The return of the Prophet Jesus (as) to Earth in the hadith

The fact that the Prophet Jesus (as) is alive in Allah's Presence and that he will return to earth in the End Times appears in some detail in the hadith collections, among them al-Shaybani's Taysir al-Usul ila Jami' al-Usul; Imam Maliki's Al-Muwatta'; the Sahihs of Ibn Khuzayma and Ibn Hibban; and the Musnads of Ibn Hanbal and al-Tayalisi, regarded as the greatest sources of the most reliable hadith. Furthermore, many Islamic scholars have carried out research and studies on these facts and have written books and treatises on them. These are also invaluable sources.

Heading the list of these great Islamic scholars is Abu Hanifa, the founder of the Hanafi school. In the final chapter of his book Al-Fiqh al-Akbar, Abu Hanifa states:

The emergence of the antichrist and of Gog and Magog is a reality; the rising of the Sun in the west is a reality; the descent of the Prophet Jesus (as) from the heavens is a reality; and all of the other signs of the Day of Resurrection, as contained in the authentic traditions, are established realities. (Imam Abu Hanifa, Al-Fiqh al-Akbar, http://muslim-canada.org/fiqh.html)

The hadith relating the Prophet Jesus' (as) second coming are tawatur, a specialized term defined as "a tradition that has been handed down by a number of different channels of transmitters or authorities, hence supposedly ruling out the possibility of its having been forged." Generally reliable hadith are those which are reported by so many hadith experts that there is no room left for error. The Islamic scholar Sayyid al-Jurjani expounded on this concept as follows:

Generally reliable reports are those that attain such a level [of agreement] among the majority of narrators that, according to custom, it is [considered] impossible for so many reporters to agree on a falsehood. In that event, if the report's words and meaning are consistent, then this is known as the "reliability of the word." If there is agreement among all of them in both sense and meaning, but a conflict in words, then this is known as "conceptual reliability.” (Al-Sayyid al-Sharif, Zafar al-Amani fi Sharh Mukhtasar al-Sayyid al-Sharif al-Jurjani fi Mustalah al-Hadith, p. 46)

We present a selection of these hadiths:

The Prophet Jesus (as), son of Mary, will definitely descend as a just judge and a just ruler. (Imam Nawawi, Commentary on Sahih Muslim)

The Judgment Day will not take place until the Prophet Jesus (as), son of Mary, comes as a fair ruler and a just imam. (Sunan Ibn Majah)

By Him in Whose Hands my soul is, the son of Mary (the Prophet Jesus [as]) will shortly descend among you people as a just ruler. (Sahih Bukhari)

There is no prophet between him (the Prophet Jesus [as]) and me. He will certainly descend. Recognize him when you see him. He is of medium height, of a reddish white color. He will wear two sets of yellow dyed clothing. Water will fall from his hair even if it does not rain. He will fight with people for Islam. He will slay the antichrist [make him ineffective] and then remain for exactly forty years on earth. Then he will die, and Muslims will perform the prayers for him. (Sahih Bukhari and Sahih Muslim)

What will you do when the son of Mary (as) descends among you and leads as one amongst you? (Sahih Muslim)

The Prophet Jesus (as), son of Mary, will then descend and their [the Muslims'] commander will invite him to come and lead them in prayer. But he will say: "No, some among you are commanders over some [among you.]" (Sahih Muslim)