The Dajjal has influenced people through hypnosis, making them unable to see the most evident facts regarding the end times

Our Prophet (saas) has described dajjal (the antichrist) as the worst
corruption in the historyof mankind and has given detailed information
concerning the damage and corruption the antichristwill cause, the
impact hewill have on people and how he will mislead them. Bediuzzaman
Said Nursi also made wide-ranging statements on the basis of these
hadiths on the subject of the antichrist'sactivities and described how
the antichrist would take control of people through a kind of
hypnosis:
One of its reasons is as follows: IT COULD ONLY BEA WONDROUS PERSON
WITH THE POWER OF MIRACLES who could neutralize and change the way of
THE HORRIFYING DAJJAL [ANTICHRIST], WHO WILL PRESERVE HIMSELF THROUGH
WONDERS, BESTOWED ON HIM BY GODIN ORDER TO LEAD HIM ASTRAY, SUCH AS
MAGIC, HYPNOTIC POWERS, AND SPIRITUALISM, AND WILL SPELLBIND EVERYONE
. And THAT PERSON WILL BETHE PROPHET JESUS (AS), WHO IS THE PROPHET OF
THE MAJORITY OF MANKIND. (Bediuzzaman Said Nursi, Rays, p. 493)
The system of the antichrist makes intense use of such means of mass
communications as the radio, television, internet, newspapers and
magazines, and has succeeded in influencingboth a number of Muslims
and also much of the population of the world at large. But thesepeople
hypnotized by the antichrist are unable, because of that hypnosis, to
recognize that they have been hypnotized. For that reason;
They regard this state of affairs, which should greatly alarm them, as
perfectly ordinary;
They regard a phenomenon that should normally spur them into action as
something very ordinary;
They are easily taken in by false information, nonsense and
superstitious beliefs theywould never otherwise sign up to;
And they watch many marvels and miracles worked by Allah literally
through closed eyes, as if they were unaware of them.
Satan's Help for the antichrist
It is revealed in the hadiths that the antichrist will be helped by satans.
... SATANS WILL SAY TO HIM, "TELL US WHAT YOU WANT, AND WE WILL DO
IT." And he will say, "Go, and tell people that I am their Lord," and
will disperse them in all directions... (Al-Barzanji, Al-Isha'ah
li-ashrat al-sa'ah, pp. 212-213)
As revealed in the verses of the Qur'an, satan is able to cling to
people like a shell and cause forgetfulness:
He (Moses' young helper)said, 'Do you see what has happened? When we
went to find shelter at the rock, I forgot the fish. No one made me
forget to remember it except satan . It found itsway into the sea in
an amazing way.' (Surat al-Kahf, 63)
If someone shuts his eyes to the remembrance of the All-Merciful, We
assign him a satan who becomes his bosom friend –..." (Surat
al-Zukhruf, 36)
As the verses also reveal, satan may be also to cause such effects as
forgetfulness, distractingpeople, closing their minds and blocking
theirforesight and perception. The system of the antichrist also has a
sorcery-type effect on people by using satans. Close inspection shows
that the majority of the world's population have been hypnotized by
the antichrist, giving rise to a situation that stops them from seeing
the most evident truths.
The intense and constanthypnosis from the system of the antichrist
results in terrible heedlessness in people. Bediuzzaman describes this
position as follows:
But in these stormy times, currents that numb the senses and scatter
man's attention on peripheral matters, plunging him into them, have
deadened his senses and bewildered him. As a result of this the people
of misguidance are temporarily unable to feel the spiritual torment.
Even the people of guidance are overwhelmed by heedlessness and
cannottruly appreciate its true pleasures. (BediuzzamanSaid Nursi,
Rays, p. 678)
Just as Bediuzzaman says, in the End Times a great many people
hypnotized by the system of the antichrist have;
* Had their senses numbed, in other words,they have lost their
foresight and perception,
* Have had their attention scattered, in other words, they are unable
to see important matters right before their eyes,
* Have had their senses deadened; in other words, they have turned
into people who are unable to see their dire circumstances. This lack
of awareness is so intense and severe that they are even unable to
feel how painful and troubled their situation is.
