✦ The Eschatological Supremacy of Jesus in Islam: Greater than the Mahdi ✦

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In Islamic eschatology, both Jesus and the Imam Mahdi are central figures expected to appear in the end times. However, their roles differ significantly in scope and theological significance. While the Mahdi is recognized as a righteous leader who will restore justice and guide the Muslim ummah, Jesus occupies a uniquely exalted status as the divinely appointed Messiah who will:

➤ Defeat the Antichrist (al-Masīḥ ad-Dajjāl)

➤ Overcome Gog and Magog (Yaʾjuj wa Maʾjuj)

➤ Affirm the final truth of Islam

The narrative affirms that Jesus’s return is more pivotal than that of the Mahdi, as he bears the universal mission of completing God’s plan on earth.

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❖ Jesus: The True Messiah and Divine Appointee ❖

According to the Qur’an and Hadith, Jesus was neither killed nor crucified, but was raised up to God and will return at the end of time:

“They did not kill him, nor did they crucify him, but it was made to appear so to them…”

(Surah An-Nisā’ 4:157)

✧ His second coming is not to bring a new religion but to vindicate the original message of tawḥid (monotheism), which was later distorted by his followers.

✧ In Islamic belief, Jesus will return as a follower of Muhammad’s sharīʿah, correcting Christian doctrines and uniting humanity under Islam.

Most significantly, Jesus will personally slay the Dajjāl, a feat that not even the Mahdi is capable of accomplishing:

“It will be at this very time that Allah will send Christ, son of Mary, and he will descend… He will search for him (Dajjāl) until he catches hold of him and kills him at the gate of Ludd.”

(Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim 2937)

✔ This act highlights Jesus’s supreme authority in the eschatological timeline and reaffirms his title as al-Masīḥ, the True Messiah—in contrast to the false messiah (al-Masīḥ ad-Dajjāl).

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❖ The Mahdi: The Guided Leader ❖

The Imam Mahdi is described in Islamic traditions as a descendant of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ. He will:

➤ Appear before the return of Jesus

➤ Lead the Muslim community

➤ Establish justice and equity

➤ Prepare the world for Christ’s descent

⚑ However, the Mahdi is a temporal leader, not a prophet, and his role is subordinate to that of Jesus.

When Jesus descends, he will defer to the Mahdi’s leadership in prayer:

“The Mahdi will ask Jesus to lead the prayer, but Jesus will decline, saying: ‘The iqāmah was made for you, so lead the prayer.’”

(Musnad Aḥmad; supported by Abū Dāwūd and others)

✦ This gesture is not inferiority, but humility. Jesus’s greater role lies in:

• Correcting Christian misbeliefs

• Breaking the cross

• Killing the swine

• Abolishing the jizyah

These acts symbolize the end of religious division and the triumph of pure monotheism.

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❖ Jesus and the Defeat of Gog and Magog ❖

Another mission exclusive to Jesus is his confrontation with Gog and Magog (Yaʾjuj wa Maʾjuj)—chaotic forces unleashed after the Dajjāl’s defeat.

⚑ Neither the Mahdi nor anyone else on earth will be able to resist them.

⚑ Jesus will lead the believers in refuge and supplicate to God.

⚑ Divine intervention will annihilate them:

“Then Jesus and his companions will be besieged… until Allah will send worms that attack the necks of Gog and Magog, and they will die en masse.”

(Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim 2937)

✔ This reveals God’s direct support for Jesus and underscores his unique eschatological authority.

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✦ Summary of Jesus’s Supreme Role ✦

In the grand narrative of Islamic eschatology:

➤ The Mahdi restores justice and unity as Caliph.

➤ But Jesus fulfills the highest divine mission:

✧ He destroys the Antichrist

✧ He corrects doctrinal errors and affirms Islam

✧ He leads the final confrontation with Gog and Magog

✧ He ushers in a period of global peace before the world’s end

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❖ Conclusion ❖

Thus, Jesus is not merely a returning prophet; he is the seal of eschatological fulfillment, divinely appointed to complete what began with Abraham and culminated in Muhammad ﷺ.

His return signals the climax of human history, where truth triumphs over falsehood and all deviations in belief are rectified.

The Qur’an alludes to this in Surah Az-Zukhruf (43:61):

وَإِنَّهُ لَعِلْمٌ لِّلسَّاعَةِ فَلَا تَمْتَرُنَّ بِهَا وَاتَّبِعُونِ ۚ هَـٰذَا صِرَاطٌ مُّسْتَقِيمٌ

“And indeed, he [Jesus] will be a sign for the Hour, so do not doubt it, and follow Me. This is a straight path.”

✦ By defeating the Antichrist, overcoming Gog and Magog, and affirming the finality of the Muhammadan message, Jesus validates the universality and supremacy of Islam.

❖ His return fulfills the eschatological hope of divine justice, the unification of belief, and the final proof of God’s truth to all mankind. ❖

— Azahari Hassim

Founder, The World of Abrahamic Theology