The beast of earth (Dâbba al-Ardh) in Islamic lit

Since the existence of Dâbba al-ardh is fixed by the verse, it contains certainty. However, although its existence is not discussed, its physical characteristics, when, how, and where it will emerge have been the subject of discussion among Muslim scholars. In fact, we can state that this discussion is not seen in the books of tafsir, hadith, and kalam written in the classical period, and the subject is discussed in the axis of narrations. In the classical period of Islamic literature, it was rare to make interpretations of Dâbba al-ardh apart from the narrations. When we look at the modern period, we can say that the narrative-based perspective has been replaced by interpretations based on reason. In this study called "Dâbba al-ardh in Islamic Literature", the works written on Dâbba al-ardh in the classical and modern periods were examined. The study consists of an introduction and four chapters. In the introduction, the subject, purpose, importance, method, and sources of the study have been determined, and the etymological origin of the concept of Dâbba al-ardh has been mentioned in order to make the issue more understandable. In the first part, Dâbba al-ardh in tafsir sources, in the second part Dâbba al-ardh in hadith sources, in the third part Dâbba al-ardh in kalam sources, and in the fourth part, detached works and interpretations about Dâbba al-ardh in the modern period were examined. The study mainly aims to contribute to the identification and presentation of the interpretations made in classical and modern literature about Dâbba al-ardh, which is described as one of the great signs of the apocalypse in Islamic literature, the similarities and differences between these interpretations, and the factors, if any, from which the differences originate.