The ruling on one who denies the descent of 'Isa (peace be upon him)
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
Question:
The Shaykh, may Allah reward you, what is your opinion on the case of a man who mentions the descent of 'Isa (peace be upon him) in the end times, and says that the hadiths regarding it are ahad (reports with a limited chain)? Are they ahad or mutawatir (mass-transmitted)?
Answer:
The hadiths regarding the descent of the Messiah are said to be mutawatir. Some scholars have even written a book titled "The Verification of the Mass-Transmitted Descent of the Messiah," and it is a printed book. If they are mutawatir, then the one who denies them is a disbeliever.
The Qur'an indicates the descent of 'Isa in the end times. Allah the Exalted said:[An-Nisa 4:159] This position is a reference to his descent in the end times, and that the Jews and Christians will believe in him before his death (peace and blessings be upon him) in Najd. And in His saying, "And it is indeed a sign of the Hour," in the reading "And it is indeed a sign of the Hour," it means a sign of the establishment of the Hour. So among the signs of the Hour is the descent of the Messiah [Az-Zukhruf 43:61]. Thus, his descent is among the signs of the Hour, and this is by the explicit text of the great Qur'an.
As for the Sunnah, there are many hadiths that have reached the level of tawatur (mass transmission). The one who denies the descent of the Messiah is considered a disbeliever, because he contradicted what the Qur'an indicated, what the Sunnah established through mass transmission, and what the Muslims agreed upon regarding the descent of the Messiah in the end times.
So there are those who denied this, such as a person mentioned by Abu 'Ubayd, and the scholars responded to him and refuted his doubts, praise be to Allah. Among that is what Shaykh Hamud al-Suwajiri (may Allah have mercy on him) responded with in the book "Ishaq al-Jama'ah in the Signs of the Hour," refuting this idea and refuting Abu 'Ubayd specifically, and dismantling his statements, praise be to Allah, and not just responding to him. Yes.
The majority of those who deny the existence of the Messiah are the rationalists. The rationalists do not believe in much of the Sunnah, and they say, "Even if it were true, we would not believe in it as long as it contradicts reason." We do not say that one of them died, and Allah is the helper. I am not prepared to abandon my reason for a hadith that is authentic from the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him). The matter is very serious, and I seek refuge in Allah. Yes.
The presenter:
Allah.
The Shaykh, may Allah reward you, what is your opinion on the case of a man who mentions the descent of 'Isa (peace be upon him) in the end times, and says that the hadiths regarding it are ahad (reports with a limited chain)? Are they ahad or mutawatir (mass-transmitted)?
Answer:
The hadiths regarding the descent of the Messiah are said to be mutawatir. Some scholars have even written a book titled "The Verification of the Mass-Transmitted Descent of the Messiah," and it is a printed book. If they are mutawatir, then the one who denies them is a disbeliever.
The Qur'an indicates the descent of 'Isa in the end times. Allah the Exalted said:
And there is none from the People of the Scripture but that he will surely believe in Jesus before
وَإِن مِّنْ أَهْلِ الْكِتَابِ إِلَّا لَيُؤْمِنَنَّ بِهِ قَبْلَAnd indeed, Jesus will be [a sign for] knowledge of the Hour, so be not in doubt of it
وَإِنَّهُ لَعِلْمٌ لِّلسَّاعَةِ فَلَا تَمْتَرُنَّ بِهَاAs for the Sunnah, there are many hadiths that have reached the level of tawatur (mass transmission). The one who denies the descent of the Messiah is considered a disbeliever, because he contradicted what the Qur'an indicated, what the Sunnah established through mass transmission, and what the Muslims agreed upon regarding the descent of the Messiah in the end times.
So there are those who denied this, such as a person mentioned by Abu 'Ubayd, and the scholars responded to him and refuted his doubts, praise be to Allah. Among that is what Shaykh Hamud al-Suwajiri (may Allah have mercy on him) responded with in the book "Ishaq al-Jama'ah in the Signs of the Hour," refuting this idea and refuting Abu 'Ubayd specifically, and dismantling his statements, praise be to Allah, and not just responding to him. Yes.
The majority of those who deny the existence of the Messiah are the rationalists. The rationalists do not believe in much of the Sunnah, and they say, "Even if it were true, we would not believe in it as long as it contradicts reason." We do not say that one of them died, and Allah is the helper. I am not prepared to abandon my reason for a hadith that is authentic from the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him). The matter is very serious, and I seek refuge in Allah. Yes.
The presenter:
Allah.
Source
شرح العقيدة الواسطية [27] — alfawzan.live (23:42)
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.