The third act of geo-empowerment by Al-Masīḥ ad-Dajjāl (the Antichrist) takes place with the opening of the sea route to the subcontinent. From the Antichrist’s point of view, the subcontinent is strategically a very important place. It has been and continues to be one of his strongholds.
On 8th July 1497, Vasco da Gama headed south from Lisbon, Portugal, continuing past Morocco and going all the way towards Cape of Good Hope, South Africa. From there, moving east and then northward along the coast, passing Madagascar. Vasco da Gama’s last stop on the African continent was Malindi, in Kenya. On 24th April 1498, they left Malindi for the subcontinent, reaching there on 20th May 1498. He had discovered a sea route to the subcontinent [1].
The discovery allowed Portugal and later other Europeans to buy commodities and spices directly from the source, cutting out the middleman, namely the Arabs and the Ottoman Empire. This probably played a major role in the decline of the Muslim economies in the Middle East and the Ottoman Empire.
During Vasco da Gama’s second trip to the subcontinent in 1502, an incident occurred that should be considered more than just a coincidence. A ship with 400 Muslim pilgrims was looted, and passengers were locked under the ship and then burnt to death by Vasco da Gama and crew. This was a declaration of the Antichrist’s arrival on the subcontinent. Thus, began the war for the soul of the subcontinent.
Wherever the Antichrist goes, fitnah follows. Ever since the Antichrist reached the subcontinent, there have been many attempts to misguide people by creating a new corrupt version of the religion. Each time the perpetrators deceptively worked hard to convince the gullible public that they had their best interests in mind. We have been warned to be wary of such impostors.
Abu Hurairah narrated that the Messenger of Allah (SWT)(s.a.w) said: “The Hour shall not be established until nearly thirty imposters, Dajjal appear, each of them claiming that he is the Messenger of Allah (SWT).” (Jami` at-Tirmidhi:2218)
There were three impostors (three Dajjāls) from the subcontinent. The reasoning behind alleging these three people of being Dajjāl is that the final prophet was Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), the final book is the Quran, and the final religion is Islam. Anyone who introduces any new religion after that is a Dajjāl.
Thawban narrated that the Messenger of Allah (SWT)(s.a.w) said: “The Hour shall not be established until tribes of my Ummah unite with the idolaters, and until they worship idols. And indeed, there shall be thirty imposters in my Ummah, each of them claiming that he is a Prophet. And I am the last of the Prophets, there is no Prophet after me.” (Jami` at-Tirmidhi:2219)
The first imposter was Guru Nanak (1469 – 1539); although he never claimed to be a prophet, he is credited with introducing a new religion, Sikhism, meaning ‘disciple,’ ‘seeker,’ or ‘learner.’ Guru Nanak continues to be a controversial figure, and stories about his travels are disputed; e.g., there is no authentic proof that he ever was in Baghdad as claimed by his followers [2]. Furthermore, “the travel stories first appear in hagiographic accounts of Guru Nanak, centuries after his death, they continue to become more sophisticated as time goes on” [Wikipedia]. The total Sikh population is between 25 and 30 million and is considered to be the 5th largest religion in the world [3].
The second imposter has to be the Mughal King Abu’l-Fath Jalal-ud-din Muhammad Akbar (1542 – 1605). He was the first to attack Islam from within and to create a big fitnah when he tried to introduce a new syncretic religion named Dīn-i Ilāhī, meaning ‘religion of God’, in 1582. It was a mixture of Hinduism and Islam [4].
Maybe Akbar was attempting to imitate what Constantine did in Constantinople with the introduction of Catholicism as a state religion. In Constantinople, the result was a mixture of Pagan religion wrapped in Christian packaging. However, the new religion Dīn-i Ilāhī disappeared after the death of Akbar himself. It was eradicated by Aurangzeb.
The third imposter is Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (1835 – 1908). He made many false claims that he had been divinely appointed as the promised Messiah and Mahdi etc. Mainstream Muslim scholars consider him to be a charlatan. Ahmadiyya community consists of between 10–20 million followers globally [5].
Each imposter pretended to be the saviour, the Messiah, but in fact behind the mask was a Dajjāl. Blatantly claiming, they aim to enlighten the people. The purpose of Dīn-i Ilāhī and the Ahmadiyya Movement was and is to act as cancer from within and try to destroy the divine religion. Allah (SWT) the Most Merciful has a beautiful rule: whenever a Pharaoh arises to corrupt the land and to suppress the people, Allah (SWT) sends Moses to free the people and establish justice on the land.
Since Prophet Muhammad was the last messenger of Allah (SWT), there cannot be any new messengers. That does not mean there will not be Dajjals arising to misguide and mislead the people. So, Allah (SWT) sends a Mujaddid, someone who will renovate its religion.
Narrated Abu Hurayrah: The Prophet (PBUH) said: Allah (SWT) will raise for this community at the end of every hundred years the one who will renovate its religion for it. (Sunan Abi Dawud:4291)
It is reassuring to know that Allah (SWT) does not forsake His people. The subcontinent region has witnessed a regular flow of Mujaddid in the last few centuries, especially since the Antichrist was unchained. It is a battle spanning centuries for the soul of the subcontinent. The full list of Mujaddid can be seen on the Wikipedia page. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mujaddid].
Readers may or may not agree with the list of Mujaddid on the Wikipedia page. Concerns aside, there are eight Mujaddid in the world during the 12th century (Hijri) listed. Out of the eight, five were from the subcontinent. Five Mujaddid in one part of the world means the threat from evil was very high. During the 14th century (Hijri), there were six Mujaddid, and two were from the subcontinent. In this war between good and evil, the involvement of the Antichrist in the subcontinent’s affairs is now confirmed and no longer disputable.
References
[1] “Vasco da Gama,” 27 09 2024. [Online]. Available: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vasco_da_Gama.
[2] “Guru Nanak,” 19 09 2024. [Online]. Available: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guru_Nanak.
[3] “Sikhism,” 12 10 2024. [Online]. Available: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sikhism.
[4] “Din-i Ilahi,” 27 09 2024. [Online]. Available: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Din-i_Ilahi.
[5] “Mirza Ghulam Ahmad,” 03 10 2024. [Online]. Available: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mirza_Ghulam_Ahmad.
