Virtual Reality & the Fitna of Dajjal

Virtual Reality & the Fitna of Dajjal

أَعُوذُ بِاللهِ مِنَ الشَّيْطَانِ الرَّجِيمِ

We begin by praising Allah, bearing witness that none has the right to be worshipped or unconditionally obeyed except for Him. And we bear witness that Muhammad is his final messenger. We ask Allah to send his peace and blessings upon him, the prophets and messengers that came before him, his family and companions that served alongside him, and those that follow in his blessed path until the Day of Judgment. And we ask Allah to make us amongst them. Allahumma Ameen.

The Phenomenon of False Messiahs

Dear brothers and sisters, in every one of the scriptures of the past you find this notion of false messiahs — false messiahs that come and go. Some of them are more advanced than others. Some of them have certain tools of deception, or the circumstances allow for their deception to last longer than others. And sometimes as the tools advance, then the case becomes more convincing, because every one of these false messiahs that has come makes a claim.

So if you are looking in Judaism, you have false messiah after false messiah after false messiah. And then there's the concept of the ultimate false messiah before, obviously, the ultimate messiah. And then on the other hand you have messiahs who are like mujaddideen — people who revive — until you have al-Masih, the ultimate messiah, who of course is Isa, Jesus peace be upon him.

And so in our conception, as we look to this idea of Dajjal and we talk about al-Dajjal — what the Dajjal looks like, the Antichrist, the false messiah looks like — there are a few things that I wanted to cover today. More about the conditions in which a figure like that can rise and can take advantage of so many different people.

Now over the last 200 years, or the last 100 years specifically, the tools of deception have obviously increased. The quality of those tools and those mechanics have increased. And so when the TV first came out, some said that's the Dajjal. It's your iPad, it is your phone. And then no, it was Facebook. And now it's the Metaverse. And these are all Dajjal. And while there are certainly forms of Dajjal — certainly forms of deception that are enabled by these tools — and those tools as they develop become more frightening, there is the Dajjal that we hear about from the Prophet in numerous traditions. And there is a specific twist to this Dajjal, and that is that he is the ultimate deceiver. He has the ultimate optical illusions, is able to play with people's eyes, and able to deceive them with his claims in ways that other people before him were not able to. So he is the culmination, if you will, of all those tactics, while certainly the conditions prior to him make his arrival ripe.

Five Protections from the Dajjal

Now before I go into the conditions in which Dajjal rises, I think it's very pertinent that we talk about the things that the Prophet told us to protect ourselves from al-Dajjal — very briefly.

1. Iman — Faith Before It's Too Late

The Prophet mentioned iman, faith — and specifically faith before it's too late. To have faith before it's too late, to profess and to have faith. There is a time — الزَّمَنُ الَّذِي لَا يُقْبَلُ فِيهِ الإِيمَانُ — there is a time when faith is no longer accepted. And the Prophet said that there are three things — ثَلَاثَةٌ — that once they come out — إِذَا خَرَجْنَ — at that point, if a person did not profess faith — لَمْ تَكُنْ آمَنَتْ مِنْ قَبْلُ أَوْ كَسَبَتْ فِي إِيمَانِهَا خَيْرًا — they did not benefit from their faith. Meaning it was merely an expression but not actually a heartfelt reality, or something that was acted upon or practiced. The Prophet mentioned the rising of the sun from the west, he mentioned al-Dajjal, and he mentioned the Dabbah. So he mentioned these three things — the rising of the sun, the beast, and the Antichrist — and that at that point iman does not benefit a person if it's sought to be initiated at that point. It's something that you have to do in advance.

2. 'Ilm — Knowledge of Who the Dajjal Is

The second thing the Prophet gave us was 'ilm — knowledge. And the Prophet told us who this person is and what he looks like. He said that no Nabi was sent, no Prophet was sent, except that he warned his people about al-A'war al-Kadhdhab — about this one-eyed liar. And he said he is one-eyed, and your Lord is not:

And between his two eyes, on his forehead, is written the word:

He is written as a disbeliever. Now this builds upon the previous one — which is faith — why? Because faith is what inspires that proper knowledge. And that knowledge is not merely information; it is knowledge that you ascertain, that you affirm with everything that you have.

