The Daabba

The Daabba  is generally thought of as an animal or creature with a unique task that will appear at the End Times and is one of the major signs of the Day of Resurrection.  It will be very strange in appearance, and extremely huge; one cannot even imagine what it will look like. It will emerge from the earth and shake the dust from its head. It will have with it the ring of Solomon and the rod of Moses. People will be terrified of it and will try to run away, but they will not be able to escape, because such will be the decree of Allah. It will destroy the nose of every unbeliever with the rod, and write the word "Kafir" (unbeliever) on his forehead; it will adorn the face of every believer and write the word "Mu'min" (faithful Believer) on his forehead, and it will speak to people.

Allah says in the Qur'an, "And when the word is fulfilled concerning them. We shall bring forth a Daabba from the Earth to speak unto them because mankind had no faith in our revelation."  (Surah An-Naml 27.82 )

Commentating on the above verse, Ibn Kathir has said that the Daabba will appear very near the end of Time. When disintegration, corruption, disbelief, and evil prevail, commands of Allah are ignored, the religion distorted and be made a mockery of, it is then Allah will bring the Daabba out from the Earth.   (Ibn Kathir)

Abdullah-bin-Umar said, "I memorized a Hadith from the Messenger of Allah  صلى الله عليه وسلم which I have not forgotten. I heard the Messenger of Allah  صلى الله عليه وسلم say, 'The first of the Signs that will come is the rising of the sun from the place of its setting and the emergence of the Daabba  to people in Duha (later portion of the morning). Whichever of these two occurs before the other, then the other is right behind it."    (Muslim)

Imam Hakim in the light of the above Hadith has said that the rising of the sun from the West will take place before the emergence of the Daabba.  The Daabba will appear on the same day the sun has risen from the West or very soon thereafter.

Ibn Hajar, after quoting Imam Hakim, mentions, "The wisdom in the Daabba appearing after the sun has risen from the West is that the door of repentance will close at the time the sun rises from the West. Thus, the Daabba will emerge to distinguish the believers from the non-believers completing the aim of closing the door of repentance."    (Fathul-Bari)

The Sun rising from the West and the Daabbaa will be the First Extraordinary Signs. In comparison, the Dajjal, the descent of Jesus (from Heaven), the emergence of Gog and Magog, are less unusual in that they are all human beings. But the emergence of the Daabba, whose form will be very strange, its addressing the people and classifying them as Believers or DisBelievers, is something truly extraordinary. The Daabba will the first of the earthly signs, while the rising of the sun from the West will the first of the heavenly signs.

Another Hadith also mentions the Daabba. Huzaifa bin Usaid al-Ghifari reported: Allah's Messenger   صلى الله عليه وسلم came to us all of a sudden as we were talking. He said: "What are you discussing?" We said: "We are talking about the Last Hour." Thereupon, he  صلى الله عليه وسلم said: "It will not come until you see ten signs before it, He made a mention of the Smoke, the Dajjal (Anti-Christ), the Daabba, the Rising of the Sun from the West, the Descent of Jesus Son of Mary عليه السلام  (from Heaven), the emergence of Ya'juj and Ma'juj (Gog & MaGog), and Khusuf (Landslides) will occur in three places, One in the East, one in the West and one in Arabian Peninsula, at the end of which, a Fire would burn forth from Yemen (or from Aden according to Ahmad), which would drive people to the place of their final assembly."  (Sahih Muslim, Ahmad)

Abu Hurairah said: "The Prophet  صلى الله عليه وسلم said, 'Hasten to do good deeds before six things happen: the rising of the sun from the West, the Smoke, the Dajjal, the Daabba, the (death) of one of you or general tribulation." (Muslim.)

The Task of the Daabba

The task of the Daabba will be to distinguish the believers from the non-believers, with Prophet Moosa's  عليه السلام  staff (rod), the Daabba  will draw a line on the forehead of every Believer whereby his face will become bright and luminous, and with the ring of Solomon  عليه السلام, it will seal the nose of every Non-Believer whereby his whole face will become black. Thus, there will be complete distinction between the Muslim and non-Muslim, so that if many parties sit at a dinner table, the Muslim and non-Muslim will be distinguished.   (Abu Huraira in Musnad Ahmad & Tirmizi)

It was reported from Abu Hurairah that the Prophet  صلى الله عليه وسلم  said, "The Beast of the Earth will emerge, and will have with it the rod of Moses and the ring of Solomon." It was also reported that he said, "(The Daabba) will destroy the noses of the unbelievers with the ring, - so people seated around one table will begin to address one another with the words "O Believer!" or "O Unbeliever!" (i e, everyone's status will become clear). (Ibn Majah)

The Daabba will stamp the Believer by writing "Mu'min" (faithful believer)  between his eyes, and stamp the non-Believer by writing "Kafir" (unbeliever) between his eyes."  (As-Sunan Al-Waridah Fil-Fitan)

The Daabba will also talk to people. It will say, "Mankind had no faith in our revelations."   (Ibn Kathir)

Place of Emergence

Many opinions have been expressed as regards to the place the  Daabba will come out from. A few are listed:
1) It will come out from Al-Masjid Al-Haraam in Makka. This opinion is based on the hadith reported by Tabrani on the authority of Huzaifa bin Usaid.
2) It will come out three times, from some desert and then go back into hiding, then from some village and finally from Al-Masjid Al-Haraam.

