Descent of Isa Alihessalam

It was narrated that ‘Abdullah bin Mas’ud said:

“On the night on which the Messenger of Allah صَلىَّ اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمْ was taken on the Night Journey (Isra’), he met Ibrahim, Musa and ‘Eisa, and they discussed the Hour. They started with Ibrahim, and asked him about it, but he did not have any knowledge of it. Then they asked Musa, and he did not have any knowledge of it. Then they asked ‘Eisa bin Maryam, and he said: ‘I have been assigned to some tasks before it happens.’ As for as when it will take place, no one knows that except Allah. Then he mentioned Dajjal and said: ‘I will descend and kill him, then the people will return to their own lands and will be confronted with Gog and Magog people, who will: “swoop down from every mound.” [21: 96] They will not pass by any water but they will drink it, (and they will not pass) by anything but they will spoil it. They (the people) will beseech Allah, and I will pray to Allah to kill them. The earth will be filled with their stench and (the people) will beseech Allah and I will pray to Allah, then the sky will send down rain that will carry them and throw them in the sea. Then the mountains will turn to dust and the earth will be stretched out like a hide. I have been promised that when that happens, the Hour will come upon the people, like a pregnant woman whose family does not know when she will suddenly give birth.” (One of the narrators) ‘Awwam said: “Confirmation of that is found in the Book of Allah, where Allah says:

The appearance of Yajuj and Majuj (Gog and Magog).

One indication that Yajuj and Majuj will emerge at the time of ‘Isa (peace be upon him) is the hadith of al-Nawwas ibn Sam’an, which says that the Prophet صَلىَّ اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمْ told them about the Dajjal, and said: “Whilst he is like that, Allah will reveal to ‘Isa: ‘I have released slaves of Mine whom no one will be able to fight. Take My slaves to safety in al-Tur (Sinai),’ and Allah will send Yajuj and Majuj , who will come swarming down from every mound. The first of them will pass by Lake Tiberias and will drink the water in it, and the last of them will pass by it and will say, ‘There was water here once.’” Narrated by Muslim, no. 2937.

‘’Isa, son of Maryam عَلَيْهِ ا لسَّلَام, will descend at the white minaret in the eastern side of Damascus, wearing two garments lightly dyed with saffron and placing his hands on the wings of two Angels. When he would lower his head, there would fall beads of perspiration from his head, and when he would raise it up, beads like pearls would scatter from it’. [Muslim 2937a]

On the authority of ’Abdullah bin Salam (ra) who said, ’The description of Muhammad [saw] is written in the Tawrah and ‘Isa ibn Maryam [as] will be buried by him’. (One of the narrators) Abu Mawdud [ra] said, ‘There is a place for a grave left in the house’. [Tirmidhi]

Prophet (peace and blessings upon him) said,

“Isa عَلَيْهِ ا لسَّلَام will surely descend as a just judge and a fair leader. He will travel through the mountain passes [of Arabia] as a pilgrim for Ḥajj or `Umra and will definitely come to my grave and greet me [with salām] and I shall respond to him.” (Hākim: 4162)

Then the signs will come quickly, one after another. According to a hadith of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him), the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “The signs will come one after another, like beads falling from a string”. Narrated by al-Tabarani in al-Mu’jam al-Awsat; classed as sahih by al-Albani in Sahih al-Jami’. Then the sun will rise from the west, the Beast will emerge, and there will be landslides and other major signs. We ask Allah to make us steadfast unto death. (Sunan Ibn Majah 4081)

Al-Nawaas ibn Sam’aan (may Allaah be pleased with him) reported a long hadeeth describing several signs of the Hour. In this hadeeth, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: ” and Allaah will send Ya’jooj and Ma’jooj, swiftly swarming from every mound. They will pass the lake of Tiberias [in Palestine] and will drink everything that is in it. Then the last of them will pass by and will say, ‘There used to be water here once.’ The Prophet of Allaah, ’ Isa عَلَيْهِ ا لسَّلَام, and his companions, will be besieged until a bull’s head will be more precious to one of them than a hundred dinars are to any of you today. ’ Isa عَلَيْهِ ا لسَّلَام and his companions will pray to Allaah, and Allaah will send a kind of worm (like that found in the noses of camels and sheep) on their (Ya’jooj and Ma’jooj) necks, and they will fall down dead, all at once. Then ‘Eesaa and his companions will come down out of the place where they were besieged, and they will find hardly a handspan of land that is not filled with the stench (of Ya’jooj and Ma’jooj), so ‘Eesaa and his companions will pray to Allaah, and He will send birds like the necks of camels to carry them away and throw them wherever Allaah wills.” (Reported by Muslim, 18/68).

