The Dajjal: Key Signs, Powers, and Protection
This article is meant to simplify some points I covered in my previous articles on the Dajjal.
Understanding the Dajjāl (False Messiah)
“There has never been a trial on earth since Allah created the children of Adam greater than the trial of the Dajjāl.” – Prophet Muḥammad ﷺ
يا أَيُّها الناسُ ! إنها لم تكن فتنةٌ على وجهِ الأرضِ ، منذُ ذَرَأَ اللهُ ذُرِّيَّةَ آدمَ أَعْظَمَ من فتنةِ الدَّجَّالِ ، وإنَّ اللهَ عَزَّ وجَلَّ لم يَبْعَثْ نبيًّا إلا حَذَّرَ أُمَّتَه الدَّجَّالَ ، وأنا آخِرُ الأنبياءِ ، وأنتم آخِرُ الأُمَمِ ، وهو خارجٌ فيكم لا مَحالةَ ، Al‑Masīḥ ad‑Dajjāl, often translated as “the False Messiah” or “Antichrist,” is one of the major signs of the Last Hour in Islamic eschatology. Every prophet warned his community about him, yet the final Prophet Muḥammad ﷺ described him in unparalleled detail so believers can recognise and resist his fitnah (trial).
The primary reason for the Prophet’s warnings against Dajjal’s appearance is the unparalleled chaos he will bring. He is described as a massive fitnah (trial), unlike any seen before. Dajjal will commit mass murder of believers, and many will fall under his control, deceived by his supernatural feats. He will have the ability to make it rain, grow plants, and even revive the dead. Witnessing these miraculous acts, people will be misled into believing that he is divine. However, those whom Allah decides will be saved from his sedition.
Meaning of the word Dajjal
The word Dajjal is taken from the expression “Dajjala al-ba’eer (he smeared the camel)”, referring to when they covered it with tar.
The root dajala means to mix. The word dajala is used to mean deliberately confusing matters and being vague and ambiguous, The Dajjal is the one who speaks in vagaries, who tells many lies and deceives many people.
The word “Dajjal” became a title given to the lying, one-eyed, false messiah. The Dajjal is so called because he will conceal his kufr from the people by lying to them, deceiving them and confusing them.
Who is the Dajjāl?
A human being from Adam’s descendants. He is not a metaphor or system but a specific man. Allah will grant him extraordinary abilities as a test of people’s faith.
Blind in one eye. The Prophet ﷺ emphasised repeatedly that “Allah is not one‑eyed, while the Masīḥ ad‑Dajjāl is blind in the right eye; his eye looks like a bulging grape” Some reports mention the left eye; scholars reconcile these narrations by noting both eyes are defective, with the right completely blind.
Physical features. He is described as a short man with very curly hair, and between his eyes is written the word كافر (kāfir – “disbeliever”) that every believer, literate or not, will be able to read.
Claiming divinity. When he emerges he will first claim prophethood and then declare: “I am your Lord,” but the Prophet ﷺ said: “You will not see your Lord until you die” Knowing Allah’s perfection (not one‑eyed, no physical defect) is itself a defence.
Followers. He will attract the ignorant and materialistic. Notably, “seventy thousand Jews from Isfahān wearing Persian shawls” will follow him, along with hypocrites expelled from Madīnah.
The Word “Ka, Fa, Ra” The Arabic letters “Ka, Fa, Ra” (كَفَرَ) mean “disbelieved.” These letters are said to be written between Dajjal’s eyes and readable by all Muslims. The interpretation of this hadith varies among scholars (muhaddithun).
Imam Nawawi believed that this inscription is literal. He viewed it as a sign from Allah, making Dajjal easily identifiable as a disbeliever to all Muslims, whether they are literate. Some scholars consider the letters “Ka, Fa, Ra” to be metaphoric. They suggest that the nerve formations on Dajjal’s forehead may resemble these Arabic letters, allowing Muslims to perceive them. This can be likened to the way the brain can interpret and project images onto objects, such as seeing shapes in clouds. For instance, someone deeply connected to Allah and His Messenger (PBUH) might see the names of Allah or Muhammad in natural formations. Another report suggests that the letters between Dajjal’s eyes spell out the word “Kafir” (كافر), meaning disbeliever, emphasising his identity as a false messiah.
Signs and circumstances before his emergence
A long ḥadīth of Abū Umāmah warns that three difficult years precede the Dajjāl:
Year 1: Allah commands the sky to withhold one third of its rain and the earth one third of its produce.
Year 2: The sky withholds two thirds of its rain and the earth two thirds of its produce.
