Is there a contradiction between the Prophet’s — may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him — doubt as to whether Ibn Sayyad was the Dajjal, and the hadiths that indicate the Dajjal will not appear until after the Mahdi, and the existence of signs and portents of the Hour?

Numerous authentic hadiths have successively reported the emergence of the Masih ad-Dajjal (Antichrist), the descent of Masih Isa ibn Maryam (Jesus Christ), peace be upon him, and the appearance of the Mahdi, and that they will exist in the same era. It is understood from these hadiths that Isa, peace be upon him, will kill the Dajjal at the Gate of Lod.

As for the perceived contradiction regarding Ibn Sayyad, it is answered as follows: 1. The wording "There is no Dajjal except with the Mahdi, and no Masih except with the Dajjal" has no basis. 2. The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, did not definitively state that Ibn Sayyad was the Dajjal; rather, he remained hesitant about his matter. The hadith of Tamim ad-Dari (the Hadith of the Jassasah) corroborated what the Prophet had told them about the Dajjal and clarified that Ibn Sayyad was not the Dajjal. Indeed, the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, had been divinely inspired with the characteristics of the Dajjal, and he found some possible clues in Ibn Sayyad, but he did not conclusively affirm that he was the Greater Dajjal. 3. Some scholars have concluded that Ibn Sayyad is not the Greater Dajjal, but rather may be a devil who appeared in the form of the Dajjal. 4. The signs mentioned in the hadiths of the Dajjal will coalesce upon his emergence and the manifestation of his tribulation. Prior to that, it is not a prerequisite for all characteristics to be fulfilled.