ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Masih ad-Dajjal

Masih ad-Dajjal is a figure that is said to appear in Islamic eschatology, or the study of the end times. According to some Islamic traditions, ad-Dajjal is an evil being that will come before the end of the world and try to lead people away from the right path.

Imagine there is a really, really bad person who wants to trick everyone into following him instead of doing what is good and right. In Islam, they call this person "Masih ad-Dajjal."

Some Muslims believe that ad-Dajjal will have one eye, and that he will travel around the world pretending to be a great leader. They believe that he will perform magic tricks and make people think that he is God, but that he will really be trying to lead them astray.

So it's like if someone comes and tries to convince you to do bad things, but they pretend to be really good and powerful to trick you. That's what Masih ad-Dajjal is like in Islamic tradition.

However, other Muslims do not believe in this idea of ad-Dajjal or interpret it differently. It is important to note that this is just one aspect of Islamic eschatology and there are many different interpretations and beliefs within the religion.