Virtues of the Quran's Chapters and Verses
Special Virtues of the Qur'an's Chapters and Verses 35
عَنِ النَّوَّاسِ بْنِ سَمْعَانَ الْكِلاَبِيِّ، قَالَ ذَكَرَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم الدَّجَّالَ فَقَالَ " إِنْ يَخْرُجْ وَأَنَا فِيكُمْ فَأَنَا حَجِيجُهُ دُونَكُمْ وَإِنْ يَخْرُجْ وَلَسْتُ فِيكُمْ فَامْرُؤٌ حَجِيجُ نَفْسِهِ وَاللَّهُ خَلِيفَتِي عَلَى كُلِّ مُسْلِمٍ فَمَنْ أَدْرَكَهُ مِنْكُمْ فَلْيَقْرَأْ عَلَيْهِ فَوَاتِحَ سُورَةِ الْكَهْفِ فَإِنَّهَا جِوَارُكُمْ مِنْ فِتْنَتِهِ " . قُلْنَا وَمَا لُبْثُهُ فِي الأَرْضِ قَالَ " أَرْبَعُونَ يَوْمًا يَوْمٌ كَسَنَةٍ وَيَوْمٌ كَشَهْرٍ وَيَوْمٌ كَجُمُعَةٍ وَسَائِرُ أَيَّامِهِ كَأَيَّامِكُمْ " . فَقُلْنَا يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ هَذَا الْيَوْمُ الَّذِي كَسَنَةٍ أَتَكْفِينَا فِيهِ صَلاَةُ يَوْمٍ وَلَيْلَةٍ قَالَ " لاَ اقْدُرُوا لَهُ قَدْرَهُ ثُمَّ يَنْزِلُ عِيسَى ابْنُ مَرْيَمَ عِنْدَ الْمَنَارَةِ الْبَيْضَاءِ شَرْقِيَّ دِمَشْقَ فَيُدْرِكُهُ عِنْدَ بَابِ لُدٍّ فَيَقْتُلُهُ.
Al-Nawwās ibn Samʿān al-Kilābī said: The Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and grant him peace) mentioned the Dajjāl and said, ‘If he appears while I am among you, I will contend with him on your behalf. If he appears when I am not among you, each man must contend on his own behalf, and Allah will be my successor for every Muslim. Whoever among you encounters him should recite to him the opening verses of Sūrat al-Kahf, for they are your protection from his trial.’ We said, ‘How long will he remain on earth?’ He said, ‘Forty days: one day like a year, one day like a month, one day like a Friday, and the rest of his days like your days.’ We said, ‘Messenger of Allah, will the prayer of a day and a night suffice us during this day that is like a year?’ He said, ‘No. Estimate its measure.’ Then ʿĪsā ibn Maryam will descend near the white minaret east of Damascus, catch up with him at the gate of Ludd, and kill him.’
Translation notes
قُلْنَا وَمَا لُبْثُهُ فِي الأَرْضِ قَالَ " أَرْبَعُونَ يَوْمًا يَوْمٌ كَسَنَةٍ وَيَوْمٌ كَشَهْرٍ وَيَوْمٌ كَجُمُعَةٍ وَسَائِرُ أَيَّامِهِ كَأَيَّامِكُمْ " .
The Arabic says يَوْمٌ كَجُمُعَةٍ (“a day like a Jumuʿah/Friday”); the English witness interprets the duration as a week.
Does جُمُعَةٌ here denote the weekly span (as the witness reads it), rather than Friday itself?
قَالَ ذَكَرَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم الدَّجَّالَ فَقَالَ " إِنْ يَخْرُجْ وَأَنَا فِيكُمْ فَأَنَا حَجِيجُهُ دُونَكُمْ وَإِنْ يَخْرُجْ وَلَسْتُ فِيكُمْ فَامْرُؤٌ حَجِيجُ نَفْسِهِ وَاللَّهُ خَلِيفَتِي عَلَى كُلِّ مُسْلِمٍ فَمَنْ أَدْرَكَهُ مِنْكُمْ فَلْيَقْرَأْ عَلَيْهِ فَوَاتِحَ سُورَةِ الْكَهْفِ فَإِنَّهَا جِوَارُكُمْ مِنْ فِتْنَتِهِ " .
The Arabic says وَاللَّهُ خَلِيفَتِي عَلَى كُلِّ مُسْلِمٍ; the witness paraphrases this as Allah taking the Prophet’s place in looking after every Muslim.
Is “successor” the appropriate close rendering here, or does the phrase idiomatically mean that Allah will look after each Muslim in his absence?