Chapter on the Dajjal: His Deceptions, the Descent of Isa (as), and Slaying Him at the Gate of Ludd

parasitic worms into their necks, so they perish simultaneously like the death of a single soul [fa-yursilu Allahu 'alayhimu al-naghafa fi riqābihim fa-yusbihuna farsa])" - "al-naghaf" is with the letters nun and dotted ghayn both with fat-hah, followed by fa'; it refers to parasitic larvae that infect the nostrils of camels and sheep, the singular being naghafah. "Al-farsa" with fat-hah on fa' and maqsur (ending in alif maqsurah) means slain, the singular being faris. The phrase: "(filled with their grease and foul stench [mal'ahu zahamuhum wa natnuhum])" - "zaham" is with fat-hah on the ha', meaning their rotting fat and putrid odor. The Prophet's (ﷺ) statement: "(no house of clay or hair will shield against it [la yakunnu minhu baytu madarin])" - that is, no house built of clay will prevent the torrential rain from penetrating; "al-madar" with fat-hah on mim and dal refers to hardened clay. The Prophet's (ﷺ) statement: "(and it will wash the earth until it leaves it like a polished basin or mirror [ka-al-zalfah])" - it is narrated with fat-hah on zay, lam, and qaf ("al-zalaqah"); it is also narrated as "al-zulfah" with dammah on zay, sukun on lam, and fa'; and as "al-zalfah" with fat-hah on zay and lam with fa'. Al-Qadi stated: It is narrated with fa' and with qaf, and with fat-hah or sukun on lam, and all are authentic. The author of al-Mashariq noted that the zay takes fat-hah. The scholars differed concerning its exact meaning: Tha'lab, Abu Zayd, and others explained it as being like a mirror, a view which the author of al-Mashariq also attributed to Ibn 'Abbas, comparing the earth to a mirror in purity and pristine cleanliness. It is also said: like water reservoirs (masani' al-ma'), meaning water pools upon it until it becomes like a gleaming reservoir where water gathers. Abu 'Ubayd said: It means like a verdant washbasin; it is also said like a wide bowl, and like a lush meadow. The Prophet's (ﷺ) statement: "(a whole group of people will eat from a single pomegranate and seek shade under its rind)" - "al-'isabah" means a large company of people, and "qihfuhu" with kasrah on qaf is the concave dome of its peel, likened to the cranial bone above the brain, or what separates from the skull. The Prophet's (ﷺ) statement: "(and milk will be so blessed that a single milch camel will suffice a vast tribe of people)" - "al-risl" with kasrah on ra' and sukun on sin denotes milk, and "al-liqhah"