When it is talked about “Dajjal”, usually, based on a general thought record, people think about a one-eyed man, who appears before that great revolution with his legendary body and more legendary ride, with his special programs.
But, as it is understood from the root of the word Dajjal on the one hand1 and from hadith resources on the other hand, Dajjal is not exclusive to one person and it is a title for deceiver and cunning persons, who use any means for attracting people to themselves, and appear in the way of any constructive revolution which is performed in different dimensions.
We read in a famous hadith, which has been quoted from sahih of “Tirmidhi” that prophet (pbuh) said:
انّه لم یکن نبیّ بعد نوح الّا انذر قومه الدّجال و انّی انذرکموه1
(Any prophet, after Noah, forewarned his nation from the conspiracy of Dajjal, I also forewarn you!
Certainly, previous prophets didn’t have warned they people about the conspiracy of Dajjal who will appear in End of Days and is thousands of year latter.
Especially, because we read at the end of hadith that:
فوصفه لنا رسول الله فقال لعلّه سیدرکه بعض من رآنی او سمع کلامی
(Then prophet (pbuh) explained his characteristics for us and said maybe some of those who have seen me or have heard my expression live in his time!)
Maybe, hadith points to dangerous tyrants and deceivers like Umayyad caliphs and people like Muawiyah who deceived people and deviated them from the way of truth toward traditions of the age of ignorance and revived social classes and tyranny and autocracy, and brought back obsequious unrighteous persons and ruthless criminals to positions, and removed righteous, superior and competent men.
Also, we read in another hadith in the same book that:
Prophet (pbuh) said about Dajjal:
ما من نبیّ الّا وقد انذر قومه و لکن ساقول فیه قولا لم یقله نبیّ لقومه تعلمون انّه اعور ...
(There was no prophet except that he forewarned his nation from the conspiracy of Dajjal, but I say a sentence about him that no prophet have said to his nation, I say that his one-eyed!
Maybe, mentioning the time of Noah in some of these ahadith is for pointing to the farthest time; or nonexistence of Dajjals in the times before Noah is because Noah brought the first religion, or because deceptions didn’t influenced past human societies.
Anyhow, explaining Dajjal as a one-eyed man has an interpretation that we will soon discuss about it.
It is interesting that it is mentioned in some of ahadith that 30 Dajjals will appear before the advent of Mahdi (pbuh)!3
The appearance of Dajjal is even mentioned in the Testaments.
We read in the second epistle of John (chapter 1, sentence 6 & 7):
“As ye have heard from the beginning, ye should walk in it.
For many deceivers are entered into the world”
This expression also confirms the multiplicity of Dajjals.
We read in another hadith:
قال رسول الله (ص) لا تقوم اسّاعة حتی یخرج نحو من ستّین کذّاباً کلّهم قولون انا نبی!4
(Prophet (pbuh) said: resurrection won’t come except that sixty liars appear and claim for prophecy!
Although the name of Dajjal is not mentioned in this narrative, but it is totally understood from hadith that false claimants and deceivers will not exclusively one or some persons in End of Days.
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Anyway, the fact which is not possible to be ignored is that when the backgrounds are revolution are provided, in any society, deceiver people, who are in fact the guardians of corrupted systems, begin deceiving people for keeping the current conditions, and exploiting intellectual and social backgrounds of the people in benefit of their incorrect goals, and even they express revolutionary mottoes, and this is one of the greatest obstacles in the way of reform and real revolution.
These are Dajjals from whom all the prophets have forewarned their nations and have warned about their deceptive plans.
But, before the advent of Mahdi and that great and expanded and real revolution, as much as intellectual, mental and social backgrounds advance in the world, activities of these Dajjals, who come one after another, increase, in order to delay the advancement and improvement of revolutionary backgrounds and use thousands of deceptions and tools for deviation of the thoughts.
Albeit, there is no problem for a great Dajjal to be above them all, but, signs which have been expressed about him in some of narratives are like symbolic expressions, allegory and metaphors. For example, it is derived from the narrative which has been quoted by Allame Majlesi in Bihar al-Anwar from Amir al-Mu’mineen Ali (pbuh) that he has the following characteristics:
1) He has only one eye that shines at the middle of his forehead like the star of the dawn! But this eye is bloody, maybe it is mixed with blood!
2) He has a white clipper donkey (ride) which any of its steps is one mile and moves through the earth very fast!
3) He claims of being God and when he gathers his friends around him the whole world hears his voice!
4) He goes into the seas and the Sun moves with him, a mountain of smoke is in his front and a white mountain is behind him that people see it as food.
