-
Regarding Mentioning Of Jesus's Return In Early Hadith Books
I have been following Ghamidi shb’s discourse regarding the return of Jesus (Isa a.s.), particularly the argument that the earliest primary Hadith records, such as the Muwatta of Imam Malik and the Sahifa of Hammam bin Munabbah, do not contain narrations mentioning his return.
However, while researching Musnad Ahmad, I came across a narration (listed as #9259 in some enumerations) which is attributed to the Sahifa of Hammam bin Munabbah. This narration explicitly states: “Eesaa will soon descend among you …… He will remain for forty years after killing the Dajjaal. Then he will die and the Muslims will pray the funeral prayer over him.”
Given that this narration appears to exist within the Sahifa preserved in Musnad Ahmad, could anyome please clarify Ghamidi shb’s stance? Is it being overlooked, or is it my misunderstanding or this narration does not qualify as sufficient evidence for this creed in your view?
JazakAllah for your response.
-
2 Replies
-
Regarding Mentioning Of Jesus's Return In Early Hadith Books
updated 6 months, 2 weeks ago
3 Members
·
2
Replies
-
Your question touches on a crucial distinction that is often misunderstood: the difference between a narration transmitted by Hammam bin Munabbih and a narration found in the Sahifa manuscript itself.
1. The Sahifa vs. Musnad Ahmad’s Grouping
When Ghamidi Sahb states the Sahifa lacks this narration, he refers to the original independent manuscript discovered by Dr. Muhammad Hamidullah (Damascus/Berlin manuscripts), which contains 138 narrations. This specific document does not include the Jesus return narration.
Musnad Ahmad contains thousands of narrations. When you see “#9259 attributed to Sahifa,” this likely reflects later editorial grouping—compilers organized narrations by transmitter (Hammam from Abu Hurayrah) for convenience. However, Musnad Ahmad is not the Sahifa. The presence of a Hammam narration in Musnad Ahmad does not automatically make it part of the Sahifa document. Without verification that #9259 appears in the actual Hamidullah manuscripts, the attribution remains questionable.
2. Epistemological Standards (Ahad vs. Creed)
Even if authentic, this narration is Ahad (solitary). Classical Usul al-Fiqh requires Tawatur (mass transmission) for establishing core creed (aqidah), not merely Sahih Ahad. A small cluster of narrations cannot add a fundamental article of faith that the Quran omits.
3. The Primacy of the Quran
The Quran discusses Jesus’s life, mission, and departure in detail (3:55, 5:117), interpreting Tawaffi as natural death. It emphasizes all messengers completed their missions and passed away. If the physical return of a Prophet were essential to faith, the Quran—which details inheritance laws and social conduct—would not remain silent on such a major global event.
This is not about “overlooking” evidence. It is about source criticism (is #9259 actually in the Sahifa manuscript or merely transmitted by Hammam?) and epistemological standards (Ahad reports suffice for Fiqh, not for Creed). To Ghamidi, these narrations reflect early Muslims’ eschatological expectations, not binding doctrinal truths meant for all time. -
There is a discontinuity in the chain of this narration: the samaa of Qatadah—who was a mudallis—from Abdur‑Rahman bin Adam is not established. Despite this, the narration is generally regarded as Sahih due to the presence of several other authentic reports on the same subject.
Ghamidi Sahab has not accepted this specific narration because of the issue in its chain (the correct numbers in Musnad Ahmad, as published in the edition researched by Shuayb al‑Arnaut and Adil Murshid, are 9632, 9633, and 9634). However, he does accept a number of other narrations regarding the descent of Prophet Jesus (sws), including several from Musnad Ahmad, and has explained his interpretation of them.
Further details on his interpretation can be found in the following discussion:
Sponsor Ask Ghamidi
