Yes. Multiple ṣaḥīḥ ḥadīth describe Jesus (ʿĪsā ibn Maryam) returning at the end of the age. According to Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 3448 and Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim 155, Jesus will descend from heaven, kill the Dajjāl (the great deceiver / anti-Christ), break the cross, kill the swine, and rule until he dies a natural death. This is one of the most surprising points of contact in the Christian-Muslim conversation. Christians can affirm the return of Jesus and gently engage where the two pictures differ.
What the ḥadīth say
Bukhārī 3448
'The Hour will not be established until the son of Mary descends amongst you as a just ruler. He will break the cross, kill the pigs, and abolish the jizya. Money will be in abundance so that nobody will accept it.'
Muslim 155
Similar in content; describes Jesus descending at the white minaret east of Damascus, killing the Dajjāl, and judging by 'this Sharīʿa' (i.e., Islamic law).
Abu Dāwūd 4324
Describes the descent at length, the killing of the Dajjāl, and the period of justice that follows.
Classical theology
Classical Sunni eschatology integrates the descent of Jesus with the rise of the Mahdī (a guided one from the Prophet's family) and the appearance of the Dajjāl, in a sequence that varies somewhat by school but consistently features Jesus as a returning servant of Allah, not as God.
What the two pictures share
Christians and Muslims agree on a remarkable amount.
- Jesus is alive (Christians: ascended; Muslims: raised to heaven before crucifixion per Q 4:157-158).
- Jesus will return at the end of the age.
- His return will mark a dramatic intervention in human history.
- He will defeat a great deceiver (Christians: the anti-Christ of 2 Thessalonians 2 and Revelation 13; Muslims: the Dajjāl).
- His return will be a moment of justice and truth.
This is more shared eschatology than most Christians realize. It is also a remarkable evangelistic doorway.
Where the pictures differ
Three significant differences.
1. Who Jesus is when he returns
For Muslims, Jesus returns as the prophetic servant of Allah he has always been — exalted, righteous, but a creature. For Christians, Jesus returns as the eternal Son of God who became man, died, rose, ascended, and now is seated at the right hand of God (Hebrews 1:3; Acts 1:11). The Christian Jesus returns as the same Jesus who was crucified. The Muslim Jesus returns as the one who was not crucified (Q 4:157).
2. What Jesus does
For Muslims, Jesus breaks the cross — symbolically rejecting the Christian claim that he died on it — and judges by the law of Allah. For Christians, the returning Jesus comes precisely as the Lamb who was slain (Revelation 5:6) and rules as King of kings (Revelation 19:11-16). The cross is not broken; it is the very throne from which he reigns.
3. The role of the cross
This is the deepest difference. The Muslim picture of the return cancels the cross. The Christian picture vindicates it. The cross is not an embarrassment Jesus must repudiate when he returns; it is the means by which God has reconciled the world to himself (2 Corinthians 5:21; Colossians 2:14).
A note for the Christian reader
Do not start a conversation with 'breaking the cross.' Start with the shared expectation: 'You and I both believe Jesus is alive and is coming back. Tell me what you expect when he comes.' Then listen carefully. The doorway opens.
How to engage in conversation
Most Muslim friends know about the return of Jesus, but their grasp of the details varies. The conversation usually goes well if you ask, listen, and then gently ask about the cross.
A particularly fruitful question: 'When Jesus returns to break the cross, why is the cross still there to break? If God prevented his death, what is the cross of significance for him to break?' Walked patiently, this question opens out into the historical question of the crucifixion and into the deeper gospel question of why Jesus came in the first place.
Sources to read
Click a source title to read it on an authoritative site (quran.com for the Qurʼān and tafsīr; sunnah.com for ḥadīth).
| Source | What it covers |
|---|---|
| Bukhārī 3448 | Jesus descends as a just ruler. |
| Muslim 155 | The descent at the white minaret. |
| Abu Dāwūd 4324 | The killing of the Dajjāl. |
| Q 4:157-158 | Allah raised Jesus to himself. |
How to think about it
- Lead with shared expectation. Both communities await Jesus's return.
- Note the differences carefully. Who he is, what he does, the role of the cross.
- Walk to the cross gently. The deepest difference is whether the cross is to be broken or vindicated.
Common objections
- If Jesus returns to break the cross, that disproves the crucifixion.
It does not. The historical question of whether Jesus was crucified is settled by first-century evidence (1 Cor 15:3-8, Tacitus, Josephus, the Roman record), not by seventh-century interpretation. The Muslim expectation that Jesus will break the cross requires the cross to exist as a symbol — that is, requires Christianity's persistence to make sense of the act.
- These are just isolated ḥadīth.
They are not. The descent of Jesus is in Bukhārī, Muslim, Abu Dāwūd, and is integrated into classical Sunni eschatology. It is not a fringe view; it is mainstream.
Related questions
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