Nu’aym narrated to us, saying: Baqiyyah ibn al-Walid narrated to us, from Bujayr ibn Sa’d, from Ibn Abi Bilal, from ‘Abdullah ibn Busr, the Companion of the Prophet ﷺ, who said that the Prophet ﷺ said:
“Between the Great Battle and the conquest of Constantinople will be several years, then the Dajjal will emerge in the seventh year.”
Al-Walid ibn Muslim narrated from Safwan ibn ‘Amr, from Abu al-Yaman and others, from Ka’b, who said:
“The Dajjal will not emerge until Constantinople has been conquered.”
Baqiyyah ibn al-Walid narrated from Abu Bakr ibn Abi Maryam, from Abu al-Zahiriyyah, from Kathir ibn Murrah, who said:
“Whoever is present at Constantinople should take whatever he is able to take and keep it, for the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: ‘Its conquest and the emergence of the Dajjal will be within seven years.'”
Safwan said: Shurayh ibn ‘Ubayd narrated to me from Ka’b, who said:
“News will reach them while they are dividing its spoils that the Dajjal has emerged, but this will be false. So take whatever you are able to take. You will remain for six years, then he will emerge in the seventh.”
Safwan also said: ‘Abd al-Rahman ibn Jubayr narrated to me from Ka’b, who said:
“The Dajjal will not emerge until the city has been conquered.”
Abu al-Mughirah narrated from Bashir ibn ‘Abdullah ibn Yasar, who said:
‘Abdullah ibn Busr al-Mazini, the Companion of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, took hold of my ear and said:
“O son of my brother, perhaps you will live to witness the conquest of Constantinople. If you do witness its conquest, beware of abandoning your share of its spoils, for between its conquest and the emergence of the Dajjal are seven years.”
Ibn Wahb narrated from Ibn Lahi’ah and al-Layth ibn Sa’d, from Khalid ibn Yazid, from Sa’id ibn Abi Hilal, from Abu Salamah, from ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Amr, who said:
“The Dajjal will emerge after the conquest of Constantinople and before the descent of ‘Isa ibn Maryam at Bayt al-Maqdis.”
Ibn Wahb narrated from ‘Asim ibn Hakim, from ‘Umar ibn ‘Abdullah, from Ka’b, who said that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
“After they conquer Constantinople, news will reach them that the Dajjal has emerged. They will return but will not find him. Then only a short time will pass before he emerges.”
Years of Deception Before the Dajjal
Ibn Wahb narrated from Yazid ibn ‘Iyad, from Sa’id ibn ‘Ubayd ibn al-Siyaq, who said:
I heard Abu Hurayrah رضي الله عنه say that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
“Before the emergence of al-Masih al-Dajjal there will be years of deception. The truthful person will be regarded as a liar, the liar will be believed, the treacherous person will be trusted, the trustworthy person will be regarded as treacherous, and the Ruwaybidah will speak.”
The Ruwaybidah is the insignificant man who speaks concerning the affairs of the general public. The term has also been explained as a diminutive of al-rabidah, referring to an incapable person who remains behind from noble pursuits and does not strive to attain them, a lowly person among the people.
Nu’aym narrated to us, saying: Rushdayn narrated to us, from Ibn Lahi’ah, from Sa’id ibn Rashid, from ‘Uthman ibn al-Mustayfi’ al-Himyari, who said:
My father narrated to me that Hudhayfah ibn al-Yaman said:
“There will be a military expedition at sea. Whoever participates in it will become wealthy and will never again become poor, while whoever does not participate will not see his wealth increase thereafter beyond what he already possessed.
The sea will then become difficult for six years, then return to its former state for six years, then become difficult for another six. That makes eighteen years, after which the Dajjal will emerge.”
Rushdayn narrated from Ibn Lahi’ah, from Ja’far ibn ‘Abdullah al-Ansari, from one who narrated to him, from ‘Ata’ ibn Yasar, who heard Ka’b say:
“Before the emergence of the Dajjal there will be three tribulations: the tribulation of ‘Uthman, the tribulation of Ibn al-Zubayr رضي الله عنهما, and the third tribulation. Then the Dajjal will emerge.”
