The Return of Jesus (part 3 of 5)
- Categories: Comparative Religion -
Description: The context of Jesus' second
coming, the trials and tribulations before it, the rise of the
Mahdi and the advent of Maseeh ad-Dajjal (the False Messiah), and
Jesus' role killing him.
By Jeremy Boulter (© 2006
IslamReligion.com) - Published on 12 Jun 2006 - Last modified on 01
Apr 2008
The circumstances of the second coming will involve two other
people from the end times, the Mahdi[1] and the Maseeh ad-Dajjal,
Arabic for the False Messiah, and the trials and tribulations
associated with them. The primary task of Jesus on his return will
be to save the world from the False Messiah and unite it once more
under the Rule of God.
The advent of the False Messiah, however, will be preceded by a man
who unites all Muslims under his leadership. Of this man, the
Prophet, may the mercy and blessings of God be upon him, said that
before the world ends, a person from his family with his name
(Muhammad bin Abdullah) will rule the Arabs, filling the earth with
equity and justice where before there had been oppression and
injustice, for 7 years.[2] He further said that he will be
supported by the Muslim nation, of whom it was said:
«A group of my people will not cease
fighting for the Truth and will prevail till the Day of
Resurrection. And Jesus son of Mary will descend and their (the
Muslims') leader will say, 'Come and lead us in Prayer.'»
[Saheeh Muslim].
Thus, before the coming of Jesus, the Muslim nation will defend the
religion under a man directly descended from the prophet, who will
invite Jesus to lead the prayer interrupted by his coming. How long
he will have been leading the Muslim Nation will be less than 7
years, but how much less is not known exactly. What is known is
that he will be a reluctant commander whom people will flock to,
only after an army attacking Mecca is swallowed up by the
earth.
The Prophet, may the mercy and blessings of God be upon him,
said:
«Disagreement will occur at the death of a caliph and a man of the
people of Medina will flee to Mecca. Some of the people of Mecca
will come to him, bring him out against his will and swear
allegiance to him between the Corner[3] and the Maqam.[4] An
expeditionary force will then be sent against him from Syria, but
it will be swallowed up in the desert between Mecca and Medina.
When the people witness this, the most pious men of Syria and the
best people of Iraq will come to him and swear allegiance to him
between the Corner and the Maqam» [Narrated by Abu Dawood &
classified as weak by Al-Albany].
"There will also be several campaigns, the first against internal
elements[5], and then against external elements. An army consisting
of the best Muslim soldiers in the world will come from Medina to
counteract the western invasion of Ash-Sham[6]."
«When they arrange themselves in
ranks, the Romans will say: 'Do not stand between us and those who
took prisoners from amongst us. Let us fight with them.' The
Muslims will say: 'No, by God, we will never stand aside for you or
our brethren so that you can fight them.'» [Saheeh
Muslim].
The fight would last three days with great slaughter on all sides
until, on the fourth day, the remnants of the Muslim Army will
defeat the Western forces and go on to conquer Istanbul. While the
soldiers are looting the city a false rumor that the False Messiah
had arrived will reach them, so they will make for Syria again. By
the time they reach Damascus, where the Mahdi will prepare them for
war against the False Messiah's coming, the False Messiah will
truly appear.
His stay on earth will be 40 days. However, these 40 days will have
something special about them. The first day and night will last a
full year, the second a full month, and the third a full week, and
the remaining 37 days would be normal.[7] It is in these final 37
days that Jesus will probably come, since he will kill the False
Messiah shortly after his arrival.
The False Messiah will appear out of the east, on the way between
Syria and Iraq[8], and his coming will spread great troubles and
injustice right and left. He will range far and wide, like a wind
driven cloud, coming to first one people and then another. He will
invite people to follow him, rewarding the ones who respond and
affirm their faith in him by commanding the sky to rain, which will
cause the land and domestic animals to flourish and produce. Those
who refuse him will suffer drought, famine, and loss of wealth.