As Bediuzzaman also says in the words, "IT COULD ONLY BE A WONDROUS
PERSON WITH THE POWER OF MIRACLES who could neutralize and change the
way of THE HORRIFYING DAJJAL [ANTICHRIST], WHO WILL PRESERVE HIMSELF
THROUGH WONDERS, BESTOWED ON HIM BY GODIN ORDER TO LEAD HIM ASTRAY,
SUCH AS MAGIC, HYPNOTIC POWERS, AND SPIRITUALISM, AND WILL SPELLBIND
EVERYONE . And THAT PERSON WILL BETHE PROPHET JESUS (AS)," the Prophet
Jesus (as) will totally eradicate thishypnosis of the antichrist.
Hazrat Mahdi (as) will work to break this hypnosis and sorcery until
the appearance of the Prophet Jesus (as), but it is only with the
Prophet Jesus' (as) coming that people will be totally freed from the
influence of that hypnosis.
In order to better see how this hypnosis is working on people, it will
be useful to examine, subject by subject, how the antichrist scatters
the attention and deadens the powers of understanding of the people he
hypnotizes.
1. Under the influence ofthe hypnotism of the antichrist, people will
beunnaturally calm and will fail to realize they are living through
very important events at this time.
One of the greatest and most holy ages in the history of the world
began with the Hijri 1400s. This age is that of the coming of Hazrat
Mahdi (as), whose coming Allah foretold to all the prophets, which
even the earliest prophets were aware of,and whom our Prophet (saas)
has described with hundreds of details.The Prophet Jesus (as) will
return in this century, Hazrat Mahdi (as) will appear and the moral
values of Islam will rule the world. Signsshowing that we are in aholy
age began appearing right from the first days of Hijri 1400. More than
150 signs foretold by our Prophet (saas) have taken place over the
last 30 years. This is a clear indication of the comingof Hazrat Mahdi
(as).
Under normal circumstances, a Muslim who knows the hadiths about the
system of the Mahdi and who sees thatthey have come about should be in
a state of the greatest excitement and be striving to find Hazrat
Mahdi (as). It is extraordinary for a Muslim who believes in the words
of our Prophet (saas) to know that more than 150 phenomena foretold by
him have taken place and still continue with his daily affairs as if
nothing had happened. Every Muslims learning this information will
naturally engage on a quest and strive to be one of the followers of
Hazrat Mahdi (as) and to serve Islam and will spread the moral values
of the religion with all his fervor and wage an intellectual struggle
against irreligion.
But when we look at theIslamic world in general we see that some
Muslims are so totally and extraordinarily unmoved that they say, "The
signs foretold by our Prophet (saas) have come about, and that is a
good thing. Now, whatshall I cook for dinner?" This extraordinary
apathy is the result of hypnosis by the antichrist. Even if someone
hypnotized by the antichrist was told ofall the portents, all the
hadiths and given, all the glad tidings in the Qur'an, all that will
still not stir him from that apathy. That person will still not be
able to fully concentrate on anythingother than subjects such as what
to have for dinner, what to wear that morning, which school to put his
children down for or how to meet the next payment on his car.
2. The hadiths of our Prophet (saas) show thatlittle time remains
until the Day of Judgment. However, even that fails to stir some
people under the hypnosis of the antichrist.
Trustworthy hadiths handed down from our Prophet (saas) report that
the life span of this world is 7000 years. One trustworthy hadith
narrated by Ahmed ibn Hanbal reveals that 5600 years of the life of
the Earth have already passed.
Bediuzzaman Said Nursi interprets the information in these reliable
hadiths to mean that the Day of Judgment will come as of Hijri 1545:
"A group from my community will remain in truth until Allah's command."
