The
Sea of Galilee, also
Kinneret,
Lake of Gennesaret, or
Lake Tiberias,
is a freshwater lake in Israel, and it is approximately 53 km (33 mi)
in circumference, about 21 km (13 mi) long, and 13 km (8.1 mi) wide. The
lake has a total area of 166 km
2 (64 sq mi), and a maximum
depth of approximately 43 m (141 feet).At 211.315 metres (693.29 ft)
below sea level, it is the lowest freshwater lake on Earth and the
second-lowest lake overall (after the
Dead Sea,
a saltwater lake). The lake is fed partly by underground springs
although its main source is the Jordan River which flows through it from
north to south. [
Source]
The waters of the Sea of Galilee are now at their lowest on record
and, officials say, are set to fall even lower. The crisis is both
natural and man-made. Four successive years of droughts, with rainfall
less than half the annual average, has combined with a lack of snow on
the peaks of Mount Hermon to lead to the shortage. [
A biblical tragedy in Galilee]
The story of Tamim Ad-Dari which follows, answers the first and most important question,
is the Dajjal alive? and whether Tamim Ad-Dari and his companions have seen him when they were thrown by the waves on to some remote Island.
[A Hadith (sohih) narrated by
Muslim
in Al-Fitan] Fatimah-bint-Qais reported, “I heard the proclaimer of the
Messenger of Allah SAW proclaiming (for) Congregational Prayer. I went
to the mosque and prayed with the Prophet . When he finished his prayer,
he sat upon the pulpit smiling and said, ‘
Let every man remain in his seat.‘
He then asked, ‘
Do you know why I have called you together?‘ They replied, ‘
Allah and His Messenger know best.‘
The Prophet SAW said, ‘
By Allah, I have not called you together
for hope or for fear, I have called you together because Tamim ad- Dari
who was a Christian, came and embraced Islam.
He narrated a
story to me, which agreed with the account I had given to you about the
Dajjal. He informed me that he had embarked upon a sea-boat with thirty
men of Lakhm and Jozam. Then the sea waves played with them for a month
and threw them on to an island when the sun was about to set. They sat
in a small side boat and landed on the Island. A beast with very coarse
hair met them. They could not tell its front from its back due to its
excessive hair. They asked, ‘Woe to thee! Who art thou?” It
replied, ‘I am Al-Jassasah (a spy). Go to this man in the monastery, as
he is eager to receive the information you bring.
Tamim Ad-Dari said, ‘When it named a man for us, we fled away
from it lest it might be the devil. Then we hurriedly went on until we
entered the monastery and found a big-bodied man whom we had never seen
before. He was firmly tied up, his hands tied to his neck, the place
between his knees, and joints tied up with iron chains.’ We asked, ‘Woe
to thee! What are thou?’ He replied, ‘You have the power to get my
information. Inform me about yourselves.
They replied, ‘We are people from Arabia, we embarked upon a
sea-boat, but the sea waves played with us for a month and threw us onto
this island. A beast of coarse hairs met us and said, ‘I am Al-Jassasah
(a spy). Go to the man in the monastery.’ So we approached you
hurriedly.
He asked, ‘Tell me about the trees of Baisan (a place in Sham) .
Do they bear fruit?.’ ‘Yes’ We replied. He said, ‘Behold! Soon they will
not yield fruit.’
He asked, ‘Inform me of the lake of Tiberias. Is there water in
it?’ We replied, ‘It is full of water.’ He informed us, ‘Soon its water
will disappear.’
He then asked, ‘Inform me of the fountain of Zugara. Is there
water in it and do its inhabitants irrigate with the water of the
fountain?’ ‘Yes, it is full of water and it’s inhabitants irrigate from
its water.
He asked, ‘Inform me of the Prophet of the illiterates. What does he do?’ We said, ‘He has just come out of Makkah and gone to Yathrib.’
He asked, ‘Have the Arabs fought with him?’ ‘Yes’ We replied.
He asked, ‘How did he treat them’ We informed him that he had got
the upper hand of those of the Arabs who opposed him and they obeyed
him. He said, ‘Behold! It is better for them if they obey him.
As for myself I am certainly Dajjal and it is near that an order
will be passed for me to come out. I shall then come out and travel the
world. I shall leave no village at which I shall not land within 40
nights except Makkah and Taibah, which will be forbidden to me. Whenever
I wish to enter one of the two, an angel with a sword in his hand will
encounter me and prevent me therefrom. There will be angels on every
side to guard it.
