SIMILARITIES AND
DIFFERENCES ABOUT THE SECOND COMING OF JESUS (ALAIHI SALAAM) BETWEEN CHRISTIANS
AND MUSLIMS
ASSEMBLED BY MALLAM ABBA
ABANA, KUBWA, ABUJA, NIGERIA
http://variousislamicdawadocuments.blogspot.com
https://web.facebook.com/abba.abana
emails:gonidamgamiri@yahoo.com;
abba.abana@gmail.com
Monday 23rd RAJAB 1439
AH- 9TH APRIL 2018 CE
Bismillah
Walhamdulillah Was Salaatu Was Salaam 'ala Rasulillah. As-Salaam Alaikum
Wa-Rahmatullahi Wa-Barakatuhu. Praise be to Allaah; we seek His help and His
forgiveness. We seek refuge with Allaah from the evil of our own souls and from
our bad deeds. Whomsoever Allaah guides will never be led astray, and
whomsoever Allaah leaves astray, no one can guide. I bear witness that there is
no god but Allaah, and I bear witness that Muhammad (Sallalhu alaihi Wasalam)
is His slave and Messenger.
PREAMBLE
Whatsapp
Forum member asked:
Christians
and Muslims Stop Waiting For Jesus (AS). Jesus (AS) Is Not Coming Back? Is this
statement True?
We
reproduced key Similarities and differences about the second coming of Jesus
between Christians and Muslims to show evidences for the understanding people.
We hope with that summaries those who are willing to learn would sit up to go
back to Allah.
PART 1: COMPARATIVE RELIGION - THE SECOND
COMING OF JESUS (AS)
Both
Islam and Christianity expect the return of Jesus (AS) at the end of times, and
both expect trials and tribulations to occur at the time. Many of the themes of
these trials are similar, but they are also very different in detail and
definition. Both religions expect the nation of believers to be the final
victors, but the Christian believes that these are defined as the believers in
the Gospel of the New Testament and in Christ as ‘the Savior’ and ‘the
Incarnation’ of God, whilst the Muslim knows that it refers to those who
believe in the pure monotheism entailed in submission to the One and Only True
God.
The
return of Jesus (AS) is preceded in both religions by signs, again similar in
general description, but subtly different in detail. Both religions teach that
the return of Jesus (AS) will be preceded by a great and powerful figure of
falsehood and temptation, called the Maseeh ad-Dajjal (The False Messiah) by
the Muslims and the Anti-Christ by the Christians. Before this event other
signs that agree with each other include a general increase in immorality and
fornication, murder and crime, and general lawlessness, debauchery and falling
away from religion and true knowledge. Accompanying these signs of civil
malaise will be internecine (Of mutual slaughter and destruction) wars, and
natural disasters following closely one upon the other. The details and timings
of these, however, are substantially different, even within particular faiths.
How the Christian faith regards the second coming depends on the doctrinal view
held.
Four
broad views are prominent: Historical and Dispensational
Ante-millennialism, and Preterist Post and A-millennialism. (The four
views are represented in most of the different denominations of Christianity.
However, one can broadly divide the Ante-millennial view into Catholic
Dispensationalism v Protestant Historicism, and the Preterist view into
Catholic Post-millennialism v Protestant A-millennialism.)
Ante-millennialism
(The four diagrams are from (http://www.blueletterbible.org/faq) has two
branches of interpretation. Both postulate that Jesus (AS) will come and then,
after defeating the Anti-Christ, will rule the earth with the ‘elect’ for 1,000
years before the evil souls are resurrected, and Satan is unbound in the
resurrected Anti-Christ (The False Prophet is often envisaged as the
resurrected Anti-Christ, possessed or influenced by Satan, but not always.
Other interpretations see him as essentially independent; neither possessed nor
resurrected nor the Anti-Christ). They differ significantly concerning the
events around this second coming.
