Over the last thousand and four hundred years, the coming of the one-eyed giant, the
Dajjal, has remained the topic of numerous discussions and debates in
Muslim households all over the world. However, the actual understanding of this enigmatic phenomenon remains as elusive to us as it was to the Companions of the
Messenger of Allah so many centuries ago. It all began when Mohammad (s.a.s), the final and the greatest
Messenger of Allah, told about the arrival of a giant on earth during the later time (Akheri Zamana), an event he has referred to as the greatest ever in the life of mankind.
To give his people, his 'Ummah', both of his time and of the future, a better idea and understanding of this fearsome entity, he has described in great detail what it, the
Dajjal, would look like, its activities in this world, what tremendous power it would yield over the world and the destiny of Man and he talked of its demand to be accepted as the lord or 'rub' of mankind. He has called this character the 'Dajjal', an Arabic word used to describe something or someone deceptive, something very attractive to look at, but is actually despicable a dazzling impostor. The Messenger of Allah has also said that this giant would have sight in one eye only, the other would be blind. Common sense tells us, it can be no living being, for its vehicle is to have one foot in the east and the other in the west, see and hear what is said in a whisper on the other side of the world and so forth. Among the thousands of 'Hadis' or traditions attributed to the Messenger of Allah, those concerning the Dajjal occupy a position of great import and significance, deemed as it has been as the gravest danger to ever face mankind. The Hadis regarding the Dajjal are as thought provoking as they are frightening since they speak of a giant that will see with only one eye yet have the power to bring the whole world under its control and in so doing lead a great number of people astray. In one such Hadis, the Messenger of Allah has stated 'From the Creation of Adam to the Judgment Day, there is no other event as grave and alarming as the Dajjal.'[1] He goes on to state that- 'There has been no Messenger from the time of Noah (a.s.) who has not warned his followers about the Dajjal.' [2] And to further stress on its importance, and as an after thought the Messenger of Allah himself sought refuge with Allah from the malaise of the Dajjal.[3]
So how concerned are we about the colossal import of a situation the Messenger has deemed as the gravest occurrence from the beginning to the end of time, about something all Messengers from the time of Noah (a.s.) have warned their followers about, regarding a matter our Messenger himself sought refuge from?
It goes without saying that far from being concerned about it, we are yet to realize that the Dajjal's birth took place 474 years ago, and having passed its infancy and childhood it is now an adult that has the entire world including its '
Muslim' population accepting it as their Rub and lay prostrate at its feet!
The reason for this ignorance remains the fact that during the last few centuries we were colonized by the European Christian forces, the method of education they imposed on us has been one that has taken us far away from the true faith of
Islam. The result of which has been that this nation can accurately recall how long it took Hannibal to cross the Alps with his army or recite without mistake from Shakespeare, but is totally in the dark as regards to what the Messenger of Allah has stressed to be the most important event in the history of this world. The small portion of this populace which is actively involved in the study of the Qur'an and the Hadis too has neglected it to oblivion. With their shortsighted and narrow vision, these people are waiting for the literal transformation of the Messenger's prophecy where he informs of the emergence of a huge one-eyed giant astride a colossal mount and of its tyrannical rule.
They have accepted these Hadis in their literal aspect only, neither spending their time nor their effort in trying to see beyond the mere words, to try and gauge why this should be the single most grave, influential and frightening event throughout the world's history. These people devote far more time on details regarding wadu (ablution), meswak (cleaning teeth), kuluk (using sponge) and other trivial issues than they think about the Dajjal or its significance!
Like others, I too was waiting for a huge one-eyed giant and to hear its proclamation to be the lord and ruler of mankind!
However, the first time I realized that it would not be the case was when I read Muhammad Assad's book "Road to Mecca". Muhammad Assad was born as Leopold Weiss into an Austrian Jewish family and converted to Deen-ul-
Islam in his youth. It is in this beautiful writing that he first hinted at the idea of the Western civilization being the Dajjal prophesied fourteen centuries earlier by the last
Messenger of Allah.
[1] Hadis, Muslim from Emran bin Hossain (ra).
[2] Hadis, from Abu Obaydah (ra) bin Zarrah and Abdallah bin Umar (ra)- Abu Daud, Tirmizee and Muslim.
[3] Hadis, from Ayesha (ra)- Bokhari.
