Brief Overview
The basis for this book relies on two Sahih Muslim Hadiths (sayings of the Prophet (PBUH)). Both of the hadiths are made available to read at the bottom of this chapter. In one of the Hadith, it was prophesied that Al-Masīḥ ad-Dajjāl (the Antichrist) would “remain for forty days, one day like a year and one day like a month and one day like a week and the rest of the days would be like your days.”
There is a difference of opinion on what one day like a year would look like. Some people think that the earth will rotate slower on that particular day, while others assume that it is the huge fitnah of that day, which will make it seem like it is a very long day. Only Allah knows the truth.
My interpretation (again, it is just a theory) for the above hadith (based on Surah Al-Kahf) is that the last 37 days are within the earthly 24-hour clock time frame, whereas the first three days belong in a different time realm and not in an earthly time frame. The measurement of time for the first three days far exceeds the 24-hour clock. So, one must look at the first three days from a different perspective with an open mind to realise their relevance.
Proof of this is provided in the 18th chapter of the Qur’an. There is a story in Surah Al-Kahf about a group of people who sought refuge in a cave and slept there for 309 years. Although time was frozen for this group of people inside the cave, however, for the outside world, the 24-hour clock system continued as normal.
So two different time dimensions can exist at the same time. Therefore, it is logical to assume that the world at large will continue to experience a 24-hour clock system during the first three days of the Antichrist. While he remains invisible.
Secondly, each day is different from the previous one; each day affects humanity differently.
- Day One – About Geo-Empowerment
- Day Two – Substituting Religion
- Day Three – Micromanaging Humanity
After observing certain major events from the past 500 years, it appears that:
- The First Day Started in 1492
- The Second Day Started in 1875
- The Third Day Started in 2001
The events and relevance of each of these days will be discussed in the next chapters. However, it is worth noting that the first three days are not equal. Why is one day like a year and one day like a month and one day like a week?
One possible explanation is that during the first day, the changes taking place around the world were at a much slower pace (1492-1875). However, during the third day, with the help of modernisation and technology, changes are happening much faster compared to 400 years ago. Tools developed during the third day have made it much easier to influence and subjugate humanity instantaneously.
The second hadith is the one where the Prophet (PBUH) relates to the people about the experience of a companion, Tamim Dari. According to this hadith, the Antichrist was chained when Tamim Dari met him on an island in a monastery. This (my) theory indicates that the Antichrist was unchained in 1492. That is when the first day started. According to this model, the world is nearing the end of the third day.
Despite being unchained since 1492, the Antichrist has yet to reveal himself to the world in person. Remember, if he can remain invisible for centuries while shackled in a monastery on an island, it is also possible that he can remain invisible while unchained and allowed to roam the earth and spread mischief.
Some people erroneously assume that the Antichrist is working alone as a one-man show. The hadith mentioned below makes it clear that he would have many devils with him that would help him to convince people with weak faiths that he is the Lord. This suggests that he would have made an alliance with Iblees and at his disposal would be an army of Jinns helping spread doubts in peoples minds (Waswassa).
It is difficult to predict how long this alliance has been in existence, however, it is not a recently made alliance.
Asma’ daughter of Yazid said: When God’s messenger was in my house, he mentioned the dajjal saying, “Before he comes there will be three years, one in which the heaven will withhold a third of its rain and the earth a third of its vegetation, the second in which the heaven will withhold two-thirds of its rain and the earth two-thirds of its vegetation, and the third in which the heaven will withhold all its rain and the earth all its vegetation, and every animal with hoof or fang will perish. One of the severest of his afflictions will be his coming to a nomadic Arab and saying, `Tell me, if I bring your camels to life for you, will you not know that I am your Lord?’ and he will reply, `Certainly. He will then make the devils appear to him like his camels with the finest udders and the highest humps. He will come to a man whose brother and father have died and say, `Tell me, if I bring your father and your brother to life for you, will you not know that I am your Lord?’ and he will reply, `Certainly.’ He will then make the devils appear to him like his father and his brother.” She said that God’s messenger then went out to relieve himself and when he found on his return that the people were greatly upset over what he had told them, he put his hands on the sides of the door and said, “What is the matter, Asma’?” When she replied that their hearts were perturbed over them; mention of the dajjal, he said, “If he comes forth when I am alive, I shall dispute with him, otherwise my Lord will take my place on behalf of every believer.” She said, “Messenger of God, I swear by God that when we knead our dough, we are hungry before we make it into bread. Now how will believers fare at that time?” He replied, “The glorifying of God and the declaration of His holiness which are enough for the angels will be enough for them.” (Mishkat al-Masabih 5491)
The topic of his physical appearance would be discussed in the later chapter titled The Appearance of the Antichrist.
