Dajjal

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Masih ad-Dajjal (Arabic: المسيح الدجّال‎, literally "The Impostor Messiah") is an evil figure in Islamic eschatology. He is to appear pretending to be Masih (or the Messiah) at a time in the future, before Yawm al-Qiyamah (Judgment Day).^[1] (Compare to Armilus)

Usage

Dajjal is a common Arabic word, with the meaning "to deceive", used in the sense of "false prophet", but al-Masih ad-Dajjal, with the definite article, refers to "the impostor", a specific end-of times deceiver. The term al-Masīḥ ad-Dajjāl (Arabic for "the false messiah") is a literal translation of the Syriac term Mšīḥā Daggālā, which had been in the common vocabulary of the Middle East and adapted into the Arabic language 400 years prior to the Qur'an via the Peshitta (which uses that term instead of the Greek "Antichristos")

Eschatology

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The belief is based around the events prior to the Day of Judgment around the Second Coming of Isa (Jesus), when ad-Dajjal who is blind in his right eye, shall gather an army of those he has deceived and lead them in a war against Jesus, who shall be accompanied by an army of the righteous.^[1]

He will appear somewhere between Syria and Iraq, at which time Prophet Isa will return and the Mahdi will come, the Dajjal will travel the whole world preaching his falsehood but will be unable to enter Mecca or Medina.^[2]

Hadith attributed to Muhammad give many signs of the appearance of the Dajjal, and exhorted his followers to recite the first and last ten verses of Sura Al-Kahf, as protection from the trials and mischief of the Dajjal. It is said that he will have right eye damaged and the left will be working because knowledge acquired through the right eye can be noori (means that pertaining to light) and through the left naari (that pertaining to fire). It is also said that he will have the word kufr (disbelief) on his forehead.

Islam's description

The Qur'an doesn't mention the Dajjal by name, like the hadith. A couple of hadith describe the Dajjal as follows:

• Prophet Mohammed narrated:

The Prophet mentioned the Anti-christ Dajjal in front of the people saying, Allah is not one eyed while Anti-christ, Dajjal is blind but one eye will be covered by thick film and the other will be protruding like a bulging out grape.

Narrated 'Abdullah bin 'Umar:Allah's Apostle said. "While I was sleeping, I saw myself (in a dream) performing Tawaf around the Ka'ba. Behold, I saw a reddish-white man with lank hair, and water was dropping from his head. I asked, "Who is this?' They(angel jibreel) replied, 'The son of Mary.' Then I turned my face to see another man with a huge body, red complexion and curly hair and blind in one eye. His eye looked like a protruding out grape. They said (to me), He is Ad-Dajjal." The Prophet added, "The man he resembled most is Ibn Qatan, a man from the tribe of Khuza'a. " ( Translation of sahih bukhari,book 88,volume 9,number 242)

• `Abd Allah ibn `Umar narrated:

Once Allah's Apostle stood amongst the people, glorified and praised Allah as He deserved and then mentioned the Dajjal saying, "l warn you against him (i.e. the Dajjal) and there was no prophet but warned his nation against him. No doubt, Noah warned his nation against him but I tell you about him something of which no prophet told his nation before me. You should know that he is one-eyed, and Allah is not one-eyed."^[3]

• Muhammad told his companions: "Every Messenger of Allah did warn his nation about the trials of Dajjal. Allah, however, delayed Dajjal’s birth and did not let him appear until now. Be aware! he will claim to be God and try to create doubts in your minds. Have a firm belief, the one-eyed creature cannot be your Lord. He will come out riding on a 'donkey', which will have a distance of one mile between its two ears. He will claim to have come with the gifts of paradise and arsenal of hell."^[4]

• Al Imam Ali was reported to have said: "His right eye will be punctured, and his left eye would be raised to his forehead and will be sparkling like a star. Only the believers will be able to read the word ‘Kufr’ [disbelief], inscribed in bold letters, on his forehead. There will be big mountains of smoke at both front and backsides of his caravan. People will anticipate food within those mountains, during the severe famine. He will be riding on a huge white coloured 'donkey' who will cover a mile in a single stride. All rivers, falling in his way, will become dry and he will call upon people in aloud voice, "O my friends come to me! I am your lord who has made your limbs and given you sustenance.^[5]

Signs of his coming

The following are signs of the forthcoming of Dajjal:^[5]

• People will stop offering prayers
• Dishonesty will be the way of life
• Falsehood will become a virtue
• People will mortgage their faith for worldly gains
• Usury and bribery will become legitimate
• Imbeciles would rule over the wise
• Blood of innocents would be shed
• Pride will be taken on acts of oppression
• The rulers will be corrupt
• The scholars will be hypocrites
• Adultery will be rampant
• Women will dress like men, and men will dress like women
• The liars and treacherous will be respected
• There will be acute famine at the time

Defeat and death

Some hadith narrations claim that the Mahdi will arrange a Muslim army, and will be on the verge of leading the Muslims in morning prayer when Isa (Jesus) will descend and kill the Dajjal (Abu-Umamah / Ibn Majah).^[6] Shia Islam Twelvers believe that Dajjal will be killed by Mahdi^[7][8]

Dajjal and the Devil

In Islam, the Dajjal and the Devil are defined as two separate beings

Dajjal

The name given in the hadith to certain religious impostors who shall appear in the world; a term equivalent to the Christian use of the word Antichrist. Muhammad is related to have said there would be about thirty.

The Masihu 'd-Dajjal or "the lying Christ" it is said will be the last of the Dajjals for an account of whom refer to article on Masihu 'd-Dajjal".^[9] According to all the hadiths, the masih dajjal has a blind eye, curly hair and also something wrong with his foot. The Masih Dajjal will first say that he is a prophet and then God. He will have a hell fire and a paradise by his side and people that will refuse to follow him, will be forced to enter the hell-fire, that accompanies him. However, this will merely be an illusion and this will, in reality be cool and safe for this person.

Devil

Satan is the father of demons (jinn or genies). He is said to have been named Iblis. When God created Adam, Iblis refused to prostrate before him, and he was therefore expelled from Eden. Satan sought respite, an extension on his life till the Day of Judgment. He obtained it until the Day of Judgement, when he will be destroyed.^[10]

Notes