Bukhari

Hadith Commentary:
You (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) are a Prophet, and he (i.e., ‘Isa alayhis salam) is also a Prophet; there has been no other Prophet between you and him.
‘Isa (alayhis salam) himself gave glad tidings of your coming in the Gospel, stating that after me, the Comforter will come, and he will inform you of many things which I have not told you, because he too will acquire knowledge from the same source as I have acquired it.
In one Gospel, the name of the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) is mentioned explicitly, but the Christians have concealed it.
There is no limit to this mischief.
They say that the meaning of “Paraclete” is also “the praised one,” that is, Muhammad (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam).

Hadith Commentary:
➊
In terms of following and emulation, the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) is closest to Ibrahim (alayhis salam), and in terms of era and time, he is closest to Isa (alayhis salam).
➋
The noble Prophets (alayhimus salam) are paternal brothers (alati), meaning they share the same father, on the basis that they are all united in the belief in Tawhid (monotheism), and Tawhid is like the father, because all the divine laws (shari‘ahs) are dependent upon it. However, the shari‘ahs themselves are different.
The shari‘ah is in the position of the mother.
‘Allamah ‘Ayni (rahimahullah) states that the fundamental matters (usul) of the noble Prophets (alayhimus salam) are one, but there is difference in the subsidiary matters (furu‘).
In the fundamentals of religions, Tawhid is foremost.
(‘Umdat al-Qari: 198/10)

Hadith Commentary:
'Uterine brothers' are those who share the same father but have different mothers.
In the same way, the religion (deen) of all the Prophets is one, while the subsidiary (furu'i) matters are different.

Hadith Commentary:
➊
The reason for Prophet Isa (alayhis salam) being the closest is that he was the one who, upon coming to this world, gave the glad tidings that after him the Prophet of the Last Era would arrive, whose noble name is Ahmad. Then, he will return again and will be subordinate to his (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) Shariah, and will propagate his religion.

➋
The meaning of being paternal brothers is that all the Prophets (alayhimus salam) are united in matters of creed and the fundamentals of religion, i.e., the belief in Tawhid (the Oneness of Allah) is the same for all. However, in subsidiary matters and rulings, they differ; it is as if they are half-brothers whose father is one but whose mothers are different.

And Allah knows best.

Hadith Commentary:

Benefits and Issues:
➊ The religion of all the Prophets was Islam itself, that is, obedience and submission to Allah, therefore the fundamental and foundational matters are the same.
➋ There is no difference in the oneness of Allah and in obedience to Him.

Descent of ‘Isa (alayhis salam): As a Member of the Ummah or as a Prophet?

«عن أبى هريرة أن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم كان يقول ”والذي نفسي بيده ليو شكن أن ينزل فيكم ابن مريم حكماً مقسطاً. يكسر الصليب ويقتل الخنزير ويضع الجزية ويفيض المال حتى لا يقبله أحد“ .»

“It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Hurayrah radi Allahu anhu that indeed the Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam used to say: By Him in Whose hand is my soul, soon ‘Isa alayhis salam will descend among you as a just ruler, he will break the cross, kill the swine, and abolish the jizyah. Wealth will become so abundant that no one will accept it.” (There will be no one left to take charity.)

[تخريج: رواه البخاري 2222، و مسلم 155، والترمذي وابن ماجه، واحمد 240/2]

Whereas in another narration, it is stated:

«عن أبى هريرة قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم الأنبياء اخواة لعلات أمهاتهم شتٰى ودينهم واحد وأنا أولى الناس بعيسى ابن مريم لانه لم يكن بيني وبينه نبي وهو خليفتي على أمتى وهو نازل .... الخ»

“It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Hurayrah radi Allahu anhu that the Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said: The Prophets are paternal brothers; their mothers are different, but their religion is one. I am the closest of all people to ‘Isa ibn Maryam because there is no prophet between me and him, and he will descend as my khalifah (successor) over my ummah.”

