Description of Dajjaal and Gog and Magog
Fatwa No: 350389

Question

Is there any hadith as regards to the Dajjaal (Antichrist) and Gog and Magog which defines their physique? Are Gog and Magog two persons, or are they two different nations? And why are these two nations not in conflict with each other if they are quarrelsome people? And are they giants?

Answer

All perfect praise be to Allah, The Lord of the worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allah and that Muhammad, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, is His slave and Messenger.

Regarding the physical description of the Dajjaal (Antichrist), the hadeeth underlined that he is a man with a huge body, red complexion (i.e. white in the Arabic culture), curly hair, that he is blind in the right eye, and that his eye is like a floating grape. [Al-Bukhaari and Muslim] ‘Ubaadah ibn As-Saamit, may Allah be pleased with him, narrated that the Prophet, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said, "He (the Antichrist) is a short man, bowlegged, woolly-haired, blind in one eye, and with a flat eye that is neither protruding nor deep-seated." [Abu Daawood and Ahmad]

We can sum up his descriptions in ahaadeeth as follows:

First, he is short.

Second, he is bowlegged, i.e. outward curvature of the legs causing a separation of the knees when the ankles are close or in contact, or having curved legs that are widely spaced between the heels. It is also said that it means having curved legs.

Third, he is woolly-haired (has curly hair).

Fourth, he is one-eyed; some versions of the hadeeth described his eye as flat, meaning that it is flat compared to the other one. The first version of the hadeeth describes his eye as resembling a floating grape. Al-Khattaabi said, "A floating grape is the big grape that outsizes the other grapes."

The description, "(His eye) is neither protruding nor deep-seated" means that one of his eyes is neither floating and protruding nor sunken in its socket."

One narration says that he is A‘war (one-eyed) in the right eye, and another says that he is A‘war in the left eye. Both versions were cited in Saheeh Muslim, and they are both authentic, as An-Nawawi stated in his book Sharh Saheeh Muslim and others. The two versions can be reconciled by explaining that both his eyes are defective. The Arabic word A‘war basically denotes that the eye has a defect. He is blind in one eye, which is described as flat, and the other is also defective as it is bulging out like a floating grape. The flat eye is the one that is blind, as mentioned in the hadeeth narrated on the authority of Ibn ‘Umar, may Allah be pleased with him. The left eye, which is like a shiny pearl or phlegm on a plastered wall, is the floating one, and it is the left eye – as in the other narration. Thus, both his eyes are defective; one is defective by its blindness and flatness, and the other by its protrusion.

As for Gog and Magog, they are two nations from the descendants of Adam. Ibn Katheer said:

"It is established that they (Gog and Magog) are from the descendants of Adam, and we know of no difference of opinion in this regard. This is evidenced by the hadeeth cited in Saheeh Al-Bukhaari and Saheeh Muslim from Al-A‘mash, from Abu Saalih, from Abu Sa'eed, who related that the Prophet, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said, 'Allah Almighty will say on the Day of Resurrection, ‘O Adam!’ Adam will reply, ‘I am at Your service, and all good is in Your Hand.’ Allah will say, ‘Get up, and take out the people of the Hellfire from among your descendants.’ Adam will say, ‘O Allah, and who are the people of the Hellfire?’ Allah will say, ‘From every one thousand, take out nine-hundred-and-ninety-nine to the Fire and one to Paradise.’ Thereupon, children will become hoary-headed, every pregnant female will have a miscarriage, and one will see mankind as drunken, yet they will not be drunken but dreadful will be the Wrath of Allah.' This was hard on them (the Companions of the Prophet, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam), so they asked, 'O Messenger of Allah! Which one of us is that one (who will be taken to Paradise)?' He, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said, 'Rejoice, for it is one from you and one thousand from Gog and Magog.' Another version reads, 'Rejoice, for there are two nations among you who would increase the number of any population...' meaning that their number is so great that they will outnumber other peoples by far..." [Al-Bidaayah wa An-Nihaayah]

Given that they are human beings, they have the physical appearance of human beings, and there are no authentic ahaadeeth that indicate otherwise. Al-Haafith Ibn Katheer wrote, "Those who claimed that Gog and Magog had different figures and heights, saying that they are as tall as the tallest trees, or that they are midgets, or that some of them would spread one ear to sleep on and cover themselves with the other ear, all these are mere claims unfounded by evidence. The correct view in this regard is that Gog and Magog are human beings and that they have the normal physical appearance of human beings and their characteristics." [Al-Bidaayah wa An-Nihaayah]

As for why they are not fighting each other, you should bear in mind that this matter belongs to the realm of the Unseen and that we do not know if they are at peace or at war with each other. Our knowledge of such matters is limited to what is mentioned in the divine revelation (the Quran and authentic Sunnah). We believe in whatever is stated in the Quran and the authentic Sunnah in this regard, and we refrain from discussing the matter beyond what has been revealed therein.

Allah knows best.

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