There are many other opinions most of them report that it will come out from the Haram of Makka.   (See Tadkirah and Al-Isha'ah)

Baridah said: "The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم  took me to a place in the desert, near Makkah. It was a dry piece of land surrounded by sand. The Prophet  صلى الله عليه وسلم said, 'The Beast will emerge from this place. It was a very small area." (Ibn Majah.)

 

Nature of the Daabba

The following are some of the different opinions that have been expressed by scholars regarding the nature of the Daabba.

 

1) The Beast called Jassasa whom Tamim Dari encountered

 

Some Ulama are of the opinion that the Daabba to come before the end of time is the animal which has been mentioned in the Hadith of Fatimah-b-Qais. Known as the Jassasa (spy) seen by Tamim Dari and his companions from the tribes of Lakhm and Juzaam on the same Island as the Dajjal. This is related of being the opinion of the Sahabi Abdullah bin Amr ibn al-Aas.  (Nawawi's commentary on Sahih Muslim)

 

In a Hadith narrated by Fatima bint Qays, Prophet Muhammad  صلى الله عليه وسلم once gathered the Muslims in the mosque after prayer and said:

"I have kept you here because Tamim ad-Dari, a Christian man who has embraced Islam, told me something which agrees with what I have told you about the Dajjal. He told me that he had sailed in a ship with thirty men from Banu Lakham and Banu Juzam. The sea waves rocked them about for a month, and finally drew them  toward an island around sunset time. They approached the island and landed. They were met by a  beast that was so hairy that they could not tell its front from its back. They said: 'Woe to you! Who are you?' It said: 'I am al-Jassasah.' They said: 'What is al-Jassasah?' It said: 'O people, go to the man in the monastery, for he is very eager to know about you.’ Tamim said that when it named a person to us we left quickly fearing that it might be a devil.

Tamim Dari said we quickly went to the monastery. There, we found a huge man whom we had never seen before. His hands were tied up to his neck and his legs tied up with with iron shackles. We said: 'Woe to you, who are you?' He said: 'You will soon know about me. Tell me who you are.'

We said: 'We are people from Arabia. We sailed on a ship, but the waves have been tossing us around about for a month, and they brought us to your island, where we met a very hairy beast.  It said: 'I am al-Jassasah.' We asked: 'What is al-Jassasah?' and it told us: 'Go to the man in the monastery, for he is very eager to know about you.' So we came to you quickly.

The man said: 'Tell me about the date-palm trees of Beisan (town in Northern Palestine, near Jordan River, renamed by Israel as Beit She'an).' We said: 'What do you want to know about them'?' He said: 'I want to know whether these trees bear fruits or not.' We said 'Yes'. He said: 'Soon they will not bear fruits.'

Then he said: 'Tell me about the Lake of Tiberias (Sea of Galilee in Palestine).' We said: 'What do you want to know about it?' He said: 'Is there water in it'?' We said: 'There is plenty of water in it.' He said: 'Soon, it will become dry.'

Then he said: 'Tell me about the spring of Zughar (near the Dead Sea in Palestine).' We asked: 'What do you want to know about it'?' He asked: 'Is there water in it, and does it irrigate the land'?' We said: 'Yes, there is plenty of water in it, and the people use it to irrigate the land.'

Then he said: 'Tell me about the illiterate Prophet (Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم), what has he done?' We said: 'He has left Makkah and settled in Yathrib (Madina).' He said: 'Do the Arabs fight against him'?' We said 'Yes'. He said: 'How does he deal with them'?' So we told him that Prophet Muhammad had overcome the Arabs around him and that they had followed him. He asked: 'Has it really happened?' We said yes. He said: 'It is better for them to follow him.

Now I will tell you about myself. I am the Dajjal. I will soon be permitted to leave this place: I will emerge and travel about the Earth. In forty nights, I will pass through every town, except Makka and Tayba (Madina), for these have been forbidden to me. Every time I try to enter either of them, I will be met by an angel bearing an unsheathed sword, who will prevent me from entering. There will be angels guarding them at every route leading to them.' Fatima bint Qays said: Then, the Messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه وسلم struck the minbar (pulpit) with his cane and said: “This is Tayba, this is Tayba, this is Tayba,” meaning Madina. “Did I not tell you this before?” The people said: Yes. He (The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم ) said: “I liked the story of Tamim because it agrees with what I used to tell you about him and about Makka and Madina. But he is in the Syrian Sea (Mediterranean) or the Yemeni Sea (Arabian Sea). No, rather he is in the East, he in the East, he is in the East,” and he pointed towards the East with his hand. She said: I memorized this from the Messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه وسلم .” (Sahih Muslim).

 2) Camel

 Some scholars are of the opinion that it is the young of the she camel of the Prophet Salih  عليه السلام. Imam Al-Qurtubi holds the same opinion, he writes in his commentary of the Qur'an, "The first opinion (regarding the Daabba) is that it is the young of the she-camel of the Prophet Salih عليه السلام.

Opinion Explained

The people of Thamud were Arabs who lived a couple of hundred years after the Prophet Noah عليه السلام in a place called Hijr which today is known as Madaain Salih in the North of Arabia near Tabuk. Blessed in provisions and livelihoods their land was fertile with green gardens and running springs and they skilfully carved spacious houses out of mountains. They were ungrateful to Allah as they worshiped the stone idols they carved with their very own hands. Thus, Allah honoured Salih from amongst them by choosing him to be a prophet to the people of Thamud to bring them out of darkness into light.

Salih  عليه السلام conveyed the message of Allah day and night and called them to the worship of Allah with wisdom and kind-heartedness, but the people of Thamud decided to remain blind. Finally, they like the communities before them asked to see a miracle. They said, ' O Salih take out a ten month pregnant she-camel from a mountain which then gives birth to a young that has the same body and stature as the mother. Even after seeing this miracle, they refused to believe. The she-carnel was a sign of Allah, very large and unusual in form and the people were warned that they would be destroyed if they mistreated it. All the other animals were afraid of Prophet Salih's عليه السلام camel and would run away whenever she and its young offspring came to drink water. Thus, bounds were arranged. However, after a very short period, they broke the agreement and decided to kill the camel of Allah. A group hid waiting for the camel on its return from the well with its offspring. Shooting an arrow, they injured it and finally killed it, paving the way for the destruction of the entire community. On seeing its mother in trouble, the offspring fled to the mountains and disappeared. This offspring is referred to in the second opinion.

3) Extraordinary Animal

Some are of the opinion that the Daabba to come is an animal that has features of many different animals. Describing the Daabba, Abu Zubair reported that, "Its head is like that of a bull, eyes like that of a pig, ears like that of an elephant, horns like that of a stag, neck like that of an ostrich, chest like a lion, colour like that of a tiger, flanks like that of a cat, tail like that of a ram, feet and legs like that of a camel and a distance of 12 cubits between every two joints."  (Tadhkirah)

 

4) Snake

 Some scholars are of the opinion the Daabba is the Snake which guarded the Holy Ka'ba. Imam Al-Qurtubi relates this as being the opinion of Ibn Abbas.  (Al-Qurtubi)

Obeying Allah's command the Prophet Abraham عليه السلام with the help of his son Ishmael عليه السلام built the Holy Ka'ba. He dug a well inside the Holy Ka'ba which was to the right of who entered it and acted as a safe to all the gifts that were presented to the Ka'ba which were kept inside it. At the time of Jurhum, the gold and silver were stolen many times from the Ka'ba; thus, the tribe of Jurhum decided to choose a man amongst them to keep guard it. Unfortunately, one day the guard himself decided to steal the gifts of the Ka'ba. Taking the opportunity as it came, he climbed down the well and began to gather what he could in a piece of cloth. While he was busy, Allah sent a rock on him, which closed the well and thus he was unable to escape. From that day, Allah sent a snake to guard the Ka'ba. The snake lived in the well guarding the gifts of the Ka'ba for over 500 years. Exposed to the wearing factors of nature, the walls of the Ka'bah at the time of Quraish (slightly before the time Prophet  صلى الله عليه وسلم  was designated as a Prophet) had become weak and part of the covering had also burnt; thus, the Quraish decided to rebuild the Ka'bah. However, the snake prevented them from demolishing the Holy Ka'ba every time they tried. Finally they stood at the Maqam (Place) of Abraham عليه السلام and prayed, "Oh Allah if you are happy in its rebuilding, then make it possible and take care of this snake." Allah sent an eagle which took the snake towards Ajyaad. This is the snake referred to in the fourth opinion.   (Tarikh-Makka)

Many other opinions have been expressed as regards to the nature of the Daabba. Abu Amr Uthman Ibn Sa'd al-Mukri ad-Dani says, "There are many narrations in regards to the physical description, length, and nature of the Daabba, but most of these are Mawqoof on the Sahaba or those after them. As for those that are Marfoo only a few are sound; thus, we cannot assert anything in regard of its description and nature, except that which is proven from the authentic Marfoo narrations and that it is a huge creature that will come out from the Earth, a creature but not a human being, nobody will be able to escape from it."

 

5) Not an animal