Two different descriptions of Jesus in Hadith

In Sahih al-Bukhari, there are recorded two different physical descriptions of Jesus a.s — 

1.One applying to the past Messiah and 
2.The other to the Messiah whose advent in the latter days is prophesied.


1. In the Mi‘raj (Ascension) the Messiah seen with Moses, Abraham and other prophets by the Holy Prophet, was described by him thus:

 رَأَيْتُ عِيسَى وَمُوسَى وَإِبْرَاهِيمَ، فَأَمَّا عِيسَى فَأَحْمَرُ جَعْدٌ عَرِيضُ الصَّدْرِ، وَأَمَّا مُوسَى فَآدَمُ جَسِيمٌ سَبْطٌ كَأَنَّهُ مِنْ رِجَالِ الزُّطِّ

The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "I saw Moses, Jesus and Abraham (on the night of my Ascension to the heavens). Jesus was of red complexion, curly hair and a broad chest. Moses was of brown complexion, straight hair and tall stature as if he was from the people of Az-Zutt."     (Bukhari, Kitab ul-Anbiya)

                                            READ THIS HADITH ONLINE

"I saw Jesus, Moses and Abraham. Jesus had a reddish complexion, curly hair and a wide chest." 

           (ibid., ch. 48)

Jesus as believed by Christians

It is clear from both these Hadith reports that by Jesus, who was seen herealong with Abraham and Moses, is meant the Israelite prophet. He had a red complexion and curly hair.




2. Bukhari has recorded a hadith in which the Holy Prophet relates a dream of his about the future:

 بَيْنَمَا أَنَا نَائِمٌ رَأَيْتُنِي أَطُوفُ بِالْكَعْبَةِ فَإِذَا رَجُلٌ آدَمُ سَبِطُ الشَّعْرِ بَيْنَ رَجُلَيْنِ يَنْطِفُ رَأْسُهُ مَاءً - أَوْ يُهَرَاقُ رَأْسُهُ مَاءً - قُلْتُ مَنْ هَذَا قَالُوا هَذَا ابْنُ مَرْيَمَ ‏.‏ ثُمَّ ذَهَبْتُ أَلْتَفِتُ فَإِذَا رَجُلٌ أَحْمَرُ جَسِيمٌ جَعْدُ الرَّأْسِ أَعْوَرُ الْعَيْنِ كَأَنَّ عَيْنَهُ عِنَبَةٌ طَافِيَةٌ ‏.‏ قُلْتُ مَنْ هَذَا قَالُوا الدَّجَّالُ ‏.‏ أَقْرَبُ النَّاسِ بِهِ شَبَهًا ابْنُ قَطَنٍ

I was sleeping when I saw myself making circuit around the Ka'bah, and I saw there a man of fair complexion with straight hair between two men. Water was flowing from his head or water was falling from his head. I said: Who is he? They answered: He is the son of Mary.  (Kitab-ul-Imaan)

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Thus, where Jesus is mentioned along with Abraham and Moses, he is described as of a reddish complexion and curly hair; but where he is seen along with the Dajjal in a dream about the future, he is said to have a wheatish complexion with straight hair. Evidently these two different descriptions do not apply to one and the same person. 
So Jesus, the Israelite prophet, whom the Holy Prophet saw in the Mi‘raj (Ascension) vision, and the Messiah who was to appear in the latter days to kill the evil Dajjal, are two different persons.

This proves that Jesus, the Israelite prophet was dead, for the Messiah of the latter days was to be another person. It should be noted that prophecies invariably require interpretation and are not necessarily fulfilled exactly literally. The reason is that when a prophet or other righteous person is shown future events by God Almighty, it is in the form of visions or dreams seen by their spiritual, not physical, eyes. All holy scriptures are agreed that most dreams and visions require interpretation. This also applies to the Holy Prophet’s prophecies relating to "the descent of the Messiah", Dajjal, Gog and Magog, the Dabbat al-ard, etc.

حضرت مسیح موعودعلیہ السلام  بیان فرماتے ہیں:۔

 ’’ہمارے ہادی اور سیّد مولیٰ جناب ختم المرسلین نےمسیح اوّل اور مسیح ثانی میں مابہ الامتیاز قائم کرنے کے لئے۔۔۔۔۔۔ظاہر فرمایا ہے کہ مسیح اوّل اور مسیح ثانی کے حلیہ میں بھی فرق بیّن ہو گا۔چنانچہ مسیح اوّل کا حلیہ جو آنحضرت صلی اللہ علیہ و سلم کو معراج کی رات میں نظر آیا وہ یہ ہے کہ درمیانہ قد اور سرخ رنگ اور گھنگروالے بال اور سینہ کشادہ ہے دیکھو صحیح بخاری صفحہ489 لیکن اسی کتاب میں مسیح ثانی کا حلیہ جناب ممدوح نے یہ فرمایا ہے کہ وہ گندم گوں ہے اور ا س کے بال گھنگر والے نہیں ہیں اور کانوں تک لٹکتے ہیں .اب ہم سوچتے ہیں کہ کیا یہ دونوں ممیز علامتیں جو مسیح اول اورؔ ثانی میں آنحضرت صلی اللہ علیہ و سلم نے بیان فرمائی ہیں کافی طور پریقین نہیں دلاتیں کہ مسیح اول اورؔہے اور مسیح ثانی اور ان دونوں کو ابن مریم کے نام سے پکارنا ایک لطیف استعارہ ہے جو باعتبار مشابہت طبع اور روحانی خاصیت کے استعمال کیا گیا ہے۔‘‘

                    (صحیح بخاری کتاب الانبیاء باب و اذکرفی الکتاب مریم)

                                   (توضیح مرام ۔روحانی خزائن جلد 3صفحہ 59)

In 1891 Hazrat Mirza Gulam Ahmad claimed that God had told him:

The Messiah, son of Mary, Prophet of Allah, had died and thou hast

 come in accordance with the promise.

Visit Here to know more about The Promised Messiah