The third primary character that dominates Islamic eschatology is a man whose full title is Al-Maseeh (The Messiah) Ad-Dajjal, (The Liar/Deceiver). Usually just referred to as the Dajjal, he is a bizarre character whose description and story seem far more fantastic than either the Mahdi or the Muslim Jesus. There are numerous hadith that contain descriptions of the Dajjal. Here we will just touch on the most common of these traditions to give an overview of just who this mysterious and strange person is.
The Dajjal is described as being a deceiver who will have miraculous powers and who will temporarily hold power over the whole earth:
The Prophet was warning us that in the last days there would be someone who would deceive all of humanity. The Dajjal will possess power over this world. Thus, Muslims must be careful not to have the love of the world in their hearts so they won’t leave their religion and follow him. He will be able to heal the sick by wiping his hand on them, like Jesus did, but with this deceit the Dajjal will lead people down the path to hell. Thus the Dajjal is the false Messiah, or Anti-Christ (Massih ad-Dajjal). He will pretend to be the Messiah, and deceive people by showing them amazing powers. 1
Possibly the most frequently quoted reference to the Dajjal is that he is blind in one eye. The Hadith however, are contradictory regarding which eye is blind:
Allah's Messenger made a mention of Dajjal in the presence of the people and said: Allah is not one-eyed and behold that Dajjal is blind of the right eye and his eye would be like a floating grape. 2
Allah's Messenger said: Dajjal is blind of left eye with thick hair and there would be a garden and fire with him and his fire would be a garden and his garden would be fire. 3
The Dajjal is sometimes said to have the word “Infidel” (Kaafir) written in-between his eyes, possibly on his forehead. But this word will only be perceptible to true Muslims, and no one else:
Allah's Messenger said: Dajjal is blind of one eye and there is written between his eyes the word "kaafir" (unbeliever/infidel). He then spelled the word as k. f. r., which every Muslim would be able to read. 4
Very Important is that; this word “Kafir” will be readable only by the believer, literate or illiterate. Non-believer: let him be educated from “Oxford” or “Harvard” will not be able to read it. 5
Sheikh Kabbani describes some of the Dajjal’s miraculous powers:
The Dajjal will have powers of the devil. He will terrorize the Muslims into following him, converting them into unbelief. He will conceal the truth and bring forth falsehood. The prophet said that the Dajjal will have the power to show the image of one’s dead ancestors on his hand, like a television screen. The relative will say, “Oh my son! This man is correct. I am in Paradise because I was good and I believed in him.” In reality that relative is in hell. If the relative says, “Believe in this man, I am in hell because I didn’t believe,” one must say to the Dajjal, “No, he is in Paradise. This is false.” 6
The Prophet said: the Dajjal will say to a Bedouin Arab, “what will you think if I bring your father and mother back to life for you? Will you bear witness that I am your lord? The Bedouin will say, “Yes.” So two devils will assume the appearance of his father and mother, and say, “O my son, follow him for he is your lord…” 7
The above tradition shows that the Dajjal’s deceptive signs will be for the purpose of leading people into believing that the Dajjal is actually their “lord”. Muslim scholars universally have concluded that the Dajjal will claim to be divine. According to the very well known Muslim scholar, Abu Ameenah Bilal Phillips, the Dajjal, “will claim to be God”. 8
While there are no specific traditions that state such directly, as a result of the fact that the Dajjal is, according to Islamic tradition, the false Jewish Messiah who claims to be God, most Muslims have deduced that the Dajjal will thus claim to be Jesus Christ by name.
Muslim Scholar Muhammad Ali ibn Zubair Ali says of the Dajjal, “ He will travel at great speeds and his means of conveyance will be a giant mule… He will travel the entire world.” 9 As strange as this is, it also bears a faint resemblance to Jesus the Messiah who also rode a donkey as he entered Jerusalem during the final week of his ministry.