Year 3: “He will command the sky to withhold all of its rain and not a single drop will fall, and the earth to withhold all of its produce… all cloven‑hoofed animals will die except those Allah wills” When asked how believers will survive, the Prophet ﷺ said they will subsist on tahlīl, takbīr, tasbīḥ and taḥmīd (declaring Allah’s oneness, glorifying, praising and magnifying Him).
Extraordinary abilities
Allah will permit the Dajjāl to wield powers that dazzle weak-hearted people:
Control of rain and crops:
He will command the sky to rain and it will rain; command the earth to produce and it will produce. Those who believe in him will see their livestock return fat and full, while those who reject him will suffer barren lands.
Deceptive “Paradise and Hell”:
He will carry something resembling paradise and hell; the Prophet ﷺ warned that his fire is actually Paradise and his paradise is actually Hell. Whoever is tested by his “fire” should seek refuge in Allah and recite the opening verses of Sūrah al-Kahf.
Miraculous feats:
He will say to a Bedouin, “If I resurrect your parents, will you testify that I am your Lord?” Two devils will appear in the form of his parents and urge him to follow the Dajjāl. He will kill a young man, saw him in two and then call him back to life; the man will proclaim, “You are the Dajjāl!”
Rapid travel:
Asked about his speed, the Prophet ﷺ said he would move “like a cloud driven by the wind,” traversing the earth quickly.
Duration and route
According to the narration of An-Nawwās ibn Samʿān, the Dajjāl will stay on earth for forty days:
- one day like a year,
- one day like a month,
- one day like a week,
- and the remainder like normal days.
He will roam everywhere except Makkah and Madīnah; angels will stand at every road guarding these cities and Madīnah will shake three times until all hypocrites are expelled.
Followers
Many people will be deceived by his material wonders. Hypocrites and materialists will flock to him, while true believers will hold fast to their faith. Specifically, the Prophet ﷺ said he will be followed by “seventy thousand Jews of Isfahān wearing Persian shawls.”
Authentic advice for resisting the Dajjāl
Islam does not merely warn about the Dajjāl but gives practical guidance on how to remain safe from his trial:
- Strengthen faith and knowledge
The Prophet ﷺ emphasised that every prophet warned his people about the Dajjāl. Learning his description and understanding that Allah is perfect and not one-eyed helps believers recognise the impostor.
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Memorise and recite the beginning of Sūrah al-Kahf
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Seek refuge from his fitnah in every prayer
“O Allah, I seek refuge with You from the torment of the grave, from the trial of the Masīḥ ad-Dajjāl and from the trials of life and death.”
عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ، قَالَ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: “ إِذَا تَشَهَّدَ أَحَدُكُمْ، فَلْيَسْتَعِذْ بِاللَّهِ مِنْ أَرْبَعٍ، يَقُولُ: اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنْ عَذَابِ جَهَنَّمَ، وَمِنْ عَذَابِ الْقَبْرِ، وَمِنْ فِتْنَةِ الْمَحْيَا وَالْمَمَاتِ، وَمِنْ شَرِّ فِتْنَةِ الْمَسِيحِ الدَّجَّالِ“ (رواه مسلم وأحمد والنسائي).
• (معنى: فتنة المحيا والممات: فتنة المحيا ما يعرض للإنسان مدة حياته من الافتتان بالدنيا والشهوات والشبهات، وفتنة الممات يجوز أن يراد بها الفتنة عند الموت حيث يعرض له الشيطان في آخر لحظات حياته يحاول أن يضله، ويجوز أن يراد بها فتنة القبر).
- Flee from him; do not confront him Believers are therefore advised not to seek him out, debate or test their faith against him. The best way is to live in Makkah or Madinah, and the places which the Dajjal will not enter. When the Dajjal emerges, Muslims should keep far away from him, because of the confusion he will cause and the mighty wonders that he will have with him, which Allah will cause to happen at his hands in order to test mankind. A man will come to him, thinking that he is a strong believer, then he will follow the Dajjal. We ask Allah to grant us and all the Muslims refuge from his fitnah.
- Remain steadfast in dhikr and Memorizing ayat from Surat al-Kahf. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) commanded us to recite the opening verses of Surat al-Kahf against the Dajjal. According to some reports, the final verses of this surah were mentioned. This means reciting the first ten verses or the last ten. Among the ahadith narrated concerning this was the lengthy hadith narrated by Muslim from al-Nawwas ibn Sam’an, in which it says: “Whoever among you sees him (the Dajjal), let him recite against him the opening verses of Surat al-Kahf.” (Hadith 5228).
The story of al-Masīḥ ad-Dajjāl is not folklore; it is a serious trial mentioned in the most authentic Islamic texts. He will be a human impostor with extraordinary powers who appears near the end of time, claims lordship and deceives many.
