The Return of Jesus (part 3 of 5)

The Return of Jesus (part 3 of 5)

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 04 Oct 2009  Viewed: 24648 (daily average: 9) - Rating: 4.2 out of 5 - Rated by: 5 Printed: 1764 - Emailed: 6 - Commented on: 0  Category: Articles > Comparative Religion > Jesus

The Rise of the Mahdi, and Advent of the False Messiah 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 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.” (Abu Dawood) “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 theMahdi 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. The Coming of Jesus and Death of the False Messiah 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. [ltr][4] The station of Abraham is the rock upon which he stood in order to build the walls of the Kaaba.[/ltr] [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. [ltr][7] Saheeh Muslim.[/ltr] [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 the mercy and blessings of God be upon 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.

The Return of Jesus (part 4 of 5)

Description: After the False Messiah; the annulment of the false religions of the people of the book, the establishment of God’s nation under Jesus, and the invasion of the Gog and Magog. By Jeremy Boulter (© 2006 IslamReligion.com) Published on 19 Jun 2006 - Last modified on 04 Oct 2009  Viewed: 24069 (daily average: 9) - Rating: 3.9 out of 5 - Rated by: 7 Printed: 1586 - Emailed: 3 - Commented on: 0  Category: Articles > Comparative Religion > Jesus

The Establishment of God’s Nation under Jesus The killing of the False Messiah will traumatize the Christians and Jews who had followed him, for it will finally reveal to them that he was not what he had claimed to be.  In fact, the role of Jesus in his defeat will convince most of the surviving Christians, at least, that the False Messiah had indeed been the Anti-Christ prophesied in their own scriptures.  The Prophet of Islam, may the mercy and blessings of God be upon him, said: “The son of Mary will soon descend among you and will judge justly(according to the Law of God[1]): he will break the cross and kill the pig…” (Saheeh Al-Bukhari) The breaking of the cross may be figurative or literal: the destruction of erected idols in churches and tearing down of crosses from their steeples, as well as forbidding the use of personal crosses as symbols of religion;  or the destruction of the myth that he was executed by the Romans on a cross at the instigation of the Jews.  Likewise, the killing of the pigs may be both literal and figurative: literally conducting a campaign to kill all pigs so the consumption of their meat becomes impossible, allowing them to be killed, or simply re-imposing the ban God made since time immemorial[2]  on eating their flesh, effectively forcing pig farmers to get rid of their stock by culling.  In effect, two of the mainstays of widespread Christian practice will be removed, indicating that the religion as taught by modern Christians would henceforth be defunct, and marking a return to the religion as originally intended (Islam). “… and there will be no Jizya.” (Saheeh Al-Bukhari) Furthermore, after the massive losses of life among the Jews, the death of their leader will prove to the Jews that he had been yet another false hope.  Possibly, the False Messiah’s claim of divinity may well have already sowed seeds of doubt in their hearts, anyway, so when Jesus announces that the Jizya[3]  will no longer be a means by which non-Muslims can avoid submitting to the will of God, they will be ready to give up following the guidance of their Rabbis in favor to returning to the guidance[4]  of God.  The fact that no Jizya will be accepted underlines the abolishment of all religion except one.  The People of the Book will be required to follow the Law of Islam which Jesus will impose.  The die-hards that refuse will be hunted and killed rather than allowed to continue in their outmoded faith. “The hour will not come until the Muslims fight against the Jews and kill them.  The Jews will seek shelter behind stones and trees, but the stone or the tree will speak: “O servant of God, there is a [die-hard] Jew behind me, so come and kill him!”  