What is the greatest trouble of all times? You could answer this question in many different ways, but I chose to go with the answer in the words of the Prophet Muhammad pbuh.
"There would be no creation (creating more trouble) than the Dajjal right from the creation of Adam to the Last Hour." (Grade: sahih, Muslim 2946)
"Hasten to do good deeds before six things happen: the rising of the sun from the west, the smoke, the Dajjal, the beast and (the death) of one of you or the general turmoil." (Grade: sahih, Muslim 2947)
"I warn you of him, and there was no prophet but warned his followers of him; but I will tell you something about him which no prophet has told his followers: Ad- Dajjal is one-eyed whereas Allah is not." (Grade: sahih, Bukhari 92/74)
"Narrated `Aisha: I heard Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) in his prayer, seeking refuge with Allah from the afflictions of Ad-Dajjal." (Grade: sahih, Bukhari 92/76)
Antichrist is also addressed in the Bible, too:
"And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time" (Daniel 7/25)
"Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God, or that is worshiped; so that he as God sits in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God." (2 Thessalonians 2/3-4)
In different communities, there are varying opinions of the Antichrist as to who he is and when he will appear. On one hand, these brainstorms are good in the sense that they may awaken a vigilance against this trouble of all times. However, instead of focusing on the action and mission of the Antichrist, if we focus on his identity and his appointed time in history, we miss the real point. Remember, he is going to deceive people about the truth. He could disguise himself, too, and your efforts to pinpoint him would go in vain! Worse, if you are not well equipped, you may even fall to his schemes, let alone recognizing him. So, instead of focusing on the exact name-place-time of Antichrist, it makes more sense to analyze his actions and the social conditions hosting his mission.
The coming of the Antichrist is decreed in the destiny; so, there is no escape from it. But, knowing that his coming is going to be accompanied by lots of troubles and conflicts on earth, we can ask why divine wisdom allowed it? Which actions of ours could be making us deserve such a punishment? To answer this question, let's remember certain facts.
First, the varying descriptions of the Antichrist has been interpreted as a sign that the same trouble is going to appear at different times and places throughout the history, although The Antichrist is going to come towards the end of time. So, instead of actions of a single person, we are looking at a problem that is due to an indispensable aspect of humanity from its beginning to its end.
Second, in the Quran, we are told that any tribulation that visits us is due to our own actions (4/79). So, a tribulation of the size of Antichrist must be related to community-wide or global mischief. Nevertheless, the coming of this misfortune can, at the same time, be a bitter medicine for the humans to heal from their mischief. Therefore, during the events of the Antichrist, there might be losses, but in the end, humanity, or that community, gets out cleared.
Third, there is no clear hadith or Quranic verse about the identity of the Antichrist. Plus, similar to the wisdom behind the uncertainty of the time of death or the wisdom behind the uncertainty of the end of time, etc., the fact that Antichrist is not well-defined could be due to a reason. Regardless of what you think that reason is, if you claim a person to be the Antichrist and announce this information as a well-established fact, you are going against the wisdom of Sunna and the Quran. Those who think a person to be the Antichrist would not anymore stay vigilant against its deceptions, and would render themselves prone to the plots of the greatest misfortune of all times.
Having established these three points, now let's think about what makes us, humans, deserve this punishment from our Creator.
In the history, the greatest disaster that hit the disbelievers is the Great Flood. Virtually all disbelievers were eradicated from the face of the planet. Why did this happen? If we read carefully through the Quran, we see that the individuals in that community did not suffice with their rejection of the divine call but worked systematically to misinform and disinform the rest of the people so that no one would even listen to Noah pbuh (23/23-25). Furthermore, they extended their influence to the new generations so that none of the new generations could think clearly (26/11-116, 71/26-27). Plus, they successfully (!) executed their system and proved beyond doubt that they are enemy of God (29/14).
If we turn towards the believers, on the other hand, the greatest misery befell them must be the losses and destructions that took place through the 19th and the 20th century. During this period, not only did they fail on the material side, but also collapsed in term of their faith and religion. At first, the believers thought that this was due to lack of technological power. Over the decades, many Muslim countries acquired that, but still, no clear victory is visible. Then, they said it is due to the political systems. Again over the decades, they tried different options to no avail. Lack of education was put forward as another reason of demise. Countless schools were opened, but still education is not a shining star among Muslims, despite the clear orders from the Quran to read and think and work! Then the believers started talking about misunderstandings and misinterpretations in the religion. After years of studies, the best of the achievements are the reiteration of the past scholars or misguided justifications of the worldly ambitions and innovations. So, it looks like despite the changes on the outside, we did not change inside that much after two centuries of tribulations.
If you think about it, perhaps all of the suggestions from the believers played a role into their demise in history. However, what is the underlying energy that is driving everything else? I would answer this question as lack and suppression of critical thinking and the unlimited resistance to change. And these two are synonyms of what I described above about the disbelievers: misguiding the society and maleducating the new generations to suppress free thinking. Therefore, anytime free thinking is blocked and locked among the humans, gates of misfortune are opened!
Second, let's say you see that person, you know the above hadith, and he is offering you water. Would you accept it? One of the first things we teach our children is not to accept any edibles or drinks from strangers. Would you do the same, if you deemed that person as stranger, let alone Antichrist? No. Therefore, Antichrist must be someone who is going to look like "someone from among us", and he is going to block the reason, so that people are going to accept the water from him, which is going to take them to fire. However, due to lack of reason, you are not going to understand why you are burning, and drink more "water" in a vicious cycle.
