The Glorious Night Journey & Miracle of Ascension
[Al Isra wal Miraj]
Contents of Article
1) Introduction
2) What is the ascension?
3) The dome of the Rock.
4) Al- Aqsa Mosque.
5) Narratives of the ascension from Hadith
Literature
6) Was the ascension a dream or a physical
Journey
7) The purpose of the ascension
8) Schematic
Representation of the Ascension
1) Introduction
All
praise is for the Lord of the Universe, the majestic creator, the sublime
designer, the generous cherisher who implanted love and compassion in the
hearts of man and women so that they could live together as husband and wife.
Blessings be upon the finest of Allah’s creation, the mercy of the universe,
the leader of the Prophet s and the master of the believers, Muhammad.
The
faith of Islam is based on aqeeda (creed). Without his no deeds are acceptable.
Therefore every muslim must know the creed of Islam According to Imam Nasafi
(died 537 AH), there are some 63 articles of faith which make up the Islamic
creed. One of these articles of faith is the miracle of ascension (Miraj). All
of the books of creed speak about the ascension since it is definite aqeeda.
For
example, “The Muslim Creed” By Suhaib Hassan published by Al-Quran Soceity
London says on page 10, “Miraj is true, Allah almighty took his prophet while
he was awake on a splendid journey…”
Similarly
Aqaid-e-Nasafi (by Imam Nasafi (died 537 AH) which is a standard aqeeda book in
Hanafi schools world over says, “The Prophet’s ascension was a bodily
journey in a wakeful state to the heavens and then to the heights where Allah
wished him to go.”
According
to Imam Nawawi and Zaraqaani, the Miraj took place on the 27th of Rajab some 7
months before the Hijrah in the year of sorrow.
Forty
five companions have narrated ahadith about the Miraj. In the tafsir of Ibn
Katheer, he has devoted 15 pages and compiled most of the authentic ahadith on
this topic. Apart from Abu Darr Ghaffari, all the other narrators are Madani
and from the Ansar. How did they learn about the Miraj? It could be that the
blessed Prophet wanted to talk about it, which is most
likely because it was one of the greatest and wonderful miracles. The other
possibility is that the Ansari companions had heard it from Abu Darr. Then
there were dozens of tabiun (successors) who narrated ahadith about the Miraj.
The Prophet, the companions and their successors all used to talk about the
Ascension.
All
the six books of Hadith contain chapters on Miraj. Imam Bukhari and Imam Muslim
have separate chapters on Miraj and Isra respectively. If they hadn’t discussed
it, we would have become ignorant about this aqeeda.
2) What is the ascension?
Surah
17 of the majestic Quran, Al-Isra opens with an ayah which concisely describes
the
ascension:,
where Allah says:
Glorified
be He who took his servant for a journey by night from the Masjid Al-Haram to
the Masjid Al-Aqsa,
the
surroundings we have blessed, in order to show him some of Our signs. Indeed ,
He is the all-Hearing,
the
all-Seeing. (Surah Al-Isra 17:01 )
This
verse talks about the most remarkable miracles of Muhammad, the night journey (Isra).
This journey had two phases: The horizontal from the Kaabah in Makkah, to the historic
masjid in Jerusalem. The second was the vertical phase from Al-Aqsa to the
divine throne. The purpose of this journey we are told was “to show him Our
signs”. The hadith literarture gives graphic details of this momentous journey.
The verse begins with one of the Divine attributes, “Subhaan”, then Glorified.
Let us look at the significance of this:
The
diameter of the universe according to the astronomers is 3 billion light years,
an incredible distance unimaginable, to the human intellect. The question is
how could such a fantastic distance be covered in such a short period of night?
We need not search any further, since the Glorious Quran tells us it was
Subhaan who took His servant from the sacred mosque to the furthest mosque. The
Divine name Subhaan 'the one who is flawless without defect or weakness, the
Glorified, The Quran claims the One took His servant on this miraculous journey
is the one who is free from every kind of weakness.
The
Lord of the universe, Who can create from nothing by the mere command of
‘kun’(Be) and ‘fa-yakun’ (it becomes), by using the divine epithet “Subhaan”,
the clouds of doubt vanish in the air! Hence the denial of the Miraj is not the
denial of the miraculous journey, but the power of Allah
3) The dome of the Rock.
This
is the oldest Muslim building which has survived basically intact in its
original form. It was built by the Caliph Abd al-Malik and completed in 691 CE.
