“And indeed, he is a sign of the Hour; so do not doubt it, and follow Me. This is a straight path. (61)”

Then He mentioned Jesus, peace be upon him, saying: “He is”—that is, Jesus—“only a servant upon whom We bestowed favor” through prophethood, “and We made him an example,” a sign and a lesson, “for the Children of Israel,” through whom they might know Allah’s power to do whatever He wills, for He created him without a father.

“Had We willed, We could have made angels among you”—that is, had We willed, We would have destroyed you and made angels in your place—“to succeed one another on the earth”: they would succeed you, populate the earth, worship Me, and obey Me. It was also said that they would succeed one another.

“And indeed, he”—that is, Jesus, peace be upon him—“is knowledge of the Hour”: his descent is among the signs of the Hour, through which its nearness will be known. Ibn Abbas, Abu Hurayrah, and Qatadah recited it as laʿalam (“a sign of the Hour”), with a fatḥah on the lām and ʿayn; that is, an indication and a sign.

It has been narrated from the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him: “The son of Mary will soon descend among you as a just ruler. He will break the cross, kill the swine, abolish the jizyah, and, in his time, all religions other than Islam will perish.” (1)

It is also related that “he will descend at a mountain pass in the Sacred Land, wearing two saffron-dyed garments, (2) with the hair of his head oiled and a spear in his hand—the spear with which he will kill the Dajjal (False Messiah). He will then come to Jerusalem while the people are performing the afternoon prayer. The imam will step back, but he will put him forward”