3. Du'a — Supplication at the End of Every Prayer

The Prophet taught us to make a du'a at the end of every one of our prayers. Abu Hurairah, may Allah be pleased with him, narrates that the Prophet said that at the end of every one of your prayers, when you finish the tashahhud, each one of you should seek refuge in Allah from four things. Say:

Oh Allah, I seek refuge in You from the punishment of Jahannam, and from the punishment of the grave, and from the trials of life and death, and from the evil trial of al-Masih al-Dajjal.

(Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 1377; Sahih Muslim, Hadith 588)

The Prophet said: memorize this and say it at the end of every prayer before your taslim. Now of course, if you don't pray then you're not making the du'a — so it all builds on it. Faith, knowledge of who Dajjal is, the faith and knowledge of how to pray, and then the prayer that you do on a daily basis, and the du'a that you make in every single one of these prayers. You learn this du'a, you memorize it, and you say it every time.

4. Memorizing the First and Last Ten Verses of Surah Al-Kahf

The Prophet said: whoever memorizes ten verses from the beginning of Surah Al-Kahf, he said he will be immune from the fitna — from the trial and tribulation of the false messiah. In another narration, the Prophet mentioned the last ten verses of Surah Al-Kahf. And it's very powerful because if you think about the People of the Cave — the Sleepers of the Cave — they were young people that left the allure of this world and left the deception of this world. They sought to flee from fitna, to flee from that deception, and to protect their faith. And Allah caused them a miracle in which He allowed them to sleep through that fitna for hundreds of years. And He made a positive example out of them, SubhanAllah. So the Prophet said: whoever memorizes — keeps — these ten verses, the first ten and the last ten of Surah Al-Kahf, then they will be protected from al-Dajjal.

5. Fleeing from Fitna

The Prophet taught us to flee from fitna — flee from tribulation. He said: let he who hears of the Dajjal go far away from him. For I swear by Allah that a man will come to him thinking that he is a believer, will challenge him, and then he will leave confused by the ideas and by the deception of Dajjal.

(Sunan Abu Dawud, Hadith 4319)

So the Prophet taught us in general: don't put yourself in bad situations. This is of course a general principle of fleeing from fitna — to avoid places where your faith is likely to be compromised. Don't put yourself in bad environments. So the Prophet is saying: Allah is not tasking you that if you hear about this person, that you go and confront him. No — rather, flee from this person. Flee from their deception. And of course flee from the types of things that would be put out there by a Dajjal.

So these are five things that we take from the Prophet of how to protect ourselves from a Dajjal. We ask Allah to grant us that protection. Allahumma Ameen.

The Conditions That Precede Dajjal

But here's what I want to go on to. Dajjal does not arrive in a vacuum. He does not come at a random time. There are things that precede him that are not just signs, but that make the environment for deception that much more fertile — and make the hearts and the minds and the vision more susceptible to being deceived.

And that's where this hadith comes in, where the Prophet said, narrated from Anas ibn Malik — pay attention to the wording. SubhanAllah, sometimes we read through these things so fast, and every word you've got to pause and think. The Prophet said:

(Musnad Ahmad, Hadith 7978; Sunan Ibn Majah, Hadith 4036)

The Prophet said: before Dajjal comes, there are years of deception. Before this false messiah comes, there are years of false deception — years of these things happening. The world changes in a way that it sets the ground, it sets the stage for a Dajjal.

And what happens in those years of deception? The Prophet said: يُكَذَّبُ فِيهَا الصَّادِقُ — that a truthful person is called a liar. وَيُصَدَّقُ فِيهَا الْكَاذِبُ — and the liar is considered to be truthful. Why? Because the liar is good at deceiving and covering his lie, whereas the truthful — and this is something very profound — a person who is truthful will not resort to deception to prove their trustworthiness. And so what's going to happen? They're just going to have to take it on the chin. That's how it's going to be. Because a kadhdhab will do whatever it takes to portray sidq, whereas a sadiq is comfortable — a truthful person is comfortable — with just being a truthful person.

