Tafsir of Surah An-Naml - Verse 82

The Emergence of the Beast of the Earth

This is the beast which will emerge at the end of time, when mankind has become corrupt and neglected the commands of Allah and changed the true religion. Then Allah will cause a beast to emerge from the earth. It was said that it will be brought from Makkah, or from somewhere else, as we shall discuss in detail below, if Allah wills. The beast will speak to people about matters. Ibn `Abbas, Al-Hasan and Qatadah said, and it was also narrated from `Ali, may Allah be pleased with him, that it will speak words, meaning, it will address them. Many Hadiths and reports have been narrated about the beast, and we will narrate as many of them as Allah enables us to, for He is the One Whose help we seek. Imam Ahmad recorded that Hudhayfah bin Asid Al-Ghifari said, "The Messenger of Allah ﷺ came out from his room while we were discussing the matter of the Hour. He said:

«لَا تَقُومُ السَّاعَةُ حَتَّى تَرَوْا عَشْرَ آيَاتٍ: طُلُوعُ الشَّمْسِ مِنْ مَغْرِبِهَا، وَالدُّخَانُ وَالدَّابَّةُ وَخُرُوجُ يَأْجُوجَ وَمَأْجُوجَ، وَخُرُوجُ عِيسَى ابْنِ مَرْيَمَ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ، وَالدَّجَّالُ، وَثَلَاثَةُ خُسُوفٍ: خَسْفٌ بِالْمَغْرِبِ، وَخَسْفٌ بِالْمَشْرِقِ، وَخَسْفٌ بِجَزِيرَةِ الْعَرَبِ، وَنَارٌ تَخْرُجُ مِنْ قَعْرِ عَدَنٍ تَسُوقُ أَوْ تَحْشُرُ النَّاسَ، تَبِيتُ مَعَهُمْ حَيْثُ بَاتُوا وَتَقِيلُ مَعَهُمْ حَيْثُ قَالُوا»

(The Hour will not come until you see ten signs: the rising of the sun from the west; the smoke (Ad-Dukhan); emergence of the beast; the emergence of Ya'juj and Ma'juj; the appearance of `Isa bin Maryam, upon him be peace; the Dajjal; and three land cave-ins, one in the west, one in the east and one in the Arabian Peninsula; and a Fire which will emerge from the midst of Yemen, and will drive or gather the people, stopping with them whenever they stop for the night or to rest during the day.)" This was also recorded by Muslim and the Sunan compilers from Hudhayfah, in a Mawquf report. At-Tirmidhi said, "It is Hasan Sahih." It was also recorded by Muslim from Hudhayfah in a Marfu` report. And Allah knows best.

Another Hadith

Muslim bin Al-Hajjaj recorded that `Abdullah bin `Amr said, "I memorized a Hadith from the Messenger of Allah ﷺ which I never forgot afterwards. I heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ say:

«إِنَّ أَوَّلَ الْآيَاتِ خُرُوجًا طُلُوعُ الشَّمْسِ مِنْ مَغْرِبِهَا، وَخُرُوجُ الدَّابَّةِ عَلَى النَّاسِ ضُحًى، وَأَيَّتُهُمَا مَا كَانَتْ قَبْلَ صَاحِبَتِهَا فَالْأُخْرَى عَلَى إِثْرِهَا قَرِيبًا»

(The first of the signs to appear will be the rising of the sun from the west, and the emergence of the beast to mankind in the forenoon. Whichever of them appears first, the other will follow close behind it.)

Another Hadith

In his Sahih, Muslim recorded that Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him, said that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:

«بَادِرُوا بِالْأَعْمَالِ سِتًّا، طُلُوعَ الشَّمْسِ مِنْ مَغْرِبِهَا، وَالدُّخَانَ، وَالدَّجَّالَ، وَالدَّابَّةَ، وَخَاصَّةَ أَحَدِكُمْ، وَأَمْرَ الْعَامَّة»

(Hasten to do good deeds before six things appear: the rising of the sun from the west; the smoke; the Dajjal; the beast; the (death) of one of your favorite, or general affliction.) This was recorded by Muslim alone. Muslim also recorded that Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him, said that the the Prophet said:

«بَادِرُوا بِالْأَعْمَالِ سِتًّا: الدَّجَّالَ، وَالدُّخَانَ، وَدَابَّةَ الْأَرْضِ، وَطُلُوعَ الشَّمْسِ مِنْ مَغْرِبِهَا، وَأَمْرَ الْعَامَّةِ، وَخُوَيْصَّةَ أَحَدِكُم»

(Hasten to do good deeds before six things appear: the Dajjal; the smoke; the beast of the earth; the rising of the sun from the west; and the (death of one of your favorite) or general affliction.)

