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| >>Siratun
Nabi |
Al-Isra’
and Al-Mi‘raj
by Saifur Rahman al-Mubarakpuri
(The Miraculous Night Journey
from Makkah to the Farthest Mosque in Jerusalem, and the
Ascent through the Spheres of Heavens)
The last days of the Makkan phase of the Prophet’s
life are noted for alternate fortunes ranging between
two extremes: gradual success and continual persecution.
However, glimpses of propitious lights were looming on
the distant horizon, to ultimately materialize in the
event of the Prophet’s Night Journey to Jerusalem
and then Ascension through the spheres of the heavens.
As for its exact date, it is still controversial and no
common consent has been reached. However, the majority
of jurists is in favour of a date between 16-12 months
prior to migration to Madinah. The following is a epitome
of the details of that miraculous event narrated on the
authority of Ibn Al-Qayyim. [Za'd Al-Ma'ad
2/49; Tareekh-e-Islam 1/124; Rahmat-al-lil'alameen 1/76]
The Messenger of Allâh [pbuh] was carried in body
from the Sacred Mosque in Makkah to the Distant Mosque
in Jerusalem on a horse called Al-Buraq in the company
of Gabriel, the archangel. There he alighted, tethered
the horse to a ring in the gate of the Mosque and led
the Prophets in prayer. After that Gabriel took him to
the heavens on the same horse. When they reached the first
heaven Gabriel asked the guardian angel to open the door
of heaven. It was opened and he saw Adam, the progenitor
of mankind. The Prophet [pbuh] saluted him and the other
welcomed him and expressed his faith in Muhammad’s
Prophethood. He saw the souls of martyrs on his right
and those of the wretched on his left.
Gabriel then ascended with the Prophet to the second heaven,
asked for opening the gate and there he saw and saluted
John, son of Zachariya (Yahya bin Zakariya) and Jesus,
son of Mary. They returned the salutation, welcomed him
and expressed their faith in his Prophethood. Then they
reached the third heaven where they saw Joseph (Yusuf)
and saluted him. The latter welcomed the Prophet and expressed
faith in his Prophethood. The Prophet, in the company
of Gabriel, then reached the fourth heaven where he met
the Prophet Enoch (Idris) and saluted him. Prophet Enoch
returned the salutation and expressed faith in his Prophethood.
Then he was carried to the fifth heaven where he met the
Prophet Aaron (Harun) and saluted him. The latter returned
the salutation and expressed faith in his Prophethood.
In the sixth heaven he met Moses (Musa) and saluted him.
The latter returned the salutation and expressed faith
in his Prophethood. Muhammad [pbuh] on leaving, saw that
Moses began to weep. He asked about the reason. Moses
answered that he was weeping because he witnessed a man
sent after him as a Messenger (Muhammad) who was able
to lead more of his people to the Paradise than he himself
did. Then Prophet Muhammad [pbuh] reached the seventh
heaven and met Abraham (Ibrahim)[AWS] and saluted him.
The latter returned the salutation and expressed faith
in his Prophethood. Then he was carried to Sidrat-al-Muntaha
(the remotest lote tree) and was shown Al-Bait-al-Ma‘mûr
[(the much frequented house) which is like the Ka‘bah
(Sacred House) encompassed daily by seventy thousand angels,
so that the angels who once encompassed it would not have
their turn again till the Resurrection]. He was then presented
to the Divine Presence and experienced the thrill of witnessing
the Divine Glory and Manifestation at the closest possible
propinquity. There the Lord revealed unto His servant
that which He revealed, and ordained fifty daily prayers
for him. On his return, he spoke to Moses that his followers
had been enjoined to pray fifty times a day. Moses addressing
the Prophet [pbuh] said: "Your followers cannot perform
so many prayers. Go back to your Lord and ask for a remission
in number." The Prophet [pbuh] turned to Gabriel
as if holding counsel with him. Gabriel nodded, "Yes,
if you desire," and ascended with him to the Presence
of Allâh. The All-Mighty Allâh, Glory is to
Him, made a reduction of ten prayers. He then descended
and reported that to Moses, who again urged him to request
for a further reduction. Muhammad [pbuh] once more begged
his Lord to reduce the number still further. He went again
and again in the Presence of Allâh at the suggestion
of Moses for reduction in the number of prayers till these
were reduced to five only. Moses again asked him to implore
for more reduction, but he said: "I feel ashamed
now of repeatedly asking my Lord for reduction. I accept
and resign to His Will." When Muhammad [pbuh] went
farther, a Caller was heard saying: "I have imposed
My Ordinance and alleviated the burden of My servants."
