Al-Nuzul
Definition
Al-nuzul — the descent — refers to the prophesied return of Isa before the Day of Judgment, one of the major signs of the Last Hour and one of the most extensively attested events in authentic hadith literature. The Prophet ﷺ described Isa's descent in Damascus, his breaking of the cross (to end its misuse as a symbol of worship), his killing of the Dajjal (the False Messiah), his rule by Islamic law, and his eventual natural death and burial near the Prophet ﷺ in Madinah. Ibn Kathir presents al-nuzul not as a theological curiosity but as an eschatological certainty — the completion of a prophetic mission whose first phase ended with the raising and whose final phase belongs to the end of human history.
As understood in the classical tradition of Ibn Kathir and the scholars of his school.
How the scholars use Al-Nuzul.
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"But those who disbelieve and deny our signs, they will be companions of the fire, they will abide therein eternally. Some interpreters suggested that the first descent refers to the descent from paradise to the sky of this world, while the second refers to the descent from the sky to the earth. However, this opinion is considered weak, as the first descent already implies they were sent to the earth."
— Ibn Kathir, Volume 1 — From Creation to Mūsā
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"disbelieved and denied are signs, they are the companions of the fire, dwelling therein eternally. Some interpreters said the intent with the first descent is from Paradise to the lowest heaven, and with the second, from the lowest heaven to the earth. This is weak, because His statement in the first instance, We said, Descend all of you from here, some of you enemies to others, and on earth there will be dwelling and provision for a time, indicates that they were descended to earth, with the first descent. And Allah knows best. The correct view is that he repeated the word even though it was a single descent and attached a ruling to"
— Ibn Kathir, The Story of Adam
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"However, this opinion is considered weak, as the first descent already implies they were sent to the earth. The correct understanding is that the repetition in words, despite being a single descent, carries different rulings. The first descent includes their enmity, and the second entails the condition that whoever follows his guidance will be happy, while those who oppose it will be wretched."
— Ibn Kathir, Volume 1 — From Creation to Mūsā
Appears in
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