Prayer TimesThe creature called "dabbat," considered one of the greatest signs of the Day of Judgment, is mentioned in Surah An-Naml, verse 82:
"When the Word (of punishment) is about to be fulfilled against them, We shall bring forth for them a creature from the earth that will speak to them, because mankind did not believe with assurance in Our signs."
In Arabic, the word "dabbat" refers to creatures that move slowly on the earth. The exact nature of the "dabbat" mentioned in the verse is known only to Allah. Whether this creature crawls, walks on two, four, or countless legs is unknown. In religious literature, it is called "dabbat ul-ard".
Scholars interpret this verse as follows: "When the Day of Judgment comes, the promised punishment will befall the disbelievers. At that time, a beast will emerge from the earth. After its appearance, the time will come when repentance will no longer be accepted. This beast will speak about people's lack of faith in religion and the Prophet." The verse describes this situation, and there should be no doubt about it.
Hafiz Ibn Kathir said: "This beast will appear when the end times are near, corruption is widespread among people, Allah's commands are neglected, and the true religion has been altered."
In a hadith narrated by Hudhayfah ibn Usayd al-Ghifari (may Allah be pleased with him), the Prophet (ﷺ) said: "The Hour will not come until you see ten signs," and he mentioned the emergence of a beast from the earth (Ahmad ibn Hanbal).
Abdullah ibn Amr (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "As reported from the Prophet (ﷺ), the first sign of the Hour is the rising of the sun from the west and the emergence of the beast from the earth. I remember hearing a hadith that whichever of these occurs first, the other will follow immediately after" (Muslim).
Renowned scholars of tafsir caution against spreading unnecessary and baseless stories about this creature mentioned in the Qur'an. The Qur'an and authentic hadiths provide sufficient information about it. Its true reality is known only to Allah.
Prepared by Hasan AMANKUL,
"Munara" newspaper, No. 22, 2021
This content was drafted with AI assistance and reviewed by an editor.