What guidelines did the Prophet (ﷺ) gave us for protection against Dajjal?
A firm belief in Islam will save us from Dajjal’s severe trials. We need to be dedicated Muslims to defend ourselves in this condition, for when a Muslim with weak faith would see Dajjal, he would fear him and could fall into his trap. One must have a strong faith to protect himself from fitnah, and to strengthen our faith we must practice Islam wholeheartedly and completely. We should not be counterfeit Muslims, such as “Ramadhan Muslims” or “Friday Muslims” where a person practices Islam only on particular days. It is not sufficient to just call ourselves Muslims with Muslim names, rather we should follow Islam as a complete way of life. It is not acceptable if a person claims to be a Muslim but still eats pork or drinks alcohol, thinking that believers would anyway go to Paradise. Yes, the Prophet (ﷺ) did say that all of his nation will enter Paradise, but he didn’t stop there. He then added ‘except for the one who refuses’. When the companion asked who would refuse, he (ﷺ) said:
“Whoever obeys me will enter paradise, and whoever disobeys me has refused”.[1]
Therefore, obedience to the Prophet (ﷺ), which itself is obedience to Allah, should be in every aspect of our lives. Our disobedience to the Prophet (ﷺ) begins with small things such as sisters plucking their eyebrows, even though the Prophet (ﷺ) had cursed it. He (ﷺ) said “Allah curses women who pluck eyebrows and women who get their eyebrows plucked”. So, when women pluck, they are disobeying the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ). This is an active act of disobedience. If the Prophet (ﷺ) described it as a sin, we should not belittle it. Disobedience to the Prophet (ﷺ) means refusing Paradise. So, this is our stronger line of defense - to cling firmly to Islam.
- To memorize the first ten verses or last ten verses of Surah Al-Kahf:
This is the surah that we are encouraged to recite every Friday. This surah highlights the signs of Allah in the various stories that are mentioned in it. We should make a habit of reciting it every Friday and memorising the first and/or last ten verses of it.
- To seek refuge in Allah with the du’a taught by the Prophet (ﷺ):
اَللَّهُمَّ اِنِّي اَعُوْذُ بِكَ مِنْ عَذَابِ جَهَنَّمَ وَمِنْ عَذَابِ الْقَبْرِ وَمِنْ فِتْنَةِ الْمَحْيَا وَالْمَمَاتِ وَمِنْ شَرِّ فِتْنَةِ الْمَسِيْحِ الدَّجَّالِ
“O Allah I seek refuge in you from the punishment of hell, the torment of the grave, trial of living and dying, and from the evil trial of the Antichrist”[2]
According to the Sahabi who narrated the hadith which mentions this du’a, the Prophet (ﷺ) taught this du’a to the Companions the way he used to teach a chapter from the Qur'an. This shows its importance and the great emphasis laid by the Prophet (ﷺ), which should be made at the end of Salah after Tashahhud.
- To remember Allah frequently:
We should be in constant remembrance of Allah and be conscious of Allah in whatever we do. When we say Subhanallaah, Alhamdulillaah, Allahu Akbar, we must say them while understanding and reflecting their meaning. We must also make sure we utter them slowly so that we pronounce them correctly, and not so fast that we pronounce the words incorrectly.
- To flee from Dajjal:
As the Prophet (ﷺ) mentioned, if we hear that Dajjal has appeared and is heading towards our place, we should not think that we can face him rather we should flee as quick as possible.
References:
[1] [Volume 9, Book 92, Number 384]
[2] [Narrated by Muslim, no. 924]
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