The Living Ascension of Prophet Jesus son of Mary (peace be upon him) and His Descent
The living ascension of Prophet Jesus son of Mary (peace be upon him) to the heavens and his descent to the earth near the Day of Judgment with a physical body is a unanimous and agreed-upon belief of Ahl al-Sunnah wal Jama’ah. There are numerous hadiths and clear statements from the Imams of the Muslims regarding this. For example:
Allama Abu Aun Muhammad bin Ahmad Safarini Rahimahullah (d. 1188 AH) said: “The Muslim Ummah is unanimous on the fact that Prophet Jesus (peace be upon him) will descend, and none among the people of the Shariah has denied this. Only some philosophers and irreligious people have denied it, whose disagreement is of no significance. Prophet Jesus (peace be upon him) will descend from the heavens to the earth and will judge according to the Muhammadan Shariah; he will not bring any new Shariah.”
The famous exegete, Allama Muhammad bin Yusuf Abu Hayyan Andalusi, may Allah have mercy on him (d. 745 AH), wrote in the tafsir “Al-Bahr Al-Muheet” citing Ibn Atiyyah, may Allah have mercy on him: “The Muslim Ummah unanimously agrees that Hazrat Isa (Jesus), peace be upon him, is alive in the heavens and will descend near the Day of Judgment. He will kill the pig, break the cross, kill the Dajjal (Antichrist), and there will be an era of justice and fairness. The religion of Muhammad ﷺ will prevail.”
The commentator of Sahih Muslim, Hafiz Nawawi, may Allah have mercy on him (d. 676 AH), quoted Qadi Iyad, may Allah have mercy on him: “According to Ahl al-Sunnah wal Jama’ah, the descent of Hazrat Isa (peace be upon him) and the killing of the Dajjal is true and correct. There is no proof in reason or Shariah to deny it. Its denial is only by some Mu’tazilah and Jahmiyyah whose arguments are incorrect.”
The Descent of Hazrat Isa (peace be upon him): Place and Characteristics
Where and how will Hazrat Isa (peace be upon him) descend? There are detailed narrations about this in the Ahadith:
Hafiz Ibn Kathir, may Allah have mercy on him (d. 774 AH), stated with reference to mutawatir hadiths that Hazrat Isa (Jesus), peace be upon him, will descend in the city of Damascus in the east near the minaret. This event will occur at the time of Fajr prayer, and with him will be the dominance of Islam. He will kill the pig, break the cross, and abolish the jizya tax.
The Descent of Hazrat Isa (Jesus), peace be upon him: The Mutawatir Narration of Hadiths
The mutawatir narration of hadiths regarding the descent of Hazrat Isa (Jesus), peace be upon him, is considered a strong proof by the scholars:
Muhaddith of the era, Allama Nasiruddin al-Albani, may Allah have mercy on him (d. 1419 AH), states: “The hadiths about the Dajjal and the descent of Hazrat Isa (Jesus), peace be upon him, are mutawatir and believing in them is obligatory. Those who call these hadiths ahad are actually unfamiliar with this knowledge, and if they examined all their chains of narration, they would find them to be mutawatir.”
The Descent of Isa (Jesus), peace be upon him: The Consensus Position of Scholars
All major scholars have a unanimous position regarding the descent of Hazrat Isa (Jesus), peace be upon him:
Allama Abdul Raouf Munawi, may Allah have mercy on him (d. 1031 AH), writes: “There is consensus among all Muslims on the descent of Hazrat Isa (Jesus) عليه السلام, and he will make judgments according to the Shariah of Muhammad.”
Allama Ahmad Shakir, may Allah have mercy on him (d. 1377 AH), states: “There is no disagreement among Muslims regarding the descent of Hazrat Isa عليه السلام in the last times, because there are mutawatir hadiths of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ on this matter.”
Hadith Evidences for the Descent of Hazrat Isa عليه السلام
Numerous hadiths narrated from the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ regarding the descent of Hazrat Isa عليه السلام from the heavens prove the fact that before the Day of Judgment, Hazrat Isa عليه السلام will return to this world. Some hadiths are as follows:
① It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah رضي الله عنه that the Messenger of Allah صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم said: “The Day of Judgment will not be established until the son of Mary descends among you as a just ruler. He will break the cross, kill the pig, and abolish the jizya. In his era, wealth will become so abundant that no one will accept it.”