Understanding the Three Days Model
It is important to note that two distinguishing features manifest at the beginning of each day. It is the repetition on three occasions of these features that makes the model plausible. The presence of these two features is vital for the validity of this model. Not only the presence of these two features is important, but its relationship to the two-eyed system as explained in the Introduction is very important as well. Thus, these two features help to identify the beginning of each of the three days mentioned in the Hadith.
The Two Distinguished Features for Each Day
The first feature is that the first event of each day is so powerful that its impact is felt like a shockwave, not only in the physical world but also in the spiritual realm. It affects, directly and indirectly, both the geopolitical and religious worlds. The balance of power between evil and good begins to tilt due to the shockwave on each of these occasions. Leading to a complete triumph of evil in the war between good and evil.
One side-effect of the gradual triumph of evil since the release of the Antichrist has been a slow and steady downhill trajectory of spirituality. It means people have sleepwalked into a reality that is devoid of spirituality and divine law. We are living in a one-eyed world.
The three shock waves that shuck the spiritual world and the physical world are:
- The Spanish Inquisition
- The Ottoman Empire Defaults
- The 9/11 Event
The importance of these three events cannot be underestimated. Perhaps it is true that they have never been studied in depth before. This book shall explore further the significance of these events in the following chapters and look at how they have had a long-lasting effect on humanity.
The second feature is regarding the first decade. The agenda for the whole day (remember there are three separate days) is set out by major events that occur during the first decade of that particular day. Whatever major events happen in these decades should be considered as an indication of what is to be followed for the remaining part of the day, as further extensive work will be carried out thoroughly on each of those events.
These three decades are probably the most significant decades of the past 500 years. It is difficult to imagine any other period that has had a similar effect on transforming and reshaping human history as these three decades. The impact and influence of these three decades continue to affect us to this day and will continue to do so in the future.
Remember, it is not just about the physical world but also the spiritual world. Not just the one-eyed world but also concerning the two-eyed world.
Thus, the criteria for recognising each of the three days are:
- The first major event sends shockwaves into the spiritual and physical worlds.
- The five events of the first decade set the agenda for the rest of the day.
- Each event affects the one-eyed world and the two-eyed world.
The One-Eyed and Two-Eyed World
- In the one-eyed system, man-made laws are considered supreme. There is materialistic and worldly progress, but human suffering becomes unavoidable and suppression inevitable due to the world being devoid of divine law and spirituality.
- In the two-eyed world, the divine law is supreme, human progress transcends worldly affairs, and spirituality flourishes. Human suffering and oppression become outlawed. Justice reaches the four corners of the state, and no one is discriminated against.
There should be no ambiguity between the one-eyed system and the two-eyed system. The rule of the first four Caliphs was based on the two-eyed system. Whereas the rule of Yazid, during whose rule the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) was martyred, was a one-eyed system. Just having Sharia in the legal system does not make it a two-eyed system if justice is not implemented.
This chapter is intended to focus on explaining the model. The details of each event and their relevance to the one-eyed and two-eyed worlds will be discussed in the following chapters. The two Hadith discussed at the beginning regarding the 40 days of the Antichrist and about the companion Tamim Dari are:
The Hadith About 40 days
An-Nawwas b. Sam`an reported that Allah’s Messenger (PBUH) made a mention of the Dajjal one day in the morning. He (PBUH) sometimes described him to be insignificant and sometimes described (his turmoil) as very significant (and we felt) as if he were in the cluster of the date-palm trees. When we went to him (to the Holy Prophet) in the evening and he read (the signs of fear) in our faces, he (PBUH) said: What is the matter with you? We said: Allah’s Messenger, you made a mention of the Dajjal in the morning (sometimes describing him) to be insignificant and sometimes very important, until we began to think as if he were present in some (near) part of the cluster of the date-palm trees. Thereupon he (PBUH) said: I harbor fear in regard to you in so many other things besides the Dajjal. If he comes forth while I am among you, I shall contend with him on your behalf, but if he comes forth while I am not amongst you, a man must contend on his own behalf and Allah would take care of every Muslim on my behalf (and safeguard him against his evil). He (Dajjal) would be a young man with twisted, contracted hair, and a blind eye. I compare him to `Abd-ul-`Uzza b. Qatan. He who amongst you would survive to see him should recite over him the opening verses of Sura Kahf (xviii). He would appear on the way between Syria and Iraq and would spread mischief right and left. O servant of Allah! adhere (to the path of Truth). We said: Allah’s Messenger, how long would he stay on the earth? He (PBUH) said: For forty days, one day like a year and one day like a month and one day like a week and the rest of the days would be like your days. We said: Allah’s Messenger, would one day’s prayer suffice for the prayers of day equal to one year? Thereupon he (PBUH) said: No, but you must make an estimate of time (and then observe prayer). We said: Allah’s Messenger, how quickly would he walk upon the earth? Thereupon he (PBUH) said: Like cloud driven by