The Descent of ʿĪsā ibn Maryam ʿalayhimā al-salām
They asked: “Will ʿĪsā ibn Maryam ʿalayhimā al-salām descend as a just ruler before the Day of Judgement?”
I replied: “Why are you asking this question? Do you not know that I dislike these theological and doctrinal debates which serve no real benefit in religion or worldly matters? One has no need of them when it comes to faith, Islam, and the worship of the Lord of the worlds. There is nothing sought through them except sterile disputation and fruitless contention.”
They said: “We already know this about you and are content with your dignified and noble Sunni stance. We fully appreciate its soundness, gravity, and nobility. We do not deviate from it in the least nor seek any alternative. However, there are those in our midst who, out of a superficial thirst for knowledge, have raised this question and denied the descent of ʿĪsā ibn Maryam ʿalayhimā al-salām. They have misled the naïve, idle and heedless, distracting them from the worship of Allah and other important matters by plunging them into exactly the kind of sterile arguments and unblessed debates you mentioned.”
I said: “Leave those who have made contrarianism their habit. Shun them, ignore them, and pay them no attention. Such a person is one of three:
1. He may be a mujtahid who has erred in his ijtihād. If he is sincere to Allah and wishes good for this religion and the Muslims, he shall be rewarded. So do not confront him with rejection and condemnation.
2. Or he may be ignorant—then teach him, clarify the truth to him, and remove what has confused or deceived him. Perhaps Allah will guide him to the right path, so he may learn, benefit, and turn away from his ignorance.
3. Or he may be a stubborn opponent—then turn away from him, for that will extinguish his fire, silence his fitnah, and protect Muslims from the harm of his obstinacy.”
They said: “Since the question has now arisen, we are eager to know your view.”
I said: “My view, in which I am fully convinced without any doubt or hesitation, is that ʿĪsā ibn Maryam ʿalayhimā al-salām will indeed descend before the Day of Judgement, kill the Dajjāl, lead the Muslims in prayer, and live among them as a just ruler for a period. On that day, religion will belong entirely to Allah, and then he will die as all people die.”
They asked: “What is your evidence?”
I said: “The Qurʾān, authentic ḥadīth, and the consensus of the Companions of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم.”
As for the Qurʾān, consider the verse quoting ʿĪsā عليه السلام: “And peace is on me the day I was born, the day I die, and the day I shall be raised alive” (Maryam 19:33), together with the verse:
“And [for] their saying, ‘We have killed the Messiah, ʿĪsā the son of Maryam, the messenger of Allah’—but they neither killed him nor crucified him, but it was made to appear so to them… Rather, Allah raised him up to Himself. And Allah is Exalted in Might, Wise. And there is none from the People of the Book but will surely believe in him before his death. And on the Day of Resurrection, he will be a witness against them.” (al-Nisāʾ 4:157–159).
The verse in Sūrat al-Nisāʾ indicates he was raised alive to Allah. The verse in Sūrat Maryam states that he will die. Together, they imply that he will descend and then die. This is confirmed by verse 159 of al-Nisāʾ: “There is none among the People of the Book except that he will surely believe in him before his death.” Many of the early generations used other verses as well to support this.
As for authentic ḥadīth, both al-Bukhārī and Muslim narrate from Abū Hurayrah that the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said:
“By the One in Whose Hand is my soul, surely the son of Maryam will soon descend among you as a just ruler, he will break the cross, kill the swine, abolish the jizyah, wealth will be in abundance so that no one will accept it, and a single prostration will be better than the world and what is in it.”
And Muslim narrates from Ḥudhayfah ibn Asīd that the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم once came upon them while they were discussing the Hour and said:
“What are you discussing?” They said: “We are talking about the Hour.” He said: “It will not come until you see ten signs before it: smoke, the Beast, the sun rising from the west, the descent of ʿĪsā ibn Maryam, Gog and Magog, three landslides—one in the east, one in the west, and one in the Arabian Peninsula—and a fire from the area of ʿAdan that will drive people to their gathering place.”
And there are many authentic ḥadīths with similar meaning.
As for consensus (ijmāʿ), Imām Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal said:
“The foundations of the Sunnah, according to us, include holding fast to what the Companions of the Messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه وسلم were upon… and belief that the Messiah al-Dajjāl will emerge, with ‘Kāfir’ written between his eyes, and belief in what has been narrated about him, and belief that this will occur, and that ʿĪsā ibn Maryam will descend and kill him at Bāb Ludd.” (Uṣūl al-Sunnah: 11)
And Ibn Baṭṭah al-ʿUkbarī said:
“We now mention the explanation of the Sunnah and its description… and among it is belief in the descent of ʿĪsā ibn Maryam from the sky to the earth, breaking the cross, killing the swine, and unifying the call (to Islam).” (Sharḥ al-Sunnah: 2/57)
Ibn ʿAṭiyyah said: “The ummah has reached consensus—based on the mass-transmitted ḥadīths—that ʿĪsā is alive in heaven and that he will descend at the end of time.” (al-Muḥarrar al-Wajīz 3/143)
And al-Saffārīnī said:
“The ummah has agreed upon his descent. None of the people of the Sharīʿah disagreed, only philosophers and heretics, whose dissent carries no weight. The consensus of the ummah has been established that he will descend and judge by this Muḥammadan sharīʿah, not with a separate sharīʿah of his own, even though he was once described by one.” (Lawāmiʿ al-Anwār al-Bahiyyah 1/94–95)
They said: “Then why did the Qurʾān not state it explicitly?”
I said: “So that people do not get distracted from the real purpose of life—worship—by arguing over subsidiary matters. The Qurʾān frequently suffices with allusions that are understood by the learned and are not subject to needless debate by others.”
They said: “Why did you not say, as others do, that these ḥadīths are mass-transmitted (mutawātir), famous, and widespread?”
I said: “Because the correct methodology passed down from the Companions, the Tābiʿūn, and those who followed them is that when an authentic report from the Messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه وسلم reached them, they obeyed it and submitted to it without concern for the number of narrators. Know that the concept of tawātur and other such classifications, which the scholastics introduced through argumentation into religion, are innovations in the dīn. When a ḥadīth is authentically transmitted from trustworthy narrators, it is a proof from Allah for all who hear it.”
Al-Ḥāfiẓ Ibn ʿAbd al-Barr al-Mālikī said:
“The Ahl al-Sunnah affirm the descent of ʿĪsā based on the established traditions from the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم narrated by trustworthy individuals, even if singular in transmission.” (al-Istidhkār, chapter on the description of ʿĪsā ibn Maryam)
They said: “If the matter is as clear as you describe, why do you not debate this slanderer, refute his innovation, and prevent others from his harm?”
I said: “I detest argumentation intensely. It breeds hatred and resentment between opponents, causes confusion among the general public, diverts people from the remembrance and worship of Allah, and exposes the words of Allah and His Messenger to mockery, ridicule, and rejection.”
They said: “What do you advise us?”
I said: “I advise you to worship your Lord, submit to Him in humility and penitence, strengthen the roots of īmān in your hearts, and increase it through knowledge and the recitation of Allah’s Book. Beware of disputation and argumentation in religion, for it shaves off your dīn and removes barakah from your souls and deeds.
Know that a single subḥānahu, al-ḥamdu lillāh, or lā ilāha illā Allāh is more beloved to Allah than months or years of debate. Fear Allah if you are true believers. Call upon Him for guidance. Seek protection in Him. Take refuge in Him. Hold fast to the rope of His Book. Adhere to the Sunnah of His Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم.”
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Disclaimer: This article was translated by AI.
