The glad tidings are imparted in the hadiths of our Prophet (saas) that the system of the antichrist will be intellectually eradicated by means of the Prophet Jesus (as):
My Lord told me [the Prophet Jesus (as)] that the antichrist would come. There will be two arrows made from the kadib tree by me. When the antichrist sees them he will dissolve like lead in water. (Abdullah bin Mas’ud, Tafsir Ibnu Mas’ud, p. 243)
When the enemy of Allah [the antichrist] would see him [the Prophet Jesus (as)], it would disappear just as the salt dissolves itself in water and if he [the Prophet Jesus (as)] were not to confront them at all, even then it would dissolve completely, but Allah would destroy them by his hand... (Sahih Muslim, Book 41, 6924)
... As the antichrist spreads fitnah, Almighty Allah will send the Prophet Jesus (as), son of Mary… The Prophet Jesus (as) will meet the antichrist at the gate of Ludd (a region near Jerusalem) and will destroy him. (Sahih Muslim; Saim Gungor, Buyuk Fitne Mesih-i Deccal [The Great Corruption of the Messiah Antichrist], p. 104)
As stated in the hadiths, the Prophet Jesus (as) will return to Earth and will encounter the antichrist at the Masjid al-Aqsa, and on seeing the Prophet Jesus (as) the antichrist will disappear like salt dissolving in water. By Allah’s leave, the Prophet Jesus’ (as) “breath alone” will be sufficient to eliminate the fitnah of the antichrist.
It is revealed in the hadiths of our Prophet (saas) that the breath alone of the Prophet Jesus (as) will have a major impact on people who lack faith and will eradicate that system of ideas based on falsehood:
... It is not possible for any unbeliever who smells his [the Prophet Jesus’ (as)] breath not be made ineffective by it. The fact that the antichrist is a liar will spread in waves. The system of the antichrist will be destroyed as an ideology. (Sunan Ibn Majah, 10/32)
... As the antichrist spreads fitnah, Almighty Allah will send Jesus, son of Mary… Every unbeliever who would smell the odor of his self would die and his breath would reach as far as he would be able to see. Jesus will meet the antichrist at the gate of Ludd (a region near Jerusalem) and will destroy him. (Sahih Muslim; Saim Gungor, Buyuk Fitne Mesih-i Deccal [The Great Corruption of the Messiah Antichrist], p. 104)
We are also reminded of this in a verse from the Qur’an: “Rather We hurl the truth against falsehood and it cuts right through it and it vanishes clean away! Woe without end for you for what you portray!” (Surat al-Anbiya’, 18). Truth always overcomes falsehood.
There is great wisdom in the system of the antichrist being vanquished by means of the Prophet Jesus (as). Some of this wisdom is set out by Bediuzzaman Said Nursi as follows:
It could only be a wondrous person with the power of miracles who could make him ineffective and change the way of the awesome antichrist, who will preserve himself through wonders, bestowed on him by Allah in order to lead him astray, such as magic, hypnotic powers, and spiritualism, and will spellbind everyone. And that person will be the Prophet Jesus (as), who is the prophet of the majority of mankind, and whom most people follow. (Bediuzzaman Said Nursi, Rays, Fifth Ray)
As has already been stated, in addition to material power and resources the antichrist will also possess a number of extraordinary powers and will bring most people under his influence by means of those powers. By performing extraordinary deeds and deceiving people with false miracles, and since he acts with the support of satan, the defeat of the antichrist will only take place through the Prophet Jesus (as), a holy prophet who is told to have performed various miracles by our Lord. By Allah’s leave, the Prophet Jesus’ (as) eradication of the fitnah of the antichrist will be very swift and easy. (As a blessing from Allah, the Prophet Jesus (as) worked such miracles as resurrecting the dead, curing the sick and making a bird out of mud and breathing life into it.)
It is revealed in the hadiths of our Prophet (saas) that the Prophet Jesus (as) will eliminate the fitnah of the antichrist alongside Hazrat Mahdi (as):
Hazrat Mahdi (as) will be from my Ahl al-Bayt and from my line. He will fill the world with justice. It is certain that he will set out with the Prophet Jesus (as) and will help him to make the antichrist ineffective at the place known as the Gate of Ludd in the land of Palestine. (Al-Sharani, Mukhtasar Tazkirah al-Qurtubi, p. 438, [816])
The Prophet Jesus (as) will come down from the sky and will destroy the antichrist or help Hazrat Mahdi (as) destroy the antichrist. (Al-Kittani, p. 145; Saban Dogen, Mehdi ve Deccal [The Mahdi and the Antichrist], p. 127)
Hazrat Mahdi (as) will depart with Jesus (as) and will destroy the antichrist at the Gate of Ludd in the land of Palestine. He will assist Mahdi (as) in the destruction of the antichrist. (Al-Muttaqi al-Hindi, Al-Burhan fi Alamat al-Mahdi Akhir az-Zaman, p. 105; Saban Dogen, Mehdi ve Deccal [The Mahdi and the Antichrist], p. 127)
As is revealed in accounts, our Prophet (saas) advised believers to pray in order to protect themselves against the fitnah of the antichrist. He said: “When any one of you utters tashahhud (in prayer) he must seek refuge with Allah from four (trials) and should thus say: ‘O Allah! I seek refuge with You from the torment of the Hell, from the torment of the grave, from the trial of life and death and from the evil of the trial of Messiah al-Dajjal (the antichrist).’” (Muslim, Book 4, 1217) The fact that this prayer was taught to the faithful by the Prophet Muhammad (saas) himself and was recommended to be read during the prayer shows how important it is for believers. We know that Islamic scholars also prayed in the words “O Allah, protect us from the trials of the Messiah al-Dajjal and the Sufyan” following the prayer. (Ibn-i Hazm, al-Muhalla, II, 301) Muslims all over the world seek shelter in our Lord during their five daily prayers with this prayer taught by our Prophet (saas) out of a knowledge of the true dimensions of the fitnah of the antichrist.
However, the climate created by the antichrist is one that everyone possessed of faith and good conscience must oppose with all their might and which requires a major intellectual campaign to be waged against. That being the case, it is of the greatest importance that the faithful and those seeking protection from the trial of the antichrist support the Prophet Jesus (as) and Hazrat Mahdi (as) with all their might. To that end, Muslims must unmask the corruption and deceptions of the antichrist and wage an intellectual struggle against the ideological foundations of the system of the antichrist. Information provided in verses and phenomena described in the hadiths indicate that one of the most significant periods in world history is at hand. It is of enormous importance that those who enjoy the honor of living in such a historic period feel great excitement as a result and also that they be aware of the scale of the responsibilities incumbent upon them.