[تاريخ دمشق جلد 50 صفحه 258، فتوىٰ حديثیه صفحه 28-29]

An objection is raised regarding this narration: When ‘Isa alayhis salam will descend as a member of the ummah, how will he abolish the jizyah? For it is not permissible for a member of the ummah to add to or subtract from the Shari‘ah. Whereas in the first narration, the abolition of jizyah is mentioned.

Reconciliation:

➊ Firstly, at the time of the descent of Sayyiduna ‘Isa alayhis salam, people will be extremely wealthy, to the extent that they will have no need for wealth. Poverty, destitution, and all those categories of zakah recipients mentioned by Allah Ta‘ala in [سورۃ توبه آيت: 60] will cease to exist. Thus, there will be no one eligible for zakah, and in such a situation, the obligation of zakah itself will be lifted. Similarly, Allah Ta‘ala prescribed jizyah upon the ahl al-dhimmah so that it may be spent on jihad and the needy, etc. When these needs no longer exist, the obligation of jizyah will also be abrogated.

➋ The second answer is as follows: For example, if I say to my guest who is staying with me, “My brother will drop you at your house.” After saying this, I take leave from my guest. After a while, my brother comes and drops my guest at his desired location. Reflect: I did not explicitly instruct my brother to drop the guest at his destination. Rather, my brother understood from my manner of speaking that he was being instructed to do so. Dear readers! This is an example that frequently occurs in our daily lives.

In the same way, when the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said that ‘Isa alayhis salam will abolish the jizyah, from this statement, ‘Isa alayhis salam is being taught to abolish the jizyah, just as in the above example the brother received the instruction. Furthermore, in the narration of Abu Hurayrah radi Allahu anhu, the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said: He will be my khalifah.

A khalifah is one who carries forward the Shari‘ah of his predecessor and cannot alter it. In a lengthy hadith, the Noble Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said: «عليكـم بـسـنـتـي وسـنـة الـخـلفاء الراشدين المهديين تمسكوا بها وعضوا عليها بالنو اجد.» It is incumbent upon you to adhere to my Sunnah and the Sunnah of the rightly guided caliphs who are upon guidance. Hold fast to it and cling to it with your molar teeth...

[رواه احمد، وابو داؤد، والترمذي، وابن ماجه، بحواله مشكاة المصابيح كتاب الايمان باب الاعتصام بالكتاب والسنة، ح: 165 وقال الاستاذ حافظ زبير على زئي حفظه الله تعالى، حديث صحيح رواه احمد 126/4، 127، ح: 17275، وابوداؤد 4607، الترمذى 2676، وقال حسن صحيح، وابن ماجه 43 من حديث العرباضي بن سارية رضى الله عنه، وصححه ابن حبان: موارد 102، والحاكم 96,95/1، وقال هذا حديث صحيح ليس له علة ووافقة الذهبي]

It is thus clear that following the Sunnah of the rightly guided caliphs is also obligatory and necessary, and their following is, in reality, following the Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, because the rightly guided caliphs themselves follow the Sunnah of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam. Sayyiduna ‘Isa alayhis salam will also be a rightly guided khalifah, therefore, following him will be obligatory and necessary for every Muslim.

Hadith Commentary: Benefits and Issues: You (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) are the closest to Isa (alayhis salam) on the basis that he gave glad tidings of your coming and, in the final era, he will implement your Shariah. Also, your era began after his era, in terms of authority and following. And in terms of lineage, you are closer to Ibrahim (alayhis salam). The Prophets are paternal brothers, meaning their father—their beliefs and faith—are one, and their mothers—their subsidiary and jurisprudential rulings—are different. Between the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) and Isa (alayhis salam), no prophet came; however, there were messengers and envoys of Isa (alayhis salam).

Benefits and Issues:
The meaning of the Prophets being paternal brothers (brothers from the father's side) is that the fundamentals of their call are the same, i.e., monotheism (tawhid), prophethood (nubuwwah), and resurrection on the Day of Judgment (ba‘th, qiyamah). However, there have been differences in other legal (shar‘i) matters.

The Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) himself referred to the Prophets as “my brother (Yusuf),” mentioning the Prophets with great affection and in a beautiful manner.

Then how can it be permissible for the Ummah to mention them in a detailed or divisive manner, or to declare one superior and another inferior?