The Hadith of al-Mughirah ibn Shu'bah (may Allah the Exalted be pleased with him): The Dajjal is Too Insignificant to Allah

Muslim said: Shihab ibn 'Abbad al-'Abdi narrated to us, Ibrahim ibn Humayd al-Ruwasi narrated to us, from Isma'il ibn Abi Khalid, from Qays ibn Abi Hazim, from al-Mughirah ibn Shu'bah, who said: No one asked the Prophet (ﷺ) about the Dajjal more than I did. He said:

"What harm will he cause you? Indeed, he will not harm you." I said: "O Messenger of Allah, they say that he will have food and rivers with him!" He said: "He is too insignificant in the sight of Allah for that."

Shurayh ibn Yunus narrated to us, Hisham ibn Isma'il narrated to us, from Qays, from al-Mughirah ibn Shu'bah, who said: No one asked the Prophet (ﷺ) about the Dajjal more than I asked him. He said: "And what is your question?" He said: "They say that he will have mountains of bread and meat, and a river of water." He said:

"He is too insignificant in the sight of Allah for that."

Muslim also narrated it in the Book of Seeking Permission through numerous chains, from Isma'il, from Qays, from al-Mughirah ibn Shu'bah, who said: No one asked the Prophet (ﷺ) about the Dajjal more than I asked him. He said: "And what is your question?" He said: "They say that he will have mountains of bread and meat, and a river of water?" He said:

"He is too insignificant in the sight of Allah for that."

Muslim also narrated it in the Book of Seeking Permission through numerous routes from Isma'il ibn Abi Khalid, and al-Bukhari recorded it from Musaddad, from Yahya al-Qattan, from Isma'il. It has preceded in the hadith of Hudhayfah and others that his water is fire and his fire is cold water, and that this is only so in the perception of the eye. A group of scholars, such as Ibn Hazm, al-Tahawi, and others, adhered to this hadith, holding that the Dajjal is a charlatan and an illusionist, and that there is no reality to the things he displays to the people that are witnessed during his time; rather, all of these, according to them, are mere illusions.

The Shaykh Abu 'Ali al-Jubba'i, the master of the Mu'tazilites, said: "It is not permissible for this to be real, lest the supernatural feat of a sorcerer be confused with the miracle of a prophet." Al-Qadi 'Iyad and others replied to him that the Dajjal will actually claim divinity, which is fundamentally incompatible with human nature; thus, it is not impossible for supernatural events to occur at his hands under such circumstances. Many factions among the Kharijites, the Jahmiyyah, and some of the Mu'tazilites completely denied the emergence of the Dajjal and rejected the hadiths reported concerning him. Yet, their denial achieved nothing, and by doing so, they cast themselves outside the fold of legitimate scholars due to their rejection of what has been mutawatir (mass-transmitted) through sound reports from numerous paths from the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), as mentioned earlier. We have cited only a portion of what has been transmitted on this subject, as it is sufficient and convincing, and with Allah alone lies all assistance.

What is evident from the preceding hadiths is that Allah will test His servants through the Dajjal by means of the supernatural phenomena He creates alongside him that will be witnessed during his era, as preceded, in that whoever responds to him, he will command...