Overview
The Beast of the Earth (Dabbat al-Ard) is a creature that Allah will bring forth near the end of times. It will speak to people and mark them — distinguishing the believers from the disbelievers on their faces. Its emergence is one of the ten major signs listed in the hadith of Hudhayfah ibn Asid.
Primary Hadith
وَإِذَا وَقَعَ الْقَوْلُ عَلَيْهِمْ أَخْرَجْنَا لَهُمْ دَابَّةً مِّنَ الْأَرْضِ تُكَلِّمُهُمْ
"We will bring forth a creature from the earth, speaking to them. (Quran 27:82)"
Sahih Muslim 2901, Quran 27:82
Graded by: Quran 27:82 & Muslim
Scholarly Context
Allah says in Surah An-Naml (27:82): "And when the Word is fulfilled against them, We will bring forth for them a creature from the earth, speaking to them." The exact nature of this beast is from the knowledge of the unseen. Some scholars, including Ibn Katheer, mentioned narrations suggesting it may emerge from the Kaaba or from Mount Safa. Its appearance is closely linked with the rising of the sun from the West.