Another Hadith

Ibn Majah recorded from Anas bin Malik that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:

«بَادِرُوا بِالْأَعْمَالِ سِتًّا: طُلُوعَ الشَّمْسِ مِنْ مَغْرِبِهَا، وَالدُّخَانَ، وَالدَّابَّةَ، الدَّجَّالَ، وَخُوَيْصَّةَ أَحَدِكُمْ، وَأَمْرَ الْعَامَّة»

(Hasten to do good deeds before six things appear: the rising of the sun from the west; the smoke; the beast; the Dajjal; and the (death of one of your favorite) or general affliction.) He was the only one who recorded this version.

Another Hadith

Abu Dawud At -Tayalisi recorded f rom Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him, that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:

«تَخْرُجُ دَابَّةُ الْأَرْضِ وَمَعَهَا عَصَا مُوسَى وَخَاتَمُ سُلَيْمَانَ عَلَيْهِمَا السَّلَامُ، فَتَخْطِمُ أَنْفَ الْكَافِرِ بِالْعَصَا، وَتُجَلِّي وَجْهَ الْمُؤْمِنِ بِالْخَاتَمِ، حَتَّى يَجْتَمِعَ النَّاسُ عَلَى الْخِوَانِ يُعْرَفُ الْمُؤْمِنُ مِنَ الْكَافِر»

(A beast will emerge from the earth, and with it will be the staff of Musa and the ring of Sulayman, peace be upon them both. It will strike the nose of the disbelievers with the staff, and it will make the face of the believer bright with the ring, until when people gather to eat, they will be able to recognize the believers from the disbelievers.) It also was recorded by Imam Ahmad, with the wording:

«فَتَخْطِمُ أَنْفَ الْكَافِر بِالْخَاتَمِ، وَتَجْلُو وَجْهَ الْمُؤْمِن بِالْعَصَا، حَتَّى إِنَّ أَهْلَ الْخِوَانَ الْوَاحِدِ لَيَجْتَمِعُونَ فَيَقُولُ هَذَا: يَا مُؤْمِنُ، وَيَقُولُ هَذَا: يَا كَافِر»

(It will strike the nose of the disbelievers with the ring, and will make the face of the believer bright with the staff, until when people gather for a meal, they will say to one another, O believer, or O disbeliever.) It was also recorded by Ibn Majah. Ibn Jurayj reported that Ibn Az-Zubayr described the beast and said, "Its head is like the head of a bull, its eyes are like the eyes of a pig, its ears are like the ears of an elephant, its horns are like the horns of a stag, its neck is like the neck of an ostrich, its chest is like the chest of a lion, its color is like the colour of a tiger, its haunches are like the haunches of a cat, its tail is like the tail of a ram, and its legs are like the legs of a camel. Between each pair of its joints is a distance of twelve cubits. It will bring out with it the staff of Musa and the ring of Sulayman. There will be no believer left without it making a white spot on his face, which will spread until all his face is shining white as a result; and there will be no disbeliever left without it making a black spot on his face, which will spread until all his face is black as a result, then when the people trade with one another in the marketplace, they will say, `How much is this, O believer' `How much is this, O disbeliever' And when the members of one household sit down together to eat, they will know who is a believer and who is a disbeliever. Then the beast will say: `O so-and-so, enjoy yourself, for you are among the people of Paradise.' And it will say: `O so-and-so, you are among the people of Hell,' This is what Allah says:

وَإِذَا وَقَعَ الْقَوْلُ عَلَيْهِم أَخْرَجْنَا لَهُمْ دَآبَّةً مِّنَ الاٌّرْضِ تُكَلِّمُهُمْ أَنَّ النَّاسَ كَانُوا بِـَايَـتِنَا لاَ يُوقِنُونَ

(And when the Word is fulfilled against them, We shall bring out from the earth a beast for them, to speak to them because mankind believed not with certainty in Our Ayat.)

وَيَوْمَ نَحْشُرُ مِن كُلِّ أُمَّةٍ فَوْجاً مِّمَّن يُكَذِّبُ بِـَايَـتِنَا فَهُمْ يُوزَعُونَ

Commentary

The nature of the beast coming out of the earth, and its time and place

It is reported in Musnad of Ahmad on the authority of Sayyidna Hudhaifah ؓ that the Holy Prophet ﷺ said that the Doomsday would not come until you witness ten signs of it. They are:

(1) Appearance of the sun from the west.