The abjad calculation of the clause "A group frommy community..."
which is 1542 (2117) implies its [the community's] time of survival.
The abjad calculation of the clause "will remain in truth" (when the
gemination mark is counted) gives 1506 (2082); it indicates until that
date it will continue its work of enlightenment evidentlyand
obviously, and maybe victoriously; then until 1542 (2117) in secrecy
and defeat. The abjad calculation of the clause " until Allah's
command" (when the gemination mark is counted) suggests that THE
JUDGMENT DAY WILL BEFALL the unbeliever in 1545 (2120) . (Bediuzzaman
Said Nursi, Kastamonu Addendum, p. 33)
We are now in Hijri 1431. As is clear from thehadiths and from
statements by Sunni scholars, the world has some 110 years left, and
the Ummah a life span of70 years remaining. By Allah's leave, within
these 70 years we will see the return of the Prophet Jesus (as), the
open emergence of Hazrat Mahdi (as), the unification of the
Islamicworld under the leadership of Hazrat Mahdi (as) and the global
dominion of the moral values of Islam. There is no doubt that this is
very important information, which will excite everyone and enormously
increase his or her fervor. And thanksto the advances in
communications technology, the great majority of the world now can
access that information.
But a great many peoplestill behave as if nothing were happening, and
occupy themselves with the details of their daily lives, as if they
will live for hundreds more years. They regard this important reality
as if it were just ordinary information. It is a marvel that the
Prophet Jesus (as), who was taken into the Presence of Allah 2000
years ago and was removed from the spheres of time and space, should
return to the Earth as a prophet. The way that Hazrat Mahdi (as),
whose characteristics Allah has revealed in detail and who He has made
holy and select, is active in this century is another marvel. The way
that, by Allah's leave, everyone will turn to faith in the years ahead
and the moral values of Islam will rule the world is yet another great
marvel. But the way that although some people know these marvels
theybehave as if they were unimportant and attach more importance to
the next day's business contract, making the next payment to their
children's schools, the summer house they are thinking of buying and
how to decorate their homes is also a huge marvel. This apathy is one
of the clearest signs of the effect the hypnosis of the antichrist is
having on them.
3. Rivers of Muslims blood are flowing all over the world and the
Muslim world is suffering terribly, but because of the hypnosis of the
antichrist a great many people watch this uninterested.
News reports of people being martyred come in just about every day
from Afghanistan, or Iraq, or Palestine or East Turkestan. Just about
every day, newspapers carry reports about Muslims being bombed,
attacked, shot, imprisoned unjustly, tortured, raped and persecuted. A
great many people watch these reports with an unbelievable apathy, and
usually make no other reaction that to say, "do you see what is
happening in the Muslimworld?" Even worse, thegreat majority turns
the page of the newspaper when they see such reports without even
reading them and turn their attention to the result of a soccer match
or some artist's new hair-do. While such a person is sipping his warm
soup or tea and talking about matters of no urgency whatsoever,
millions of people left homeless on the streets of Pakistan are
wondering where to find shelter for the winter, Palestinian mothers
are wondering how to save their children that they cannot take to
hospitals, Afghan fathers whose wives have been raped before their
eyes are wondering how to respond and Iraqi children who have lost
their new-born siblings when the maternity ward was bombed are
wondering when it will all end. It is impossible for a normal person
to remain impassive in the face of such a picture foreven a second.
But the way that the great majority of the Islamic world of almost 1.5
billion people calmly sit back and watch what is happening to our
mothers, sisters, grandfathers and aunts in those lands is all due to
the effect of the hypnosis of the antichrist.
http://www.antiantichrist.org/
4. People believe in Darwinism, which ascribes all of life and the
universe to the unbelievable and illogical idea of blind chance,
because of the hypnosis of the antichrist.