the wind. He would come to the people and invite them (to a wrong religion) and they would affirm their faith in him and respond to him. He would then give command to the sky and there would be rainfall upon the earth and it would grow crops. Then in the evening, their pasturing animals would come to them with their humps very high and their udders full of milk and their flanks stretched. He would then come to another people and invite them. But they would reject him and he would go away from them and there would be drought for them and nothing would be left with them in the form of wealth. He would then walk through the waste land and say to it: Bring forth your treasures, and the treasures would come out and collect (themselves) before him like the swarm of bees. He would then call a person brimming with youth and strike him with the sword and cut him into two pieces and (make these pieces lie at a distance which is generally) between the archer and his target. He would then call (that young man) and he will come forward laughing with his face gleaming (with happiness) and it would be at this very time that Allah would send Jesus, son of Mary, and he will descend at the white minaret in the eastern side of Damascus wearing two garments lightly dyed with saffron and placing his hands on the wings of two Angels. When he would lower his head, there would fall beads of perspiration from his head, and when he would raise it up, beads like pearls would scatter from it. Every non-believer who would smell the odor of his self would die and his breath would reach as far as he would be able to see. He would then search for him (Dajjal) until he would catch hold of him at the gate of Ludd and would kill him. Then a people whom Allah had protected would come to Jesus, son of Mary, and he would wipe their faces and would inform them of their ranks in Paradise and it would be under such conditions that Allah would reveal to Jesus these words: I have brought forth from amongst My servants such people against whom none would be able to fight; you take these people safely to Tur. And then Allah would send Gog and Magog and they would swarm down from every slope. The first of them would pass the lake of Tiberias and drink out of it. And when the last of them would pass, he would say: There was once water there. Jesus and his companions would then be besieged here (at Tur, and they would be so much hard pressed) that the head of the ox would be dearer to them than one hundred dinars and Allah’s Apostle, Jesus, and his companions would supplicate Allah, Who would send to them insects (which would attack their necks) and in the morning they would perish like one single person. Allah’s Apostle, Jesus, and his companions would then come down to the earth and they would not find in the earth as much space as a single span which is not filled with their putrefaction and stench. Allah’s Apostle, Jesus, and his companions would then again beseech Allah, Who would send birds whose necks would be like those of Bactrian camels and they would carry them and throw them where God would will. Then Allah would send rain which no house of clay or (the tent of) camels’ hairs would keep out and it would wash away the earth until it could appear to be a mirror. Then the earth would be told to bring forth its fruit and restore its blessing and, as a result thereof, there would grow (such a big) pomegranate that a group of persons would be able to eat that, and seek shelter under its skin and milch cow would give so much milk that a whole party would be able to drink it. And the milch camel would give such (a large quantity of) milk that the whole tribe would be able to drink out of that and the milch sheep would give so much milk that the whole family would be able to drink out of that and at that time Allah would send a pleasant wind which would soothe (people) even under their armpits, and would take the life of every Muslim and only the wicked would survive who would commit adultery like asses and the Last Hour would come to them. (Sahih Muslim:2937a)
The Hadith About Tamim Dari
Amir b. Sharahil Sha’bi Sha’b Hamdan reported that he asked Fatima, daughter of Qais and sister of ad-Dahhak b. Qais and she was the first amongst the emigrant women: Narrate to me a hadith which you had heard directly from Allah’s Messenger (PBUH) 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 (PBUH). When I became a widow, ‘Abd al-Rahman b. Auf, one amongst the group of the Companions of Allah’s Messenger (PBUH), sent me the proposal of marriage. Allah’s Messenger (PBUH) also sent me such a message for his freed slave Usama b. Zaid. And it had been conveyed to me that Allah’s Messenger (PBUH) had said (about Usama): He who loves me should also love Usama. When Allah’s Messenger (PBUH) 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 (PBUH) and I was in the row of the women which was near the row of men. When Allah’s Messenger (PBUH) 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 (PBUH) 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 (PBUH). (Sahih Muslim:2942a)
Another Hadith That Mentions 40 Days
Al-nawwas b. Sim’an al-Kilabi said: The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) mentioned the Dajjal (Antichrist) saying: If he comes forth while I am among you I shall be the one who will dispute with him on your behalf, but if he comes forth when I am not among you, a man must dispute on his own behalf, and Allah will take my place in looking after every Muslim. Those of you who live up to his time should recite over him the opening verses of Surat al – Kahf, for they are your protection from his trial. We asked: How long will he remain on the earth ? He replied : Forty days, one like a year, one like a month, one like a week, and rest of his days like yours. We asked : Messenger of Allah, will one day’s prayer suffice us in this day which will be like a year ? He replied: No, you must make an estimate of its extent. Then Jesus son of Marry will descend at the white minaret to the east of Damascus. He will then catch him up at the gate of Ludd and kill him. (Sunan Abi Dawud:4321)
Grade: Sahih (Al-Albani)