Rushdayn narrated from Ibn Lahi’ah, from Abu Qabil, from Tubay’, who said:
“Before the Dajjal there will be three signs: three years of famine, the rivers will diminish, vegetation will turn yellow, and springs will dry up. Madhhij and Hamdan will move from Iraq until they settle at Qinnasrin and Aleppo. Then expect the Dajjal to reach your lands by morning or evening.”
The Great Battle, Constantinople and the Dajjal
Baqiyyah and ‘Abd al-Quddus narrated from Abu Bakr ibn Abi Maryam, from al-Walid ibn Sufyan ibn Abi Maryam, from Yazid ibn Qutayb al-Sakuni, from Abu Bahriyyah ‘Abdullah ibn Qays al-Sakuni, from Mu’adh ibn Jabal رضي الله عنه, who said that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
“The Great Battle, the conquest of Constantinople, and the emergence of the Dajjal will occur within seven months.”
He said: Safwan narrated to us from Abu al-Yaman, from Ka’b, something similar.
Abu Bakr said:
Damrah ibn Habib informed me that ‘Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan wrote to Abu Bahriyyah saying that he had heard that Abu Bahriyyah narrated from Mu’adh concerning the Great Battle, Constantinople and the emergence of the Dajjal.
Abu Bahriyyah wrote back that he had heard Mu’adh say:
“The Great Battle, the conquest of Constantinople, and the emergence of the Dajjal will occur within seven months.”
‘Abd al-Quddus narrated to us from Ibn ‘Ayyash, from Yahya ibn Abi ‘Amr al-Shaybani, from Ibn Muhayriz, who said:
“The Great Battle, the destruction of Constantinople and the emergence of the Dajjal will occur within the duration of a woman’s pregnancy.”
Baqiyyah narrated from Yahya ibn Sa’id, from Khalid ibn Ma’dan, from Abu Bilal, from ‘Abdullah ibn Busr رضي الله عنه, from the Prophet ﷺ:
“Between the Great Battle and the conquest of Constantinople will be six years, and the Dajjal will emerge in the seventh year.”
Baqiyyah said: Safwan informed us from Shurayh ibn ‘Ubayd, from Ka’b, who said:
“The Dajjal will emerge in the year eighty.”
And Allah knows best which “eighty” was intended, whether two hundred and eighty or some other year.
Abu al-Mughirah narrated from Safwan, from Shurayh ibn ‘Ubayd, from Ka’b, from the Prophet ﷺ, who said:
“Allah will not bring together against this Ummah both the sword of the Dajjal and the sword of the Great Battle.”
Three Years of Severe Famine
Nu’aym narrated to us, saying: ‘Abd al-Razzaq narrated to us from Ma’mar, from Qatadah, from Shahr ibn Hawshab, from Asma’ bint Yazid al-Ansariyyah, who said:
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ was in my house and mentioned the Dajjal. He said:
“Before him will be three years. In the first year, the sky will withhold one-third of its rain and the earth one-third of its vegetation.
In the second year, the sky will withhold two-thirds of its rain and the earth two-thirds of its vegetation.
In the third year, the sky will withhold all of its rain and the earth all of its vegetation, until no hoofed or fanged animal remains except that it perishes.”
Muhammad ibn Humayr narrated from Ibrahim ibn Ablah, who said:
“It used to be said that before the emergence of the Dajjal, a child will be born in Baysan from the descendants of Lawi ibn Ya’qub, and upon his body will be representations of weapons: a sword, shield, spear and knife.”
When People Divide Into Two Camps
Al-Walid ibn Muslim narrated from ‘Abd al-Rahman ibn Yazid, from ‘Umayr ibn Hani’, who said that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
“When the people become divided into two camps, a camp of faith containing no hypocrisy and a camp of hypocrisy containing no faith, then when the two have gathered, expect the Dajjal today or tomorrow.”
Nu’aym narrated to us, saying: al-Hakam ibn Nafi’ narrated from Sa’id ibn Sinan, from Abu al-Zahiriyyah, from Kathir ibn Murrah, from Ibn ‘Umar رضي الله عنهما, from the Prophet ﷺ:
The Prophet ﷺ warned them about the Dajjal and mentioned his signs, indications and the events preceding him in such detail that those present thought he might rise against them from among the palm trees or emerge upon them from the grove.