One of the most blatant activities of the system of the antichrist is
the way that Darwinism enjoys official protectionand is imposed on
people in many countries, even though it is obvious that chance cannot
even account for the emergence of a single protein, that living things
have remained unchanged over millions of years and that data from all
branches of science haveyet again exposed the invalidity of the theory
of evolution. Bediuzzaman also said that Darwinism and materialism
would spread contagion by indoctrination and thus inflict terrible
harm on mankind. Darwinism is the religion of the community of the
antichrist. The antichrist needs a false religion in the campaign he
is waging against the moral values of the religion, and that false
religion is Darwinism. Anirrational and unbelievable theory is
established by the use offalse drawings, false formula and false
accounts, and people arethen indoctrinated with it as if it were a
scientificfact.
Darwinism is well knownto be a superstitious faith going back to the
ancient Sumerians and ancient Egypt and to be based on no scientific
evidence whatsoever. But the way that the myth that "living things
emerged spontaneously in muddy water" is set out with all seriousness,
dressed up with Latin terminology, as if it were science, and even
worse that people who have been educated andbecome professors cometo
believe this myth and the way that people who see that the whole thing
is totally wrong and say so then face a terrible policy of
intimidation and pressure are other indications of the hypnosis of the
antichrist.
5. Allah promises Muslimsthat Islam will rule the world, but under the
influence of the antichrist a great many Muslims ignore this promise.
Allah has promised in several verses of the Qur'an that He will
causetrue believers to inherit the Earth, in other words, that the
moral values of Islam will rule the world. Glad tidings are also given
in many hadiths that the moral values of Islam will rule the world in
the time of Hazrat Mahdi (as), the age we are living in now. Every
Muslim who believes in Allah, has surrendered to Him and trusts in His
judgment, knows that Allah will certainly keep His promise. And since
Allah has promised the global dominion of Islam, they will strive to
be instrumental in this promise coming about. They will strive
materially and spiritually. Allah's explicitcommand to believers is to
strive until Islam rules the world, until corruption leaves the world
and the religion isAllah's only. (Surat al-Anfal, 39) If prayer,
fasting and giving alms are Allah's command, then Allah also commands
Muslims to strive on His path until His religion rules the world.
Every Muslim has a duty to strive against corruption in order to make
good this promise of Allah's. In other words, they must strive against
irreligion, materialism and Darwinism, that hurt people and bestow
afflictions on them, that deprive them of their joy, that literally
turn them into robots and supposedly legitimize conflict, fighting and
selfishness. And that struggle must be on the level of ideas. All the
afflictions and troubles plaguing the world havean ideological
foundation. The pains in question cannot come toan end until that
foundation has been eliminated. And the foundations concerned is
Darwinism and materialism.
In waging a struggle against Darwinism and materialism, a Muslim also
has a responsibility to describe the evidence for the existence and
oneness of Allah, using the most pleasant, wise, warm and rational
language that will cause the other party to believe. He has a
responsibility to tell people of the truths of the Qur'an, the sublime
moral values of our Prophet (saas) and the Age of Happiness of Islam.
But this must be done in accordance withAllah's command "Strive
against them until there is no more discord and the religion belongs
to Allah alone." (Surat al-Baqara, 193) It is because of the influence
of the hypnosis of the antichrist that some people have lost hope
inthe global dominion of Islam, despite all the above truths. These
people forget Allah's explicit promise and glad tidings and they do
not think there is a one in a thousand or even one in a million chance
of the global dominion of Islam happening. In other words, they regard
Allah's promise asimpossible. When asked "could communism rule the
world?" These people say, "maybe." When asked, "could atheist
freemasonry rule the world?" they say, "ofcourse, why not?" When
asked, "could fascism, the USA, Europe or atheist Zionism rule the
world?" They regard the dominion of each of these as perfectly
reasonable. They only regard the dominion of Islam as being possible.