② It is also narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah رضي الله عنه that the Messenger of Allah صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم said: “By Allah! The son of Mary will descend as a just ruler, break the cross, kill the pig, abolish the jizya, and there will be an abundance of wealth, but no one will accept it.”
③ Sayyiduna Abu Huraira رضي الله عنه narrates that the Messenger of Allah صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم said: “It is near that Messiah, Jesus son of Mary, will descend as a just ruler. He will kill the pig, break the cross, and Islam will prevail. Convey my greetings to him.”
④ In another hadith, Sayyiduna Abu Huraira رضي الله عنه states that the Messenger of Allah صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم said: “Whoever is alive near the time of the Hour will see Jesus son of Mary as a ruler. The jizya will be abolished, the cross will be broken, and the pig will be killed.”
⑤ Sayyida Aisha رضي الله عنها says that the Prophet Muhammad صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم said: “The Dajjal will reach the gate of Ludd in Palestine, where Jesus عليه السلام will descend and kill him, and then will reside on the earth.”
⑥ It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah رضي الله عنه that the Messenger of Allah صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم said: “The Dajjal will not be able to enter Medina but will come to the trench, where the descent of Isa ibn Maryam عليه السلام will take place.”
⑦ Sayyiduna Nawas ibn Sam’an رضي الله عنه states that the Prophet Muhammad صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم mentioned the Dajjal and said: “Allah Almighty will send the Messiah, son of Maryam, and he will descend near the white minaret to the east of Damascus.”
⑧ It is narrated from Sayyiduna Aws ibn Aws رضي الله عنه that the Prophet Muhammad صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم said: “Isa ibn Maryam will descend near the white minaret to the east of Damascus.”
⑨ It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah رضي الله عنه that the Prophet Muhammad صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم said: “Isa ibn Maryam will descend and live among the people for forty years.”
⑩ Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah رضي الله عنه reports that the Messenger of Allah صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم said: “I hope that if my life is prolonged, I will meet Hazrat Isa ibn Maryam, and if I die early, then whoever meets him should convey my greetings to him.”
Statements of the Scholars Regarding the Descent of Isa عليه السلام
There are many authentic statements from scholars about the descent of Hazrat Isa عليه السلام from the heavens before the Day of Judgment, in which the importance and details of this belief are explained. Some important statements are as follows:
① Hafiz Abdul Rahman bin Ahmad, Ibn Rajab رحمه الله (795-736 AH) states: “Hazrat Isa ibn Maryam عليه السلام will descend in the evening near the Day of Judgment. The glad tidings of his descent were given by Prophet Muhammad صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم, and he will judge according to your Shariah. He will break the cross, kill the pig, abolish the jizya, and lead the prayer behind the Imam of the Muslims.”
② Imam Abu al-Hasan Ali ibn Ismail al-Ash’ari, may Allah have mercy on him (260-324 AH), stated the consensus belief of Ahl al-Sunnah wal Jama’ah: “The people of Sunnah confirm the emergence of the Dajjal and the killing of him by Prophet Isa ibn Maryam.”
③ Imam Abu Muzafar Mansur ibn Muhammad al-Sam’ani, may Allah have mercy on him (426-489 AH), narrated the saying of the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him: “I saw (in a dream) Messiah ibn Maryam performing Tawaf of the House of Allah, and from this it becomes clear that Prophet Isa, peace be upon him, is alive.”
④ Hafiz Ibn Hajar, may Allah have mercy on him (773-852 AH), said: “Prophet Isa, peace be upon him, was taken up to the heavens, and the correct view is that he is alive.”
⑤ Allama Mahmood ibn Ahmad Ayni Hanafi, may Allah have mercy on him (762-855 AH), said: “There is no doubt that Prophet Isa, peace be upon him, is alive in the heavens, and Allah Almighty can do whatever He wills among His creation.”
⑥ Hafiz Ibn Kathir, may Allah have mercy on him (700-774 AH), said: “The context of this hadith indicates that Prophet Jesus, peace be upon him, is currently alive in the heavens and contrary to the ignorant claims of the People of the Book, he was not crucified; rather, Allah raised him up to the heavens. Before the Day of Judgment, he will descend from the heavens, as is established by mutawatir hadiths.”
Summary
Scholars have declared the descent of Prophet Jesus, peace be upon him, as one of the signs of the Day of Judgment, and they have agreed that he will descend alive from the heavens, kill the Dajjal, and establish the dominance of Islam. The severe warning regarding the “Diyouth” also clearly indicates the importance of Islamic honor.