(2) Dukhan (Smoke).

(3) Dabba-tul-ard, i.e the beast coming out of the earth

(4) Coming out of Ya’ juj and Ma’ juj.

(5) Descent of Sayyidna ` Isa (علیہ السلام) .

(6) Dajjal.

7, 8, 9) Three lunar eclipses together - one in the west, second in the east and the third in the peninsula of Arabia.

10) A fire, that will emerge from the Gulf of Aden and drive every one towards the plain of mahshar; wherever people will stop for the rest at night, the fire will also stop there, and will drive them again the next day. (Muslim, Tirmidhi)

This hadith has informed us of the emergence of such an animal close to Doomsday that will talk to human beings. The Tannin of the word Dabbah indicates that this animal will be extra-ordinary. This animal will not be born by the normal way of propagation; instead, it will emerge from the ground all of a sudden. There is an allusion in this hadith that the emergence of this animal would be one of the very last signs, after which the Doomsday will follow soon. Ibn Kathir has reported in a lengthy hadith on the authority of Sayyidna Talhah ibn 'Umar through Abu Dawud Tayalisi that this beast will emerge in Makkah from the mount of Sara, and after cleaning the dust from its head will reach at a point between the Black Stone (Al-Hajar-al-Aswad) and the Station of Ibrahim (Magam Ibrahim). Seeing this creature , people will start running helter-skelter. Only one group of people will stay behind. Then the beast will make their faces glitter like stars. After that it will go out in the world, and put a sign of infidelity on the face of every infidel. No one will be able to get out of its grasp. It will recognize every believer and the infidel (Ibn Kathir). And Muslim Ibn Hajjaj has reported on the authority of Sayyidna ` Holy Prophet ﷺ that he had heard the Holy Prophet ﷺ saying, which he did not forget, that among the last signs of the Doomsday the first would be the rising of the sun from the west, and after that Dabbah would come out. Out of the two signs whichever appears first, the Doomsday will follow soon. (Ibn Kathir)

Shaikh Jalaluddin Mahalli (رح) has said that after the appearance of Dabbah the obligation of inviting others to good deeds and forbidding them from the evils will cease to apply, and no infidel would convert to Islam after that. This statement is inferred from many ahadith and the statements of Sahabah. (Mazhari). Ibn Kathir has related many a things about the appearance and activities of Dabbah, most of which are not trustworthy. Therefore, only that much should be trusted and believed which is contained in the Qur'an and authentic ahadith. Anything beyond that should be discarded, as it is neither of any value nor benefit.

As for the question as to what this Dabbah will converse with people, some commentators are of the view that it will communicate what is stated in the Qur'an, that is أَنَّ النَّاسَ كَانُوا بِآيَاتِنَا لَا يُوقِنُونَ (that the human beings did not believe in Our verses). It will communicate the message on behalf of Allah Ta` ala that ` Many did not believe Our verses before this'. It would mean that now the time has come that every one would believe, but then it would be too late, because it would not be acceptable then. Sayyidna Ibn ` Abbas ؓ ، Hasan Al-Basri, Qatadah رحمۃ اللہ علیہما ، have reported, which is corroborated by a narration of Sayyidna also, that the Dabbah will converse with people normally, as people do among themselves (Ibn Kathir).

At the time when Almighty God takes the decision that the present history of the earth should be brought to an end, some extraordinary signs will appear to usher in the last phase. Among these signs will be the appearance of a communicator (dabbah). This will be the bell announcing the end of the examination period and not its beginning. Mass communications, particuarly the internet and multimedia, are probably what is meant by dabbah here. When all the people gather on the Day of Judgement, they will be divided into groups. The believers will be ranged on one side and those who denied the truth on the other. Then those who denied the truth will be asked what academic or rational arguments made them deny the Truth. At that time their silence will prove their denial was based on stubbornness and bias, though they advanced false arguments to show that they were right. At that time, it will be clear to them that over and above the verbal message of the preacher , even the alternation of day and night was non-verbally and tacitly conveying to them the words of Truth. Sleep during the night stood for death and waking up in the morning stood for resurrection. In spite of these extraordinary arrangements for the proclamation of the Truth, they were unable to discover it.