The reason for this is that, under the effect of the hypnosis of the
antichrist, their foresightis clouded over and they forget Allah's
promise. The fact is that every Muslim knows that Allah is He Who
definitely keeps His promises. He will mobilize all his resources and
wage an intellectual struggle to ensure the dominion of the religion
of Allah, whether Allah shows him that dominion or not. Those who
encourage apathy and sloth by ignoring Allah's promise, belittling, in
their own eyes, the struggle of those who strive for the global
dominion of Islam and who tell Muslims, "that dominion will never
happen," clearly do so under the influence of the sorcery of the
antichrist.
The Hypnosis of the antichrist Can Be Lifted through a Sincere,
Profound and Punctilious Faith
The End Times we are living is very holy and full of good tidings, but
they also impose important responsibilities on believers. No success
canbe achieved against the antichrist, described as the worst
corruption in human history, by ignoring him and behaving as if no
such situation existed. Muslims must grasp the danger, from all
aspects, if they are to take the most rational and effective
precautions. The hypnosis of the antichrist will be lifted from
everyone through the Prophet Jesus (as), asrevealed in the hadiths.
It is only possible to avoid this hypnosis and be protected against
thesorcery of the community of the antichrist through genuine and
profound faith. Since satan directlytargets the human brain,Muslims
can escape the hypnosis of the antichrist through prayer, by
submitting to Allah, by being sincere and be exhibiting a genuine
determination. Otherwise they may fall under this hypnosis. There is a
deep-rooted system in which one hypnosis is followed andsupported by
another.
In saying that the Prophet Jesus (as) and Hazrat Mahdi (as) can be
recognized by the light of faith, Bediuzzaman said that true believers
could be protected from the hypnosis of the community of the
antichrist through the light of faith and see thetruths that the
community of the antichrist wished to conceal.
Muslims in the End Timeshave to tear aside the curtain brought down by
the community of the antichrist. Therefore there has to be
powerfulconditioning against thepropaganda and conditioning of the
community of the antichrist. As Allah commands in the Qur'an,careful
attention, a clear mind and the state of submission that comes from
knowing that Allah is with us will keep believers from the hypnosis of
the antichrist. If the community of the antichrist seeks to prop its
own superstitious system up by way of conditioning, then Muslims must
neutralize that conditioning by frequently rememberingAllah,
constantly raising the solutions shown by our Prophet (saas), always
reminding people we are living in the End Times and tellingthem that
Hazrat Mahdi (as) and the Prophet Jesus (as) are at work, constantly
bringing up the importance of the unification of the Islamicworld and
striving for the global dominion of the moral values of Islam.

Evidence that Muhammadwas a Prophet

Question:
Prove that Muhammad is a true Prophet. What powers did God give him?
Please e-mail it as soonas possible.
Fatwa:
All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify
that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad
is His slave and Messenger.
The signs that prove the prophecy of Muhammad are numerous. Many books
have beenwritten to enumerate them and thoroughly discuss them. We
would like to mention some of these signs as reported by Muslim
scholars and which prove that Muhammad was a real Prophet including:
- First, his good biography and high morals as well as the noble
qualities that distinguished him. He was known before becoming a
Prophet as a truthful and honest person, although the community where
he lived was a society of ignorance. This was, perhaps, the most
important sign of his prophecy. He was not known to have ever lied on
people. So, why should he lie on be half of the Lord by claiming that
he was a Prophet, if he was not a real Prophet?
- Second, the powers and triumphs Allaah gave him and thespread of the
religion he preached, as well as the triumph of this religion over all
existing religions in a short period of time. Had he been a liar,
Allaah would have humiliated and destroyed him as He did with those
before him who falsely claimed Prophethood.
- Third, the miracles Allaah gave him as supporting evidence were
beyond the ability of human beings and were beyond range ofnatural
phenomena. The moon split for him, water gushed from his fingers, food
became more abundant in his hands, and similar phenomena were
authentically reported and happened in a way that could notbe denied.
