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There are many figures that represent evil in the Islamic tradition. Among them are Satan, Iblis, Taghut, Pharaoh, and al-Dajjal.1 However, the only figure with an eschatological significance is al-Dajjal. Al-Dajjal occupies an important place in the body of Hadith and manuals of Islamic theology. Very few English works, however, have been written on this subject. This article aims to offer the reader an Islamic understanding of al-Dajjal by referring to two major sources: the Qur'an and the Hadith. Classical as well as contemporary scholars and sources of Islamic theology will be explored. Hadith literature has a detailed account of the emergence of al-Dajjal and his struggle against Jesus and the Mahdi.
His full name al-Masih al-Dajjal, literally, the pseudo-messiah or the opposite of al-Masih 'Isa (Jesus the Messiah or the true Messiah). The term alDajjal originally comes from the Syriac language and is used in Arabic. According to some Arabic lexicons, al-Masih means the one who has no eyebrows and a single eye on one side of his face. This characteristic is found in al-Dajjal, the pseudo-messiah.2 Ibn Manzur, author of the famous Arabic lexicon, indicates that al-Masih has two opposite meanings applied to two personalities. Al-Masih is used to describe al-Dajjal, as well as Jesus. The term al-Masih can mean the beautiful one, Jesus, as well as his opposite, al-Dajjal, the ugly one.3 Al-Masih can also mean the one who is blind; therefore, this title is given to the blind al-Dajjal.4 Accordingly, al-Masih 'Isa is the opposite of al-Masih al-Dajjal, i.e., Jesus the Christ is the opposite of the Antichrist. Both the words al-Masih and al-Dajjal are strange (gharib), that is, originally derived from languages other than Arabic. The word al-Masih originally comes from Hebrew but was adopted by Arabs and subsequently given many meanings.5
Al-Dajjal in the Qur'an
Whether or not al-Dajjal is directly referred to in the Qur'an is a matter of debate among Muslim scholars. Strictly speaking, the word al-Dajjal does not appear in the Qur'an. However, some scholars believe that he is mentioned by character traits. The Qur'anic verses that mention Jesus indirectly make reference to al-Dajjal, the Antichrist. One verse reads: "Nay, but verily man is rebellious" (96.6). Here "man" refers to al-Dajjal, the Antichrist of the Muslim...