In his 'Israel and the
Prophecies of The Holy Quran' Akbar Ali states:
"Our Prophet (peace be
upon him) informed his followers that when the time comes and they hear that
Dajjal exists, that they must recite the first ten verses and the last ten
verses of Surah al-Kahf (The Cave)..."
Those who recite these verses will
be saved from the mischief and tribulations of Anti-Christ, providing that the
reading of these portions of the Qur'an are made with a clear understanding of
their meaning. Akbar Ali elaborates:
"The reason
why the Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him!) advised his followers to
read these twenty verses of the Qur'an was because these verses speak of the
Christian misbeliefs, and, therefore, there is not the least doubt that the tribulation
of Dajjal means the tribulation of the Christian nations or the materialistic
civilization, with which we are faced in the present age. And the name of
Antichrist given to it is due to the fact that it is opposed to the true
teachings of Jesus Christ, who never taught the doctrine of sonship, and
neither did he teach the doctrine of atonement. The Holy Qur'an gives a clear
warning against such a belief."
He states that one of the purposes of the
advent of the prophet Muhammad was:
(1) To warn those who say Allah has
taken to Himself a son.(Surah 18, al-Kahf, ayah 4)
(2) Do those who disbelieve think that
they can take My servant (Jesus) to be master besides Me? (Surah 18, al-Kahf,
ayah 102)
(3) Say: If Ar-Rahman [The Beneficent]
had a son I would have been foremost among the worshippers. (Surah 43, Az-Zuhruf,
ayah 81)
and
(4) Those whose effort goes astray in
this world's life, and yet, they think that they are making good manufactures.
(Surah 18, Al-Kahf, ayah 104)
that is, to point out to Dar Al Suna
(for its English rendition read Arsenal) The House of Industry, that those
nations who excel in manufacturing, to the exclusion of all other
considerations, what the result of all their artifice will be in the final
analysis.
After quoting the Hadith in al-Bukhari:
"When Dajjal appears, his complexion will be white and his right eye will
be blind, while the left eye will shine like a bright star."
Akbar Ali
makes the following observation:
"First of all, generally speaking, the
European nations are the only ones with white complexions. And the mention that
the right eye would be blind does not mean physical blindness but spiritual
blindness with no thought of life beyond the grave, and the [covetous] left
[sinister] eye shining like a bright star means that they would discover all
kinds of earthly treasures, comfort and luxury to such an extent that their
spiritual life would be completely neglected by them. Our Prophet said on
occasions that man's right side was heaven and the left side hell. Therefore
the brightness of the left eye stands for love of life and luxury which will
divert man from the right path and take him to hell. The Holy Qur'an makes the
point quite clear when it tells us in the following words:
'Whoever is blind in this world will
be blind in the Hereafter.'" (Surah 17, Al-Isra', ayah 72)
However, Akbar Ali also warns Muslims
about blind belief without understanding:
"Some Muslims believe that if
they recite the Quranic verses relating to Dajjal and he hears it, he (Dajjal)
will run away from them in fear. But I do not think that any sensible person
would ever believe that the mere recitation of the Holy Qur'an could turn
anyone away in fear. This is simply another of the ancient superstitions which,
sad to say, still exist today. The real sense in this belief lies in the fact
that their meaning should be understood, for only by understanding the meaning
of them can Dajjal be identified, and, with this knowledge and understanding,
man can protect himself from the corrupt and misguiding influence of (The Great
Liar) Dajjal (the Anti-Christ), such as the belief in the sonship of the
Prophet Jesus..."
It is clear that there is much to
consider in this matter of Dajjal, and it is incumbent on us to make the effort
to satisfy ourselves that we are doing all we can to improve our understanding,
without becoming paranoid by wasting our time on matters which should not
concern us.