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.

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