Dabbah
/ˈdæb.ə/noun
In Islamic eschatology, al-Dābbah is a creature that will emerge from the earth as a sign of the approaching Last Judgment.
Did you know?The Qur’an mentions the Dābbah in 27:82, but does not describe its exact appearance, leaving later traditions to imagine it as an extraordinary apocalyptic beast.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Semitic
Proto-Semitic
*d-b-b
“To move slowly, creep, or crawl”
Classical Arabic
Arabic
دَبَّ (dabba)
“He crawled, crept, or moved gradually”
Classical Arabic
Arabic
دَابَّة (dābbah)
“A moving or crawling creature; an animal or beast”
7th Century
Qur’anic Arabic
دَابَّةُ الْأَرْض (dābbat al-arḍ)
“The creature of the earth”
Middle Ages
Arabic
الدابة (al-Dābbah)
“The eschatological creature associated with the end of the world”
Modern English
English
Dabbah
“A transliterated name for the apocalyptic creature in Islamic tradition”
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