- Fourth, the Prophet was backed by the greatest miracle which is the
Quran . In fact, Quran was a challenge and remains a challenge for
Arabs who were known to be good poets and eloquent speakers. Allaah
challenged them to write a singleSurah (chapter) that would be similar
to that of Quran , but the Arabs were unable to do so. Indeed, the
challenge still endures, none of the Arabs throughout history - since
the revelation of the Quran - was ableto make anything that was even
similar to it. No doubt that the Quran has been preserved intact until
it came to us. Groups of people memorized it including children,
adults, males and females. So generations brought the Quran to
generations until it reached us as it was revealed 14 centuries ago.
Hence, the Quran remains intact protected from distortion or
alteration. Nothing has been added to it, nor taken from it. Quran is
full of scientific facts that were verified only in these times of
scientific investigation. No doubt that Muhammad who was illiterate
would not have possessed this knowledge 14 centuries ago. Doesn't this
prove the authenticity of the Quran and thatit is the Word of the
Creator of the Universe who knows all its secrets?
- Fifth, the things from the unseen that he (the Prophet ) informed us
about. Some of themoccurred during his life time. Others happened
later. Some of these things happened to the Prophets, may Allaah exalt
their mention, who preceded him and some are still to occur. He also
informed about the signs of The Day of Judgment, some of which had
already been seen such as widespread killings and genocide, adultery
and fornication and the consumption of the alcohol, outnumbering of
males by females and the increased number of earthquakes, and
afflictions,… etc.
- Sixth, the testimony of some of the people of the Book that he was a
true Prophet. Some of them believed in him like 'Abdullaah Ibn Salaam
who was a Jew as well as Negus (king of Abyssinia ) who was a
Christian. Some of the people of the Book certified that he was a
Prophet from Allaah but refused to follow him like Huyayy Ibn Akhtab.
The above are some of the signs that prove his Prophethood and the
authenticity of his revelations. We would like the questioner to visit
some of the Islamic centers in her area, and hopefully, they will
guide her to some useful references in the matter.
Allaah Knows best.

Muslims' position towards the Danish insulting cartoons

Question:
What is the solution to the Danish cartoon that was done in Europe?
How should a Sunni Muslim from the USA think about these heathens!
Fatwa:
All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify
that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad
is His slave and Messenger.
Every Muslim should know that the defamation about the religion and
mocking the Prophet which happened along the centuries and which is
happeningnow is an affliction through which a Muslim should be
patient. The Prophet said:"How strange is the matter of a believer,
there is good in all his affairs, and this is only for the believer.
If something good happens to him and he is grateful, then this is good
for him, and if a calamity befalls him and he is patient, then this is
alsogood for him." [Muslim] The fact that people ridicule the Prophet
is not a new matter. Rather itis a very ancient matter that is being
renewed. The non-Muslims from the tribe of Quraysh insulted the
Prophet and theysaid that he was a poet, a magician and a mad man, and
they defamed him with other insults, but this did not harm the Prophet
and did not decrease his status. This [what happened] only increases
our firm belief in the Prophet and that he was truly a Prophet, and it
increases our love for him, and makes us abide by his orders.
Our advice to our Muslim brothers during these grave events and
similar incidents in addition to what we already mentioned is the
following:
1- To control oneself and take it easy, and not
hasten and do any act which maybe of a negative effect for the
Muslims. Rather, one should exploit these events in a way to serve
this religion, as these bitterincidents could yield sweet fruits.Ibn
Al-Qayyim said: 'Calamities and problems are afflictions and (in
reality are) blessings.' Indeed these incidentsdraw the attention of
the neglectful Muslims and result in their return to Allaah, and it is
a way of renovating the religion in the hearts of the Muslims, in
addition to other benefits that could be achieved.