It is said that there are three cities that the Dajjal may not enter; Mecca, Medina and Damascus. Muslims are encouraged to seek refuge from the Dajjal in one of these three cities:
The Prophet said, "Ad-Dajjal will come to Medina and find the angels guarding it. So Allah willing, neither Ad-Dajjal, nor plague will be able to come near it." 10
The coming of the Anti-Christ (Dajjal) must occur in the Last Days. This dreadful event is approaching, and in that time only three cities will be safe: Makka, Madina, and Sham (Damascus). If anyone wants safety in that time he will have to run to one of these three cities. 11
Apart from these three cities, it is said that the Dajjal will enter every single city, town and village in the world to test and possibly deceive every human alive. 12
A Surah Of Protection
Muslims believe that if they memorize a particular portion of the Quran that they will be protected from the Dajjal. It is somewhat like a verbal amulet that protects one from the powers of evil:
If the Dajjal comes upon someone who has memorized the first ten verses of Surat al Kahf (Chapter of the Cave) he cannot harm him. And whoever memorizes the last verses of Surat al-Kahf will have light on the day of Judgement. 13
Based on various Islamic traditions, Muslims believe that the Dajjal will be Jewish. The title of a book by Muslim author Matloob Ahmed Qasmi, Emergence of the Dajjal, the Jewish King couldn’t make this point more clearly. Imam Sheikh Ibrahim Madhi of the Palestinian Authority articulated the Islamic perspective regarding the expectation of the Jewish people quite well in one of his sermons:
The Jews await the false Jewish messiah, while we await, with Allah's help… the Mahdi and Jesus, peace be upon him. Jesus's pure hands will murder the false Jewish messiah. Where? In the city of Lod, in Palestine. Palestine will be, as it was in the past, a graveyard for the invaders 14
Samuel Shahid, a Christian Arab scholar in his scholarly study of Islamic eschatology says of the Dajjal that he will be, “the embodiment of the Jewish hope and longing. The bulk of his army is recruited from the Jews.”15
As mentioned in the last chapter, the followers of the Dajjal will primarily consist of Jews and women. It is mentioned that women are very ignorant and as such are easily misled. Veliankode states, “Meanwhile, women will also fall to the deviant line of the Antichrist because of their unawareness and ignorance of Islam.” 16
Slain By The Muslim Jesus
As mentioned in the last chapter, it will be the Muslim Jesus who will kill the Dajjal and his followers:
Allah's Messenger said: …the time of prayer shall come and then Jesus son of Mary would descend and would lead them in prayer. When the enemy of Allah (Dajjal) would see him… Allah would kill them by his (Jesus’) hand and he would show them their blood on his lance (the lance of Jesus Christ). 17
Notes:
1. Shaykh Muhammad Hisham Kabbani, The Approach of Armageddon? An Islamic Perspective (Canada, Supreme Muslim Council of America, 2003), p. 223
2. Sahih Muslim Book 041, Number 7005, reported by Ibn Umar
3. Sahih Muslim Book 041, Number 7010, reported by Hudhalfa
4. Sahih Muslim Book 041, Number 7009, reported by Anas b. Malik
5. Kamran R’ad, Freemasons and Dajjal, (London, Islamic Academy, 2003), p. 173
6. Kabbani 223-4
7. Sunan Ibn Majah #4067, related by Abu Umamam Al-Bahili, quoted in Kabbani, p. 225
8. Abu Ameenah Bilal Philips, Ph.D. Ad-Dajjal, The Antichrist, (Alexandria, Soundknowledge Audio Publishers, 2001)
9. Mohammad Ali Ibn Zubair Ali, Signs Of Qiyama, (Abdul Naeem,New Delhi, 2004), p.17
10. Sahih Bukhari, Volume 9, Book 88, Number 248, Narrated by Anas bin Malik:
11. Kabbani, p. 226
12. .Philips
13. Suyuti, Durr al-Manthur, as quoted in Kabbani, p.227
14. Excerpts from a Friday sermon delivered by Palestinian Authority Imam Sheikh Ibrahim Madhi at the Sheikh 'Ijlin Mosque in Gaza City, broadcast live on April 12, 2002 by Palestinian Authority television http://memri.org/bin/articles.cgi?Page=archives&Area=sd&ID=SP37002
15. Samuel Shahid, The Last Trumpet: A Comparative Study of Christian-Islamic Eschatology (US, Xulon, 2005), p. 254
16. Sidheeque M.A. Veinakode, p. 312
17. Sahih Muslim, Book 041, Number 6924, reported by Abu Huraira
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