The Return of Jesus — Islam, Christianity, and Daniel 7 All Converge

Sahih Bukhari 3:43:656:
"Allah's Apostle said, 'By Him in Whose hands my soul is, son of Mary (Jesus) will shortly descend amongst you people (Muslims) as a just ruler; he will break the Cross and kill the pig and abolish the Jizya (a tax taken from the non-Muslims). Then there will be abundance of money and no-body will accept charitable gifts.'"

Sahih Muslim 1:293:
"By Him in Whose hand is my life, the son of Mary will soon descend among you as a just judge. He will break crosses, kill swine, and abolish jizya."

Sunan Abu Dawud 37:4310:
"The Prophet said: There is no prophet between me and him, that is, Jesus. He will descend (to the earth)."

Surah 43:61:
"And indeed, Jesus will be a sign for the Hour [of Judgment], so be not in doubt of it, and follow Me. This is a straight path."
Classical commentators (Ibn Kathir, al-Tabari) interpret "sign for the Hour" as Jesus's descent before the Day of Judgment.

What Islamic eschatology teaches about Jesus's return:
— He will descend from heaven in white garments
— He will land on the white minaret in Damascus
— He will rule for 40 years (some hadiths) as a just judge
— He will pray behind the Mahdi
— He will kill the Antichrist (Dajjal)
— After his natural death, he will be buried in Medina next to Muhammad

What Islamic eschatology says about Muhammad:
Muhammad will NOT return. He died in 632 AD and is still buried in Medina. He will be resurrected on the Day of Judgment like all other humans — but he does not descend from heaven to judge the living world as Jesus does.

The text (~550 BC):
"I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him. And to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed."

The heavenly court scene:
The Ancient of Days (YHWH on his throne) gives the Son of Man eternal dominion, glory, and the worship of all nations. This is the divine investiture of the eschatological judge — the moment when the one who will return to judge receives his authority from YHWH himself.

Jesus's identification with the Daniel 7 Son of Man:
Matthew 26:64: Jesus at his trial — "You will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power AND COMING ON THE CLOUDS OF HEAVEN" — combining Psalm 110:1 (right hand position) with Daniel 7:13 (clouds).
Matthew 25:31: "When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another."
Revelation 1:7: "Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him."

Revelation 19:11-16:
"Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war. His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on his head are many diadems... He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and the name by which he is called is The Word of God (ho Logos tou Theou)... On his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords."

The identification markers:
— "Faithful and True" — Revelation 3:14 explicitly applies this to Jesus
— "The Word of God" — John 1:1 identifies Jesus as the Logos
— "King of kings and Lord of lords" — Deuteronomy 10:17 applies this to YHWH; Revelation applies it to Jesus (the YHWH identity transfer)
— White horse, riding in judgment — echoes Daniel 7's Son of Man coming in divine authority

Revelation 22:12-16 — Jesus announces his return himself:
"'Behold, I am coming soon, bringing my recompense with me, to repay each one for what he has done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.'... And the Spirit and the Bride say, 'Come.' And let the one who hears say, 'Come.'... He who testifies to these things says, 'Surely I am coming soon.'" Then: "I, Jesus, have sent my angel to testify to you about these things for the churches."
The speaker identifies himself as Jesus and as the Alpha and Omega simultaneously.

The convergence:
— Daniel 7 (550 BC): the Son of Man receives eternal dominion from YHWH and all nations serve him
— Sahih Bukhari: Jesus descends as the eschatological just judge
— Revelation 19: the Word of God, King of kings and Lord of lords, returns to judge
— Matthew 25:31: the Son of Man sits on his throne and judges all nations

All four traditions identify the same person — Jesus — as the eschatological judge who returns at the end of time.

The question Islam cannot answer:
WHY Jesus specifically? Why does the Mahdi (the Islamic messianic figure) need to step aside and let Jesus lead? Why does Jesus — not Muhammad — descend to judge? Why is Jesus alive in heaven (Surah 4:158) when Muhammad is in his grave?

The Quran records these facts without explaining them. The NT provides the explanation: Jesus is the divine Son of Man who received eternal dominion from YHWH before creation (John 17:5). His return as judge follows from his divine identity — he IS the Lord of lords, the First and the Last, the one to whom every knee will bow (Philippians 2:10-11 from Isaiah 45:23). Islamic eschatology records the eschatological fact (Jesus judges) without having the theological framework to explain it.

The "Muslim Jesus" vs the real Jesus:
Islam requires Jesus to return, pray behind the Mahdi (acknowledging Islamic leadership), break crosses (symbolizing rejection of Christianity), and eventually die a natural death and be buried in Medina. This version of the returning Jesus denies his own identity and mission. But the Jesus described by Daniel 7, by Revelation 19, and by Matthew 25 returns as the eternal King — not to subordinate himself to an Islamic leader but to establish the eternal kingdom that Daniel 7:14 says shall never be destroyed.