- Dajjal
Masih ad-Dajjal (
Arabic : الدّجّال, literally "The Impostor"), is an evil figure inIslamic eschatology . He is to appear pretending to beAllah [Sahih Al-Bukhari Volume 9, Book 88, Number 246] [ Sahih Al-Bukhari Volume 9, Book 88, Number 245] [Sahih Al-Bukhari Volume 9, Book 88, Number 241] at a time in the future, before Yawm al-Qiyamah (The Day of Resurrection, Judgment Day). It is said that he will have one eye damaged and the other will be working.Usage
"Dajjal" is a common Arabic word, 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 theMiddle East and adapted into theArabic language 400 years prior to theQur'an via thePeshitta (which uses that term instead of the Greek "Antichrist os")Eschatology
The belief is based around the events prior to the
Day of Judgment around theSecond Coming of The Christ, 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 Imam Mahdi, who shall be accompanied by an army of the righteous.He will appear somewhere between Syria and Iraq, at which time Jesus will return and he will defeat ad-Dajjal in
Palestine . Ad-Dajjal will travel the whole world in forty days preaching his falsehood but will be unable to enterMakkah orMadinah .Muhammad had given many signs of the appearance of the Dajjal and exhorted his followers to recite the first and the last ten verses ofSura Al-Kahf , as protection from the trials and mischief of the Dajjal.Islam's description
The
Qur'an doesn't mention the Dajjal by name, like theHadith . A couple ofhadith describe the Dajjal as follows:*The Prophet mentioned the Massiah Ad-Dajjal in front of the people saying, Allah is not one eyed while Messiah, 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 Kaba. 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.' " [http://www.usc.edu/dept/MSA/fundamentals/hadithsunnah/bukhari/055.sbt.html#004.055.649]
*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." [http://www.usc.edu/dept/MSA/fundamentals/hadithsunnah/bukhari/055.sbt.html#004.055.553]*Allah's Apostle said, "Shall I not tell you about the Dajjal a story of which no prophet told his nation? The Dajjal is one-eyed and will bring with him what will resemble Hell and Paradise, and what he will call Paradise will be actually Hell; so I warn you (against him) as Noah warned his nation against him." [http://www.usc.edu/dept/MSA/fundamentals/hadithsunnah/bukhari/055.sbt.html#004.055.554]
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" [Patric Hughes. "A Dictionary of Islam" pg 64 http://books.google.com/books?id=O84eYLVHvB0C&pg=PA1&dq=Islamic+Dictionary&as_brr=0&sig=lv3eYPY59cQeWOaWAvIJDcQEfqQ#PPA64,M1] .
Devil : The devil is an evil jinn. He is said to have been namedIblis . 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 theDay of Judgment . He obtained it until the Day of Judgement, when he will be destroyed, (Vide Qur'an, surah vii, 13). According to the Qu'ran, the devil was created of (smokeless) fire, whilst Adam was created of (modified) clay." [Thomas Patrick Hughes "A Dictionary of Islam" Pg 84 http://books.google.com/books?id=O84eYLVHvB0C&pg=PA1&dq=Islamic+Dictionary&as_brr=0&sig=lv3eYPY59cQeWOaWAvIJDcQEfqQ#PPA84,M1] .Author Maulana Ahmad Ali claims Imam Mahdi will arrange a Muslim army, and will be on the verge of leading the Muslims in morning prayer when Jesus will descend and kill the Dajaal (Abu-Umamah / Ibne Majah). [Maulana Ahmad Ali. "Major Signs Before The Day Of Judgement" Pg 30]
There is nothing in the
Islamic Holy Book, theQur'an which mentions such an event, neither the event of an Imam Mahdi, the Dajjal, or Jesus returning prior to the day of ressurection when all human beings return from death to be judged beforeAllah By definition the Devil (known as
Shaitan ) & the Dajjal are two separate beings (though both evil in Islamic thought) because the Dajjal is a deceiver who will claim prophethood and Godhead for himself and will be killed by Jesus upon his second advent while the Devil is a being that existed before the creation of Adam who will not die until the Day of Judgment, though he also deceives and will be cast into hell. [Koran 7:11-15] .ee also
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Gog and Magog Notes
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