There is however some difference as regards the issue
whether the Prophet saw Allâh with his physical
eye or not. Some interpreters say that seeing Allâh
with his naked eyes was not confirmed. Ibn ‘Abbas,
on the other hand, says that the word Ru’ya as used
in the Noble Qur’ân signifies the observation
with the help of the eye.
we read:
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"Then
he approached and came closer."
Surah (Chapter)
An–Najm (The Star) Qur-an 53:8 |
Here (he) refers to archangel Gabriel, and this context
is completely different from that in the Prophetic tradition
of Isra’ and Mi‘raj, where ‘the approach’
relates to that of the Lord, Glory is to Him.
Some significant suggestive incidents featured the ‘Night
Journey’ of the Prophet, of which we could mention:
| 1. |
The
Prophet’s breast was cleft by Gabriel, his
heart extracted and washed with the water of Zamzam
—a sacred spring in Makkah. |
| 2. |
In
the same context, there were brought to him two
gold vessels. There was milk in one, while the
other was full of wine. He was asked to choose
either of them, so he selected the vessel containing
milk and drank it. He (the angel) said: "You
have been guided on Al-Fitrah or you have attained
Al-Fitrah. Had you selected wine, your nation
would have been misled." [It is a symbolic
way of saying that good and evil in the form of
milk and wine were brought before the Prophet
and he instinctively made a choice for the good.
It is very difficult to render the Arabic term
‘Fitrah’ into English. It denotes
the original constitution or disposition, with
which a child comes into this world, as contrasted
with qualities or inclinations acquired during
life; besides it refers to the spiritual inclination
inherent in man in his unspoilt state]. |
| 3. |
The
Prophet [pbuh] told that he saw two manifest rivers,
— the Nile and the Euphrates — and
two hidden ones. It appears that the two manifest
rivers, the Nile and the Euphrates, symbolically
describe the area in whose fertile valleys, Muhammad’s
Message will settle, and the people whereof will
always remain the adherent bearers of Islam that
will be passed on from generation to another.
They can by no means suggest that they well up
from the Garden. |
| 4. |
He
had the opportunity to see Malik, the guardian
of Hell, with a cheerless frowning face. Therein,
he saw the Hell dwellers, of whom were those who
unjustly eat up the property of the orphans. They
have flews similar to those of camels, swallowing
red-hot stones and then issuing out of their backs.
There were also the people who take usury with
bellies too big to be able to move around; they
are trodden by the people of Pharaoh when these
are admitted into Hell. In the same abode, he
saw the adulterers offered tasty fatty meat and
rotten smelly one but they make option for the
latter. The licentious women were also there hanging
from their breasts. |
| 5. |
The
‘Night Journey’ raised a good deal
of stir among the people and the sceptical audience
plied Muhammad with all sorts of questions. He
told them that he saw the camels of Makkan merchants
to and fro. He also guided them to some of their
animals that went astray. He informed them that
he had drunk some of their water while they were
fast asleep and left the container covered. |
The disbelievers, however, found it a suitable opportunity
to jeer at the Muslims and their creed. They pestered
the Prophet [pbuh] with questions as to the description
of the Mosque at Jerusalem, where he had never gone before
and, to the astonishment of many, the Prophet’s
replies furnished the most accurate information about
that city. He supplied them with all the news about their
caravans and the routes of their camels. However, all
this increased in them nothing but flight from the Truth,
and they accepted nothing but disbelief.
For the true Muslims, however there was nothing unusual
about the Night Journey. The All-Mighty Allâh, Who
is Powerful enough to have created the heavens and the
earth by an act of His Will, is surely Powerful enough
to take His Messenger beyond the heavens and show him
those signs of His at firsthand which are inaccessible
to man otherwise. The disbelievers on their part went
to see Abu Bakr on account of this event, and he readily
said: "Yes, I do verify it." It was on this
occasion that he earned the title of As-Siddiq (the verifier
of the truth). [Ibn Hisham 1/399]
The most eloquent and most concise justification of this
‘Journey’ is expressed in Allâh’s
Words:
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Glorified
(and Exalted) is He (Allah) [above all that (evil)
they associate with Him] Who took His slave (Muhammad
S) for a journey by night from Al-Masjid-al-Haram
(at Makkah) to Al-Masjid-al-Aqsa (in Jerusalem),
the neighbourhood whereof We have blessed, in
order that We might show him (Muhammad S) of Our
Ayat (proofs, evidences, lessons, signs, etc.).
Verily, He is the All-Hearer, the All-Seer.
Surah (Chapter) Al–Isra'
(The Journey by Night) Qur-an 17:1 |
The Divine rules as regards the Prophets goes as follows:
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Thus
did we show Ibrahim (Abraham) the kingdom of the
heavens and the earth that he be one of those
who have Faith with certainty.
Surah (Chapter) Al-An'am
(Cattle) Qur-an 6:75 |
"Thus did We show Abraham the kingdom of the heavens
and the earth that he be one of those who have Faith with
certainty." [Al-Qur'an 6:75]
To Moses, his Lord said:
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That
We may show you (some) of Our Greater Signs.
Surah (Chapter) Ta Ha (Ta
Ha) Qur-an 20:23 |
In order that:
"He be of those who have Faith with certainty."
The Prophets, after seeing Allâh’s Signs,
will establish their Faith on solid certainty too immune
to be parted with. They are in fact eligible for this
Divine privilege because they are the ones who will bear
burdens too heavy for other ordinary people to carry,
and in the process of their mission, they will regard
all worldly ordeals and agonies too small to care about.
There are simple facts that emanate from this blessed
Journey, and flow along into the flowery garden of the
Prophetic biography; peace and blessings of Allâh
be upon its author, Muhammad. The story of ‘the
Night Journey’ as we see in the Noble Qur’ân
is epitomised in the first verse of the Sûrah Isra’(Chapter
17 — The Journey by Night) then there is a quick
shift to uncover the shameful deeds and crimes of the
Jews, followed by an admonition saying that the Qur’ân
guides to that which is most just and right. This arrangement
is not in fact a mere coincidence. Jerusalem was the first
scene of the Night Journey, and here lies the message
directed to the Jews and which explicitly suggested that
they would be discharged of the office of leadership of
mankind due to the crimes they had perpetrated and which
no longer justified their occupation of that office. The
message suggested explicitly that the office of leadership
would be reinstituted by the Messenger of Allâh
[pbuh] to hold in his hand both headquarters of the Abrahamic
Faith, the Holy Sanctuary in Makkah and the Farthest Mosque
in Jerusalem. It was high time for the spiritual authority
to be transferred from a nation whose history got pregnant
with treachery, covenant-breaching and aggression to another
nation blessed with piety, and dutifulness to Allâh,
with a Messenger who enjoys the privilege of the Qur’ânic
Revelation, which leads to that which is best and right.
There, however, remains a crucial question waiting to
be answered: How could this foreseen transition of authority
be effected while the champion himself (Muhammad) was
left deserted and forsaken stumbling in the hillocks of
Makkah? This question per se uncovered the secrets of
another issue which referred to a phase of the Islamic
Call and the appearance of another role it was about to
take up, different in its course and noble in its approaches.
The forerunners of that new task took the shape of Qur’ânic
verses smacking of direct and unequivocal warning accompanied
by a severe ultimatum directed to the polytheists and
their agents:
"And when We decide to destroy a town (population),
We (first) send a definite order (to obey Allâh
and be righteous) to those among them [ or We (first)
increase in number those of its population] who are given
the good things of this life. Then, they transgress therein,
and thus the word (of torment) is justified against it
(them). Then We destroy it with complete destruction.
And how many generations (past nations) have We destroyed
after Noah! And Sufficient is your Lord as an All-Knower
and All-Beholder of the sins of His slaves." [Al-Qur'an
17:16, 17]
Together with these verses, there were others revealed
to show the Muslims the rules and items of the civilization
upon which they could erect their Muslim community, and
foreshadowing their ownership of a piece of land, exercising
full freedom over it and establishing a coherent society
around whose axis the whole humanity would rotate. Those
verses in reality implied better prospects for the Prophet
[pbuh] comprising a secure shelter to settle in, and headquarters
safe enough to empower and embolden him to communicate
his Message to all the world at large; that was in fact
the inner secret of that blessed journey. For this very
wisdom and the like we deem it appropriate to suggest
that ‘the Night Journey’ took place either
before the First Pledge of ‘Aqabah or between the
two; after all, Allâh knows best.
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Siratun
Nabi
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