The Qur’an and Internal Sight

 

 Dajjal (Anti-Christ), the Qur’an and the Beginning of History

The Qur’an and Internal Sight

 

In the following verses in which the Qur’an directs attention to a fate which can await those who are blind, it is quite obvious that the reference to blindness is not to be understood literally. Rather, the verses of the Qur’an obviously refer to internal blindness:  

(Qur’an, al-An’am, 6:50)

Allah Most High asks whether someone who is blind, can be deemed equal with someone who can see. Obviously, they cannot be equal—hence, will people not think? 

(Qur’an, al-An’am, 6:104)

The Qur’an declares above, that means of insight have now come unto mankind from their Lord-God through this revealed Book. 

 

Whoever, therefore, chooses to ‘see’ and recognize the Truth, does so for his own good; and whoever chooses to remain ‘blind’ to the Truth, does so to his own detriment. And (say unto the blind): I am not your keeper. 

 

(Qur’an, al-An’am, 6:110)

Those who reject this Qur’an will pay a price for that rejection. Allah Most High will keep their hearts and their eyes turned away from the truth, even as they did not believe in it in the first instance; and so they will be left in their overweening arrogance blindly stumbling to and fro. 

 

(Qur’an, al-‘Araf, 7:64)

When his people rejected Noah and Allah Most High responded to punish them, Allah saved him and those who stood by him, in the Ark, then He caused those who had rejected the Truth sent with Noah to drown. The Qur’an then declared that they were a people who were ‘blind’! 

 

(Qur’an, Yunus, 10:43)

Among the people there are those who pretend to look towards the Prophet: but can he show the right way to the ‘blind’—when they are a people who cannot ‘see’? 

 

(Qur’an, Hud, 11:24)

The Qur’an directs attention to two kinds of men who may be likened to the ‘blind’ and ‘deaf’, on the one hand, and the ‘seeing’ and ‘hearing’, on the other. Can these two be deemed alike in their nature? Will people not, then, keep this in mind? 

 

(Qur’an, al-R’ad, 13:19)

The Qur’an asks whether one who knows and accepts that whatever has been bestowed from on high upon the Prophet by the Lord-God is the Truth, be deemed equal to one who is ‘blind’? Only they who are endowed with insight keep this in mind. 

 

(Qur’an, al-Isra’, 17:72)

The Qur’an declares that whoever is ‘blind’ in this world will be ‘blind’ in the life to come as well, and still farther astray from the path of truth. 

 

We can now conclude that Dajjal’s capacity to see with his left eye, and his blindness in his right eye, ought to be recognized as information that is Mutashabihah, i.e., allegorical, and hence subject to Ta’wil, or interpretation. Our interpretation of the description given by Prophet Muhammad ṣallā -llāhu taʿālā ʿalayhī wa-sallam is that Dajjal has external sight, but he is internally blind!   

 

There is an ominous implication which follows from the above interpretation. All those from amongst mankind who follow Dajjal will all eventually be similar to him, i.e., internally blind; and since he has the word Kafir or ‘disbeliever’ written on his forehead, the further implication is that all those who follow him would become Kuffar (plural of Kafir) or ‘disbelievers’, and thus be debarred from entering into Jannah or paradise.

 

It is, perhaps, because of this implication that the Qur’an has delivered a truly ominous warning to those who remain internally blind, that the hellfire can await them, since Dajjal can get them to dance to every tune he plays:

 

(Qur’an, al-‘Araf, 7:179)

Allah Most High has warned that huge numbers of Jinn and men who have hearts with which they fail to grasp the truth, ‘eyes’ with which they fail to ‘see’, and ‘ears’ with which they fail to ‘hear’, are destined to enter the Hell-fire. He considers them to have a status like unto cattle—nay, they are even less conscious of the right way: it is they, they who are the truly heedless! 

 

Protestant Islam, which seems, mysteriously so, to be a carbon-copy of Protestant Christianity, may remain unconvinced by our argument in favor of an interpretation that Dajjal’s blind eye should be interpreted to mean internal blindness, and may consequently remain steadfastly adamant in their literal understanding of his ‘blind’ right eye. Such a people would obviously refuse to recognize Dajjal when he eventually appears in Jerusalem with the claim to be the Messiah, unless he is literally blind in the right eye.

