The symbols {} are used to represent further exposition into the subject matter.
As reported in the article An In-depth Explanation of Muhammad as Found in the Gospel of John:
If Montanus was the promised ‘Comforter’ predicted to come in the Gospel of John, then it would only be natural for Rome in the West to DERAIL that idea especially for the future. This makes good sense when one realizes that one of Montanus’ main goals was to create a New Jerusalem in his hometown in what is now present day Turkey.
The result of this move would signal the end of Rome as the main spiritual center for the burgeoning and developing Christian Religion. Since one pandemic-type disease came in the form of a ‘strange philosophy’, others might be persuaded to follow in its course and it is better to protect oneself and be prepared.
This idea cannot be stressed enough as to its major importance in ‘Christian history’. If Montanus was to succeed in his quest to make his hometown the ‘New Jerusalem’, the consequences would have been quite devastating to the teachings of Christ and extremely deadly to the center of learning, Rome.
First of all, Montanus would have most of the so-called Christians and authorities who depended on political harmony looking with deep suspicion against the group (Rome) who would be accused of sabotaging the religion of Christ and even of GOD HIMSELF. By gaining the support of people like the great church father Tertullian, the push would be on to eliminate the soon to be discredited Roman branch of ‘burgeoning’ Christianity.
This would lead to excommunications and trumped up charges against Rome in the West and an appeal would eventually have to go out to round up the ‘attackers of GOD’ and the so-called religion of truth. So, it now becomes easy to see why the Western part of Christianity must survive by using subterfuge in reversing the damage done by this ‘mad sect’ of Montanus. Or as one might make an excuse like, ‘any port in a storm’!
When one conjures up the discussion of the born agains ‘kingdom of Christ’ on Earth in their own ‘privileged’ spiel about how glorious of a kingdom it will be for them, one can readily see that those who disagree with their premise are branded as losers. Meanwhile, back in those days, it might have been convenient to brand the Roman entities as those who are enemies of GOD HIMSELF to further their corrupted cause. Why? Because they were the primary source in attacking Montanus and his believers!
As one can readily see, there is NOW a very good reason to change the scripture with the hand of a magician’s trick by declaring that the scripture hasn’t really changed at all. Rather it has been put into a more understandable and clearer picture while, at the same time, saving souls from the corrupting influence of the ‘East’.
This is like the excuse some bank robber might give by saying, “I didn’t really do anything wrong. I just robbed from the rich to give to the poor.” So, that makes his actions correct and him a hero?
Sometimes people argue about things that they just don’t understand. This is called arguing for arguing sake and it is very much disliked in Islam. Of course people are very much encouraged to bring forth their evidence if they are telling the truth instead of just ‘blowing smoke’ for the sake of blowing smoke.
This bringing forth of one’s evidence helps people get a handle on things and allows those who might be able to help to point out where the questioner might have gone wrong by misunderstanding some points.
This is true about any topic. The topic of hadith literature is not an exception. There are some hadiths that have paranormal expressions found in them. This requires a person to think outside the box when examining such hadiths.
Two things are important from this discussion. The first thing is that people might easily dismiss a correct hadith as being false because they don’t understand it or they don’t understand the wider picture being spoken about or they want to spread doubt amongst the Muslims for their own nefarious purpose.
Those who make mischief want to join their devilish friends in sowing doubt about Islam or the topic being discussed in that ‘approved’, totally correct hadith or verse from the Quran. This is done usually to shake a weak person’s faith in order to get him to lose his faith or to change his faith.
As if these people were accredited scholars or one who is interested in the Muslim’s well-being!
Then there are those who feel that their understanding is the top-of-the-line type of thinking and any opening up of discussion would result in bringing ‘nothing to the table’ in broadening one’s understanding. These are the super, ultra-conservatives who would like people to listen ‘to them and not to talk’!
We now can understand the lengthy hadith reported by ‘Amir b. Sharahil Sha’bi Sha’b Hamdan where the Anti-christ is described as being on an island bound in chains … “Then we hurriedly went on till we came to that monastery and found a well-built person there with his hands tied to his neck and having iron shackles between his two legs up to the ankles. We said, “Woe be upon thee, who are you?” And he said, “You would soon come to know about me, but tell me who you are.” We said, “We are people from Arabia and we embarked upon a boat but the sea-waves had been driving us for one month and they brought us near this island… (According to the Prophet (pbh) he said)…“Have I not told you of an account (of the Dajjal) like this? Behold he (Dajjal) is in the Syrian Sea (Mediterranean Sea) or the Yemen Sea (Arabian Sea). Nay, on the contrary, he is in the east, he is in the east, he is in the east”, and he pointed with his hand towards the east. I (Fatima bint Qais) said, “I preserved it in my mind (this narration from ALLAH’s Messenger). (Muslim)
This rather long hadith has some very important elements to it. It features a former Christian, Tamim Dari, who later accepted Islam and was a principal member of the ‘boat people’ who were tossed about on the sea for about a month.
What he and his fellow travelers witnessed was not a dream or mass delusions. They witnessed something real and tangible that could and did react with them. Therefore, it was done physically and not through any mass hypnosis or wild dream.
By admitting that, however, one must face some realities which the Muslim already should know. That is that it is ALLAH WHO IS IN TOTAL CONTROL OF SHAPING THINGS AS HE DECIDES FOR HIS OWN REASONS AND WE AS SERVANTS MUST ACCEPT THE INEVITABLE CONCEQUENCES OF HIS DEALINGS.