5) At the time of his appearance, people are in hunger and famine …5
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Undoubtedly, we are not permitted to symbolize any religious concept which has been mentioned in Qur’an or hadith resources, because this act is interpretation by opinion which is strongly prohibited in Islam and wisdom and logic also deny that, but by the way, standing on the first meaning of the expressions, when rational or quoted evidences are available, is not correct either and caused the purpose and definition to be missed.
And incidentally, these metaphors about the events of End of Days have records; for instance we read that “Sun will rise from the west”.6
And this is one of the most complicated issues related to this part that it is apparently improper with today’ science; because rising of the Sun from the west means that earth moves in the opposite direction; if it suddenly happens then the water of the seas, all buildings and creatures living on earth will be thrown out and everything become disordered, and no sign of life will remain on. And if it happens gradually then the length of the day and night will increase in the way that it becomes more than one month or two months and again the order of the universe will be destroyed on earth!
But, there is an interesting interpretation beneath the above hadith which is about the signs of Dajjal that shows this expression is a metaphor.
Because the narrator of hadith “Nazal ibn Sabra” asks “Sa’sa’a bin Sohan” what was the purpose of Amir al-Mu’mineen Ali (pbuh) that he said:
“Don’t ask me about the events which happen after that…”?
Sa’sa’a answers:
انّ الّذی یصلّی خلفه عیسی بن مریم هو الثّانی عشر من العترة التّاسع من ولد الحسین بن علی، و هو الشّمس الطّالعة من مغربها7
(The one behind whom Christ performs prayer is the twelfth person prom the dynasty of prophet (pbuh) and the ninth person from the sons of Hussein ibn Ali (pbuh), and he is the Sun which will rise from the place of sunset!(
Therefore, it is not interesting for Dajjal who has been explained with above characteristics to be also symbolic.
Surely, you ask that how is it possible to interpret that?
We answer this question that it is likely that Dajjal, with those characteristics, is pointing to deceivers and oppressor materialist leaders in mechanical world; because:
Firstly, they have only one eye and that is the eye of economy and material life. They look only to one (dimension) and that is the dimension of financial benefits of their own nation. And use thousands of deceptions and exploiting politics for reaching this goal. They are deceiver Dajjals who have lost the eye of spirituality and humanity.
But, this only material eye is very dazzling and shining, and they have achieved glorious victories in industries and they have also passed the diameters of the earth.
Secondly, they have rides which are extremely fast and circumambulate the earth in a short time even with ultrasonic speed!
Thirdly, they practically claim of being God and consider the destiny of the people of the world in their hands, and by all their weakness and incapability, consider landing on moon as conquering the space! And consider using some of the powers of the nature as the sign of conquering the nature, while a small earthquake, a weak storm, one cancerous cell, destroys their entire system; they claim of being God like Pharaoh while being weak.
Fourthly, they go under the seas by equipped submarines, their fast moving equipments moves with the Sun (and maybe pass that). There is a mountain of smoke in front of his great factories and behind him is a mountain of industrial products and food (that people think they are healthy foods, while they don’t have much nutritious value and mostly all unhealthy foods).
Fifthly, people are in hunger because of some reasons - like famine or exploitation and imperialism and different discriminations and huge capitalization for armaments and tremendous of wars, and destructions which are the results of war and all of them are the result of one-dimensional materialistic life - and especially a group of people die because of hunger, and Dajjal, who is the main cause of these disorders, abuses these conditions and tries to strengthen the bases of his imperialism under the title of helping hungry people and deprived societies.
It is also mentioned in some narratives that any hair of the ride of Dajjal has a new and special tone that it is possible to consider that with this much of unhealthy entertainments of one-dimensional mechanical world which are available in all homes and cities and deserts and coasts.
Anyway, it is important for revolutionary members who are truthful soldiers of the great peacemaker the promised Mahdi (pbuh) not to be deceived by Dajjals like simple and fool people and don’t miss any opportunity for executing their revolutionary plan bases upon belief, truth and justice.
Albeit, what has been said above was a possible interpretation for Dajjal that different evidences prove that. But, acceptance or unacceptance of this interpretation doesn’t harm the main subject that the issue of Dajjal, with these characteristics, is a metaphor not to be a human with such ride and characteristics and advantages!
1. Dajjal, from the root Dajl, means deception and lying.
2. Sahih al-Tirmidhi, chapter of what have been quoted about Dajjal, page 42.
3. Sunan Abu Dawood.
4. Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 52, page 209.
5. Adaptation from the hadith of Sa’sa’a bin Sohan (Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 52, page 192).
6. Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 52, page 194.
7. Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 52, page 195.