Then the Prophet said that the trustworthy people are discredited — people of amanah are considered to be discredited — and those who are treacherous are trusted. And the Prophet said: وَيَتَكَلَّمُ فِيهَا الرُّوَيْبِضَةُ — he said that at that time the most disgraceful of people speak; their voices are projected so people can't distinguish truth from falsehood anymore. They can't distinguish trustworthy people from dishonest people anymore. And because of that, who's going to take the stage?

And the Prophet was asked — SubhanAllah the way he described them — he said: al-fuwaysiq. Little fussaq, little men. SubhanAllah — little people, little wicked people. But at the same time they speak about affairs, all types of affairs, and all types of things they have no business talking about. And they cause all types of issues for people. This is what precedes al-Dajjal.

So this is what's important to understand here: the world prior to him is a world where realities are distorted. People seek to create their own paradise on earth. Our sensibilities are lost and our fitrah is compromised — our natural goodness and inclination is compromised. And so people operate in a day and age prior to a Dajjal in vanity, and they can't see past their immediate surface-level vision.

And as people become shallower, the tools to distort shallow realities become more advanced. So people can't see beyond the movies and the graphics and the tactics and that stuff right in front of them — they can't see beyond that. But at the same time they trust it more. And the tools by which you can distort all of that are becoming more advanced. And so you have this situation where, if that shallow reality doesn't immediately satisfy — and this is how it affects faith — then I deny it.

So that's why you see people deny faith in the name of rationality. Now not that Islam is not an intellectual faith — Islam is an intellectual faith. Use your senses, use your brain. But then people treat their senses as divine, even though those senses are being constantly compromised. And if I can't see it immediately in front of me, then I'm not going to believe in it. So when people talk about faith and they talk about Jannah and they talk about Nahr and they talk about Akhirah — the hereafter — and they talk about the unseen and all that stuff: I can't see it right in front of me. And even though I don't even know what I'm seeing anymore, it doesn't make sense to me because I can't see it right in front of me.

And SubhanAllah, ironically, those who deny the existence of a Dajjal — in the name of some Enlightenment — those who deny the existence of a Dajjal in the name of no visual evidence, they're displaying the very weakness that makes them more likely to fall for his visual distortions. "I can't see it, I don't believe it. Where is this Dajjal now? Oh really, Dajjal — sounds funny." And so people start to deny it. Why? Because I can't find it now, I don't see it now. They trust their vision so much that they're most likely to fall victim to their vision when the actual Dajjal rises. May Allah protect us from his fitna. Allahumma Ameen.

The Virtual Paradise of Dajjal

Where do I want to get to with this? Dajjal himself — this false messiah — he knows he's an imposter. And he sees things. Allah will cause him to see things that put him in his place. The Prophet said: al-Madinah — when Dajjal comes to al-Madinah, he would see the angels standing in front of al-Madinah holding their armor, and he would not come anywhere near them. The Prophet said: when al-Dajjal sees Isa, the actual Messiah, Jesus peace be upon him — when he sees Isa, he literally starts to dissolve and run, melts and flees away from him. Because he knows he's an imposter and he knows that his time has come.

But there's something that I want to get to that is beyond that. When Dajjal is presenting all of these different things to people — a virtual reality that you can step into that will completely take you to where you want to go — he's presenting to you the dead. He cooperates with the shayateen so that the shayateen would take the image, would take the vision, of a person who has passed away — that believes in him and affirms him. And he's creating all of this deception.

There's something very specific that I want to get to, and that is when Dajjal actually presents his Jannah. This is something SubhanAllah that just caught me and I just couldn't stop thinking about it. When Dajjal presents his Jannah and says: "Enter into my Jannah — go ahead and enter into my paradise." And there's something of his magic, SubhanAllah, and these tricks and this deception, that speaks to a weakness that grows within us as well. That's not just about the tools but also about the search for instant gratification, and an inability that we're developing to see past surface level — where people in general try to recreate themselves and their universe to fit their desires, and they don't think about the long-term consequences. They don't think about ethics. They don't think about what this is going to mean.