The building encloses a huge rock located at its center, from which, according
to tradition, the Prophet Muhammad ascended to heaven at the end of his Night
Journey. In the Jewish tradition this is the Foundation Stone, the symbolic
foundation upon which the world was created, and the place of the Binding of
Isaac. The Caliph Omar is said to have cleared the waste which had accumulated
on the rock during the Byzantine period. The structure is octagonal and the dome
is borne by a double system of pillars and columns. The walls, ceiling, arches,
and vaults are decorated with floral images. The dome, on the inside, is
covered with colored and gilded stucco. Abd al-Malik marked the end of the
construction with a dedicatory inscription (still visible) which reads:
"This dome was built by the servant of God Abd al-Malik Ibn Marwan, emir
of the faithful, in the year seventy-two" (Hejira 72 in the Muslim calendar
is691/692 CE). Under the Abassid ruler, Caliph al-Mamun (r. 813-833), repairs were
carried out, and the caliph also seized the occasion to replace the tiles
bearing al-Malik's name with others bearing his own name as the building's
founder.
4) Al- Aqsa Mosque.
Al-Aqsa Masjid
and the remains of the Ommayad Palaces
The
term the "farthest mosque" is considered in Islamic tradition as the
general name for the precinct of al-Haram al-Sharif ("The Noble Sacred
Enclosure") in Jerusalem, as well as the specific name for the
congregational mosque located at its southern edge. The contemporary
congregational mosque of al-Aqsa is a result of different stages of construction
and renovations. It is usually agreed upon that Abd al-Malik, the Umayyad Caliph
who was the patron of the Dome of the Rock, started the construction of al-Aqsa
Mosque at the end of the 7th century. A major building phase took place during
the time of the Caliphate of his son, Abd al-Malik (709-715 AD). The building
suffered from several major earthquakes and was renovated and reconstructed
during the Abbasid period by Caliph al-Mahdi (775-785) and possibly by Caliph
al-Mansur (743-75). A further reconstruction was executed during the Fatimid
period, in the 11th century. During the Crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem the
mosque was considered as Templum Salomonis (the royal palace of Solomon) and it
served as the palace of the Kings of Jerusalem and later as the dwelling place
of the Knights Templars. At the same time the Dome of the Rock was regarded as
the Templum Domini (The Temple of the Lord). Moreover, several major restorations
are known to have taken place during the 14th and 20th century. The mosque
consists today of a seven bay hypostyle hall with several additional small halls
to the west and east of the southern section of the building. Unlike most hypostyle
style mosques the building does not have a clearly delineated courtyard unless
one considers the whole Haram as its court. It is capped with a silver dome,
made of lead sheets, which together with the golden dome of the Dome of the
Rock, formulate the icon of the Haram in Jerusalem.
5) Narratives of the ascension from Hadith Literature
Detailed
narratives of the ascension are found in the books of ahadith. Imam Bukhari in
his Jami us-Sahih, in the “Book of Tawhid” has a chapter devoted to Miraj,
whilst Imam Muslim’s Jami us-Sahih has a chapter called “Isra” in the “Book of
the beginning of the revelation”
The
two original narrators that heard it directly from the Prophet appear to be Abu
Darr and Malik ibn Sa’sa Ansari, whilst others such as Anas bin Malik, Abu
Huraira, Abdullah ibn Abbas, Jabir ibn Abdullah, Abdullah ibn Masud and many
more report it from these two original narrators.
According
to Ibn Kathir, forty-five sahaaba have narrated this incident. Anas ibn Malik
in Sahih Muslim begins his Hadith by saying “Abu Darr used to tell us…”
suggesting that the miracle was mentioned many times and Abu Darr seems to be
the source of the Madani Sahaaba narration.
Here
we shall narrate the event according to the Jami us-Sahih of Imam Muslim. The Messenger
says:
“One night I was
asleep, in the Harim near the Kaabah when I was woken by Jibril. He informed me
of the Diving will and took me to the well oz Zam Zam, where upon he opened by
chest and poured wisdom and faith into it. Then he sealed it. I was then
presented with a beautiful Buraq. This is an animal larger than a mule but
smaller than a horse. I mounted it.”
It
traveled at phenomenal speed. The Messenger was soon at the second precinct of Masjid
al-Aqsa. There all of the prophets of the past ages were assembled and waiting
for him. He lead them in congregational prayer.
This
noble assembly marked the end of the horizontal part of the journey. From here,
accompanied by Jibril, the Messenger traveled on the Buraq ascending the
heavens.
In
the first heaven, He met Adam, who greated Him with love and affection in the words,
“Welcome O righteous Son!”
The
ascension continued to the second heavens where He met Isa and Yayha, then on
to the third heaven where He was met by Yusuf, on the fourth by Idris, on the
fifth by Harun, and on the sixth by Musa and on the seventh He was greeted by
Ibrahim.
