In the matter of the Descent of Jesus (PBUH), Javed Ahmed Ghamidi’s stance is based on an analogy between the words of the hadith and their intended reference, and the words of the Gospel and their corresponding reference. Specifically, he has compared the words narrated in the hadith, ‘I (Jesus, son of Mary) will descend,’ to the Gospel’s phrasing, ‘The Son of Man (Jesus, son of Mary) will come.’ He has interpreted the intended meaning of the hadith in the same manner as the metaphorical fulfillment of the Gospel’s prophecy, which is recorded in the annals of history.
In this analogy, it is essential to understand the relationship between the analogy itself and its counterpart - the descent of Jesus in the sense of the descent of his guidance, and the counterpart to which it is being compared - the coming of Jesus in the sense of the establishment of justice. For this purpose, it is important to understand the allegory and its interpretation upon which it is analyzed.
Jesus (PBUH) was not only a prophet but also a divine messenger. He descended as the court of justice of God for the Israelites. In that role, he was responsible to culminate the argument of religion against them and then to enforce divine reward and punishment. According to the divine law, if the Israelites believed in him, they would benefit from the blessings of heaven and earth, and if they rejected him, they would be deserving of punishment and would face God's wrath in this world. It was the misfortune of the Israelites that instead of faith and obedience, they chose the path of rejection and transgression. Even the extraordinary birth of Jesus (PBUH) his miraculous speech in the cradle, and his magnificent supernatural signs could not persuade them to acknowledge the truth. Eventually, their enmity for the truth and the callousness in their hearts reached such an extreme level that they plotted to kill him.
When the nations of the Messengers reach this extreme point of rebellion, their respite from God comes to an end, and the decision for the implementation of punishment is issued. At this moment, the Messenger is separated from the nation for safety. The safety is ensured through physical migration to another land or spiritual migration to the heavens through death. Both forms of migration lead towards Allah, occur with His permission, and follow His predetermined wisdom and strategy.
For Jesus (PBUH), the divine plan was that Allah would grant him death and raise his blessed body to Himself. Additionally, it was declared that those who denied him would face divine punishment for their rejection.
This punishment was imposed a few years after the death of Jesus (PBUH), in 70 AD. Its practical manifestation occurred when the Roman Empire attacked and conquered Jerusalem. The sign of the Israelite’s magnificence, the Temple of Solomon, was demolished. One hundred and thirty-three thousand men were killed, and sixty-seven thousand people were enslaved. The entire city was destroyed and reduced to ruins. This was the form of divine punishment that came after Jesus’s completion of the argument against his people, referred to in the Holy Qur’an as ‘wa‘dul-ākhirati’ in the following verse:
...فَاِذَا جَآءَ وَعْدُ الْاٰخِرَةِ لِيَسُوْٓءٗا وُجُوْهَكُمْ وَلِيَدْخُلُوا الْمَسْجِدَ كَمَا دَخَلُوْهُ اَوَّلَ مَرَّةٍ وَّلِيُتَبِّرُوْا مَا عَلَوْا تَتْبِيْرًا.
