The reports clearly indicate that the event of Prophet Jesus’s second coming is one of the signs of the Judgment Day, which is also agreed upon by the scholars. Some of those reports, which mention the signs of the approaching Judgment Day, list these signs. Some mention three signs, some four, some six, and some ten. Collectively, these reports bring forward the following signs:
1. Smoke
2. The emergence of the Dajjal
3. The beast of the Earth
4. The sun rising from the west
5. The descent of Jesus
6. Gog and Magog
7. The Earth sinking in the east
8. The Earth sinking in the west
9. The Earth sinking in the Arabian Peninsula
10. A fire that will emerge from Yemen, driving people together
11. A wind that will lift people and throw them into the sea
12. Death
13. The emergence of thirty false Dajjals
14. A majority of the Romans will be Christians
When we consider these signs, the most extraordinary is the descent of Jesus. It is the most prominent among the others, extremely unusual, and explicit in its significance and explanation. Therefore, it is a natural requirement that while a few out of these fourteen or fifteen signs, narrators should certainly mention this most prominent sign. It goes against human reason and experience to omit the most prominent matter and discuss comparatively less important details instead. But the reality is that in several reports about the signs of Judgment Day, the sign of Prophet Jesus’s descent has not been mentioned.
In the following report mentioned in the Sahih Muslim, six signs of Judgment Day are mentioned, excluding the descent of Prophet Jesus:
عن ابي هريرة، ان رسول اللّٰه صلى اللّٰه عليه وسلم، قال: بادروا بالاعمال ستا طلوع الشمس من مغربها، او الدخان، او الدجال، او الدابة، او خاصة احدكم، او امر العامة
It is narrated from Abu Huraira (RA) that the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said: ‘Hasten to do good deeds before six things happen: First, before the coming of the Dajjal, second, the Smoke, third, the beast of the earth, fourth, the rising of the sun from the west, fifth, the Day of Judgment, and sixth, before your death.’ (Muslim no. 7584)
Similarly, the following report in Sahih Bukhari mentions eleven signs of Judgment Day, but it does not mention the descent of Jesus:
عن ابي هريرة، ان رسول اللّٰه صلى اللّٰه عليه وسلم، قال: لا تقوم الساعة حتى تقتتل فئتان عظيمتان يكون بينهما مقتلة عظيمة، دعوتهما واحدة، وحتى يبعث دجالون كذابون قريب من ثلاثين، كلهم يزعم انه رسول اللّٰه، وحتى يقبض العلم، وتكثر الزلازل، ويتقارب الزمان، وتظهر الفتن، ويكثر الهرج: وهو القتل، وحتى يكثر فيكم المال فيفيض حتى يهم رب المال من يقبل صدقته وحتى يعرضه عليه، فيقول الذي يعرضه عليه: لا ارب لي به، وحتى يتطاول الناس في البنيان، وحتى يمر الرجل بقبر الرجل، فيقول: يا ليتني مكانه، وحتى تطلع الشمس من مغربها، فإذا طلعت ورآها الناس، يعني آمنوا اجمعون، فذلك حين لا ينفع نفسا إيمانها لم تكن آمنت من قبل او كسبت في إيمانها خيرًا ولتقومن الساعة وقد نشر الرجلان ثوبهما بينهما، فلا يتبايعانه، ولا يطويانه، ولتقومن الساعة وقد انصرف الرجل بلبن لقحته فلا يطعمه، ولتقومن الساعة وهو يليط حوضه فلا يسقي فيه، ولتقومن الساعة وقد رفع اكلته إلى فيه فلا يطعمها.