The
journey continued beyond the heavens until He reached the Baiy al Mamur – The Kaabah
of the Angels, from where He ascended to the Lote tree of the uttermost boundary.
This
is the focal point of the Divine mercy. Jibril then reached the point where he
was not allowed to travel any further. It was at this point that he parted from
Muhammad.
The
Prophet continued alone on a platform/carpet called Raf-Raf, but where to? That
is beyond the point of human grasp. The Glorious Quran alludes to it, in Surah
An-Najm [53] Ayah 8:
Then
he drew near, very near, like two bows lengths or even closer. (Surah An-Najm
[53], Ayah 8 )
What
happened there is also in the realm of a mystery. We are just told that He
revealed to His servant what he revealed, in Ayah 10 of Surah An-Najm:
And
He revealed to His servant what He revealed (Surah An-Najm [53], Ayah 10 )
6) Was the ascension a dream or a physical Journey
The
numerous ahadith reported in Bukhari, Muslim and other books do not indicate
this journey was a dream. Qadi Iyaad al Malaki, in his commentary on Sahih
Muslim says:
“The
majority of the pious predecessors and later jurists, scholars of Hadith and
men of learning believe the Miraj to be bodily. Four reasons are given by the
scholars for this
conclusion:
Firstly,
the word ‘Abd’ in the ayah of the Miraj refers categorically to mind and soul together.
Secondly,
all the ahadith about the Miraj actually talk about the Prophet mounting the
Buraq, eating, drinking, meeting pas prophets, leading them in the prayer. All
these are physical actions. No where is it mentioned that this was a dream.
Thirdly,
if it was a mere dream, which the beloved Messenger narrated to thepeople of
Makkah, why did they deny it? Surely don’t people see many weird and wonderful
dreams?
Fourthly,
how could it have been a test of people’s faith it was a mere dream?
This
is why the great Hanafi scholar, Imam Nasafi mentioned in his classical work
“Aqaid an Nasafi”. “In the Miraj, he was taken to Masjid al-Aqsa and then to
Sidrat-ul-Muntaha, and wherever Allah wished.”
All
this took place in a state of wakefulness and with the body. However it took
place in the realm of the Barzakh, which is the state between the physical and
spiritual. Hence spiritual laws govern the body and the spiritual elements
appeared in the bodily form. In fact all the ‘strange’ events of Miraj were
expressed in this state of Barzakh.
Shah
Wali Allah’s comments on the intercession: (Sirat un –Nabi, page 451, in Hujja Tullahil
Balaagah) Shah Wali Allah goes on to interpret many of the scenes of the Miraj
in light of the above.
For
example, the Hadith mentioned two cups were presented to the Prophet. Once was
a cup of milk and the other was a cup of wine. He chose the cup of
milk, and there upon the angel said: “You selected the natural state. If you
had chosen the cup of wine, your entire nation would have been lead astray.” In
this world for Barzakh, milk represented the natural state, and misguidance was
in the form of wine.
7) The purpose of the ascension
The
Quran explains the reason for taking Muhammad on this miraculous journey as “to
show him our signs.” The Messenger visited heaven and hell, met the prophets
and the angels and above all his Majestic Lord, According to Imam Nawawi and
Zarqaani, this took place on 27th Rajab, 17 months before Hijrah. This was the
year which biographers call “the year of sorrow” when his beloved wife and caring
uncle passed away from the world. The Messenger was very sad that he lost two
great supporters and comforters. The ascension was a “Divine treat” for him.
Some of the other purposes of the journey are as follows:
a)
Declaration
of the universality of Islam
-
By
leading the prophets
-
By
praying in Masjid al-Aqsa
b)
Warning
the Kuffar of the imminent punishment
c)
The
commandments:
-
Not
to commit shirk
-
Kindness
to parents
-
Respect
others rights
-
Avoid
spend thriftiness
-
Do
not kill your children
-
Do
not commit adultery
-
Do
not kill
-
Be
kind to orphans
-
Fulfill
your promise
-
Be
fair in your dealings
-
Do
not be suspicious of others
-
Do
not be arrogant
d)
Prelude
to Hijrah
e)
The
obligatory five prayers
8) Schematic Representation of the Ascension
Bibliography:
-
Mainly
extract of the book - Al Isra wal Miraj Transcribed and embellished by Ghufran
Shah from the original paper written Musharraf Hussain Al-Azhari PhD D.Univ
(Hon)
-
English
Translation of Quran, Tarjuma Kanzul Emaan.
-
Secrets
of Miraj by Mufti Ziauddin Naqshbandi, Shaykh ul Fiqh Jamia Nizamia.
Ma Sha Allah
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