…After that, when the time of the second promise arrives, We depute some other mighty people of Ours so that they may ruin your faces and barge into your mosque the way they had done the first time and ravage whatever they can lay hands on. (17: 7)
About this punishment, Javed Ahmed Ghamidi writes:
This is the mention of the destruction that came upon the Jews by the hands of the Roman Emperor Titus in 70 AD, after Jesus’s completion of his argument. On this occasion, thousands were killed, thousands enslaved, thousands were sent to work in the mines of Egypt and thousands were sent to amphitheaters and colosseums in various cities to become sport for the people by being thrown to wild beasts or by serving as training for gladiators. All tall and beautiful girls were chosen by the victors for themselves and the city of Jerusalem and its mosque were laid to waste. (Al-Bayan 3/67-68)
This is the same justice that descended from heaven upon the Israelites because of Prophet Jesus’s completion of the argument of religion against them. Jesus (PBUH) had foretold of this divine justice in the allegory of his second coming. Below is the complete passage from the Gospel where Jesus predicted the arrival of this judgment. He explained that the current generation of Jews would face the same consequences of reward and punishment that the people of Noah faced, and it will take the form that he (Jesus) would bring this divine justice:
Truly I tell you, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened. The heavens and the earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away. But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only. Just as it happened in the days of Noah, so it will at the coming of the Son of Man[89]. For as in the days that were before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come. But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched and would not have suffered his house to be broken up. Therefore, be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh. (Matthew 24:34-44)
The meaning of this prophecy in the Gospel is that before the end of the generation in which Jesus was sent, he will descend again among them. At that time, he will complete his mission of Messengership and will enforce the punishment for their rejection of him. Now the question is: Did the punishment of Allah descend upon the Israelites as foretold in this prophecy? The answer is affirmative. In 70 AD, the divine retribution unfolded just as it was described in the prophecy.
Another question is: Did Jesus physically descend to deliver the judgment of reward and punishment upon the Israelites for the fulfillment of the prophecy? The answer is negative. He did not come personally, but his judgment was enforced upon the Jews through the swords of the Romans.
This historical evidence proves that the prophecy of Jesus’s coming mentioned in the Gospel did not mean his personal descent. Instead, it was his judgment that descended from the heavens, just like the judgment of Noah. The only difference was in the instruments used for the punishment. For Noah’s judgment, instruments of the heavens, like clouds and winds, were used, and for Jesus’s judgment, earthly instruments, like swords and spears, were employed.
This detailed explanation has fully ascertained the fact that phrases in the Gospel such as ‘Son of Man (Jesus) will come’ symbolize the coming of Jesus’s retribution and cannot be construed as actual physical coming of Jesus.
After having established this argument, it is important to know that Javed Ahmed Ghamidi has analogized the narratives of the Second Coming of Jesus with the same example from the Gospel, adopting the position that just as the ‘coming of Jesus’s justice’ is depicted through the metaphor of the ‘coming of Jesus,’ the ‘appearance of Jesus’s guidance’ is similarly symbolized by the ‘Descent of Jesus.’ That is, the manner of expression used in the phrases of the Gospel –‘coming of Son of Man[92],’ and ‘Jesus will come[93]’ – is also the style found in the narratives with the phrases like fa’anzala, (‘I will descend’), an yanzila fīkum ibnu Maryam. (‘Son of Mary will descend among you’), and fayab‘athu Allāhu ‘Īsā ibna Maryam (‘Allah will send Jesus, son of Mary’). The meaning of these phrases is also metaphorical and symbolic. Therefore, just as Jesus’s ‘coming’ symbolizes the ‘coming of his justice’ in Mathew, his ‘coming’ in these narratives should imply the ‘coming of his guidance.’
Furthermore, both the figurative expressions found in the Gospel and the narratives have reportedly been uttered by Prophet Jesus (PBUH). This consistency in the style of delivery from the same personality also supports Javed Ahmed Ghamidi’s view.
The above discussion regarding the metaphorical meaning of the Second Coming of Jesus leads to the following conclusions:
- The words fa’anzala, faqtulahu (I will descend, I will kill) mentioned in narratives are originally the words of Prophet Jesus, which he stated in front of Prophet Muhammad on the occasion of the Mi‘raj.
- Their mode of expression is metaphorical, like the general style of Prophet Jesus.
- In these words, Prophet Jesus adopted the same style that he had used in the sermon in the Gospel.
- The Gospel contains a metaphor for the arrival of Prophet Jesus, the real-life historical manifestation of which is the imposition of divine justice upon his nation.
- The Gospel contains a metaphor for the coming of Prophet Jesus, the manifestation of which is the implementation of divine justice, a proven reality based on established historical facts.
- Narratives metaphorically describe the descent of Prophet Jesus, which possibly signifies the descent of his guidance.