2- It is an obligation to repent to Allaah and avoid sins and acts
of disobedience. Allaah Says (what means): {And whatever strikes you
of disaster, it is for what your hands have earned; but He pardons
much.}[Quran 42:30]. Moreover, the Prophet said: "If you trade with
Ribaa (usury and interest), and stick to the tails of cows and are
pleased with the plantations [are busy with this worldly life], and
abandoned Jihaad (fighting in theCause of Allaah), Allaah will put you
through a humiliation which He will not remove from you untilyou
return to your religion." [AbuDaawood]
3- To ask the scholars about what to do and act according to their
advice, as a sign of acting according to the Saying of Allaah (which
means): {And when there comes to them something [i.e. information]
about [public] security or fear, they spread it around. But if they
had referred itback to the Messenger or to those of authority among
them, then the ones who [can] draw correct conclusions from it
wouldhave known about it. } [Quran 4:83]. Therefore, one should not
act [say or do anything] except according to the advice of these
scholars. We would like to stress on the importance of boycotting the
products of the countries which published these cartoons, and
undertaking other means which could achieve religious benefits. In
doing so, we have to focus on the country which caused the spread of
this evil, and we should completely and totally boycott its
products, services and medicines until they taste the outcome of their
evil acts.
4- To unite: By uniting, the nation will become powerful, andwe
should be careful of divisions, as this weakens the nation. Allaah
Says (what means): {And hold firmly to the rope of Allaah all together
and do not become divided.}[Quran 3:103]. Allaah Says(what means):
{And obey Allaah and His Messenger, and do not dispute and [thus] lose
courage and [then] your strength would depart; and be patient. Indeed,
Allaah is with the patient.}[Quran 8:46].
Finally, it should be noted that the above advice and directives are
required from the Muslims at all times, and that they [directives] are
more confirmed when such events and incidents happen.
Allaah Knows best.

Questions that the Jews posed to the Prophet

Question:
I heard that when Prophet Muhammad started preaching Islam, the Jews
were very upset and they wanted to test him to find out whether he was
a true Prophet, so they prepared 40 difficult questions and asked him.
Is this true, if yes,please, explain what are the 40 questions and
what were the answers given by the Prophet Muhammad?
Fatwa:
All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify
that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad
is His slave and Messenger.
No doubt that the Jews disbelieved in what Allaah revealed to our
Prophet Muhammad and hated it. They were envious of him - except a
few of them - because he was not one of them, i.e. did not descend
from the children of Israel .
Allaah Says (which means): } And when there came to them a Book[i.e.
the Quran] from Allaah confirming that which was with them - although
before they usedto pray for victory against those who disbelieved -
but [then] when there came to them that which they recognized, they
disbelieved in it; so the curse of Allaah will be upon the
disbelievers. How wretched is that for which they sold themselves -
that they would disbelieve in what Allaah has revealed through [their]
outrage that Allaah would send down His favor upon whom He wills from
among His servants. So they returned having [earned] wrath upon wrath.
And for the disbelievers is a humiliating punishment .} [Quran
2:89-90].
However, we do not know of any authentic Hadeeth stating that they
prepared forty questions for the Prophet and asked him about them.
What is proved in the books of Imaans Al-Bukhaari and Ahmad as well as
otherauthentic sources is that they asked him seven questions.
Al-Bukhaari reported that Anas narrated that when 'Abdullaah Ibn
Salaam heard about the arrival of the Prophet to Madeenah, he came to
himand asked him about some things saying: "I will ask about three
things that none except a messenger knows: what is the first sign of
the Hour? What is the first meal that the dwellers of Paradise eat?
Why is it that the child sometimes resembles his father and other
times his mother?" The Prophet said:"Jibreel (Gabriel) informed about
this earlier. Ibn Salaam said:"That is the Jews' enemy from the
angels." The Prophet said: "As for the first sign of the Hour, it is
a fire that gathers the people from the East and the West. As for the
first meal that the dwellers of Paradise eat, it is a portion of the
fish liver. As for the child, if the water (i.e. sperm)of the man
comes before that of the woman, the child resembles his father and if
the mother's water comes first then the child resembles her.
