The above discussion has sufficiently proven the following realities:
First, the descent of Jesus and its details are mentioned during the events of Isra and Mi‘raj.
Second, the events of Isra and Mi‘raj occurred in the realm of a dream; therefore, all the narratives of the Second Coming of Jesus are descriptions of the dream of the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him.
Third, the dreams of prophets are a type of divine revelation and inspiration. They represent the absolute truth and cannot be equated to ordinary human dreams.
Fourth, these dreams generally take the form of allegories; despite being authentic and based on truth, they require an interpretation.
Fifth, the need for interpretation necessitates that these visions should not be taken in literal meaning but rather be understood in a metaphorical sense, and instead of seeking their literal meanings, one should search for their symbolic meanings.
After this summary, let us try to understand the interpretation that Javed Ahmed Ghamidi has presented regarding the allegory of the Second Coming of Jesus.
Abdullah bin Masood (RA) reported that Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) in his dream observed a gathering involving Prophet Abraham, Moses, and Jesus, peace be upon them. They were discussing the timing of the Day of Judgment. The first question was asked to Prophet Abraham (PBUH) who replied that he did not know about its timing. When Prophet Moses (PBUH) was asked, he too expressed his unawareness. Upon asking Prophet Jesus (PBUH) he stated that he was not aware of the exact time but knew that before the Day of Judgment, the Dajjal would appear, and he (Jesus) would descend and kill him (the Dajjal). The words of the narration are:
...فرد الحديث إلى عيسى بن مريم. فقال قد عهد إلي فيما دون وجبتها. فأما وجبتها فلا يعلمها إلا اللّٰه. فذكر خروج الدجال. قال فأنزل فأقتله.
... It was then said to Jesus, son of Mary (PBUH) to speak and he said: I have been informed of the events just before the establishment of the Day of Judgment. As for the time it will be established, that is not known to anyone except Allah. Then he mentioned the appearance of the Dajjal and said: ‘I will descend and kill him.’ (Ibn Majah No. 4081)
According to Javed Ahmed Ghamidi, the words fa’anzala and faqtulahu (I will descend and I will kill him) in the narration cannot be taken literally to mean that Prophet Jesus (PBUH) will descend physically from the sky. There are two main reasons for this:
Firstly, the Qur’an outright rejects this assumption. Prophet Jesus (PBUH) has been discussed from several aspects in the Qur’an, but despite the opportunity to mention it, there is not the slightest hint of his second coming. From verses 116-119 of Surah Al-Maidah, it is clear that on the Day of Judgment, Allah will question Prophet Jesus (PBUH) about the straying away of the Christians from the right path. In his response, Jesus will express his unawareness. However, it is apparent that if there were to be a second coming, he would not be unaware of it. Then, in verse 55 of Surah Aale Imran, the course of action until the Day of Judgment concerning Jesus (PBUH) is described. There too, no mention of the descent of Jesus is present.
Secondly, the specified time for the Second Coming of Jesus mentioned in the narratives has passed, and the incident of the Second Coming of Jesus has not occurred.
This fixed time is 857 Hijri, corresponding to 1453 CE, which passed 570 years ago. If the words concerning the descent of Jesus were to mean his personal descent, it would have been necessary for the Dajjal to also appear at that time, and that Prophet Jesus would have descended and killed him. However, historical evidence contradicts it.
Based on these conclusive reasons, it is incorrect to interpret the prophecy of the Second Coming of Jesus as referring to his physical descent. Such an interpretation leads to objections against the verses of the Qur’an and renders the hadiths contradictory to established fact. Subsequently, the only way to accept the Second Coming of Jesus is to consider it symbolic and to infer a metaphorical interpretation. Doing so is considered valid for two reasons:
Based on the above reasoning, Javed Ahmed Ghamidi has categorized the account of the Second Coming of Jesus as allegorical and determined its true significance in the light of the noble Qur’an, the Bible, and the hadiths. Hence, his stance is that the meaning of the Second Coming of Jesus here is not his personal descent, but rather a metaphorical one. Therefore, when Prophet Jesus said, ‘I will come down’, it did not imply that He would personally descend again but he meant that his guidance—which the Christians have entirely obliterated—will once again become manifest. He has explained in his commentary on the hadith narrated by Abdullah ibn Masud:
The Qur’an and hadiths clarify that these are events that occurred in a dream, which require interpretation. Therefore, in the narratives of the Second Coming of Jesus, we have interpreted it as the descent of his guidance, which will be manifested to his followers close to the Day of Judgement as if he himself came down from heaven, reformed his community, and then left. (Monthly Ishraq, Lahore)
In Javed Ahmed Ghamidi’s view, this allegory is much like the one he used regarding his own adjudication. It is clear from the Gospel according to Matthew that he, as a messenger, also referred to the establishment of his justice as his arrival and had said:
Just as it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man (Jesus). For in the days before the flood, people were eating, drinking, and marrying up to the day Noah entered the ark; and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. (Matthew 24: 37-39)