the human being which the earth would never consume and it is from this that new bodies would be reconstituted (on the Day of Resurrection). They said: Allah’s Messenger, which bone is that? Thereupon he said: It is the spinal bone.