Part 18

Book of The End: Great Trials and Tribulations 1

said, ‘I am Al-Jasssaasah (a beast that spies out news for the Dajjaal).’ They said, ‘And what is Al-Jassaasah”’ It said, ‘O people, go this man in the castle, for he is most eager to learn of your news,’ Tameem said, ‘When she named to us a man, we became afraid from her, fearing that she was a female devil. We hurried until we entered the castle, and inside of it we saw the largest man — in terms of physique — that we had ever seen. He was tied in chains with his hands gathered at his neck; between his knees and his heels (he was tied) in chains. We said: Woe to you! What are you? He said: You have been able (to know) of my news, so inform me — what you are? We said: We are a people from the Arabs. We rode on a sea vessel and we were at sea when it became tempestuous. The waves played with us for a month, and then we took shelter on this island of yours. We sat on the lower part of our vessel, which was on the side of the shore, and we entered the island. We met a beast with thick hair, and it was very much hirsute; so much hair did it have that we did not know its front from its back. We said to it: Woe unto you! What are you? It said: I am Al-Jassaasah. Then it said: Betake yourselves to this man in the castle, for he is most eager to learn of your news. We came to you in a hurry. And we became free of her, for we did not feel safe as to her not being a female devil. The man. asked: Inform me about the date-trees in Baisaan (a village in Sham, near to Jordon).’ We said: what is it concerning it that you are asking about? He said: I am asking you about its date-trees — are they giving fruit? We said: Yes. He said: The time draws near when they will not give fruit. He said: Inform me about Buhairah AtTabariyyah. We said: what concerning it are you asking about? He said: Is there water in it? They answered: It has much water. He said: Its water will soon go away. Then he said: Inform me about the spring of Zughar (an area in Sham). They said: what concerning it are you asking about? He said: Is there water in the spring? And are its people farming, using the water of the spring? We said: Yes, it contains much water, and its people are farming, using its water. He said: Inform me about the Prophet of the illiterate ones — what has he done? They said: He has left Makkah and has inhabited Yathrib (Madeenah). He said: Have the Arabs fought him? We said: Yes. He said: And what did he do with them? We then informed him that he was victorious over those Arabs that were near him and that they obeyed him. He asked: That indeed happened? We said: Yes. He said: It is indeed better for them to obey him; and I will inform you

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about myself: [ am Al-Maseeh (Ad-Dajjaal). And the time is near when permission will be given to me to come out. | will come out and I will travel in the earth. Then, in a period of forty nights, I will not leave a village without descending in it — except for Makkah and Taibah (Madeenah), for they are both forbidden upon me. Whenever I want to enter one of them, I am met by an angel, in whose hand is a sword unsheathed, and he will block me from entering it. And verily, upon every mountain pass from it are angels that guard it (e, Makkah and Madeenah).’ As he struck his rod on the pulpit, the Messenger of Allah 2% said, ‘Teebah means AlMadeenah. Indeed, did I used to relate the same to you?’ The people said, ‘Yes.’ He #8 said, ‘The hadith of Tameem indeed amazed me, in that (what) he (said) was in keeping with what I related to you about him (the Dajjaal) and about Madeenah and Makkah. Lo! He is indeed in Ash-Sham or in the right sea; rather, no, he is in the direction of the East.’ And he #8 pointed with his hand toward the East.” She % said, “I memorized this from the Messenger of Allah 8.” (Muslim)

The hadith Of Faatimah Bint Qais %

Imam Muslim related the same hadith through different chains and with various wordings. At the end of one narration, the Prophet #¥ clarified it, saying, “This (i.e. Al-Madeenah Al-Munawarrah) is Taibah and that (the man spoken about in Tameem Ad-Daaree’s narration) is Ad-Dajjaal.” Abu Daawood, Ibn Maajah, An-Nasaaee, Imam Ahmad, and At-Tirmidhee — these compilers all related the same hadith through different chains, and about one of those chains, At-Tirmidhee said, “Hasan sahih.”