O men! Here is a parable set forth! Listen to it! Those on whom, besides ALLAH {men, angels, jinn or some wild invention from your mind}, you call {upon for anything}, cannot create (even) a fly, if they all met together for the purpose {of doing just that}! And if the fly should snatch away anything from them, they would have no power to release it from the fly. Feeble are those who petition and those whom they petition! Quran (22:73)
So in this hadith we can ask some questions:
Because the Anti-christ in Islam is only a man and not a myth or spirit, he will have those functions that delineate him as a human being as Jesus (pbh) did or what any of the prophets had.
The two obvious things would be getting food to eat and having a place to urinate and defecate. So, what happened to the Anti-christ as he was completely entrapped in chains and supposedly been incarcerated for a very long time?
Why was he tied up in chains in the first place?
Fortunately, this very correct hadith does give us an answer to question number 2!
Since he was declared NOT to be there (at that place) at the end result of the speech of the Prophet (pbh), [“Behold he (Dajjal) is in the Syrian Sea (Mediterranean Sea) or the Yemen Sea (Arabian Sea). Nay, on the contrary, he is in the east, he is in the east, he is in the east”,] did he, the Dajjal, just break his chains and fly away?
First of all, when one understands the symbolism of the ‘chains’ one can get a better grasp of this hadith. Symbolism occurs everywhere but it is so fortunately diffuse and unobtrusive that most people are not bothered with trying to interpret these things.
We must be grateful to ALLAH for this and show our gratitude to HIM and HIM ALONE. Another good reason is that people in general would take things the wrong way and might be encumbered in living their normal religious lives.
The chains represent that the Anti-christ is NOT FREE to go forth whenever he wants or wherever he wants though he is VERY EAGER TO DO IT! He will be able to ‘come out’ and do ONLY what has been DECREED FOR him to do by ALLAH’s PERMISSION ONLY.
Furthermore, we have excellent proof of that in another lengthy hadith which states that this Anti-christ (Dajjal) will die at a certain place by the hands of Jesus the son of Mary (pbh) AND EVEN IF JESUS WERE NOT TO BE PRESENT, THE ANTI-christ WILL DIE IN THE SAME MANNER AND THE SAME TIME THAT he HAS BEEN ORDAINED TO DIE!!! Therefore, he cannot overcome what is called the DIVINE DECREE.
With that being said, we can think of the vision of Tamim Dari and his fellow travelers as being one taking in a real physical presence but a special one ‘cooked up’ for the occasion.
What does that mean?
The whole idea of this hadith came about because the discussion of the Dajjal was not going all that well in front of the Arabs and ALLAH aided HIS Prophet (pbh) with substantiated testimony from a person who would not have any reason to agree with and support the Prophet (pbh) unless he actually had this real and tangible experience.
So this Anti-christ (Dajjal) WAS physically present on that island but in effect he was not there at all.
This may sound like gobbledygook but these ‘MANIPULATIONS’ are taking place above the common every day and ordinary comprehensions of man. Of course, there are other examples of this to be sure. All that this proves is that we don’t know as much about what is taking place in our own universe as we might think that we do.
Under this analysis, it is from a MERCIFUL GOD that we are not required to be geniuses in religious knowledge but we are, according to our GOD given abilities, responsible for the basics of what is right versus what is wrong. And Islam, basically the four schools of Sunni Islam, provides the clearest, most concise and truthful of details concerning this issue!
So, like in life, we are not all supposed to be ‘rocket scientists’ but what we do possess (with each of us having varying abilities) is the capacity to hopefully get down to the crux of the matter.
Narrated ‘Aisha:
Once the Prophet came while a woman was sitting with me. He said, “Who is she?” I replied, “She is so and so,” and told him about her (excessive) praying. He said disapprovingly, “Do (good) deeds which is within your capacity (without being overtaxed) as ALLAH does not get tired (of giving rewards) but (surely) you will get tired and the best deed (act of Worship) in the sight of ALLAH is that {action} which is done regularly.” (Bukhari)
Narrated Talha bin ‘Ubaidullah:
A man from Najd with unkempt hair came to ALLAH’s Messenger (pbh) and we heard his loud voice but could not understand what he was saying, till he came near and then we came to know that he was asking about Islam. ALLAH’s Messenger (pbh) said, “You have to offer prayers perfectly five times in a day and night (24 hours).” The man asked, “Is there any more (praying)?” ALLAH’s Messenger replied, “No, but if you want to offer the Nawafil prayers (you can).” ALLAH’s Messenger further said to him: “You have to observe fast during the month of Ramadan.” The man asked, “Is there any more fasting?” ALLAH’s Messenger replied, “No, but if you want to the observe Nawafil fasts (you can.)” Then ALLAH’s Messenger further said to him, “You have to pay the Zakat (obligatory charity).” The man asked, “Is there anything other than the Zakat for me to pay?” ALLAH’s Messenger replied, “No, but if you want to give alms {charity} of your own.” And then that man retreated saying, “By ALLAH! I will neither do less nor more than this! “ALLAH’s Messenger (pbh) said, “If what he said is true, then he will be successful (i.e. he will be granted Paradise).” (Bukhari)
The talk of PRAISE OF ALLAH’s POWER AND DOMINION is NOT just empty words or praise for what many think is a sometime disinterested or handicapped BEING! It seems like mankind is a little slow to develop the feeling of AWE and RESPECT for HIS CREATOR’S INFINITE POWER DOMINION AND MERCY!
As with all things, it is most assuredly ALLAH WHO KNOWS ALL THINGS BEST!
