Dajjal
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Ad-Dajjal or Degghial is, in Islamic eschatology, an evil figure who will appear in the end times. The word is Arabic for "the deceiver."
He is a counterpart to the Antichrist prophesied by Christianity. Like the Antichrist, various hadith, or traditions, are preserved about ad-Dajjal. He will be physically misshapen, and blind in one eye. He will deceive the faithful, teaching them that Heaven is Hell and vice versa. He will have the power to work miracles in order to mislead believers. He will have the Arabic letters kaf, fa and ra (kafir) branded on his forehead. He will revive the dead, and claim to be a god. Some traditions of Islam relate that he will appear at Isfahan, and that he will rally Jews to his support. However, that is not necessarily a majority view.
The Prophet Muhammad asked his followers to recite the first and last ten verses of Chapter 'The Cave' as protection from the Dajjal. These verses deal with the beliefs and activities of the Christian nations. He also taught his followers to pray, "O Allah! I seek refuge in Thee from the trial of the Dajjal." He also said, There is no tribulation greater than that of the Dajjal from the creation of Adam to the day of resurection.
The appearance of the Dajjal will correspond with the appearance of the Imam Mahdi, who will rally the faithful on earth to oppose him. Eventually, Isa, the Islamic name for Jesus, will return from Heaven and vanquish the Dajjal at the Gate of Ludd, Ludgate or Baab-ul-Lud (باب اللد). This will be followed by a Golden Age where nearly everyone on Earth will become a Muslim, but eventually decline will set in and Allah will lose patience with Man and the end will come for Man. This is a retelling of the Christian apocalypse where the end comes with the return of Jesus and Judgement Day. It is stated by the Ahmadiyya Movement that the Messiah came with Mirza Ghulam Ahmad and will be fulfilled through his community.
- see also Yajuj and Majuj, Gog and Magog
He is mentioned in Chapter 16 of "The Arabian Nights": "Sinbad Voyage 1" or "First Voyage"
- Also to while away the time of waiting I explored a little island named Cassel, which belonged to King Mihrage, and which was supposed to be inhabited by a spirit named Deggial. Indeed, the sailors assured me that often at night the playing of timbals could be heard upon it.
External Links
- Signs of the Appearance of the Dajjal and His Destruction (http://www.islaam.com/Article.aspx?id=402)
- Dajjal (http://members.lycos.co.uk/yusufsdomain/judgment.html)