In one narration, ‘Aamir said, “I approached Madeenah and then went to Faatimah Bint Qais, who told me that her husband divorced her during the lifetime of the Messenger of Allah 2. Then the Messenger of Allah 28 sent him on a mission; (and during that time} his brother said, ‘leave the house.” Faatimah & said, “1 said to him, ‘I have the right of expenditure and housing until the fixed-period ends.’ He said, ‘No.’ I went to the Messenger of Allah #% and said, ‘Indeed, so-and-so divorced me, and his brother is forcing me to leave, preventing me from housing and expenses.’ He #¥ sent a message to him, “What is between you and Bint Aal-Qais?’ He said, ‘O Messenger of Allah, my brother indeed divorced (her) all three

Book of The End: Great Trials and Tribulations 93

times.’ The Messenger of Allah 2% said, “Look, O daughter of Qais, expenses and housing are only for the woman whose husband can still take her back (i.e. before the third and final divorce). If he cannot take her back, then (she has the right to) neither expenses nor housing. Leave and live with such and such woman...(rather) live with Ibn Umm Maktoom, for he is indeed blind and will not see you. Then do not marry until 1 marry you off.” Faatimah said, “Then a man from the Quraish proposed to me, and I went to the Messenger of Allah 2, seeking his command. He #% said, ‘Shall you not marry he who is more beloved to me than him?’ I said, ‘Yes, O Messenger of Allah; then marry me to whomscever you love.” Faatimah % said, “He then married me to Usaamah ibn Zaid .” ‘Aamir said, “When ] wanted to leave, she said, ‘Sit, so that I will relate to you a hadith from the Messenger of Allah #4.” She said, “One day, the Messenger of Allah #¢ went out and prayed the noon prayer, He then sat until the people finished (their prayer). He #8 then said, ‘O people, sit, for indeed, I am not standing here because of some alarm; rather, because Tameem Ad-Daaree came to me and informed me of some news that made me so happy and pleased that I was not able to take the day nap. And I wished to spread to you the happiness of your Prophet #, He informed me that a group of his cousins (and him) were traveling by sea; they were then overcome by tempestuous weather, and the wind forced them to an island that they did not know. They sat at the bottom of their ship, on the side that was near the shore, and they landed on the island. (When they arrived there) they came upon something that was very hirsute with coarse hair, and they did not know whether it was a man or a woman. They gave greetings of peace and he returned greetings of peace upon them. They said to him, ‘Shall you not inform us” He said, ‘I will not inform you (of anything) nor will | ask you to inform me. However, in this castle that you have seen is one who eagerly wants to learn of your news - for him to inform you and ask of you to inform him.’ Tameem said, ‘We said: What are you?’ He said, ‘Al-Jassaasah.’ They went until they reached the castle. Before them was a man who was severely shackled; he evinced sadness and suffering (or complaining). They gave him greetings of peace and he returned them upon them. He said, ‘Who are you?’ They said, ‘We are people from the Arabs.’ He said, ‘What have the Arabs done - has their Prophet come out?’ They said, Yes.’ He said, ‘And what have they done?’ They said,

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‘(They have done) well; they have faith in him, and they have believed him.’ He said, ‘That is better for them.’ They said, “They were his enemies, but Allah made him victorious over them.’ He inquired, “The Arabs today - their God is One, their Prophet is one, and their word is one (i.e. they are united)?” They said, ‘Yes.’ He said, ‘And what has the spring of Zughar done?’ They said, ‘It is good; its people drink from it; it gives them drink and they give drink from it to their crops.’ He said, ‘And what have the date-trees done that are between ‘Ammaan and Baisaan”’ They said, ‘Healthy and they give their fruit every year.’ He said, ‘And what has the Tabariyyah lake done?’ They said, ‘It is full.’ He took a long breath and then swore, ‘When I leave this place, | will not leave any of Allah’s lands except that I will step on it, except for Teebah (Madeenah) and Makkah, for I have no power over them.” The Messenger of Allah 2 said, “The Dajjaal will not enter Teebah: this was the reason for my happiness. Indeed, Teebah is Al-Madeenah. Verily, Allah has made it forbidden for the Dajjaal to enter it.” Then the Messenger of Allah #% made an oath, “By Allah -- none has the right to be worshipped but He - it has neither narrow nor wide road and. neither level land nor mountain except upon it is an Angel whose sword is unsheathed, (and will remain so) until the Day of Resurrection. The Dajjaal will not be able to enter it upon its inhabitants.” ‘Aamir said, “I met Al-Mihraz ibn Abee Hurairah and Tnarrated to him the hadith of Faatimah bint Qais. He said, ‘I bear witness upon my father that he related to me the same as Faatimah related to you, except that he related that the Prophet #% said: he is in the Eastern sea.” ‘Aamir said, “Then I met Al-Qaasim ibn Muhammad and I mentioned to him the hadith of Faatimah. He said, ‘I bear witness upon ‘Aaisha that she related to me the same as what Faatimah related to you except that she said: the two inviolable places are forbidden upon him — Makkah and Madeenah.”” (Almnd)