Dispensational Ante-millennialism
While
both agree that it will occur during a seven year period of Tribulation when
the Anti-Christ reigns, one places the return of the Jews to Israel and the
rebuilding of the temple during this seven year period, while the other holds
that Jesus (AS) will re-establish Jerusalem as his Capital, rebuilding of the
temple during his reign. The former determines that the past elect of Church
will be raised to life before the tribulation starts, and then chosen to rule
with the descended Jesus (AS), while the righteous Jews will be resurrected
along with heroes who stood against the Anti-Christ and died at the end of the
tribulation, heralding his reign of peace and plenty. The latter holds that the
‘rapture’ of all the elect, these being all the dead saints of Christianity and
the righteous of Judaism before the advent of Christ, will be at the second
coming of Jesus (AS), and will thereafter constitute, with their offspring, the
deserving citizens of the millennium rule. When Satan is finally loosed in the
resurrected Anti-Christ, a great battle will be fought with the minions of
Satan and Satan, the false prophet, will be defeated and hurled into Hell,
ushering in the end of the world. Here, again, the two branches differ. The
Historicist sees Gog and Magog as the nation’s Satan leads in rebellion when he
is loosed, while the Dispensationalist, although he agrees Satan will lead an
army of deceived nations, does not place The Gog and Magog as being among them.
(It is not clear in either case how the ‘wicked nations’ survived the
Millennium, whether or not they are constituted of the Gog and Magog.)
Historical Ante-millennialism
After
the defeat of the forces of evil, mountains will crumble, the earth will become
a flat plain and Judgment will be instituted on the people of earth. The true
believers in Christ will be rewarded with heaven and eternal communion with
God, and the disbelievers and unrepentant sinners will be consigned to hell and
eternal separation from God.
Preterism
is the general name for the viewpoint found in both the views that oppose
Ante-millennialism. It sees the return of Jesus (AS) as having already happened
at the time of the destruction of the temple Jerusalem, at least in terms of
judgment. That is, they see people as judged when they die. Hence it sees the
earth itself as everlasting, and that perfecting our faith and the truth about
God is a never ending task set us by God.( THE PAROUSIA: A Careful Look At The
New Testament Doctrine Of The Lord’s Second Coming , by James Stuart Russell, (1878))
Among the partial Preterists, the moment of perfection is the second physical
coming of Jesus (AS), who will then reign forever over those who have achieved
salvation.
Post-millennialism
sees the 1,000 year reign of Jesus (AS) as more figurative than literal, and
that it has already begun. Jesus (AS) is literally the king of earth right now,
judging the dead as they die, and the Christian church is in the process of
perfecting belief in him and defeating Satan. Then Jesus (AS) will return to
vanquish the Anti-Christ, heralding the end of the world, and establish the
Church to rule with him.
Post-millennialism
A-millennialism
(AMILLENNIALISM, or The truth of the Return of the Lord Jesus (AS), by Rev. D.
H. Kuiper) also sees the 1,000 year reign as figurative and already
established, but, like ante-millennialism, it envisages Judgment Day as the day
of sorting out the good from the bad and eternally consigning them to their
respective destinations.
A-millennialism
These
viewpoints often overlap, so one is not sure where one doctrine leaves off and
the other starts. None of them, however, conform to the Islamic view of the
reign of Jesus (AS) and his role in the second coming.
Islam
sees Jesus (AS)’ return as a completion of his life and work, which he left
incomplete. (This does not refer to the mission given to him by God until his
ascension. As Jesus (AS) did not die, and eventually must, his life is not
over, nor is the remainder of the works that constitute the complement of his
life undertaken yet. In John 16:12, Jesus (AS) may have been alluding to this
when he said, “I still have much to tell you, but you cannot bear it now,” just
prior to the retreat to Gethsemane.) As the true Messiah, he alone has the
power granted to him by God to defeat the false Messiah at the end of time. His
rule will witness the invasion of the Gog and Magog, whom not even he will be
able to defeat. Rather, he will pray to God who will then destroy them Himself.
The end of the Gog and Magog will herald the beginning of a world hegemony in
which everyone will believe, or at least submit to, his reign as God’s
representative. He will rule by God’s Law as taught by Muhammad (i.e. Islam),
may the mercy and blessings of God be upon him, until he dies at the age of
about 70 or 75. In this period of time there will be plenty for all, and peace
throughout the world. Then, sometime after he dies and is buried, all the
Muslims will be caught up by a breeze and wafted into the hereafter. The
remaining people on earth will be unbelievers, and they alone will witness the
final chapter of earth.