So then what happens when this Dajjal presents his Jannah and says: "Here. You can escape. You can enter into this and you'll have everything that you want and you don't have to wait for anything — just go ahead and step in." And I think about — may Allah protect us, and the Prophet taught us to seek protection — I think about people and the mindsets of people as they take that step in. What's going through their minds? Is it that they're so convinced that he is indeed god? Is it: what's the worth of this life anyway?

I remember watching some interviews with those that are signing themselves up — enlisting themselves — for a very risky mission to Mars, knowing that it's very risky. But I remember one of them saying: "You know, if I die, then it's better than being in this world anyway." I thought: wow. He literally listed out the options like that — that's how he did the math. He said: "I either make it to Mars, or I die, or I stay in this world. And staying in this world is option number three for me. So I take option number two anyway over option number one." You've got to think about that. What world nurtures that? Where people try to recreate themselves and recreate their perfect world. Someone that might say: "You know what, I don't care, I'll step in anyway. What's the worst that could possibly happen?"

And the Prophet said that he comes with al-Jannah — or not al-Jannah itself — the likeness of paradise, the appearance of a paradise. And he said that his Jannah is actually fire. His paradise is actually fire. And in another narration, the Prophet mentioned that he has these two flowing rivers, and there's no contradiction between the two narrations here. Because the Prophet is presenting very specifically: he's got these rivers of lava and burning fire — and he's saying this is hellfire — and he's got these rivers flowing of musk and of milk, the image of which he says: "This is my Jannah."

You know what the Prophet said? He said: if one of you sees that — if you get into a situation where you're standing right in front of him and that's what you have to do — the Prophet said: lower your gaze, close your eyes, put your head down, and drink from the boiling water. And he said: I swear it will be cool water. His Jannah is not, and his not is Jannah. It's flipped. SubhanAllah — don't be deceived by what's being put out in front of you like that.

(Sahih Muslim, Hadith 2934)

The Deception of Dunya and the Devil

And people have to ask themselves: what motivations and weaknesses does Dajjal prey upon that could be within us? And this is what I want to end with. The deception of Dajjal cannot happen without the deception of dunya. The allure of dunya is one of zinah — زِينَةُ الْحَيَاةِ الدُّنْيَا — it has appearances, but we can't see past appearances. People become relegated to the material world; they can't see past it.

And the promise of the devil is that the consequences are not going to be that bad. If you boil down the deception of Shaytan — the deception of the devil — it is what? That the consequences of your deeds you should not think about, because it's not going to be that bad. The pleasure that you're going to enjoy right now is greater than any possible consequences you might face. That's a mindset, that's a weakness that's exploited and that grows. And so then the final piece of that is simply a presentation of what you want to jump into.

And we have to resist — as the world becomes shallower and our senses become more distorted — falling prey to that type of stuff. Thinking about the long-term consequences. Thinking about purpose, when it's so easily diluted. Thinking about why we exist, when it's so easily diluted. Thinking about the hereafter, when we can't see it and we don't have 3D graphics or actors or movies. Thinking about that meeting with Allah. Thinking about that meeting with the Prophet. Thinking about that idea of being held accountable. And thinking about that idea of reward and punishment. You've got to see through it all and remind yourself that I cannot turn my senses into something that's divine, nor can I put my trust into tools that are becoming ever more deceptive and deceitful.

Closing Du'a

May Allah protect us from all of the fitan that we are surrounded by. And may Allah allow us to develop that strong sense of faith and certainty that we see through deception, and that allows us to act in that which is pleasing to Him. And may Allah reward us for the best of our deeds and forgive us for our shortcomings.

And thank Allah for reminding you, and thank Him for the blessings that increase for you. And the remembrance of Allah is the greatest, and Allah knows what you do.