But the Gharqad tree will not speak out because it is partial to the Jews.” (Saheeh Muslim) No mention of the fate of those who are neither Muslims nor People of the Book is mentioned at this stage, but we believe some of them will also fall under the sway of the rule of Jesus, or die.  Perhaps others will be destroyed by those who are referred to as the Gog and Magog. The Invasion of the Gog and Magog[5] Who the Gog and Magog are, exactly, is not known, though it is known from ahadeeth, found in the two principal books of authentic narrations (Saheeh Al-Bukhari and Saheeh Muslim), that they are of the nations of mankind[6].  Of them, the Quran says: “When he reached a valley between two mountains, he found a people who could barely understand a word.  They said; O Dhul Qarnayn!  Verily, Gog and Magog are doing great mischief in the land.  Will you accept a tribute from us so that you build a barrier between us and them?” (Quran 18:93-94) After Dhul Qarnayn carried out their request (without exacting tribute), he told them: “This is a Mercy from my Lord, but when the Promise of my Lord comes, He shall level it to the ground.  And the Promise of my Lord is ever true.  And on that day, we shall leave some of them to surge like waves on one another...” (Quran 18:98-99) This means that they will be a people who are not under the jurisdiction of Jesus when he accepts the pledge from former Jews and Christians.  And it is the Gog and Magog who will be the final threat to the believers before his reign of peace.  Again, the Quran says: “When the Gog and Magog swoop down from every ridge, and the true Promise draws near, you will see the disbelievers, their eyes staring fixedly, in horror; They will say, ‘woe to us; indeed were heedless of this – and we were wrongdoers.’” (Quran 21:96-97) Not even Jesus will be able to withstand the coming of the Gog and Magog, for they will swarm the land destructively, like locusts. Abu Sa’id al-Khudri reported that the prophet said that only the Muslims who retreat into their cities and strongholds with their cattle and sheep will survive the onslaught.[7]  It is also said: God will reveal to Jesus, son of Mary, “I have brought forth people from among My creatures against who none will be able to fight.  Take my worshippers safely to Mount Tur.” (Saheeh Muslim) The Gog and Magog will be so many that when the last of the horde passes through a lake bed from whose water the first rank had drunk, they will bewail,‘There used to be water here, once.’ Anybody not from themselves, except for the Muslims in their strongholds and refuges, will be killed, and the horde will declaim, ‘We have defeated the people of earth.  Now only the people of heaven are left [for us to defeat].’  On that, one will fire an arrow into the sky, and it will fall back to earth blood-stained.[8] Though the Gog and Magog will think they have obtained victory, their very boast would be their downfall, for the blood on their weapons will be nothing but a test from God.  The next article will deal with how the Gog and Magog will be defeated, and what happens after that. Footnotes: [1] It is by this Law, the Shariah that is based on the Quran and way of Muhammad, that Jesus will rule with equity and justice. [2] As it is recorded in the Torah, as well as in the Quran. [3] Jizya: The tributary poll tax taken from the People of the Book who, under the protection of the Islamic nation of which they citizens, are free to practice their religion. [4] God uses the word ‘Al-Furqan’ to describe both what was revealed to Muhammad, may the mercy and blessings of God be upon him, that which was revealed to Moses and Aaron, as well as other prophets. Many of the original teachings, undistorted by rabbinical additions and interpretations, support and precede the Law prescribed by the Last Prophet, which is the final shape of the Law of God. [5] Gog and Magog pronounced Yajuj wa Majuj in Arabic. [6] The Prophet said: “Among you are two nations that never approach anything but they overwhelm it with their large numbers; the Yajuj and Majuj.” [7] In Musnad Ahmad [8] ’Musnad Ahmad

