Signs of the Final Hour

The Descent of Isa عليه السلام

The descent of Isa ibn Maryam عليه السلام is one of the ten major signs before the Hour. He was not killed or crucified. Allah raised him, and near the end of time Allah will send him back as a just ruler who follows the truth, defeats the Dajjal, and stands with the believers.

Major Sign Status: To Come After Dajjal Appears

What Muslims Believe About This Sign

Isa عليه السلام is a noble Prophet and Messenger of Allah. Muslims love him, honour him, believe in his miraculous birth, believe he called people to worship Allah alone, and reject every claim that gives him any share of divinity.

His descent near the end of time is not a new prophethood and not a new religion. He will return as a follower of the final message brought by Prophet Muhammad ﷺ. The Ummah will not receive a new scripture, a new qiblah, or a new final law. The final guidance remains the Qur’an and the Sunnah.

This sign is tied directly to the Dajjal. When the Dajjal’s trial reaches its peak, Allah will send Isa عليه السلام. The false claimant will be destroyed, truth will become clear, and the believers will see that every false power collapses before the command of Allah.

Point 01 Raised by Allah

Isa عليه السلام Was Not Killed or Crucified

The Qur’an is clear that Isa عليه السلام was not killed and was not crucified. Allah saved him and raised him to Himself. This is why his end-time descent is possible: he did not finish his earthly mission in the way people claimed.

Muslims do not accept the claim that Isa عليه السلام was defeated by his enemies. Allah honoured him, protected him, and made the false claim of killing him a matter of confusion for those who spoke without knowledge.

This foundation matters before studying his descent. If a person begins with the wrong belief about what happened to Isa عليه السلام, the end-time reports become tangled. The Qur’an untangles the knot first: they did not kill him, they did not crucify him, but Allah raised him.

Source for this point

Qur’an 4:157: Allah says they did not kill him and did not crucify him, but it was made to appear so to them.
Qur’an 4:158: Allah says He raised Isa عليه السلام to Himself.
Qur’an 4:171: Allah commands the People of the Scripture not to exaggerate and identifies the Messiah, Isa son of Maryam عليه السلام, as the Messenger of Allah.

Point 02 Descent

Where and How He Will Descend

The detailed hadith of Nawwas ibn Sam’an رضي الله عنه describes Isa عليه السلام descending near the end of the Dajjal’s trial. The wording mentions the white minaret in the eastern side of Damascus, two garments lightly dyed, and his hands resting on the wings of two angels.

We should keep the wording as the Sunnah gives it. The hadith gives a real location description, but Muslims should avoid turning it into overconfident guesses about every modern building, map marker, or tourist claim. The safe way is to say what the hadith says and stop where the evidence stops.

His descent is not random. It comes at a moment when the Dajjal’s deception has shaken many people. Allah sends Isa عليه السلام as a sign of truth, justice, and the collapse of falsehood.

Source for this point

Sahih Muslim 2937a: The Prophet ﷺ described Isa ibn Maryam عليه السلام descending at the white minaret in the eastern side of Damascus, wearing two garments lightly dyed, and placing his hands on the wings of two angels.
Sahih Muslim 2901a: The descent of Isa عليه السلام is included among the ten major signs before the Hour.

Point 03 With the Believers

He Will Stand With the Muslim Community

The Sunnah teaches that Isa عليه السلام will descend while the Muslim community already has its imam. This is an important detail. It shows that Isa عليه السلام will not come to cancel the final message of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ or begin a separate Ummah.

He will stand with the believers and rule with justice. His descent honours him as a Prophet of Allah and also confirms the finality of the message of Muhammad ﷺ. Two truths stand together: Isa عليه السلام is a noble Messenger, and Muhammad ﷺ is the final Prophet.

This protects Muslims from two errors: lowering the rank of Isa عليه السلام, or exaggerating him beyond the rank Allah gave him. The middle path is the path of revelation.

Source for this point

Sahih al-Bukhari 3449: The Prophet ﷺ said, “How will you be when the son of Mary descends among you and your imam is among you.”
Sahih Muslim 155a: The Prophet ﷺ said the son of Mary will descend among the Ummah as a just judge.
Qur’an 33:40: Prophet Muhammad ﷺ is the Seal of the Prophets, so Isa عليه السلام does not return with a new prophethood after him.

