Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said. "While I was sleeping, I saw myself (in a dream) performing Tawaf around the Ka`ba. Behold, I saw a reddish-white man with lank hair, and water was dropping from his head. I asked, "Who is this?' They replied, 'The son of Mary.' Then I turned my face to see another man with a huge body, red complexion and curly hair and blind in one eye. His eye looked like a protruding out grape. They said (to me), He is Ad-Dajjal." The Prophet (ﷺ) added, "The man he resembled most is Ibn Qatan, a man from the tribe of Khuza`a. "
Afflictions and the End of the World
Sahih al-Bukhari 7128
The Vision of Two Momentous Figures
This profound dream-vision granted to the Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) contains immense wisdom regarding two central figures in Islamic eschatology. The first is Jesus, son of Mary (عليه السلام), described with distinctive physical attributes indicating his spiritual purity and ascetic nature. The reddish-white complexion signifies health and nobility, while the dripping water symbolizes divine blessings, knowledge, and spiritual purification emanating from him.
The second figure is Al-Masih ad-Dajjal (the False Messiah), whose terrifying appearance embodies his inner corruption. His enormous size represents arrogance, his red complexion indicates wrath and disbelief, and his single protruding eye symbolizes his distorted perception of reality. The specific comparison to Ibn Qatan provides a tangible reference for the companions to recognize this deceiver's general appearance when he emerges.
Scholarly Commentary on the Symbolism
Classical scholars note that the Prophet's vision occurring during Tawaf around the Ka'ba establishes the sacred context of this revelation. The simultaneous appearance of both figures demonstrates the cosmic struggle between truth and falsehood that will characterize the end times. Jesus (عليه السلام) represents divine guidance and messianic salvation, while Dajjal embodies ultimate deception and trial.
The detailed physical descriptions serve as divine identifiers to help believers recognize both figures. The water from Jesus' head indicates the continuous flow of prophetic wisdom, while Dajjal's blind eye represents his inability to perceive divine truth. Scholars emphasize that these precise descriptions were provided so Muslims could distinguish the true Messiah from the false one when these momentous events unfold.