Mu' meneen Brothers and Sisters,

As Salaam Aleikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.  (May Allah's Peace, Mercy and Blessings be upon all of you)

One of our brothers/sisters has asked this question:

Dajjall, Yajooj, Majooj, Mahdi, Al-Daabah, Jinn, Iblis, Shaitaan, Al-Sayyadd and Imaam-us-Zamaan; Can you differentiate them? Who are these and what are their characteristics and basis in Islam?

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Answer:

Who is Dajjal, Yajooj, Maajooj etc?

In the name of Allah, We praise Him, seek His help and ask for His forgiveness. Whoever Allah guides none can misguide, and whoever He allows to fall astray, none can guide them aright. We bear witness that there is no one (no idol, no person, no grave, no prophet, no imam, no dai, nobody!) worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that Muhammad(saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.

Ref: Dajjaal

The coming of Dajjaal is something which is in the future; thus the only things we know about him and his basis and characteristic is what Allah and His Messenger (saws) have informed us about him.

Dajjaal will be an evil person, whom Allah Subhanah will send to this earth near the end of time, as a trial for the people. He will be an evil person, and will create mischief and havoc in the world. He will be a liar, and will have been given some powers by Allah as a trial; and he will claim himself to be Allah himself! When Dajjaal’s atrocities and oppression will reach its peak, Allah Subhanah will send Prophet Jesus (a.s.) to the earth; and Prophet Jesus (a.s.) will fight and kill him in battle.

Sahih Muslim Hadith 7015 Narrated by An-Nawwas ibn Sam'an

The Messenger of Allah (saws) said: ‘He (the Dajjal) will be a young man with twisted, cropped hair, and a blind eye. He who among you will survive to see him should recite over him the opening verses of Surah al-Kahf (xviii). He will appear on the way between Syria and Iraq and will spread mischief right and left. O servant of Allah! Adhere (to the path of Truth). We asked: ‘Allah's Apostle (peace be upon him), how long will he stay on Earth?’ He said: ‘For forty days, one day like a year, one day like a month, one day like a week, and the rest of the days will be like your days.’ We asked: ‘Allah's apostle (peace be upon him) how quickly will he walk upon the earth?’ Thereupon he said: ‘Like cloud driven by the wind. He will come to the people and invite them (to a wrong religion); they will affirm their faith in him and respond to him. He will then give a command to the sky: there will be rainfall upon the Earth and it will grow crops. Then in the evening, their pasturing animals will come to them with their humps very high, their udders full of milk and their flanks distended. He will then come to another people and invite them. But they will reject him so he will go away from them; they will have a drought and nothing will be left with them in the form of wealth. He will then walk through the desert and say to it: Bring forth your treasures. The treasures will come out and gather before him like a swarm of bees. He will then call someone in the flush of youth, strike him with the sword, cut him into two pieces and (make these pieces lie at the distance which is generally between the archer and his target. He will then call (that young man) and he will come forward laughing with his face gleaming (with happiness). It will at this very time that Allah will send Christ, son of Mary. He will descend at the white minaret on the eastern side of Damascus, wearing two garments lightly dyed with saffron and placing his hands on the wings of two Angels. When he lowers his head, there will fall beads of perspiration from his head, and when he raises it up, beads like pearls will scatter from it. Every non-believer who smells the odour of his body will die and his breath will reach as far as he is able to see. He will then search for him (Dajjal) until he catches hold of him at the gate of Ludd and kills him.’

Sunan of Abu-Dawood Hadith 4306 Narrated by Ubadah ibn as-Samit

The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: ‘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.’

Sahih Al-Bukhari Hadith 4.553 Narrated by Ibn Umar

Once Allah's Apostle (saws) stood amongst the people, glorified and praised Allah as He deserves to be praised, and then mentioned the Dajjal saying, "I warn you against him (i.e. the Dajjal), and there was no prophet but warned his nation against him. No doubt, Noah warned his nation against him, but I tell you about him something of which no prophet told his nation before me. You should know that he is one-eyed, and Allah is not one-eyed."

Sahih Muslim Hadith 296 Narrated by Abu Hurayrah

The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) observed: ‘When three things appear faith will not benefit one who has not previously believed, or has derived no good from his faith: the rising of the sun in its place of setting, the Dajjal, and the Beast of the earth.

Sunan of Abu-Dawood Hadith 4305 Narrated by Imran ibn Husayn

The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: ‘Let him who hears of the Dajjal (Antichrist) go far from him, for I swear by Allah that a man will come to him thinking he is a believer, and follow him because of confused ideas roused in him by him.’

Sunan of Abu-Dawood Hadith 2526 Narrated by Anas ibn Malik

The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: ‘Three things are the roots of faith: 1). to refrain from (killing) a person who utters, "There is no god but Allah", 2.) and not to declare him unbeliever whatever sin he commits, and not to excommunicate him from Islam for any of his action; 3.) and jihad will be performed continuously since the day Allah sent me as a prophet until the day the last member of my community will fight with the Dajjal (Antichrist). The tyranny of any tyrant and the justice of any just (ruler) will not invalidate it. One must have faith in Divine Decree.’

Whatever written of Truth and benefit is only due to Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error is of me. Allah Alone Knows Best and He is the Only Source of Strength.

Your Brother in Islam,

Burhan