Point 04 End of Dajjal

He Will Kill the Dajjal at Ludd

The Dajjal’s trial will end by Allah’s permission through Isa عليه السلام. The hadith states that Isa عليه السلام will pursue him until he catches him at the gate of Ludd and kills him.

This is one of the clearest lessons in the whole end-time sequence. The Dajjal will claim greatness, but he will not be able to save himself. His tricks, followers, speed, and terrifying appearance will not protect him from Allah’s decree.

The believer should read this with calm certainty. Falsehood can become loud, global, and frightening, but it remains fragile. Truth does not need to panic. Allah has already written the end of the greatest liar.

Source for this point

Sahih Muslim 2937a: Isa عليه السلام will search for the Dajjal until he catches him at the gate of Ludd and kills him.
Sahih Muslim 2940a: Allah will send Isa son of Maryam عليه السلام, who will pursue the Dajjal and destroy him.

Point 05 Justice

He Will Rule With Justice and Correct False Beliefs

The Prophet ﷺ said Isa عليه السلام will descend as a just ruler. He will break the cross, kill the swine, and abolish jizya. These words show that false beliefs about Isa عليه السلام will be openly rejected, and the truth of Islam will become clear.

Breaking the cross means the false claim that he was crucified and the worship attached to that claim will be ended. Killing the swine shows the ending of what was wrongly made acceptable. Abolishing jizya indicates that, at that stage, he will not accept the old political arrangement of protected communities continuing upon disbelief while paying jizya.

The hadith also mentions wealth becoming abundant. This shows a period of justice and blessing after the crushing of the Dajjal’s trial. But the believer’s focus should not be wealth. The focus is that Allah’s truth will be made clear and false worship will be defeated.

Source for this point

Sahih al-Bukhari 2476: The Prophet ﷺ said the son of Mary will descend as a just ruler, break the cross, kill the swine, abolish jizya, and wealth will become abundant.
Sahih al-Bukhari 3448: Another narration mentions his descent as a just judge and the same major actions.
Sahih Muslim 155a: The same meaning is reported in Sahih Muslim, including his just judgement and the abundance of wealth.
Qur’an 4:171: Allah warns against exaggeration regarding Isa عليه السلام and teaches the correct belief about him.

Point 06 Before Ya’juj and Ma’juj

His Descent Connects to the Next Major Sign

After the Dajjal is killed, Isa عليه السلام will be with the believers. Then Allah will reveal to him that a people have emerged whom no one can fight. This leads into the next major sign: Ya’juj and Ma’juj.

This order is important. The signs are not random stories scattered in the wind. The Dajjal appears, Isa عليه السلام descends, the Dajjal is killed, and then the test of Ya’juj and Ma’juj comes. The believer studies the sequence from authentic narrations, not from guesses.

Source for this point

Sahih Muslim 2937a: After Isa عليه السلام kills the Dajjal, Allah reveals to him about Ya’juj and Ma’juj and commands him to take the believers to Tur.
Qur’an 18:94-99 and Qur’an 21:96-97: These verses mention Ya’juj and Ma’juj, which will be covered in the next page.

Wrong Claims to Avoid

Because this topic is powerful, people often mix authentic belief with legends, modern claimants, and dramatic theories. Keep the matter tied to Qur’an and authentic hadith.

Wrong claim: Isa عليه السلام was killed or crucified. The Qur’an directly rejects this claim and says Allah raised him.
Wrong claim: Isa عليه السلام returns as a new Prophet with a new religion. He is already a Prophet of Allah, but his return will not bring a new final law after Prophet Muhammad ﷺ.
Wrong claim: Any modern person claiming to be Isa is to be accepted. The authentic signs of his descent are clear and tied to the end-time sequence around the Dajjal.
Wrong claim: We know the exact year of his descent. No authentic text gives the date. The timing belongs to Allah.
Wrong claim: A specific modern building must be declared with certainty as the exact minaret. The hadith mentions the white minaret in the eastern side of Damascus. We keep to the wording and avoid claims without proof.
Wrong claim: Special invented duas are prescribed for his descent. There is no separate famous dua for this sign that should be invented. The protection connected to this period is the protection from the Dajjal taught by Prophet Muhammad ﷺ.