Is the knowledge of Dajjal unique to Islam?
Why has the description of Dajjal been preserved in Islam?
Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) said: “There is no trial from the time of Adam’s creation until the Last Hour greater than that of Dajjal.” [1]
From this hadith, we learn that the knowledge of Dajjal is not unique to Islam. There is a belief concerning Dajjal in Christianity also. We can find references in the Bible, Old Testament, as well as New Testament, concerning Dajjal or Antichrist. However, the image of the Antichrist is unclear in the earlier scriptures and because of that we find various points in the history of Christianity where individuals were identified in the past as Dajjal. For example, in the 12th century, there was a religious figure, Pope Gregory IX, who had predicted the 3rd age of the holy-sphere to begin in 1260, and he and his followers had identified the Christian Emperor, Frederic II, as the Antichrist. Others, Pope Boniface VIII and Pope John XXII, were also described as the Antichrist. Martin Luther, in the breakaway from Catholicism, had identified Papacy as the Antichrist. Later on, the Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) became the Antichrist in some of the writings of the Catholic Church. Basically, anyone who opposed the idea of Jesus being God became the Antichrist from that perspective. However, when we look at the Islamic perspective, the description of Dajjal is quite precise. The individual is described in detail, as well as the events preceding and following his appearance, how his rule will be, and how he eventually will be defeated. All of those details are there because knowledge about him is critical and that’s why all the Prophets (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon them) spoke about Dajjal, but their message was later changed and corrupted. Since Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) is the last of the Prophets, the Qur’an, the final revelation, was preserved like none of the earlier books were preserved. Furthermore, information about Dajjal was also preserved the way that none of the earlier Prophets had their sayings preserved. We have a complete set of hadeeths to preserve the sayings and actions of the Prophet (ﷺ). So it is not surprising to find the great details about Dajjal preserved in the texts. Only the Islamic texts provide a detailed description of Dajjal.
Reference:
[1] Sahih Muslim: 2946
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