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The False Messiah of the Last Days

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The False Messiah of the Last Days

The Dajjal, in full al-Masih ad-Dajjal, "the false" or "lying messiah", is the great deceiver of Islamic eschatology, the counterpart, in some respects, to the Christian Antichrist. He is not named in the Quran but is described in detail in the hadith literature, where he is among the major signs of the Hour, the end of the world. The traditions portray him as a one-eyed figure, his blind or defective eye a mark of his falsehood, who will emerge in a time of tribulation claiming first to be a prophet and then divinity itself, working apparent miracles (bringing rain, reviving the dead in appearance) to seduce humankind, and roaming the earth with supernatural speed, entering every land but the sanctuaries of Mecca and Medina.

Between his eyes, the traditions say, is written kafir ("unbeliever"), legible to the true believer. His reign of deception is ended not by the Dajjal's defeat by ordinary means but by the return of Isa (Jesus), who in Islamic eschatology descends, kills the Dajjal, and establishes a period of justice before the final judgement. The figure encodes a warning against being deceived by false claims and apparent wonders in the last, most testing days.

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