Question:
What is the real face of antichrist (dajjal)?
Answer:
In answering this question, we bring along the opinion of Imam al-Qurtubi in al-Tazkirah, in which he said:
Antichrist (Dajjal) is the biggest affliction of the ummah. The Prophet PBUH himself frequently do supplication to seek refuge in Allah from the affliction of antichrist (dajjal) in his daily prayers. It is recorded in a valid (sahih) hadith, narrated by ‘Aisha (the wife of the Prophet PBUH), it is said that the Prophet PBUH recited this du’a in his prayers (after completing the recitation of tahiyyat):
اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنْ عَذَابِ الْقَبْرِ وَأَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنْ فِتْنَةِ الْمَسِيحِ الدَّجَّالِ، وَأَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنْ فِتْنَةِ الْمَحْيَا وَفِتْنَةِ الْمَمَاتِ، اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنَ الْمَأْثَمِ وَالْمَغْرَمِ
“O Allah, I seek refuge with You from the punishment of the grave, from the afflictions of the imposter- Messiah, and from the afflictions of life and death. O Allah, I seek refuge with You from sins and from debt”
Sahih al-Bukhari (832, 833)
It is sunnah to recite this du’a after the recitation of tahiyyat before give salam according to the majority of scholars. In fact, there are some who said that it is compulsory (wajib).
In detail, features of antichrist (dajjal) can be known by studying the hadiths of the Prophet PBUH:
الدَّجَّالُ مَمْسُوحُ الْعَيْنِ مَكْتُوبٌ بَيْنَ عَيْنَيْهِ كَافِرٌ " . ثُمَّ تَهَجَّاهَا ك ف ر " يَقْرَؤُهُ كُلُّ مُسْلِمٍ "
“Dajjal is blind of one eye and there is written between his eyes the word" Kafir". He then spelled the word kaf. fa. ra., which every Muslim would be able to read”
Sahih Muslim (2933 c)
إِنِّي قَدْ حَدَّثْتُكُمْ عَنِ الدَّجَّالِ حَتَّى خَشِيتُ أَنْ لاَ تَعْقِلُوا إِنَّ مَسِيحَ الدَّجَّالِ رَجُلٌ قَصِيرٌ أَفْحَجُ جَعْدٌ أَعْوَرُ مَطْمُوسُ الْعَيْنِ لَيْسَ بِنَاتِئَةٍ وَلاَ جَحْرَاءَ فَإِنْ أُلْبِسَ عَلَيْكُمْ فَاعْلَمُوا أَنَّ رَبَّكُمْ لَيْسَ بِأَعْوَرَ
“I have told you so much about the Dajjal (Antichrist) that I am afraid you may not understand. The Antichrist is short, hen-toed, woolly-haired, one-eyed, an eye-sightless, and neither protruding nor deep-seated. If you are confused about him, know that your Lord is not one-eyed.”
Sunan Abi Dawud (4320)
أَعْوَرُ عَيْنِ الْيُمْنَى، كَأَنَّهَا عِنَبَةٌ طَافِيَةٌ
"The Prophet PBUH said (about Ad-Dajjal) that he is one eyed, his right eye is as if a protruding out grape,"
Sahih al-Bukhari (7123)
ألا أحدثكم حديثاً عن الدجال ما حدث به نبي قومه! إنه أعور، وإنه يجيء معه بمثال الجنة والنار، فالتي يقول إنها الجنة هي النار (متفق عليه)
The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Let me tell you something about Dajjal (the Antichrist) which no Prophet had told his people. He is blind (in one eye) and will bring with him something like Jannah and Hell; but what he calls Jannah will be in fact Hell.”
Muttafaq ‘Alaih (Al-Bukhari and Muslim) Book 19, Hadith 11
الدَّجَّالُ مَكْتُوبٌ بَيْنَ عَيْنَيْهِ ك ف ر أَىْ كَافِرٌ
“There would be written three letters kaf. fa. ra., i. e. Kafir, between the eyes of the Dajjal.”
Sahih Muslim (2933 b)
مَا بُعِثَ نَبِيٌّ إِلاَّ قَدْ أَنْذَرَ أُمَّتَهُ الدَّجَّالَ الأَعْوَرَ الْكَذَّابَ أَلاَ وَإِنَّهُ أَعْوَرُ وَإِنَّ رَبَّكُمْ لَيْسَ بِأَعْوَرَ وَإِنَّ بَيْنَ عَيْنَيْهِ مَكْتُوبًا كَافِرٌ
“No prophet was sent who had not warned his people about the one-eyed. Between his eyes will be written ‘infidel’ (kafir).”
Sunan Abi Dawud (4316)
الدَّجَّالُ أَعْوَرُ الْعَيْنِ الْيُسْرَى جُفَالُ الشَّعَرِ مَعَهُ جَنَّةٌ وَنَارٌ فَنَارُهُ جَنَّةٌ وَجَنَّتُهُ نَارٌ
“Dajjal is blind of left eye with thick hair and there would be a garden and fire with him and his fire would be a garden and his garden would be fire”
Sahih Muslim (2934 a)
قالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم "الدَّجَّالُ أَعْوَرُ عَيْنِ الْيُسْرَى جُفَالُ الشَّعَرِ مَعَهُ جَنَّةٌ وَنَارٌ فَنَارُهُ جَنَّةٌ وَجَنَّتُهُ نَارٌ"
The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: “The Dajjal (False Christ) is blind in his left eye and has abundant hair. With him will be a Paradise and a Hell, but his Hell is Paradise and his Paradise is Hell."