Isa عَلَيْهِ ا لسَّلَام has not died yet; Allaah raised him up unto Himself because the Jews wanted to kill him, and he will descend again at the end of time and rule the earth according to Islam. He will live for as long as Allaah wants him to, then he will die and the Muslims will pray [the janaazah or funeral prayer] for him. Ibn Katheer رَحِمَهُ الله said: The pronoun in the phrase before his death refers to Isa عَلَيْهِ ا لسَّلَام, i.e., there is none of the People of the Book but must believe in Jesus – that is when he comes back down to the earth before the Day of Resurrection, as we will explain below. At that time all of the People of the Book will believe in him because he will abolish the jizyah (tax paid by non-Muslims in an Islamic state) and will accept nothing but Islam.

“and [I will] clear you of those who disbelieve” [Aal ‘Imraan 3:55] means “by raising you up to heaven” and “I will make those who follow you superior to those who disbelieve until the Day of Resurrection” is what did indeed happen. When Allaah took the Messiah عَلَيْهِ ا لسَّلَام up into heaven, his followers split into different groups. Some of them believed in what Allaah had sent him with, that he was a slave and messenger of Allaah, the son of His female slave. Some of them exaggerated about him and made him the son of God, and others said that he was God, or that he was the third of three (trinity). Allaah described what they said in the Qur’aan, and refuted all of them. They continued like that for nearly three hundred years, then one of the Greek kings called Constantine came along and entered the Christian religion. It was said that this was a plot to corrupt the religion, that he was a philosopher, or that he was ignorant. Whatever the case, he changed and distorted the religion of the Messiah, adding things and taking things away. It was at the time of Constantine that pork was permitted and they began to pray towards the East; they made images in their churches, shrines and monasteries, and added ten days to their fasting because of a sin that he had committed, as they claim. The religion of the Messiah became the religion of Constantine. He built more than twelve thousand churches, shrines and monasteries for them, and the city that bore his name [Constantinople – now Istanbul]. A sect of Christians followed him and they prevailed over the Jews with the help of Allaah, because they were closer to the truth, even though all of them were disbelievers. When Allaah sent Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), some of those who believed in him believed truly in Allaah, His angels, His Books and His Messengers, so they were followers of every Prophet who had ever lived on earth. And Allaah knows best.

This minaret, which is on the left side of the Umayyad Mosque is also known as the Jesus minaret. It is from here that Prophet Isa عَلَيْهِ ا لسَّلَام will descend back to earth towards the end of time.

In another Hadith, the Prophet صَلىَّ اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمْ mentioned, “Allah will send Maseeh ibne Maryam (Messiah son of Mary). Thus he will descend near the white eastern minaret of Damascus, clad in two yellow sheets, leaning on the shoulders of two angels.” [Sahih Muslim]

He will descend on a Jamaat (group) that will be righteous at the time and comprising of 800 men and 400 women. The people will be preparing for war at the time against Dajjal. It will be time for Fajr prayers, and Imam Mahdi will be the Amir (leader) of the Muslims. From the darkness of the dawn, a sound will suddenly be heard that “one who listens to your pleas has come” – the righteous people will look everywhere and their eyes will fall on Isa عَلَيْهِ ا لسَّلَام . Briefly, at the time of Fajr, Isa عَلَيْهِ ا لسَّلَام will descend. When descending, Isa عَلَيْهِ ا لسَّلَام’s hands will be on the shoulders of two angels (according to another source (Ka’b Abrar), a cloud will carry him). On their insistence Isa عَلَيْهِ ا لسَّلَام will introduce himself. He will inquire about their enthusiasm and thoughts on Jihad against Dajjal. Isa عَلَيْهِ ا لسَّلَام will descend on the eastern side near the minaret in Damascus (or in Baitul-Muqaddus according to another narration). At the time Imam Mahdi will have proceeded forward to lead the Fajr Salaat. The Iqamat of the Salaat will already have been recited and Imam Mahdi will call Isa عَلَيْهِ ا لسَّلَام for Imamat (to lead the prayer), but he (Isa عَلَيْهِ ا لسَّلَام) will instead tell Imam Mahdi to lead the prayer since the Iqamat of that Salaat has already been said for him. Thus Imam Mahdi will lead the prayer, and Isa Isa عَلَيْهِ ا لسَّلَام will follow him. After the ruku, he will make this statement: “Allah has killed Dajjal and the Muslims have appeared.”

Isa عَلَيْهِ ا لسَّلَام will subsequently kill Dajjal and a great era of peace and harmony will come to the world. Isa عَلَيْهِ ا لسَّلَام will marry and have children and will live for 19 years after his marriage. He will then pass away and be buried next to the Prophet صَلىَّ اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمْ in Majid-e-Nabwi, Madinah.

In these verses Allahu ta’ala categorically states that Hadrat ‘Isa was not killed. He will return sometime in the future. What is meant by “… up to His presence” is that he has been taken up to the heavens. Otherwise, Allah is transcendently beyond occupying space. He is not in the sky. It is He who created the sky. The created cannot be a place of residence for its Creator.

The best explanation is surely provided by our Prophet صَلىَّ اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمْ . Some pertinent Ahaadith are as follows: