Muslims, in a few days, Tuesday of next week, it will be the 27th night of Rajab, an important date in the sira of the Prophet date in the sira of the Prophet and therefore prominent in our din, as it is generally generally accepted as the date on which the Messenger of Allah made his well known Night Journey and As-Sunnah known Night Journey and Ascent, the Israa and Mi'raȳ.
The story of what The story of what happened tonight is well known to all Muslims, and to accept it as true is a hallmark of the is the hallmark of the truthfulness of the belief of the mumin. For there is no doubt that the Night Journey and the Ascension really happened, for both are mentioned in the Qur'an and Sunnah.
As for what is said in the Qur'an, Allah has named a sura 'The Night Journey', al-Isra', after this event and says in its beginning event and says in its beginning:
Glory be to Him Who one night caused His servant to travel from the Inviolable Mosque to the farthest Mosque, the one whose environs We have blessed, to show him part of Our signs! Verily He it is Who heareth and Who seeth.
Qur'an, 17:1
In the Sura of the Astro he also mentions the Ascent, saying:
By the Astro when he disappears! That your companion is not astray or in error. Nor does he speak out of desire. It is but an inspired revelation. He is taught by one of great power and strength. Who took his true form upon the highest horizon. And drew near and humbled Himself. And stood from Him at the distance of two bows or even nearer. And He inspired His servant what He inspired Him. His heart did not lie in what he saw. Can you deny what he saw? He had already seen it in another revelation by the Lotus of the Boundary. Beside it is the garden of Refuge. When the Lotus was covered by what covered it. He did not avert his gaze, nor did he prod. And he saw some of the greatest signs of his Lord.
Qur'an 53:1-18
Allah mentions and describes some aspects of this journey in the Qur'an. And in the Hadith we find the story story with more details and more accurate descriptions of what happened. And those hadiths are mutawatirthat is, the same hadith or story is narrated by different sources. different sources. Imam al-Qurtubi said:
"The Israa (and the Mi'raȳ) is mentioned in all hadith collections and was narrated by Companions from different places where Islam came. It is therefore mutawatir".
The story that many of us know is based on the narrations of more than 26 of the Companions of the Messenger of Allah, including 'Ali ibn abi Talib, 'Aisha, Abu Hurayra, Ibn 'Abbas, Anas Ibn Malik, Abu Sai'd al-Khudri, Umm Hani and many others, may Allah be pleased with them. Their accounts differ in some minor matters, but they all agree on the following sequence of events. It is important to note that everything that happened to the Prophet, happened while he was fully awake, i.e. it happened in body and soul. It was not a dream, as some have said, for if it had been in a dream, there would have been nothing miraculous about it, and the idolaters of Quraysh would have no reason to deny his story.
On the night of Isra'a and Mi'raȳ, the angel Jibril appeared to the Messenger of Allah while he was sleeping, woke him up and brought him to where the awoke him and took him to where the Buraq was waiting for him. The Prophet mounted him and they started their journey, not stopping until they reached Bayt al-Maqdis in Jerusalem. There the Prophet found a group of Prophets waiting for him, including Ibrahim among them Ibrahim, Musa and 'Isa. When he greeted them, they all made dua for him and asked him to be imam in Jerusalem. and asked him to be imam in prayer.
Then began the part of the Journey known as Mi'raȳ or Ascent. He ascended through the heavens, meeting a different Prophet at each stage of the journey, until he reached beyond all the heavens, to the Lotus of the beyond all the heavens, to the Lotus of the Boundary, a place two arcs away, or even closer, where it would not be or even closer, where no created being had ever gone before. There he greeted his Lord saying:
"Greetings are for Allah, good deeds are for Allah, good words and prayers are for Allah. Allah.
Allah answered his greeting saying:
"Peace be upon you, O Prophet Prophet, as well as Allah's mercy and blessing.
The Messenger said:
"Peace be upon us and upon the righteous servants of Allah. on the righteous servants of Allah".
In those eternal moments, Allah revealed to His beloved Prophet what He wanted to reveal to him and prescribed prayer to the Muslim ummah. prayer to the Muslim ummah. Then, before dawn, the Messenger of Allah returned to Makkah. returned to Makkah.
This is only a very brief synopsis of the events of that night: the full story is told in the books of hadith, sirah and tafsir. books of hadith, sirah and tafsir. But even this basic outline contains much for us to reflect on and many important reminders, the most important of which, perhaps most important of which, perhaps, is the indication it gives us of the high position of Allah's Messenger. high position of the Messenger of Allah and the rank he holds with Allah.
Abu Ya'far ibn 'Ali ibn al Husayn said: "Allah honoured Muhammad above the inhabitants of the heavens and the earth. and the earth.
These accounts are very important important to understand the place of the Messenger of Allah in creation. creation. He was first honoured above all the Prophets by being appointed their imam, and then he was imam, and then he was honoured above all in creation by being taken to a station where no other created being, not even the angels, can be taken to a station where no other created being, not even the angels, had been. He went beyond the earth, beyond the heavens and all of creation, to a place two arcs away. creation, to a place two arcs away or even closer.
This is the station of the Messenger to whose ummah we are blessed to belong and whose example and Sunnah we strive to follow. we strive to follow. He is the best of creation and we should never forget him, never stop loving or making salawat for him, and never stop loving or making salawat for him. forget him, we should never stop loving him or making salawat for him, and we should never stop thanking Allah for allowing us to and never stop thanking Allah for allowing us to know him and be part of his ummah. umma.
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Allah says in His Noble Book: "The Knower of the Unseen Unseen, to none does He give access to His Unseen. Except for that messenger Who enjoys His good pleasure". (72:26-27)
Among the important lessons important lessons we can draw from the history of the Isra and the Mi'raȳ, I would like to mention two of them briefly. I would like to mention two of them briefly.
First, it reminds us of the firstly, it reminds us of the limitations of science and of our senses on which we rely and on which we depend. we rely on and depend on, for it shows that there is a whole world that most of us cannot see, an invisible world. most of us cannot see, an invisible world. On that night, the Messenger of Allah saw and did things that defy any attempt at explanation by conventional science, such as travelling conventional science, such as travelling from Makkah to Jerusalem and back on horseback in a single night, and returning on horseback in a single night, or seeing the Prophets of previous generations in person. Prophets of previous generations in person. Astrophysicists and quantum physicists go out of their minds and decipher other dimensions in time and space, other parallel worlds. They want to see the Unseen, and Allah opens little windows for them, but we have total magnet on it.
This reminder is something we are in great need of, especially in this time of sensory overload. sensory overload. It is very easy to fall into the trap of thinking that the world is only what our five senses experience. our five senses experience, but the truth is that those senses barely skim the surface of Allah's creation. barely skim the surface of Allah's creation. The limits of our senses are clear, but but Allah grants basira, understanding, openness and perception of the Unseen to the one who perception of the Unseen to whom He wills.
Secondly, it reminds us of the the importance of prayer and the central position it occupies in the din of Allah. of Allah. The first thing that the Messenger of Allah did when he arrived in Jerusalem was to pray, and the only act of worship that was made obligatory was to pray, and the only act of worship that became obligatory during the Mi'raȳ was prayer. during the Mi'raȳ was prayer.
Anas narrated that the Messenger of Allah said, describing what happened when he was in the Tree of Lote (Lot) of the furthest boundary: "Then Allah revealed to me what He revealed to me and He made fifty prayers every day and night obligatory upon me". He mentioned that when he told him to return to his Lord as 50 prayers would be too much for his people. too much for his people. So he went back to his Lord, and every time he returned to his Lord, his Lord would deduct his Lord, his Lord would deduct five prayers, and every time he returned to Musa, Musa would tell him that he should reduce the number of prayers because they would be too much of a burden for his people. burden for his people. This continued until the number was reduced to five prayers. prayers.
Allah said: "Muhammad, it is five prayers every day and night. Each prayer counts as ten, which makes fifty prayers...". When the Prophet passed by Musa, he again told him to go back and reduce the number, but the Prophet replied, "I have returned to my Lord so often that I am ashamed before Him," and he returned to his people with the five prayers that we know today: Subh, Dhuhr, 'Asr, Maghrib and Isha. And by the mercy of Allah, whoever fulfils them, will have the reward equivalent to 50 prayers.
So the only act of Allah revealed to His slave when he was closer to Him than any created being has ever been, was prayer. any created being has ever been, was prayer. The only act of worship that the Prophet brought for his ummah from the Mi'raȳ, from the close encounter with Allah, was prayer. with Allah, was prayer.
We ask Allah to give us to give us the capacity for reflection and understanding. We ask Him to increase us in love for His Messenger and in appreciation for His blessing His Messenger and in appreciation for the blessing He has bestowed upon us by making us part of His ummah. his ummah. And we ask Allah to accept all our prayers.
