Ek tha Dajjal…

A painting depicting Dajjal (The Friday Times)

I don't know why but this depiction of Kaana Dajjal, the one-eyed evil man whom the faithful have been warned against and who will show up before Judgement Day, reminds me of a famous justice giver in Pakistan.

For the uninitiated, Dajjal will be blind in his left eye and will perform miracles to show his powers and to gather more followers. He will make life easy for those who believe in him and cause hardship for those who stand up against him.

He will show jannat (heaven) to lure followers. "Although his jannat will appear as jannat, in reality it will be jahannam (hell) and likewise though his jahannam will appear to be jahannam, in reality it will be jannat” (Hadith: Muslim).

Fortunately, Dajjal's game -- who will eventually claim to be god -- will not last for long. He will try and impress his credentials by killing and reviving a person. That will earn him hordes of followers but his subsequent attempt to kill will not work.

I will not be around when the real Dajjal descends, but I might just be witness to what the heavens have in store for this look-alike circa 2012.