The Apostle of Allah SAW struck his pulpit with his staff and said, ‘
This is Taibah meaning Madinah. Behold! Did I not tell you?’ ‘Yes‘ they replied. ‘
Behold,
he is in the Syrian sea or sea of Yemen; no, rather he is from the
eastern direction. He then pointed out with his hand to wards the East.‘ (Muslim)
Lake of Tiberias is Sea of Galilee. The man said ‘Soon
its water will disappear.’ This is and indicator/sign of the return of
Prophet Isa a.s. who will kill Dajjal.
The Dajjal will remain on earth for 40 days, the first of which will
be a year long, second a month , the third a week, and the remaining 37
days like our normal days, moving from city to another causing fitna
1. Finally he will proceed towards Makkah and Madina
2 but he will be unable to enter these holy cities, Masjid Tur and Masjid al-Aqsa
3.
Every time he tries to enter these holy places, angels guarding these
holy cities with swords in their hand will encounter him and chase him
away, leaving Dajjal stationed behind Uhud
4. Meanwhile, earthquakes will hit Madinah thrice and all the hypocrites will be forced to leave
5.
- Nawwas-b-Samaan / Muslim
- Fatimah-b-Qais / Muslim
- Junaid-b-umaiya / Al-Fathur-Rabbani
- Abu-Huraira / Bukhari
- Amr-b-Sufyan / Ad-Darrul-Manthur
Jabir (R.A) reported that the Messenger of Allah SAW said, “
A
party of my followers will not cease to fight for victory until the Day
of Resurrection”. He said, “then Jesus, son of Mary, will come down.
Their Imam will say, “Come and lead our prayer” He will reply, “Some of
you are rulers over others on account of divine honour upon these
people.” (Muslim)
Abu Huraira (R.A) reported that the Messenger of Allah SAW said, “
By
the one whose hands my life is in, surely the son of Maryam a.s. will
descend amongst you as a just ruler. He will destroy the cross, kill the
swine and abolish the tax.” (Bukhari)
Hudaifah-b-Osaid reported: The Holy Prophet SAW suddenly came to us while we were talking. He asked, “
What are you talking about?” They replied “
We were talking about the last hour.” Prophet SAW said, “
It will never come until you see ten signs before it,”
He then mentioned the Smoke, the Dajjal, the Beast, the Rising of the
Sun in its place of setting, the Descent of Jesus son of Mary and Yajuj
and Ma’juj. (Muslim)
The Dajjal having failed to enter the holy city of Madinah will
proceed to Syria gathering his forces on the way. Imam Mahdi will have
arranged the Muslim army and will be on the verge of leading the Muslims
in the morning prayer (
Abu Umamah / Ibn-Majah) when Prophet Isa a.s will descend to the white Minaret
(Nawwas-b-Samaan/Muslim) in the east of Damascus, wearing two garments dyed with saffron, placing his hands on the wings of two angels.
All those that are present will recognise him, as he will look
exactly like the description of the Prophet . Resembling the Sahabi Urwa
bin Masood (
Abu- Huraira/ Muslim) the colour of his skin will be reddish white (
Ibn Abbas/ Bukhari),
he will be well-built and his hair will be soft and reach his ears.
When he lowers his head, beads of perspiration will fall from it and
when he raises his head, beads like pearls will scatter from it. (
Nawwas-b-Samaan/Muslim).
Every Kafir who smells his sweet breath will die and his breath will
reach as far as he can see. On seeing Prophet Isa a.s., Imam Mahdi will
take a couple of steps backwards so Prophet Isa a.s. can lead the
prayer. However Prophet Isa a.s. will place his hands on the Imam’s
shoulder and will say, ”Go forward and lead the prayer as the Iqamah was
made for you”. Thus Imaam Mahdi will lead the prayer. (
Abu Umamah/ Ibne-Majah).
After the prayer Prophet Isa a.s. will say, ”Open the gate”. The gate
will be opened and the Dajjal will be waiting behind it accompanied by
an army of 70,000 Jews (Army of the Black Banner), each armed with a
sword and shield. The Dajjal on seeing Prophet Isa a.s. among the
Muslims will begin to dissolve like salt in water and will begin to
flee. Prophet Isa a.s. will say to him, ”You will remain alive until I
strike you with my spear, ”He will catch up with him at the Eastern gate
of Ludd (Ludd is a mountain in Syria. Some say that it is a village in
Jerusalem, and some say that it is a village in Palestine) and
then Prophet Isa a.s. will kill him with a small spear.
The Muslims will thereafter defeat and wipe out Dajjal’s army. The
Jews will not be able to hide behind anything on that day. Every time
they try to hide behind a stone, a wall, a tree (except a boxthorn
tree), or animal. Allah SWT will make these things speak and they will
say, ”O servant of Allah there is a Jew hiding behind me. come kill
him.”