The Holy Prophet Muhammadsaw prophesied based upon a vision, that the Messiah would look as if he has come out of a bath, with water drops falling from his head like pearl beads. He stated:
حَدَّثَنَا إِبْرَاهِيمُ بْنُ الْمُنْذِرِ، حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو ضَمْرَةَ، حَدَّثَنَا مُوسَى، عَنْ نَافِعٍ، قَالَ عَبْدُ اللَّهِ ذَكَرَ النَّبِيُّ صلى الله عليه وسلم يَوْمًا بَيْنَ ظَهْرَىِ النَّاسِ الْمَسِيحَ الدَّجَّالَ، فَقَالَ ” إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَيْسَ بِأَعْوَرَ، أَلاَ إِنَّ الْمَسِيحَ الدَّجَّالَ أَعْوَرُ الْعَيْنِ الْيُمْنَى، كَأَنَّ عَيْنَهُ عِنَبَةٌ طَافِيَةٌ ”. ” وَأَرَانِي اللَّيْلَةَ عِنْدَ الْكَعْبَةِ فِي الْمَنَامِ، فَإِذَا رَجُلٌ آدَمُ كَأَحْسَنِ مَا يُرَى مِنْ أُدْمِ الرِّجَالِ، تَضْرِبُ لِمَّتُهُ بَيْنَ مَنْكِبَيْهِ، رَجِلُ الشَّعَرِ، يَقْطُرُ رَأْسُهُ مَاءً، وَاضِعًا يَدَيْهِ عَلَى مَنْكِبَىْ رَجُلَيْنِ وَهْوَ يَطُوفُ بِالْبَيْتِ. فَقُلْتُ مَنْ هَذَا فَقَالُوا هَذَا الْمَسِيحُ ابْنُ مَرْيَمَ. ثُمَّ رَأَيْتُ رَجُلاً وَرَاءَهُ جَعْدًا قَطَطًا أَعْوَرَ عَيْنِ الْيُمْنَى كَأَشْبَهِ مَنْ رَأَيْتُ بِابْنِ قَطَنٍ، وَاضِعًا يَدَيْهِ عَلَى مَنْكِبَىْ رَجُلٍ، يَطُوفُ بِالْبَيْتِ، فَقُلْتُ مَنْ هَذَا قَالُوا الْمَسِيحُ الدَّجَّالُ ”. تَابَعَهُ عُبَيْدُ اللَّهِ عَنْ نَافِعٍ.
Narrated `Abdullah:
The Prophet (ﷺ) mentioned the Masih Ad-Dajjal in front of the people saying, Allah is not one-eyed while Masih Ad-Dajjal is blind in the right eye and his eye looks like a bulging out grape. While sleeping near the Ka`ba last night, I saw in my dream a man of brown color the best one can see amongst brown color and his hair was long that it fell between his shoulders. His hair was lank and water was dribbling from his head and he was placing his hands on the shoulders of two men while circumambulating the Ka`ba. I asked, ‘Who is this?’ They replied, ‘This is Jesus, son of Mary.’ Behind him I saw a man who had very curly hair and was blind in the right eye, resembling Ibn Qatan (i.e. an infidel) in appearance. He was placing his hands on the shoulders of a person while performing Tawaf around the Ka`ba. I asked, ‘Who is this? ‘They replied, ‘The Masih, Ad-Dajjal.’ (Sahih Bukhari, Hadith #3439, 3440)
In another narration of Sahih Muslim it is stated that when he would lower his head, there would fall beads of perspiration from his head, and when he would raise it up, beads like pearls would scatter from it.
This sign was shown to the Prophetsaw in a vision and is extremely important. This sign means that the Messiah would be a man who would repeatedly repent and turn to his Creator and his link with Him will always be refreshed as if he was always taking a bath. Water is referred to spirituality as well and we see this from the important hadith of prayer. The Holy Prophetsaw stated:
حَدَّثَنَا إِبْرَاهِيمُ بْنُ حَمْزَةَ، قَالَ حَدَّثَنِي ابْنُ أَبِي حَازِمٍ، وَالدَّرَاوَرْدِيُّ، عَنْ يَزِيدَ، عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ إِبْرَاهِيمَ، عَنْ أَبِي سَلَمَةَ بْنِ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ، عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ، أَنَّهُ سَمِعَ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم يَقُولُ ” أَرَأَيْتُمْ لَوْ أَنَّ نَهَرًا بِبَابِ أَحَدِكُمْ، يَغْتَسِلُ فِيهِ كُلَّ يَوْمٍ خَمْسًا، مَا تَقُولُ ذَلِكَ يُبْقِي مِنْ دَرَنِهِ ”. قَالُوا لاَ يُبْقِي مِنْ دَرَنِهِ شَيْئًا. قَالَ ” فَذَلِكَ مِثْلُ الصَّلَوَاتِ الْخَمْسِ، يَمْحُو اللَّهُ بِهَا الْخَطَايَا ”.
Narrated Abu Huraira:
I heard Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) saying, “If there was a river at the door of anyone of you and he took a bath in it five times a day would you notice any dirt on him?” They said, “Not a trace of dirt would be left.” The Prophet (ﷺ) added, “That is the example of the five prayers with which Allah blots out (annuls) evil deeds.” (Sahih Bukhari, Hadith #528)
The Messiah was also going to be a man always busy in the remembrance of Allah. Hadhrat Ahmadas stated:
“The Promised Messiah’s appearance, as though he has come out of a bath with water drops falling from his head like pearl beads, is a vision. The interpretation is that with his repeated repentance and supplications, the Promised Messiah will continuously refresh his link with God, as if he was bathing all the time and the pure drops of this sacred bath drop from his head as pearls. This does not mean that he has some supernatural powers; certainly not. Have the people not seen before, the result of assigning supernatural powers to Jesus, Son of Mary (Isa ibn e Maryam), which only made millions of people the fuel of Hell fire? Does their desire still linger that, against human nature, Jesus (Hadhrat Isa) should descend bodily from Heaven accompanied by the angels and should kill people by his breath and that drops of pearl should fall from his body? The meaning of the drops falling from the body of the Promised Messiah, which I have mentioned is correct. When the Holy Prophetsaw saw bangles in his hands did it mean actual bangles? Similarly, when the Holy Prophetsaw saw cows being slaughtered did it mean real cows? Certainly not, they implied other things. Similarly, when the Holy Prophetsaw saw the Promised Messiah as though he had come out after bathing and saw water dropping from his head like pearl drops, it means he would be a man who would repeatedly repent and turn to God and his link with Him will always be refreshed as though he were bathing all the time. The pure drops of the purity of his turning to God will drop like pearls from his head. In another hadith, man’s turning to God is compared to bathing. For instance, discussing the excellence of Prayer, the Holy Prophetsaw said that if a stream runs in front of the door of one’s house and he were to bathe in it five times daily; can any filth remain on his body? The companions replied that it cannot. Then the Holy Prophetsaw said that in the same way, no filth can remain on the soul of one who observes prayer (which combines repentance, seeking of forgiveness, supplication, humility, offering praise and glorification) five times daily, as though he were bathing five times daily. This hadith makes it clear that the meaning of the Promised Messiah’s bathing is the same, otherwise what special excellence is in the physical art of bathing? Even the Hindus bathe this way every morning, and the drops of water also fall from their body. Alas, people with material thoughts always drag spiritual matters to a material level, and like the Jews remain ignorant of the mysteries of truths.” (Haqiqatul Wahi, Ruhani Khazain, Volume 22, Pages 320-326)