Thereupon, Ibn Salaam said: "I bear witness that none has the right of
being worshipped but Allaah and that you are His messenger." Then Ibn
Salaam said: "O Prophet of Allaah, the Jews are people of falsehood.
So ask them about me before they realize that I havebecome Muslim.
The Jews came and the Prophet asked them:"How do you grade 'Abdullaah
Ibn Salaam within your community." They said: "Our best and the son
of our best." Thereupon, the Prophet said:"What if 'Abdullaah Ibn
Salaam becomes Muslim?" They said:"May Allaah protect
him from that!" The Prophet then repeated the same questions and the
Jews repeated the same answers. At that time, 'Abdullaah Ibn Salaam
came out to them and said: 'I bear witness that none has the right to
be worshipped but Allaah and that Muhammad is His messenger.'
Thereupon, they (theJews) said: "He is our worst and the son of our
worst," and demeaned him. Ibn Salaam said: 'This is what I feared, O
Prophet of Allaah."
Ahmad reported that Ibn Abbaas said: "A group of Jewscame one day to
the Prophet and said: 'O Abu Al-Qaasim, tell us some things that only
true messengers of Allaah know.' The Prophet said: "Ask me about
whatever you wish, but promise me by the Name of Allaah and by the
covenant Prophet Ya'qoob took from his sons, that if I tell something
that you know, then you will follow me and become Muslims." They
said:"That's for you." Thereupon they said: "Tell us about the
following four things: tell us about the meal that Israel forbade
himself before the revelation of the Torahand tell us about the water
(sperm) of the woman and the water of the man how is the male child
formed from that? And tell us this illiterate Prophet during his
sleep and who is his guardian from the angels." The Prophet said: "Do
you accept by the covenant of Allaah that you will follow me if I
inform you?" They gave him as much covenant and promise as he wished.
Then the Prophet said: "I ask you by the One Who revealed the Torah
to Moosaa do you know that Israel (Ya'qoob ) fell badly sick and his
sickness took a long time, then he made a vow to Allaah that he would
forbid on himself the food he liked most if Allaah cures him, and the
food he liked most was camel meat and the drink was camel milk. They
said:"Yes." He said:
"O Allaah testify against them." Then he said: "I ask you by Allaah,
the One Who has no partners Who revealed the Torah to Moosaa do you
know that the man's water is white and thick and that the woman's
water is yellow and thin. Any of the two waters gets above the other
gets the resemblance of the child in his sex and charactersby the will
of Allaah. If the water of the man gets over the woman it is a male
by the Will of Allaah and if the water of the woman gets above that of
the man then it is a female by the Will of Allaah. They said: 'By
Allaah what you said is true.' The Prophet said: "O Allaah testify
against them."
Then he said: "I ask you by the One Who revealed Torah to Moosaa do
you know that the eyes of this illiterate Prophet sleep but his heart
does not." They said: 'By Allaah that is true.' He said: "O Allaah,
testify against them." They said: 'You, now tell us about your
guardian from the angels, we will stay with you or leave you according
to that.' He said: "My guardian is Jibreel (Gabriel) and Allaah never
sent any Prophet but he was his guardian." The Jews said: 'So, wewill
separate from you. Had your guardian been another angel not Jibreel,
we would have followed you and believed in what you brought.'
The Prophet said: "But what prevents you from believing in him?" They
said: 'He is our enemy.' Then Allaah revealed thefollowing verses
(which means): } Say, "Whoever is an enemy to Gabriel - it is [none
but] he who has brought it [i.e. the Quran] down upon your heart, [O
Muhammad], by permission of Allaah, …} [Quran 2:97] . Allaah Says
(which means): } And when aMessenger from Allaah came to them
confirming that which was with them, a party of those who had been
given the Scripture threw away the Book of Allaah behind their backs
as if they did not know .} [Quran 2:101] . Allaah Says (which means):
} So they returned having [earned] wrath upon wrath { [Quran 2:90].
Allaah Knows best.