al-Dajjāl

Islam

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al-Dajjāl, (Arabic: “The Deceiver”), in Islamic eschatology, a false messianic figure who will come forth before the end of time; after a reign of 40 days or 40 years, he will be destroyed by Christ or the mahdī (“rightly guided one”) or both, and the world will submit to God. Al-Dajjāl first appeared as the Antichrist in pseudoapocalyptic Christian literature and is reworked in ḥadīth (sayings) ascribed to the Prophet Muhammad. There he is described as a plump, one-eyed man with a ruddy face and curling hair and the Arabic letters k-f-r (“unbelief”) on his forehead. Al-Dajjāl will appear during a period of great tribulation; he will be followed by the Jews and will claim to be God in Jerusalem. He will work false miracles, and most people will be deceived. At this moment will occur the Second Coming of Christ.

Tradition expects al-Dajjāl to appear in the East, possibly Khorāsān, or in the West. In the meantime, he is said to be somewhere in the East Indies, on an island from which the sounds of dancing and beautiful music emanate, according to sailors’ lore and the tale of Sindbad the Sailor. An alternate version is linked with the Greek Prometheus legend; in this account, al-Dajjāl is bound to a rock on an island in the sea and is fed by demons.

This article was most recently revised and updated by Noah Tesch.