Answered by Shaykh Yūsuf Badāt
Question:
Why is Dajjāl, the Antichrist, titled Maṣīḥ?
Answer:
In the Name of God, Most Merciful, Most Kind.
Jazāk Allāh Khayr/ Thank you for your question.
Islamic academics have looked at the root word, ma-sa-ḥa and also its context in source texts, thus, they have mentioned various reasons why the Antichrist is titled masīḥ. Here below are a few:
- He is wiped in one eye, meaning flat eyed (mamsūḥ al-ʿayin).
- He is one eyed (mamsūḥ al-ʿayin).
- He will travel the entire earth (yamsaḥu-al-arḍ).
- He is a liar (al-maṣīḥ al-katthhāb).
- He is created with bad qualities, evil attributes and is cursed (al-maṣīḥ al-ḍalālah)
الدَّجالُ مَمْسُوحُ العين مكتوب بين عينيه كافر
“The Antichrist is one eyed, written on his forehead kāfir (disbeliever).” (Ibn Mājah)
(See: Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim, Ibn Mājah, Fatḥ Al-Bārī, Lisān Al-ʿArab)
And Allāh Knows Best