Many
of these events described in Islam echo the concept of the Messiah at the end
of times conceived of in Judaism, although they believe the Law with which he
will reign will be the Law of Moses, rather than Muhammad, peace be upon them.
Both Islam and Judaism regard the coming of the Messiah as essentially uniting,
gathering believers together from the ends of the earth. Both see his rule as
returning to the fundamentals of faith and Law. Both see his role as that of a
leader who will fight God’s war against the forces of evil, and that this war
will be followed by a peaceful hegemony in which God’s Law will prevail
throughout the world.
Where
they differ is in who this end of time figure represents. To the Jews, the
Messiah necessarily will be a Jewish leader who re-establishes Israel and the
temple and all its rites in Jerusalem. To the Muslim, he represents the
championing of pure Islam, sorting hypocrites from true believers.
All
three visions of the Messiah at the end of time hold something in common. We
will expound the Muslim picture of the future, which is envisioned to be just
around the corner. This vision is very clear and subject to little doctrinal
variation, unlike both Jewish and Christian viewpoints. It is up to you to draw
the parallels that are apparent and reject that which does not reflect the
truth represented herein.
PART 2: THE SECOND COMING OF JESUS (AS)
The Prophecies And Portents In Islam Of The
Descent Of Jesus (AS) In The Quran And The Prophetic Narrations.
Christians
believe that Jesus (AS) is alive today, and many denominations believe him to
be active. They also believe that he has been resurrected already, and that he
will never die again. The Muslim position, however, is that he never died, and
therefore is still alive. It says in the Quran, that the Jews claim:
“We
killed Jesus (AS) Christ, the son of Mary, Messenger of God.”
However,
God declared this, as the verse continues:
“But
they killed him not, nor crucified him; It was only a likeness shown to them:
Most certainly they killed him not. Rather, God lifted him up to Himself.”
(Holy Quran 4:157-8)
This
action of lifting is literally an upward movement, physically being taken from
the earth into heavens, just as he will be physically brought back on the wings
of angels from the heavens to the earth when he returns. Christians estimate
his age to be 31-33 years of age at ascension, because the synoptic Gospels are
considered to describe approximately 1 year of his life. The Gospel of John
purportedly describes 3 years of his life from the moment he began preaching,
of which Luke says:
“And
Jesus (AS) himself began to be about 30 years of age, being (as was supposed)
the son of Joseph … and (he) was led by the spirit into the wilderness.” (Luke
3:23 and 4:1)
Muslim
scholars agree. Hasan Basri said, “Jesus (AS) was 34, while Sa’eed ibn
Mussayyib said, “He was 33,” when he was lifted up to heaven. (Ibn Kathîr:
Stories of the Prophets; The Story of Jesus (AS), Elevation or Crucifixion, p
541)
“And
there is none of the People of the Book but will believe in him before his
death, and on the Day of Judgment, he will be a witness against them.” (Holy Quran
4:159)
God,
here, is talking about the ‘People of the Book’ believing in Jesus (AS) before
the latter dies well after he was lifted up into the heavens. The implication
is that he is not yet dead. In fact, he is securely kept by God until he
completes his appointed term. As God says in the Quran:
“It
is God Who takes away the souls at the time of their death, and (the souls) of
those that die not during their sleep. He keeps those for which He has ordained
death and sends the rest for a term appointed.” (Holy Quran 39:42)
And:
“It is God Who takes away the souls at night, and has knowledge of all that you
have done by day, and raises you up again that a term appointed be fulfilled;
then will you be returned unto Him. Then He will inform you of all that you
used to do.” (Holy Quran 60:60)
‘The
term appointed’ denotes the numbered days of our lives, already known and
confirmed by God. The word “to take away” is a promise made by God to Jesus
(AS) which God will do when His messenger is threatened by disbelief. The Quran
informs us that He told Jesus (AS):
“Indeed
I will take you (away) and lift you up to Myself and purify you from those who
disbelieve…” (Holy Quran 3:55).