Abu Huraira (RA) reported that the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, stated: ‘The Day of Judgment will not be established until two great groups wage war. There will be a massive bloodshed between them, though their calls will be the same. And until nearly thirty fraudulent Dajjals are dispatched, each claiming he is the Messenger of Allah. This will go on until knowledge is lifted, earthquakes will be very frequent, time (of the Day of Judgement) will be near, tribulations will emerge, much killing will happen, wealth will proliferate so much it will overflow until the owner of wealth will worry about who will accept his charity. The situation will reach a point where a person will present his charity (sadaqah) to others, but those to whom he presents it will say that they do not need it. People will pride themselves on erecting tall buildings, competing in their construction. A man will pass by the grave of another, wishing to be in his place. The sun will rise from the west, and when it does rise that way and people see it, they will all believe, but that's when faith no longer benefits the soul that had not believed before or earned good in faith. Then, the Day of Judgement will swoop in unexpectedly so that two men would not manage to exchange or fold a garment between them; the Day of Judgement will arrive while a person returns with the milk of his she-camel and would not be able to drink it; the Day of Judgement will come while someone is mud plastering his trough and would not manage to fill water in it; and the Day of Judgement will come while he’s bringing the morsel to his mouth and yet won’t get to eat it.’ (Bukhari No. 7121)
It should be noted that the sign of the Dajjal is mentioned among these eleven signs, but the most crucial sign of the descent of Jesus is not mentioned.
1. War between two great armies
2. The appearance of many Dajjals
3. Claims of prophethood by three individuals
4. The disappearance of knowledge
5. Increase in murders and anarchy
6. Abundance of wealth
7. Shortage of people willing to accept charity
8. Pride over large buildings
9. Competition in the construction of buildings
10. A desire for death among people
11. The sun rising from the west and people coming to faith upon seeing it
Similarly, a hadith in Tirmidhi mentions three signs, but it does not include the sign of the Second Coming of Jesus.
عن ابي هريرة، عن النبي صلى اللّٰه عليه وسلم، قال: ثلاث إذا خرجن لَا يَنْفَعُ نَفْسًا اِيْمَانُهَا لَمْ تَكُنْ اٰمَنَتْ مِنْ قَبْلُ[68]، الدجال، والدابة، وطلوع الشمس من المغرب او من مغربها.
Abu Huraira reported the Prophet (PBUH) to have said: ‘Three things, when they appear, one’s faith will not benefit them if they had not believed before: the Dajjal, the beast, and the sun rising from the west.’ (Tirmidhi No. 3072)
In a narrative of Musnad Ahmad bin Hanbal, there are six signs of the apocalypse described, but they do not include the sign of the descent of Jesus.
عن عوف بن مالك الأشجعي قال: أتيت النبي صلى اللّٰه عليه وسلم وهو في خدر له، فقلت: أدخل ؟ فقال: ادخل قلت : أكلي؟ قال: كلك فلما جلست قال: أمسك ستاً تكون قبل الساعة، أولهن وفاة نبيكم. قال: فبكيت، قال هشيم: ولا أدري بأيها بدأ ؟ ثم فتح بيت المقدس، وفتنة تدخل بيت كل شعر ومدر، وأن يفيض المال فيكم حتى يعطى الرجل مائة دينار فيتسخطها، وموتان يكون في الناس كقعاص الغنم قال: وهدنة تكون بينكم وبين بني الأصفر، فيغدرون بكم فيسيرون إليكم في ثمانين غاية، (وقال يعلى: في ستين غاية)، تحت كل غاية اثنا عشر ألفاً.
Auf bin Malik narrates: ‘Once I sought permission to enter the house of the Prophet (PBUH) and asked whether I should come in or stay at the door. The Prophet (PBUH) said, ‘Come in.’ So I did. The Prophet (PBUH) was performing ablution in the best manner and then he said to me, ‘Auf bin Malik, count six things before the Day of Judgment: first, your Prophet will pass away, then Jerusalem will be conquered, then there will be a plague among humans like the plague among sheep, then there will be emergence of tribulations, then there will be such an abundance of wealth among you that if a man were given a hundred dinars, he would get angry , then with an army consisting of eighty banners (and Ya‘la said sixty banners) and each banner having twelve thousand soldiers, the Romans will come to fight you.’ (Musnad Ahmad No. 23996)
There are other narratives regarding the signs of the Day of Judgement recorded in the books of hadith. The purpose here is only to present the issue that in many narratives about the signs of the Day of Judgment, there is no mention of the descent of Jesus. This casts doubt on the concept of the descent of Jesus, and as a result, it cannot be accepted as coming from the Prophet, peace be upon him.