 

Protestant Islam should reflect over the mysterious incapacity of all disbelievers, regardless of how perfect their eyesight may be, to be able to read what all believers would be able to read, namely the word Kafir which would be written between Dajjal’s eyes—on his forehead! Such die-hards, who cling to a literal understanding of Dajjal’s blind right eye, and to the word Kafir written on his forehead, must explain to us why the Prophet singled out the Mu’min, i.e., believer, and hence excluded the Kafir, i.e., disbeliever, when he declared that the believer would be able to read what was written on Dajjal’s forehead? Why can the believer read what the disbeliever cannot read? Protestant Islam must either deliver an answer which is convincing, or abandon its defective methodology.

 

Indeed, unless they change their defective methodology they will never be able to explain why Tamim al-Dari, who saw Dajjal (who is so blind in his right eye that it looks like a bulging grape), failed to mention anything about his blind right eye when he reported the event to the Prophet: 

 

It was narrated that Fatimah bint Qays (may Allah be pleased with her) said:  .  .  . (what follows are the words spoken by Tamim al-Dari) ... Then we set off, rushing, until we came to that monastery, where we found the hugest man, we had ever seen, bound strongly in chains with his hands tied to his neck and his legs bound from the knees to the ankles with iron shackles ...  (Sahih al-Bukhari)

 

Protestant Islam has an even greater obstacle to overcome when they attempt to offer a credible explanation how Prophet Muhammad ṣallā -llāhu taʿālā ʿalayhī wa-sallam could suspect Ibn Sayyad, a Jewish youth in Medina, to be Dajjal, when he was not blind in the right eye? 

 

While the above exhausts our physical description of Dajjal, the false Messiah, derived from a literal understanding of scriptural texts in Islam, there is more information concerning Dajjal’s unique profile which can be discovered through a process of deduction from those texts; and it is to that process of deduction that we now direct attention.

 

Source

The Complexity of the Subject—Dajjal is One-Eyed

 

 Dajjal (Anti-Christ), the Qur’an and the Beginning of History

The Complexity of the Subject—Dajjal is One-Eyed

 

While it is true that Prophet Muhammad ṣallā -llāhu taʿālā ʿalayhī wa-sallam did declare that there would be many Dajjal’s who would appear in the world as liars (he said they would number close to thirty) before the appearance of al-Masih al-Dajjal himself (Ref. Sunan Tirmidhi, Sahih Muslim, etc.), it remains true that he did deliver a basic Prophetic description of al-Masih al-Dajjal as a Jew, a young man who would be powerfully built and who would have the curls required by the law of the Torah, etc. This book has already argued that the above description has to be understood literally. The complexity of this subject becomes apparent when we now proceed to argue that a further part of the description of the Anti-Christ or Dajjal, given by the Prophet, cannot be understood literally but, rather, must be interpreted in order to be understood. Indeed, the Christian or Jewish reader would readily show understanding when told that a significant amount of information in the religion of Islam concerning the Anti-Christ or false Messiah, is presented in language that is allegorical and symbolic. Indeed this is true for the most important Hadith of all, concerning Dajjal. Prophet Muhammad ṣallā -llāhu taʿālā ʿalayhī wa-sallam said:

 

Abdullah ibn 'Umar said: .  .  .  .  The Messenger of Allah then stood up in front of the people, praised Allah with words worthy of Him and then he mentioned Dajjal and said: I warn you about him, and there is no Prophet who has not warned his people about him. Noah warned his people about him. But I will say to you something about him that no Prophet has ever said to his people. You should know that he is one-eyed, and Allah is not one-eyed. (Sahih Bukhari) 

 

(The Prophet warned) Oh people, be firm! I describe him, i.e., Dajjal, to you as no Prophet before me ever did. He will commence by declaring: “I am a Prophet”, but there will be no Prophet after me (hence he will lie). Then he will praise himself and declare “I am your Lord-God”, but you will not see your Lord-God until you die. And (in addition) he is one-eyed, and your Lord-God is not one-eyed. And between his eyes is written (the word) KAFIR, i.e., disbeliever, which every believer (who has faith in his heart) will be able to read—whether he be literate or illiterate. (Sunan Ibn Majah)

 

In another Hadith recorded in Sahih Bukhari, the Prophet declared that Dajjal sees with one eye—the left eye, and that he is so blind in the right eye; that it looks like a bulging grape.

 

In yet another Hadith, also recorded in Sahih Bukhari, the Prophet again made mention of Dajjal’s blind right eye:

While sleeping near the Ka’aba last night, I saw in my dream a  man of brown color, the best one can see amongst brown color and his hair was long that it fell between his shoulders. His hair was lank and water was dribbling from his head and he was placing his hands on the shoulders of two men while circumambulating the Ka`aba. I asked, Who is this? They replied: This is Jesus, son of Mary. Behind him I saw a man who had very curly hair and was blind in the right eye, resembling Ibn Qatan, i.e. an infidel, in appearance. He was placing his hands on the shoulders of a person while performing Tawaf around the Ka`aba. I asked: Who is this? They replied, al-Masih al-Dajjal.

 

How can it be possible for someone who has ‘faith’, but is ‘illiterate’, to be able to read what is written between the eyes— on the forehead of the Anti-Christ? Our response is that such would be impossible if we were to understand the act of reading literally. As soon as we dismiss a literal understanding, and we turn consequently to search for an interpretation, it becomes readily apparent that the illiterate believer would have the capacity to read because he would be reading with ‘eyes’ other than those located on the face. The epistemology of the Qur’an, like that of all other divinely-revealed scriptures, recognizes that the heart can see. In other words, human beings have a capacity for internal sight, i.e., in addition to external sight. It is with internal sight therefore, that the illiterate believer would be able to read what is written on the forehead of the Anti-Christ.

Source

A Gentle Warning

 

 Dajjal (Anti-Christ), the Qur’an and the Beginning of History

Chapter One

Introducing Dajjal, The Jasad

(a Human Body without a Soul)

 

(Qur’an, al-Nahl, 16:89)

The Qur’an was sent down as Divine revelation which

would explain all things, would provide guidance, and

as grace, and glad tidings unto all who submit to Allah

Most High.

 

(Qur’an, al-Naml, 27:92)

Allah Most High has ordered that the Qur’an be

conveyed to mankind. Whoever then chooses to

follow the right path, would follow it for his own

good. A warning must be given to those who choose

to go astray that: I am only a warner.

 

 A Gentle Warning

The subject of Dajjal is perhaps the most difficult that a student or scholar can ever encounter, hence readers are gently cautioned to be patient whenever the understanding of any part of the subject becomes difficult, and not rush to premature judgment on the basis of doubt. As knowledge of the subject expands, it would become easier to connect the many parts of the subject and eventually grasp the subject as a harmonious whole.  At that time, and not before, many doubts will be cleared up Insha’ Allah, i.e., if Allah so Wills.

 

The Basic Description

Christians know him as the ‘Anti-Christ’, but Prophet Muhammad ṣallā -llāhu taʿālā ʿalayhī wa-sallam referred to him as al-Masih al-Dajjal, i.e., the Dajjal the Messiah. It is important for our readers to understand that the Prophet has not given to the Anti-Christ, the name—‘Dajjal’, for it is not a name! Rather it is a descriptive term which describes him as a ‘liar’, or as one who ‘deceives’. Hence whenever he is referred to in this book as Dajjal, readers are advised to remember that he should properly be referred to as the Dajjal. 

 

Since the Qur’an has identified Nabi ‘Isa, or Jesus, the son of the Virgin Mary ʿalayhi as-salām, as the Messiah, the implication of the description ‘al-Masih al-Dajjal’ used by the Prophet, is that Dajjal is someone who would seek to impersonate the Messiah by claiming, falsely so, to be the Messiah. It is for this reason that he is referred to in this book as Dajjal the false Messiah.

 

Prophet Muhammad ṣallā -llāhu taʿālā ʿalayhī wa-sallam prophesied that Nabi ‘Isa ʿalayhi as-salām or Jesus the true Messiah, would one day return to this world, and that his miraculous return would be a major sign of the End-Time. This writer intends to demonstrate in his second book on Dajjal entitled ‘From Jesus the True Messiah to Dajjal the False Messiah—A Journey in Islamic Eschatology’, that the Qur’an supports this prophecy of a miraculous return of the true Messiah. But the Prophet went on to prophesy that Dajjal, the false Messiah, would appear in person in the world just before the return of the true Messiah, and would seek to convince the Jews in particular, that he is indeed the true Messiah. Since Dajjal, or the Anti-Christ, is a being who belongs to the evil which was created by Allah Most High (see Qur’an, Surah al-Falaq,113:2), and he was thus programmed by Allah Most High to fulfill that evil mission of impersonation, one can expect that he will do so with astonishing accuracy.

 

It is with this fact constantly in mind that we can now proceed to attempt to deliver to the reader a profile of that extraordinary being, i.e., Dajjal, the false Messiah, who, according to our interpretation, is described in the Qur’an as a Jasad, i.e., a human body without a soul. He was placed by Allah Most High to sit on Solomon’s throne so that, as Solomon feared, he would seek to rule over Holy Israel. This subject is explained later in this chapter.

 

The Qur’an confirms that the Messiah, Jesus the son of Mariam ʿalayhi as-salām, was a human being, and that both he and his mother ate food (the Lord-God, however, does not eat food and indeed, is free from any such need):  

(Qur’an, al-Maidah, 5:75)

The Christ, son of Mary, was but a messenger of Allah Most High, and hence he was not God—nor was he the son of God! All those who preceded him as messengers of Allah Most High, have died. His mother was someone who never deviated from the truth; and they both ate food like other mortals; Behold how Allah makes clear these clarifying statements for them: and then behold how perverted are their responses! 

 

It is clear therefore, that the Jews expected a Messiah who would be a human being.

 

Prophet Muhammad ṣallā -llāhu taʿālā ʿalayhī wa-sallam gave a description of the Anti-Christ or Dajjal, as follows: “He would be a Jew, a young man, powerfully built, and with curls in his hair . . .”  (Sahih Muslim). Orthodox Jews, and, it appears, no others besides them, wear these curls in the form of sideburns (Payot) because of a Biblical injunction against shaving the “corners” of one's head:

Do not cut off the hair on the sides of your head.

(Leviticus: 19:27)

 

Although he is a Jasad, i.e., a human body without a soul, it should be obvious to our readers that the Anti-Christ or Dajjal would have to appear as a human being, and as a Jew, since his mission is to convince the Jews that he is indeed the Messiah whom they await. Unless he is a Jew, they would not accept him as the Messiah. Hence when Prophet Muhammad ṣallā -llāhu taʿālā ʿalayhī wa-sallam described Dajjal in the way that he did, i.e., as a being who would appear as a ‘person’, and a ‘Jew’, the Islamic view is that the above description of Dajjal has to be understood literally. This view from Islam differs dramatically from other well-known and sometimes frivolous views which identified the Anti-Christ, for example, with the Roman Catholic Christian Pope in Rome, or former US President Barak Obama, or with a system rather than a person, etc. 

 

Christians face some difficulties in identifying the Antichrist or Dajjal as a person, and as a Jew, because of several scriptural references to him which depart from the single most important fact which emerges from Islamic eschatology, to wit, that he is someone who will seek to impersonate the true Messiah. Consider the following:

 

Many deceivers have gone out into the world, those who do not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh; any such person is the deceiver and the Antichrist! — 2 John 1:7  

 

Who is the liar but the one who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the Antichrist, the one who denies the Father and the Son. — 1 John 2:22 

 

By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard is coming and now is in the world already. 1 John 4:2–3 

 

Despite the above, this writer urges the gentle reader to seriously consider the arguments and evidence now presented in this book for understanding and recognizing the Anti-Christ as someone who was created by the Lord-God and was sent into the world with an evil mission to impersonate Jesus, the True Messiah; as someone who would be a Jew and who would claim to be the true Messiah, and as someone who should therefore be known, properly so, as the false Messiah!

Source