Thus
we have a promise of God fulfilled when he saved Jesus (AS) from crucifixion,
and another that will be fulfilled when He returns Jesus (AS) to earth and he
completes his life here - a promise confirmed in the revelation given to Mary
at the annunciation:
“God
gives you tidings of a word from Him, whose name will be Jesus (AS) Christ, son
of Mary, held in honor in the world and in the hereafter, and one of those who
are nearest (to God). He shall speak to the people in infancy and when
middle-aged (The word used in the Quran is Kahl, which means ‘middle-aged;
elderly; rather old’ (Al-Mawrid al Waseet Concise Arabic-English Dictionary).
According to Mokhtar Al Sihhah Lexicon, it means above 35 and of grey hair
(sha’ib).), and shall be of the righteous.” (Quran 3:45-46)
Since
middle-aged is older than the early thirties, this prophecy concerns his
speaking to the people after his return. So this second promise (that everyone
will believe in him before he dies) concerns his second mission when he
descends to earth again. When he arrives, he will be the same age as he left,
and then he will live for another forty years. (Faslu’l-Maqaal fi Raf’i Isa
Hayyan wa Nuzoolihi wa ’Qatlihi’d-Dajjal, p. 20) The Prophet, may the mercy and
blessings of God be upon him, said:
“There
is no prophet between me and him (Jesus (AS)), and he shall descend. He… will
stay in the world for forty years; then he will die and the Muslims will offer
the funeral Prayer for him.” (Abu Dawood, Ahmed)
The
return of Jesus (AS) will be close to the end of time. In fact, his descent
will be one of the major signs the final hour is due. The Quran discloses that:
“He
(the son of Mary) shall be a known sign of the Hour; so have no doubt
concerning it and follow Me.” (Holy Quran 43:61)
His
appearance will be followed by only two or three other unmistakable portents.
Among these are the appearance of the beast (Prophesied in the Holy Quran,
27.82: “And when the Word is fulfilled against them (the unjust), We shall
produce from the earth a Beast to (face) them: it will speak to them.”), the
wafting of the believers from the earth (The Prophet said, ‘At that time God
will send a pleasant wind which will waft (people) under their armpits. He will
take the life of every Muslim and only the wicked will survive, who commit
adultery like asses, and the Last Hour would come to them.’ (Saheeh Muslim)),
leaving only disbelievers behind, and the rising of the sun from the west. (The
Prophet said, ‘The first of the immediate signs (of the Hour) to appear will be
the rising of the sun from the west and the appearance of the Beast before the
people in the forenoon. Whichever of these events happens first, the other will
follow immediately.’ (Saheeh Muslim).)
The
ten major signs, among which is the second coming of Jesus (AS), are summarized
in one hadeeth: (The signs in the narration are listed in a different order
than they will actually occur.)
“The
Hour will not come until you see ten signs: the smoke; the False Messiah; the
Beast; the sun rising from the West; the descent of Jesus (AS) son of Mary; the
Gog and Magog; and three tremors - one in the East, one in the West, and one in
Arabia, at the end of which fire will burst forth from the direction of Aden
and drive people to the place of their final assembly.” (Ahmed). May God save
us from disbelief and preserve us from being among those who witness the final
moments.
PART 3: THE SECOND COMING OF JESUS (AS)
The context of Jesus (AS)’ 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 (AS)’ role killing him.
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 (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’.)
and the Maseeh ad-Dajjal, Arabic for the False Messiah, and the trials and
tribulations associated with them. The primary task of Jesus (AS) 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 ibn Abdullah) will rule the Arabs, filling
the earth with equity and justice where before there had been oppression and
injustice, for 7 years. (Sunan Abu Dawood.) 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 (AS) 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 (AS), the Muslim nation will defend the religion
under a man directly descended from the prophet, who will invite Jesus (AS) 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 (The corner of the
Kabah nearest the door. The black stone is built into that corner.) and the
Maqam.( The station of Abraham is the rock upon which he stood in order to
build the walls of the Kaaba.) 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 (The
‘Expedition of Kalb’, mentioned by Umm Salamah in Sunan Abu Dawood.), 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
(Ash-Sham is the geographical area including Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Palestine
and parts of Iraq.).”
“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. (Saheeh Muslim.) It is in these final 37 days that Jesus (AS) 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 (The
exact location has been variously reported in Musnad Ahmad as being ‘Khorastan’or
‘Yahwadiah in Asbahan’, the latter being associated with Shahrstan.), 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 (AS) 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 (Anas ibn Malik said that the Messenger of God
said, “The False Messiah will be followed by 70,000 Jews from Asbahan.’ Saheeh
Muslim.), 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. (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.) He will conquer most of the world and go against the Mahdi in
Damascus, and this will be the time the true Messiah, Jesus (AS), 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 (AS), 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 (AS)) will pursue the False Messiah until he captures him at the gates
of Lydda and kills him.” (Saheeh Muslim).
Jesus
(AS) will use a spear guided by God in this killing, (Saheeh Muslim.) by which
the forces of temptation will be vanquished.
“Then,
a people whom God had protected will come to Jesus (AS), 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
(AS) 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.
PART 4: THE SECOND COMING OF JESUS (AS)
After the False Messiah; the annulment of
the false religions of the people of the book, the establishment of God’s
nation under Jesus (AS), and the invasion of the Gog and Magog.
The Establishment of God’s Nation under
Jesus (AS)
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 (AS) 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 { It is by this Law, the
Shariah that is based on the Quran and way of Muhammad, that Jesus (AS) will
rule with equity and justice.}): 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 (As it is recorded in the
Torah, as well as in the Quran.) 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 (AS) announces that the Jizya (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.) 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 (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.) 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 (AS) 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 (AS), 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 (Gog and
Magog pronounced Yajuj wa Majuj in Arabic.)
Who
the Gog and Magog are, exactly, is not known, though it is known from a
hadeeth, found in the two principal books of authentic narrations (Saheeh
Al-Bukhari and Saheeh Muslim), that they are of the nations of mankind (The
Prophet said: “Among you are two nations that never approach anything but they
overwhelm it with their large numbers; the Yajuj and Majuj.”). 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?” (Holy 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...” (Holy Quran 18:98-99)
This
means that they will be a people who are not under the jurisdiction of Jesus
(AS) 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.’” (Holy Quran 21:96-97)
Not
even Jesus (AS) 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.( In Musnad Ahmad) It is also said:
God
will reveal to Jesus (AS), 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. (’Musnad Ahmad).
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.
PART 5: THE SECOND COMING OF JESUS (AS)
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 (AS).
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
(AS) 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!’ (Musnad Ahmed.)
When
Jesus (AS) 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 (AS) will pray again to God, Who will send huge birds
to carry them off (Saheeh Muslim) 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, (The Deluge that descended upon the
people of Noah.) 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. (Musnad
Ahmed) 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. (Saheeh Muslim)
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.( Saheeh Muslim) 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. (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.)
THE REIGN AND DEATH OF JESUS (AS)
The
reign of Jesus (AS), 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.” (Hoy Quran 3:81)
The
reign of Jesus (AS), 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.” (Saheeh Muslim).
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 (AS)) 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,
(Saheeh Muslim) 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
(AS) 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 (These are the
Greater and Lesser Pilgrimages to the Holy Sanctuary in Mecca, the former being
an obligatory ritual pillar of Islam.) 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. (Abu Hurayrah narrated that the Prophet, May the
mercy and blessings of God be upon him, said “He (Jesus (AS)) 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) 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…” (Holy Quran 4:159). God willing, all the people will be of one
Book (Quran) at that time.
CONCLUSION
As
we can see, the return of Jesus (AS) 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 (AS) will come at a time when the world is in
true need of Divine Help. Indeed this Divine Help will come with Jesus (AS),
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.
May
God save us from disbelief and preserve us from being among those who witness
the final moments.
SOURCES
http://www.islamreligion.com/articles/368/return-of-Jesus
(AS)-part-5/
https://www.openbible.info/topics/jesus_return