The Return of Jesus (part 5 of 5)

Description: The end of Gog and Magog, followed by peace and plenty, a world without war, the universality of God’s True Religion, and the death of Jesus. By Jeremy Boulter (© 2006 IslamReligion.com) Published on 19 Jun 2006 - Last modified on 04 Oct 2009  Viewed: 21674 (daily average: - Rating: 4.1 out of 5 - Rated by: 17 Printed: 1573 - Emailed: 24 - Commented on: 0  Category: Articles > Comparative Religion > Jesus

The End of Gog and Magog When the Gog and Magog will have driven the Muslims to hole up in their strongholds and refuges, and when they see the blood on their weapons, which will have returned from the sky, they will take these as evidence for their imminent victory over the Muslims.  However, that evening: “Jesus and his companions will beseech God, and God will send against them (the Gog and Magog) worms which will attack their necks; and in the morning, they will all perish as one.” (Saheeh Muslim) Not knowing that the horde was already destroyed, the Muslims in their strongholds will call for a volunteer to scout out what the enemy was doing.  The volunteer, knowing he would probably die, will descend to find them all dead, lying on top of one another.  Returning, he will call out: ‘O Muslims, rejoice!  God has sufficed us against our enemies!’[1] When Jesus and the people who took refuge on Mount Tur descend, they will find the same scene, with not a single spot of the earth around them free of the putrefying stench of rotting bodies.  So sickening and dangerous to health will be the situation that Jesus will pray again to God, Who will send huge birds to carry them off[2]  and throw them into the sea where the sun rises. The Aftermath After that, God will send a drenching, intense rain that penetrates into everything, lasting forty days.  Unlike the Deluge,[3]  this torrential rainfall will be beneficial, for: “The earth will be washed till it looks like a mirror. God will then order the earth: ‘Bring forth your fruit and restore your blessing.’” (Saheeh Muslim) The Muslims will let their cattle and flocks out to graze again, and they will fatten up better than from any vegetation they had fed on before.[4]  Orchards will produce fruit of size and quality never known before, and cattle produce fine quality milk in copious amounts, enough so that nobody will experience any shortage of it.[5] The benefits, then, from the advent of the Gog and Magog, will the decimation of non-believers, leaving the world for a nation of the believers, and food in abundance after the earth had absorbed all the dead decaying bodies caused by their invasion and later extermination.  For a period of time, wealth would be so abundant that people would not be able to find those to whom they could pay out the poor due.[6]  Abu Hurayrah reported the Prophet, may the mercy and blessings of God be upon him, as saying: “…And there will be no Jizya.  Money will be in abundance so that nobody will accept it (in charity).” (Saheeh Al-Bukhari) Not so beneficial will be the reduction in the numbers of men, causing a major imbalance in the sex ratio.  Women will far exceed the men in numbers, possibly due to casualties in war, as was the case in Germany after World War Two.[7] The Reign and Death of Jesus The reign of Jesus, may God grant him peace, will be by the Law that Muhammad brought.  This is in accordance with the Covenant that God took from all his prophets.  In the Quran, it says: Behold! God took the Covenant of the prophets, saying: “I have given you the Book and Wisdom; then will come a messenger to you confirming what is with you, so believe in him and render him help.” God said: “Do you agree, and take this Covenant as binding upon you?” They said: “We agree.” He said: “Then bear witness! And I am with you among the witnesses.” (Quran 3:81) The reign of Jesus, therefore, will be according to the Covenant with God, and this is backed up by an explanation of the saying of the Prophet by Abu Hurayrah, when he reported a question he had asked to his companions.  He said: The Messenger of God said, “What would you do when the son of Mary descends among you, and lead as one among you?” One of the companions, Ibn Abu Theeb, asked: What does, ‘He will lead as one among you’ mean? Abu Hurayrah replied: “He will lead you according to the Book of your Lord, exalted and praised is He, and the Way of your Messenger.”[8] His reign will be marked by mutual respect, peace and prosperity among the people.  In another hadeeth, Abu Hurayrah said: “Spite, mutual hatred and jealousy against one another will disappear, and when he (Jesus) summons people to accept wealth, none will do so.” (Saheeh Al-Bukhari) The lack of rancor between people will be absolute, not relative, for at least seven years, wherein no two people would be stirred to ire towards each other,[9]and the word between them would be ‘peace’.  In fact, religiosity and piety will be the order of the day, for to each person: “A single prostration to God (in prayer) will be better than the whole world and whatever is in it.” (Saheeh Al-Bukhari) Jesus himself will not only rule and judge by the Muslim Shariah, he will complete all the Islamic pillars.  The Prophet of Islam said: “By him in Whose hand my life is, the son of Mary will certainly invoke the name of God for Hajj or Umrah[10] or both in the valley of Rauha (a valley near Medina).” (Saheeh Muslim) Then, forty years after his second coming, he will die, and the Muslims will perform the funeral prayer for him.[11] And this moment is the moment God is referring to in the Quranic verse:  “And there is none of the People of the Book who must believe in him before his death…” (Quran 4:159) God willing, all the people will be of one Book at that time. Conclusion As we can see, the return of Jesus to the Earth will be a truly magnificent event, surrounded by truly magnificent incidents, so magnificent that one may find it even fantasy-like.  Jesus will come at a time when the world is in true need of Divine Help.  Indeed this Divine Help will come with Jesus, but some of the trials of those days will be so great that not even he will be able to face it, fleeing to the tops of mounts with his followers.  Only God will be able to save humanity in that time.  Albeit, not only will this Divine Help come to put an end to the greatest trials faced by humankind since the dawn of time – the False Messiah and Gog and Magog - but it will also come to show the truth about God, putting an end to all falsehood, with everyone being united under the one true religion of God. Footnotes: [1] Musnad Ahmed. [2] Saheeh Muslim [3] The Deluge that descended upon the people of Noah. [4] Musnad Ahmed [5] Saheeh Muslim [6] ibid [7] The shortage of men was so acute that the international youth conference held in Munich in 1948 suggested polygyny as a solution for women left on the shelf. [8] Saheeh Muslim [9] Saheeh Muslim [10] These are the Greater and Lesser Pilgrimages to the Holy Sanctuary in Mecca, the former being an obligatory ritual pillar of Islam. [11] Abu Hurayrah narrated that the Prophet, may the mercy and blessings of God be upon him, said “He (Jesus) will live on the earth forty years and then he will die.  The Muslims will pray over him at his funeral prayer.” In Musnad Ahmed and Abu Dawood

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