dajale

Dajjal, often transliterated as dajjal, is a figure in Islamic eschatology described as the false messiah who will appear before the Day of Judgment. The name comes from the Arabic al-dajjāl, meaning “the deceiver” or “the liar.” In Sunni and, to varying degrees, Shia traditions, the Dajjal is a major test for humankind, arising during a period of great turmoil and fitting the archetype of deceit and misguidance.

Traditionally, the Dajjal is said to perform miracles and wield immense wealth and power to mislead people, projecting an aura of divinity or prophethood in order to gain followers. Most narrations emphasize his ability to deceive widely before his eventual defeat. The figure is used in Islamic teachings as a warning against arrogance, materialism, and moral laxity in times of trial.

A commonly cited physical motif in hadith literature is that the Dajjal is one-eyed, with the word “kafir” (disbeliever) inscribed on his forehead in some reports. Details about the length of his rule vary among sources, with descriptions ranging from a short period to a prolonged era; such timings are not uniform across traditions and are often treated as symbolic or allegorical by scholars.

Endings vary in narration, but the prevailing account in many traditions states that Isa (Jesus) will return and kill the Dajjal, leading to a period of justice before the Day of Judgment. The Qur’an does not mention the Dajjal by name; most information about him comes from hadith literature and later exegetical works. In contemporary discourse, the figure is sometimes viewed as a literary or moral symbol of deception and trial rather than a literal historical person.