The Prophet ﷺ then left to attend to something and later returned. Those present had become intensely fearful and were weeping.
He said three times:
“What is the matter? What has caused you to weep?”
They replied:
“You mentioned the Dajjal and made his affair seem so near that we thought he might rise against us or emerge upon us from the palm trees.”
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
“If he emerges while I am among you, I will contend with him on your behalf. If he emerges when I am no longer among you, then every person must contend on his own behalf, and Allah is my Successor over every believer.
One of his eyes is obliterated, while the other is mixed with blood, resembling a bright star.”
Further Signs Mentioned Before His Emergence
Al-Hakam ibn Nafi’ narrated from Jarrah, from Artah, who said:
“Constantinople will be conquered, then news will reach them that the Dajjal has emerged, but the report will be false.
Then they will remain for a period, and in that year the sky will withhold one-third of its rain. In the second year it will withhold two-thirds, and in the third year it will withhold all of its rain.
No animal possessing claws or fangs will remain except that it perishes. Famine will strike, and people will die until only ten out of every seventy remain.
People will flee towards the mountains of al-Jawf and towards Antioch.
Among the signs of the emergence of the Dajjal will be an easterly wind that is neither hot nor cold. It will destroy the idol of Alexandria and uproot the olive trees of the Maghreb and al-Sham.”
The Euphrates, springs and rivers will dry up, and their appointed times of days, months and lunar phases will be delayed.
Yahya ibn Sa’id narrated from Sulayman ibn ‘Isa, who said:
“It has reached me that the Dajjal will emerge after the conquest of Constantinople and after the Muslims have remained there for three years, four months and ten days.”
Baqiyyah narrated from Safwan, from Shurayh ibn ‘Ubayd, from Ka’b:
A Bedouin asked about Abu al-Darda’ and came upon a full gathering in which Abu al-Darda’ and Ka’b were seated with a group of people.
He asked:
“Which of you is Abu al-Darda’?”
They replied:
“This one.”
He asked:
“When will the Dajjal emerge?”
Abu al-Darda’ replied:
“O Allah, forgive us. Leave us from this matter.”
The man repeated his question twice.
When Ka’b saw Abu al-Darda’s dislike of the question, the man said:
“By Allah, O Abu al-Darda’, I did not come to ask you about your wealth. I came to ask you about your knowledge.”
Ka’b then tapped him on the shoulder and said:
“O questioner, when you see that the sky has become barren and sends down no rain, the earth has become barren and produces nothing, the rivers and springs have returned to their sources, and vegetation has turned yellow, then expect the Dajjal to reach you by morning or evening.”
The Report of the Conquest and the Warning of Ibn Mas’ud
‘Isa ibn Yunus narrated from Isma’il ibn Abi Khalid, from his father, from Abu Hurayrah رضي الله عنه, who said:
“The Hour will not come until the city of Caesar or Heraclius is conquered. The callers to prayer will proclaim the Adhan there, and the wealth within it will be divided using shields.
They will return carrying more wealth than anyone on earth, when a caller will meet them saying: ‘The Dajjal has appeared among your families behind you!’
They will throw down what they are carrying, return, and fight him.”
Waki’ narrated from al-Mas’udi, from Hamzah, who said:
Our elders narrated that Ibn Mas’ud came out and proclaimed openly rather than speaking privately:
“Al-Miltat, the bank of the Euphrates, will be the route of the remaining believers fleeing from the Dajjal.
What are they waiting for before they act? Are they waiting for the emergence of the Dajjal? What an evil thing to wait for! Or are they waiting for the Hour? Yet the Hour is more disastrous and more bitter.”
He then took a pebble and said:
“His emergence will be no more harmful to a believer…”
He then took a pebble upon his fingernail and flicked it away, saying:
“…than the harm this pebble caused my fingernail when I flicked it away.”
Rudayh ibn ‘Atiyyah narrated from Yahya ibn Abi ‘Amr, from Ka’b, who said:
“They will conquer Constantinople, then news of the Dajjal will reach them. They will depart towards al-Sham and discover that he has not yet emerged. Then only a short time will pass before he emerges.”
