al-Dajjāl
al-Dajjāl
Islam

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al-Dajjāl, (Arabic" The Deceiver”), in Islamic eschatology, a false messianic figure who'll come forth before the end of time; after a reign of 40 days or 40 times, he'll be destroyed by Christ or the Mahdi (“ correctly 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 hadith (aphorisms) credited to the Prophet Muhammad. There he's described as a rotund, one-eyed man with a sanguine face and entwining hair and the Arabic letters k-f-r (nonbelief) on his forepart. Al dajjal will appear during a period of great misery; he'll be followed by the Jews and will claim to be God in Jerusalem. He'll work false cautions, and utmost people will be deceived. At this moment will do the Alternate Coming of Christ.

Tradition expects al-Dajjāl to appear in the East, conceivably Khoisan, or in the West. In the meantime, he's said to be nearly in the East Indies, on an islet from which the sounds of dancing and beautiful music radiate, according to mariners’ lore and the tale of Sindbad the Sailor. An alternate interpretation is linked with the Greek Prometheus legend; in this account, Al Dajjal is bound to a gemstone on an islet in the ocean and is fed by demons.