Where is the island of Dajjal?

In the name of Allah, the Gracious, the Merciful

Some Muslims hold the belief that the False Messiah (al-Masihah al-Dajjal), who will emerge near the end of time as a great tribulation, is currently imprisoned on an unknown island somewhere in the world. This was indeed reported by the companion Tamim al-Dari (ra) and confirmed by the Prophet (s).

Yet since practically all of the ocean has been explored, no one has been able to find the island or the False Messiah. What was the nature of Tamim’s encounter with the False Messiah? Was it a physical encounter or a spiritual vision?

Tamim al-Dari, may Allah be pleased with him, reported:

فَانْطَلَقْنَا سِرَاعًا حَتَّى دَخَلْنَا الدَّيْرَ فَإِذَا فِيهِ أَعْظَمُ إِنْسَانٍ رَأَيْنَاهُ قَطُّ خَلْقًا وَأَشَدُّهُ وِثَاقًا مَجْمُوعَةٌ يَدَاهُ إِلَى عُنُقِهِ  مَا بَيْنَ رُكْبَتَيْهِ إِلَى كَعْبَيْهِ بِالْحَدِيدِ قُلْنَا وَيْلَكَ مَا أَنْتَ قَالَ قَدْ قَدَرْتُمْ عَلَى خَبَرِي فَأَخْبِرُونِي مَا أَنْتُمْ قَالُوا نَحْنُ أُنَاسٌ مِنَ الْعَرَبِ رَكِبْنَا فِي سَفِينَةٍ بَحْرِيَّةٍ فَصَادَفْنَا الْبَحْرَ حِينَ اغْتَلَمَ فَلَعِبَ بِنَا الْمَوْجُ شَهْرًا ثُمَّ أَرْفَأْنَا إِلَى جَزِيرَتِكَ هَذِهِ

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قَالَ وَإِنِّي مُخْبِرُكُمْ عَنِّي إِنِّي أَنَا الْمَسِيحُ وَإِنِّي أُوشِكُ أَنْ يُؤْذَنَ لِي فِي الْخُرُوجِ فَأَخْرُجَ فَأَسِيرَ فِي الأَرْضِ فَلاَ أَدَعَ قَرْيَةً إِلاَّ هَبَطْتُهَا فِي أَرْبَعِينَ لَيْلَةً غَيْرَ مَكَّةَ وَطَيْبَةَ فَهُمَا مُحَرَّمَتَانِ عَلَىَّ كِلْتَاهُمَا كُلَّمَا أَرَدْتُ أَنْ أَدْخُلَ وَاحِدَةً أَوْ وَاحِدًا مِنْهُمَا اسْتَقْبَلَنِي مَلَكٌ بِيَدِهِ السَّيْفُ صَلْتًا يَصُدُّنِي عَنْهَا وَإِنَّ عَلَى كُلِّ نَقْبٍ مِنْهَا مَلاَئِكَةً يَحْرُسُونَهَا

We departed hastily until we were admitted into the monastery and found within it a huge man. We had never seen any creation more firmly imprisoned. His hands were tied to his neck and there were iron shackles between his two legs to his ankles. We said: Woe to you! What are you? He said: I will soon tell you about me, but first tell me about you. We said: We are Arabs who have traveled in a seafaring vessel but it happened to be that the sea seized us and the waves shook us for a month, then we sought shore on this island of yours…

The man said: Indeed, I will tell you about myself. I am the messiah. I will soon be permitted to emerge and thus I will go out and march across the land. I will not leave any town but that I will occupy it for forty nights, except for Mecca and Medina. They are both forbidden to me. Every time I want to enter one of them, I will be confronted by an angel with a sword in his hand to obstruct me from them. Indeed, around every vulnerability among them is an angel to guard them.

Source: Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim 2942, Grade: Sahih

On the basis of this report, many Muslims hold that the False Messiah is literally imprisoned on an island right now, but that Allah has obscured its location by supernatural means. Hence, no one can ever find it until the False Messiah is finally released.

However, this report should reconciled with other equally authentic reports that the False Messiah possibly appeared to the companions in the form of the false prophet Ibn al-Sayyad

Muhammad ibn al-Munkadir reported: I saw Jabir ibn Abdullah, may Allah be pleased with him, swear an oath that Ibn al-Sayyad was the False Messiah (al-Dajjal). Jabir said:

إِنِّي سَمِعْتُ عُمَرَ يَحْلِفُ عَلَى ذَلِكَ عِنْدَ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم فَلَمْ يُنْكِرْهُ النَّبِيُّ صلى الله عليه وسلم

I heard Umar swear an oath upon that in the presence of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, and he did not reject it.

Source: Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 6922, Grade: Sahih

When Umar saw that Ibn al-Sayyad falsely claimed to be a prophet, he immediately asked the Messenger of Allah (s) for permission to kill him. The Prophet (s) refused, though, because if he truly were the False Messiah, he could not be killed until everything that was foretold would come to pass.

Abdullah ibn Umar reported: The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said to Ibn al-Sayyad:

تَرِبَتْ يَدَاكَ أَتَشْهَدُ أَنِّي رَسُولُ اللَّهِ

May your hands be dusted! Do you testify that I am the messenger of Allah?

Ibn al-Sayyad said, “No, rather you testify that I am the messenger of Allah!” Umar ibn al-Khattab said, “O Messenger of Allah, allow me to kill him!” The Prophet said:

إِنْ يَكُنِ الَّذِي تَرَى فَلَنْ تَسْتَطِيعَ قَتْلَهُ

If he is who you think he is, you will never be able to kill him.

Source: Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim 2924, Grade: Sahih

In another narration, the Prophet said:

دَعْهُ إِنْ يَكُنْ هُوَ فَلَا تُطِيقُهُ وَإِنْ لَمْ يَكُنْ هُوَ فَلَا خَيْرَ لَكَ فِي قَتْلِهِ

Leave him, for if he truly is him you will have no power to do so. If it is not him, then there is no good for you in killing him.

Source: Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 6244, Grade: Sahih