The meaning of the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): "If he appears while I am among you, then I am his challenger on your behalf; but if he appears and I am not among you, then every man is his own challenger, and Allah is my successor over every Muslim."

The Shaykh : He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: May Allah’s prayers and peace be upon him, and may He reward him well for His Ummah. This means that if he appears while I am alive in this world, then I am the one who will challenge him on your behalf. As for if he appears after the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) has passed away: This means that every person will defend himself, and Allah the Exalted is the successor of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) over every Muslim. Here there is a point of difficulty: how can the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) say ? The answer is that the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) hoped that Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, would guide His Ummah and protect them from the Dajjal, so that He would succeed His Messenger in His Ummah. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) once prayed for Abu Sulayman when he visited him and his eyes had burst open, meaning his eyes had opened after death, so the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) closed them and said: meaning, be his successor in his descendants, protecting them and supporting them, and let them have help from Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, in their religious and worldly affairs. Allah, Mighty and Majestic, is the One who takes charge of His servants. So His saying: means that he (peace and blessings be upon him) hoped that Allah would take charge of His Ummah after him when the Dajjal appears among them.