So, the power of Antichrist is not really due to his personal superiority, but due to the lack of reason and intellect among the people, due to a social atmosphere that drives people away from thinking. Then, the receipt for the coming of the Antichrist, or the antidote thereof, has to do with the critical thinking and free discussion of ideas and events.
Having established these three points, now let's think about what makes us, humans, deserve this punishment from our Creator.
In the history, the greatest disaster that hit the disbelievers is the Great Flood. Virtually all disbelievers were eradicated from the face of the planet. Why did this happen? If we read carefully through the Quran, we see that the individuals in that community did not suffice with their rejection of the divine call but worked systematically to misinform and disinform the rest of the people so that no one would even listen to Noah pbuh (23/23-25). Furthermore, they extended their influence to the new generations so that none of the new generations could think clearly (26/11-116, 71/26-27). Plus, they successfully (!) executed their system and proved beyond doubt that they are enemy of God (29/14).
If we turn towards the believers, on the other hand, the greatest misery befell them must be the losses and destructions that took place through the 19th and the 20th century. During this period, not only did they fail on the material side, but also collapsed in term of their faith and religion. At first, the believers thought that this was due to lack of technological power. Over the decades, many Muslim countries acquired that, but still, no clear victory is visible. Then, they said it is due to the political systems. Again over the decades, they tried different options to no avail. Lack of education was put forward as another reason of demise. Countless schools were opened, but still education is not a shining star among Muslims, despite the clear orders from the Quran to read and think and work! Then the believers started talking about misunderstandings and misinterpretations in the religion. After years of studies, the best of the achievements are the reiteration of the past scholars or misguided justifications of the worldly ambitions and innovations. So, it looks like despite the changes on the outside, we did not change inside that much after two centuries of tribulations.
"Indeed, Allah will not change the condition of a people until they change what is in themselves. And when Allah intends for a people ill, there is no repelling it. And there is not for them besides Him any patron." (13/11)
If you think about it, perhaps all of the suggestions from the believers played a role into their demise in history. However, what is the underlying energy that is driving everything else? I would answer this question as lack and suppression of critical thinking and the unlimited resistance to change. And these two are synonyms of what I described above about the disbelievers: misguiding the society and maleducating the new generations to suppress free thinking. Therefore, anytime free thinking is blocked and locked among the humans, gates of misfortune are opened!
"And fear a trial which will not strike those who have wronged among you exclusively, and know that Allah is severe in penalty." (8/25)
"And return [in repentance] to your Lord and submit to Him before the punishment comes upon you; then you will not be helped." (39/54)
"By the One in Whose Hand is my soul! Either you command good and forbid evil, or Allah will soon send upon you a punishment from Him, then you will call upon Him, but He will not respond to you." (Grade: Hasan, Tirmidhi 2169)This could be a great clue to what is going to invite or host Antichrist. You wonder why? Let's read and ponder the below hadith:
"The Prophet pbuh said about Ad-Dajjal that he would have water and fire with him: (what would seem to be) fire, would be cold water and (what would seem to be) water, would be fire." (Grade: sahih, Bukhari 92/77)
So, Antichrist is going to deceive people so much that that they are not going to truly understand what they see with their eyes. One way this could happen is through the blocking of the critical thinking ability so that people accept anything as it is presented to them, without questioning whether it makes sense or it is in line with the commandments of God or whether it is acceptable in the framework of the Sunna. Actually, there is another hadith, which signals that such a state is actually underlying the troubles of Antichrist:Is it at all possible that you see someone with a clear mark on his forehead, saying disbeliever? No. So, this must be a conclusion of the reason, not eyes. If the people are not able to come to that conclusion, that means an obstruction of the reason.
"No prophet was sent but that he warned his followers against the one-eyed liar (Ad-Dajjal). Beware! He is blind in one eye, and your Lord is not so, and there will be written between his (Ad-Dajjal's) eyes (the word) Kafir (i.e., disbeliever)." (Grade: sahih, Bukhari 92/78)
Second, let's say you see that person, you know the above hadith, and he is offering you water. Would you accept it? One of the first things we teach our children is not to accept any edibles or drinks from strangers. Would you do the same, if you deemed that person as stranger, let alone Antichrist? No. Therefore, Antichrist must be someone who is going to look like "someone from among us", and he is going to block the reason, so that people are going to accept the water from him, which is going to take them to fire. However, due to lack of reason, you are not going to understand why you are burning, and drink more "water" in a vicious cycle.
So, the power of Antichrist is not really due to his personal superiority, but due to the lack of reason and intellect among the people, due to a social atmosphere that drives people away from thinking. Then, the receipt for the coming of the Antichrist, or the antidote thereof, has to do with the critical thinking and free discussion of ideas and events.
But the problem is that whenever there are people who start questioning, who think critically or who are trying non-conventional ways of doing things, they keep talking, preventing real action. They lead to disagreements, disputes; and perhaps they indulge in sinful extremes. Plus, there are many Quranic verses and words of the Prophet Muhammad pbuh that admonish us to avoid dispute! So, what are we going to do?
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