Sunan Ibn Majah (4071)
قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم " لأَنَا أَعْلَمُ بِمَا مَعَ الدَّجَّالِ مِنْهُ مَعَهُ نَهْرَانِ يَجْرِيَانِ أَحَدُهُمَا رَأْىَ الْعَيْنِ مَاءٌ أَبْيَضُ وَالآخَرُ رَأْىَ الْعَيْنِ نَارٌ تَأَجَّجُ فَإِمَّا أَدْرَكَنَّ أَحَدٌ فَلْيَأْتِ النَّهْرَ الَّذِي يَرَاهُ نَارًا وَلْيُغَمِّضْ ثُمَّ لْيُطَأْطِئْ رَأْسَهُ فَيَشْرَبَ مِنْهُ فَإِنَّهُ مَاءٌ بَارِدٌ وَإِنَّ الدَّجَّالَ مَمْسُوحُ الْعَيْنِ عَلَيْهَا ظَفَرَةٌ غَلِيظَةٌ مَكْتُوبٌ بَيْنَ عَيْنَيْهِ كَافِرٌ يَقْرَؤُهُ كُلُّ مُؤْمِنٍ كَاتِبٍ وَغَيْرِ كَاتِبٍ "
The Messenger of Allah said: “I know what the Dajjal will have with him. He will have two flowing rivers, one that appears to the eye to be clear water, and one that appears to the eye to be flaming fire. If anyone sees that, let him go to the river which he thinks is fire and close his eyes, then lower his head and drink from it, for it is cool water. The Dajjal has one blind eye, with a layer of thick skin over it, and between his eyes is written ‘disbeliever,’ which every believer will read, whether he is literate or illiterate”
Sahih Muslim (2934 b)
أَرَانِي اللَّيْلَةَ عِنْدَ الْكَعْبَةِ فَرَأَيْتُ رَجُلاً آدَمَ كَأَحْسَنِ مَا أَنْتَ رَاءٍ مِنْ أُدْمِ الرِّجَالِ لَهُ لِمَّةٌ كَأَحْسَنِ مَا أَنْتَ رَاءٍ مِنَ اللِّمَمِ قَدْ رَجَّلَهَا فَهِيَ تَقْطُرُ مَاءً مُتَّكِئًا عَلَى رَجُلَيْنِ - أَوْ عَلَى عَوَاتِقِ رَجُلَيْنِ - يَطُوفُ بِالْكَعْبَةِ فَسَأَلْتُ مَنْ هَذَا قِيلَ هَذَا الْمَسِيحُ ابْنُ مَرْيَمَ ثُمَّ إِذَا أَنَا بِرَجُلٍ جَعْدٍ قَطَطٍ أَعْوَرِ الْعَيْنِ الْيُمْنَى كَأَنَّهَا عِنَبَةٌ طَافِيَةٌ فَسَأَلْتُ مَنْ هَذَا فَقِيلَ لِي هَذَا الْمَسِيحُ الدَّجَّالُ "
“I found myself one night near the Ka'bah, and I saw a man with wheat complexion amongst the fair-complexioned men that you ever saw. He had a lock of hair the most beautiful of the locks that you ever saw. He had combed it. Water was trickling out of them. He was leaning on two men, or on the shoulders of two men, and he was circumscribing the Ka'bah. I asked, Who is he? It was said: He is al-Masih son of Mary. Then I saw another person, stout and having too much curly hair, and blind in his right eye as if it was a full swollen grape. I asked Who is he? It was said: He is al-Masih al-Dajjal”
Sahih Muslim (169 a)
أَلاَ إِنَّ رَبَّكُمْ لَيْسَ بِأَعْوَرَ أَلاَ وَإِنَّهُ أَعْوَرُ عَيْنُهُ الْيُمْنَى كَأَنَّهَا عِنَبَةٌ طَافِيَةٌ
"Lo! Indeed! your Lord is not blind in one eye, and indeed he is blind in one eye; his right eye is as if it is a floating grape."
Jami` at-Tirmidhi (2241)
حَدَّثَنَا الْحَسَنُ بْنُ عَمْرٍو، حَدَّثَنَا جَرِيرٌ، عَنْ مَنْصُورٍ، عَنْ رِبْعِيِّ بْنِ حِرَاشٍ، قَالَ اجْتَمَعَ حُذَيْفَةُ وَأَبُو مَسْعُودٍ فَقَالَ حُذَيْفَةُ لأَنَا بِمَا مَعَ الدَّجَّالِ أَعْلَمُ مِنْهُ إِنَّ مَعَهُ بَحْرًا مِنْ مَاءٍ وَنَهْرًا مِنْ نَارٍ فَالَّذِي تَرَوْنَ أَنَّهُ نَارٌ مَاءٌ وَالَّذِي تَرَوْنَ أَنَّهُ مَاءٌ نَارٌ فَمَنْ أَدْرَكَ ذَلِكَ مِنْكُمْ فَأَرَادَ الْمَاءَ فَلْيَشْرَبْ مِنَ الَّذِي يَرَى أَنَّهُ نَارٌ فَإِنَّهُ سَيَجِدُهُ مَاءً . قَالَ أَبُو مَسْعُودٍ الْبَدْرِيُّ هَكَذَا سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم يَقُولُ
“I know best what the Dajjal (Antichrist) will have with him. He will have with him a sea of water and a river of fire, and what you see as fire will be water and what you see as water will be fire. If any of you who lives up to that time and desires water, he should drink from what he sees as fire, for he will find it water. Abu Mas’ud al-Badri said: I heard the Messenger of Allah PBUH say in this way.”
Sunan Abi Dawud (4315)