Will Prophet Isa (AS) come back to earth before the sun rises from the west?

Question

Will Prophet Isa (AS) come back to this earth and preach Islam to everyone on this earth before the sun rises from the West? I have a question I asked in the comment section below

Answer 1

There is no known order of the major signs of the Hour, and it is a matter of difference of opinions among scholars (there is no verse or hadith that lists them in order).

To address your specific question, the strongest opinion is that 'Issa ﷺ will descend before the rising of the sun from the west.

عَنْ صَفْوَانَ بْنِ عَسَّالٍ، قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ـ صلى الله عليه وسلم ـ إِنَّ مِنْ قِبَلِ مَغْرِبِ الشَّمْسِ بَابًا مَفْتُوحًا عَرْضُهُ سَبْعُونَ سَنَةً فَلاَ يَزَالُ ذَلِكَ الْبَابُ مَفْتُوحًا لِلتَّوْبَةِ حَتَّى تَطْلُعَ الشَّمْسُ مِنْ نَحْوِهِ فَإِذَا طَلَعَتْ مِنْ نَحْوِهِ لَمْ يَنْفَعْ نَفْسًا إِيمَانُهَا لَمْ تَكُنْ آمَنَتْ مِنْ قَبْلُ أَوْ كَسَبَتْ فِي إِيمَانِهَا خَيْرًا

It was narrated from Safwan bin 'Assal that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: "Towards the west (i.e., the place of the setting of the sun) there is an open door, seventy years wide. That door will remain open for repentance until the sun rises from this direction. When it rises from this direction, faith will not benefit any soul that did not believe before or earn anything good through its faith."

_{— Sunan Ibn Majah, Book 36, Hadith 145}

From this hadith, one can conclude that the rising of the sun from the west marks the onset of the closure of the doors of repentance ("that door will remain open for repentance until the sun rises from this direction") and of accepting Islam as a religion ("faith will not benefit any soul that did not believe before").

حَدَّثَنَا إِسْحَاقُ، أَخْبَرَنَا يَعْقُوبُ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ، حَدَّثَنَا أَبِي، عَنْ صَالِحٍ، عَنِ ابْنِ شِهَابٍ، أَنَّ سَعِيدَ بْنَ الْمُسَيَّبِ، سَمِعَ أَبَا هُرَيْرَةَ ـ رضى الله عنه ـ قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم: وَالَّذِي نَفْسِي بِيَدِهِ، لَيُوشِكَنَّ أَنْ يَنْزِلَ فِيكُمُ ابْنُ مَرْيَمَ حَكَمًا عَدْلاً، فَيَكْسِرَ الصَّلِيبَ، وَيَقْتُلَ الْخِنْزِيرَ، وَيَضَعَ الْجِزْيَةَ، وَيَفِيضَ الْمَالُ حَتَّى لاَ يَقْبَلَهُ أَحَدٌ، حَتَّى تَكُونَ السَّجْدَةُ الْوَاحِدَةُ خَيْرًا مِنَ الدُّنْيَا وَمَا فِيهَا ‏"‏‏.‏ ثُمَّ يَقُولُ أَبُو هُرَيْرَةَ وَاقْرَءُوا إِنْ شِئْتُمْ ‏{‏وَإِنْ مِنْ أَهْلِ الْكِتَابِ إِلاَّ لَيُؤْمِنَنَّ بِهِ قَبْلَ مَوْتِهِ وَيَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ يَكُونُ عَلَيْهِمْ شَهِيدً

Narrated Abu Huraira: Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said, "By Him in Whose Hands my soul is, surely (Jesus,) the son of Mary will soon descend amongst you and will judge mankind justly (as a Just Ruler); he will break the Cross and kill the pigs and there will be no Jizya (i.e. taxation taken from non-Muslims). Money will be in abundance so that nobody will accept it, and a single prostration to Allah (in prayer) will be better than the whole world and whatever is in it." Abu Huraira added "If you wish, you can recite (this verse of the Holy Book): — 'And there is none Of the people of the Scriptures (Jews and Christians) But must believe in him (i.e Jesus as an Apostle of Allah and a human being) Before his death. And on the Day of Judgment, He will be a witness Against them." (Qur'an 4:159)

_{— Sahih al-Bukhari, Book 60, Hadith 118}

From this hadith, one can see that during the time of 'Issa ﷺ the people of the Scriptures (at least) will believe in him and that the jizyah will no longer be accepted (as people will either accept Islam or be executed). If this is indeed so, then the rising of the sun from the west will not have taken place, otherwise, their faith will not benefit them (according to the first hadith).

This is what was concluded by a number of scholars, including Al-Qurtubi in his book At-Tadhkirah and Abdur-Rahman al-Mubarakpuri in his book Sharh Jāmi' at-Tirmidhi.