Wherever he goes, he will call forth the land's treasures, which
will gather before him like swarming bees, and he will even kill a
man, cutting him in half and then bring him back to life.
As can be seen, the False Messiah will have been given miracles to
convince people to stray from the path, and many will follow him.
Some hadeeths mention that many people, especially the Jews[9],
will take him for the real Messiah, as he will announce himself to
be God's representative. However, he will soon claim divine power
himself, and eventually claim to be the Lord.[10] He will conquer
most of the world and go against the Mahdi in Damascus, and this
will be the time the true Messiah, Jesus, will descend.
«God will send the Messiah, son of
Mary, who will descend at the white minaret on the eastern side of
Damascus wearing two garments, lightly dyed with saffron, his hands
resting on the wings of two Angels. When he lowers his head, beads
of perspiration will fall from it, and when he raises it up, beads
like pearls will scatter from it. Every non-believer who smells him
will die, and his breath will reach as far as he is able to
see» [Saheeh Muslim].
In another hadeeth it says,
«Certainly, the time of prayer shall
come, and then Jesus, the son of Mary, will descend and will lead
them in prayer. When sees he him, the enemy of God will [begin to]
dissolve just as salt does in water» [Saheeh Muslim].
The first hadeeth continues to say that he will meet him at
Lydda:
«He (Jesus) will pursue the False
Messiah until he captures him at the gates of Lydda and kills
him» [Saheeh Muslim].
Jesus will use a spear guided by God in this killing,[11] by which
the forces of temptation will be vanquished.
«Then, a people whom God had protected
will come to Jesus, son of Mary, and he will wipe their faces and
inform them of their ranks in Paradise» [Saheeh
Muslim].
This information is not the Judgment of Judgment Day, but knowledge
given to Jesus by God. These people are not the elect of the
Christian rapture, but the survivors of the turmoil surrounding his
coming. And this is but the first episode of the Messiah's life on
his return, which the next article will elaborate on, if God
wills.
_____________________________________
Footnotes:
[1] Al-Mahdi literally means
'the paver of the way' but the meaning of the proper name is 'the
one who is directed by God to the truth'.
[2] Sunan Abu Dawood.
[3] The corner of the Kabah
nearest the door. The black stone is built into that corner.
[4] The station of Abraham is
the rock upon which he stood in order to build the walls of the
Kaaba.
[5] The 'Expedition of Kalb',
mentioned by Umm Salamah in Sunan Abu Dawood.
[6] Ash-Sham is the
geographical area including Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Palestine and
parts of Iraq.
[7] Saheeh Muslim.
[8] The exact location has been
variously reported in Musnad Ahmad as being 'Khorastan'or
'Yahwadiah in Asbahan', the latter being associated with
Shahrstan.
[9] Anas bin Malik said that
the Messenger of God said, "The False Messiah will be followed by
70,000 Jews from Asbahan.' Saheeh Muslim.
[10] Saheeh Bukhari. The
evidence for this is indirect. In the hadeeth it is the followers
of the False Messiah who ask a man who denies him, 'Don't you
believe in our Lord?' Later, after killing the man and restoring
him to life, the False Messiah asks, 'Now do you believe in what I
claim?' In two other hadeeths from the same source, the Prophet,
may God praise him, says: 'Verily, God is not blind in one eye!
However, the False Messiah is blind in his right eye, being an eye
(like) a floating grape.' And: 'There is not a prophet who has not
warned his nation of that lying one-eyed man (The False Messiah);
for he is truly one-eyed, and, verily, your Lord, Most Powerful and
Sublime, is not one-eyed.' The implication is that we should not
confuse the False Messiah with our Lord God, no matter what he
claims.
[11] Saheeh Muslim.
Previous: The Return of Jesus (part 2 of
5)
Next: The Return of Jesus (part 4 of 5)
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