This narrative from Abdullah ibn Mas‘ud relates to the Second Coming of Jesus, the emergence of the Dajjal, the appearance of Gog and Magog, and the signs of the Day of Judgement. In Sunan Ibn Majah, it is listed under the chapter ‘The Fitnah (tribulation) of the Dajjal and the Emergence of Jesus, son of Mary, and Gog and Magog.’ Some other narratives on this topic are also mentioned in the chapter. Moreover, this narrative includes all the issues that are an integral part of the concept of the Second Coming of Jesus and have been repeatedly reported in the narratives on this subject, namely:
These points make it explicitly clear that the mentioned narrative briefly conveys the same matters which are detailed in some other narratives regarding the Second Coming of Jesus. An example of this is the narration of al-Nawwas bin Sam’an (RA), which Ibn Majah has quoted in the same book and chapter. A comparison between the narratives proves that the narratives of Ibn Masud and al-Nawwas bin Sam’an, may Allah be pleased with them, are two different descriptions of the same claim, the first quite brief and the second fully detailed. Both the narratives include some diverse additional details that complement each other. This is the case with other narratives concerning this subject as well. The text of the narrative is as follows:
سمع النواس بن سمعان الكلابي. يقول: ذكر رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم الدجال الغداة. فخفض فيه ورفع، حتى ظننا انه في طائفة النخل.
فلما رحنا إلى رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم عرف ذلك فينا، فقال: ما شانكم؟ فقلنا: يا رسول الله، ذكرت الدجال الغداة، فخفضت فيه ثم رفعت، حتى ظننا انه في طائفة النخل، قال: غير الدجال اخوفني عليكم، إن يخرج وانا فيكم فانا حجيجه دونكم، وإن يخرج ولست فيكم فامرؤ حجيج نفسه، و الله خليفتي على كل مسلم.
إنه شاب قطط، عينه طافئة، كاني اشبهه بعبد العزى بن قطن، فمن رآه منكم فليقرا عليه فواتح سورة الكهف.
إنه يخرج من خلة بين الشام، والعراق، فعاث يمينًا، وعاث شمالاً، يا عباد اللّٰه، اثبتوا.
قلنا: يا رسول الله، وما لبثه في الارض؟ قال: اربعون يومًا، يوم كسنة، ويوم كشهر، ويوم كجمعة، وسائر ايامه كايامكم.
قلنا: يا رسول الله، فذلك اليوم الذي كسنة تكفينا فيه صلاة يوم؟ قال: فاقدروا له قدرہ.
قلنا: فما إسراعه في الارض؟ قال: كالغيث اشتد به الريح، قال: فياتي القوم فيدعوهم فيستجيبون له، ويؤمنون به، فيامر السماء ان تمطر فتمطر، ويامر الارض ان تنبت فتنبت، وتروح عليهم سارحتهم اطول ما كانت ذرى، واسبغه ضروعًا، وامده خواصر، ثم ياتي القوم فيدعوهم فيردون عليه قوله، فينصرف عنهم، فيصبحون ممحلين ما بايديهم شيء، ثم يمر بالخربة، فيقول لها: اخرجي كنوزك، فينطلق، فتتبعه كنوزها كيعاسيب النحل.
Nu’as bin Sam‘an (RA) narrates: One morning the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, spoke about the Dajjal. During this time, he lowered and raised his voice. From this, we got the impression that the Dajjal might be in the cluster of date palms nearby.
Later in the evening, we appeared before the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him. Seeing our faces stricken with fear, he asked, ‘What has happened to you?’ We said, ‘O Messenger of Allah, when you spoke of the Dajjal and varied your voice between low and loud, it made us fear that the Dajjal might be present in the cluster of date palms nearby.’ (Upon hearing this) he said, ‘What I fear for you is more serious than the Dajjal. If the Dajjal appears while I am still among you, I will contend on your behalf against him, but if he appears after I am gone, then each Muslim must contend against him. Allah will protect every Muslim.’
(The Prophet continued,) ‘The Dajjal will be a young man with curly hair, and one of his eyes will be blind. He will resemble ‘Abdul-‘Uzza bin Qatan. Whoever among you sees him should recite the opening verses of Surah al-Kahf.’
(Then he said,) ‘He will emerge between Syria and Iraq, and will spread mischief right and left. O servants of Allah, steadfast you must remain!’
We asked, ‘O Messenger of Allah, how long will he remain on earth?’ He replied, ‘Forty days. One day will be like a year, another day will be like a month, another like a week, and the rest of the days will be like your usual days.’
We asked, ‘O Messenger of Allah, on that day which is like a year, will the prayers of a day suffice?’ He replied, ‘No, you must estimate the time and observe the prayers accordingly.’
Then we asked, ‘O Messenger of Allah, how quickly will he travel the earth?’ He said, ‘Like clouds driven by the wind. He will come to the people and call them (to his falsehood), and they will believe and respond to him. He will issue a command to the sky, and it will rain; command the earth, and it will produce crops. By the evening, their pasturing animals will come back to them with elongated humps, fat flanks, and full udders.’
(He continued) ‘Then he will come to another group of people and invite them, but they will reject his call. When he leaves, their wealth will vanish with him, and by morning they will be left empty-handed. Then he will pass by the wasteland and say, ‘Bring forth your treasures,’ and its treasures will follow him like swarms of bees.
He will then call a youth forward, slash him with a sword, and cut him into two pieces, then call him, and the youth will come running and laughing.
During this time, Allah will send Jesus, son of Mary. He will descend in the eastern part of Damascus, near the white minaret, wearing garments lightly dyed with saffron and placing his hands on the wings of two angels. When he lowers his head, it will seem as if water is dripping from it, and when he raises it, it will appear as though his hair is beaded with silvery pearls.
(The Prophet said:) ‘The breath of Jesus, which will reach as far as his eye can see, will kill the unbelievers. Then he will pursue the Dajjal and catch him at the gate of Ludd and kill him.’
Afterwards, Jesus will go to the people whom Allah has protected from the Dajjal. He will wipe their faces and inform them of their ranks in Paradise. Then Allah will reveal to Jesus: ‘I have brought forth servants of Mine whom no one will be able to fight. Take these (my servants) to the Ṭūr mountain.’
And Allah will send Gog and Magog, who will surge forth from every mound. The first of them will pass by the Sea of Galilee and drink all of its water. Their last group will pass by it and say, ‘There was once water here.’
The Prophet Jesus and his companions will be besieged on the Ṭūr mountain until a bull’s head will be more valuable to them than one hundred dinars. Then Jesus and his companions will supplicate to Allah, who will send insects to attack the necks of Gog and Magog, and in the morning they will perish like a single person.
Then Jesus and his companions will descend down from the mountain, where not a span of land will be empty of their putrid rotting [bodies]. Then Jesus and his companions will again beseech Allah, and He will send birds whose necks are like those of camels to carry away those bodies and cast them where Allah wills.
Then Allah will send a rain that will wash the earth until it looks like glass. Then the earth will be told to bring forth its fruit and restore its blessing. Consequently, even a large group of people will be satiated by a single pomegranate, and its rind will be used to shelter them. There will be such a blessing in milk that the milk of one she-camel will suffice a huge crowd, and the milk of one cow will suffice a tribe, and the milk of one sheep will serve a family.
In those days Allah will send a pleasant wind which will soothe [people] even under their armpits, and will take the life of every Muslim – only the wicked will survive, and they will fight among themselves like asses. Then the Day of Judgement will be established upon them[70].
This narration by Nu’as bin Sam‘an tells us explicitly that it is a detailed account of Abdullah bin Masud’s narration.
Javed Ahmed Ghamidi believes that an important principle of understanding hadith is to consider all narrations about one particular topic while determining the claim of any hadith so that all the available details about that event, occasion, or subject is brought to light. It helps explain which narrator has omitted which detail, which reporter included those details, which report creates ambiguity or generality, and which hadith offers relevant details with clarity. This process produces a clear picture of the issue under discussion. Thus, the inclusion of the aforementioned narration of Abdullah bin Masud with other narrations on the Second Coming of Jesus brings to light the actual reality and resolves all doubts and hesitations preventing the acceptance of the concept.