Hence, everyone should reflect, including those who are known as Muslims. We too should explain to them, and should not get embroiled in debates with the so-called religious scholars that the Messiah who had to come has not yet come or that he is to descend at such and such location. The fact is that the way in which this concept is presented is the result of not understanding a Hadith.
The Promised Messiah(as) has explained this tradition as follows, he says:
If it is said that the Ahadith relate in clear and evident words that the Messiah, son of Mary, shall descend from the heavens and that his descent shall take place near the eastern minaret in Damascus and he will have his hands on the shoulders of two angels; then how could this specific and clear statement be denied?
That is to say, that this is what people say and as it is a clear and obvious statement, people ask, how could it be denied?
In response the Promised Messiah(as) stated:
The answer to this is that descending from the heavens does not indicate that in reality a being would bodily come down, rather in the authentic Ahadith, even the word 'heavens' is not mentioned. Moreover the word 'nuzul' is commonly and widely used. When a person starts from one place to stop at another place, it is also said that he has descended here. Just as it is said that a troop has descended at such and such place or a convoy has descended. Is it understood from this that the troop or the convoy has come down from the heavens? Furthermore, Allah the Exalted has clearly declared in the Holy Qur’an that the Holy Prophet(sa) has also come down from the heavens. In fact at one point it is said that, 'We have caused iron to come down from the heavens.' So it is quite clear that this descending from the heavens is not of the sort and nature, the sort that people imagine it to be. (Izala-e-Auham, Ruhani Khaza’in, Vol. 3, pp. 132, 133)
The Promised Messiah(as) has said:
The Ahadith are replete with the explanation of this. People lack knowledge themselves, and the religious scholars mislead them.
He went on to further state:
For this the Jews also made the error and did not accept Hadrat Isa(as).
In any case these are detailed and thorough matters which cannot be mentioned in the sermon. Ahmadis should try and explain these issues within their circles in accordance to the changing times so that as many auspicious souls as possible can be saved. All the decent people who can be saved, may be saved. Ahmadis should openly tell people of all religions within their circles that the one who was to come according to the teachings of all religions, has come.
The Promised Messiah(as) states:
I now present that Hadith to the audience that Abu Da’ud wrote in his Sahih and draw their attention to its evidence. So, let it be clear that the Hadith that is recorded in Abu Da’ud's Sahih is that a person named Harith shall come from Harrath ma wara-’unnahar i.e., from Samarkand who shall strengthen the people of the Prophet(sa), and whose help and victory will be binding for each believer. It has been Divinely revealed to me that this prophecy and the prophecy about the advent of the Messiah who will be the Imam of Muslims and will be from among them; in fact these two prophecies are common in their subject matter and this humble person alone is the substantiation of them both. In reality the key signs of the prophecy relating to the name of the Messiah are only two; one that when the Messiah will come he will reform the internal state of the Muslims, which will be extremely deteriorated at the time, with his right teachings.
This has been mentioned in earlier sermons. They (Muslim) accept that the condition of the Muslims is deteriorated and a reformer is needed.