The Night of Isra and Mi’raj: The Prophet’s Journey to the Heavens, Spiritual or Physical?
The Event Of Isra And Mi’raj In The Quran And Ahadith
Highlights
1. The
Prophet’s Journey was both spiritual and physical.
2. Al-'Isra'
refers to the journey from al-Masjid al-Haram to al-Masjid al-Aqsa stated in
this verse, while al-Mi'raj refers to the travel from here to the seven
heavens.
3. As for the
Hadith of al-Isra, there is unanimity among all Muslims on it," the Salafi
scholar Ibn Kathir continued. It has only been disputed by heretics and
atheists."
------
By Kaniz Fatma, New Age Islam
28 February 2022
(Representative Photo)
-----
The Isra
and Miraj, the Holy Prophet's midnight journey and ascension to the heavens,
occurred on the 27th Night of the Islamic Month of Rajab around the year 621.
The correct perspective denotes both a bodily and spiritual journey. The Quran
only mentions Isra and Mi'raj in passing, however, the hadith goes into greater
depth.
Allah
Almighty says in the Quran,
“Exalted is He who took His Servant by night
from al-Masjid al-Haram to al-Masjid al-Aqsa, whose surroundings We have
blessed, to show him of Our signs. Indeed, He is the Hearing, the Seeing”. (17:1)
This verse
describes the incident of Isra and Mi'raj, which is a sign of honour and a
specific miracle of our Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him). The Arabic word
Asra (in its past tense) is derived from the root word Isra, which means
"to make someone travel at night." The word 'lailan' is then
inserted, which defines the concept even more. The message was then given that
the time spent at this event was simply a portion of the night, not the entire
night, by utilising this term as a common noun.
Al-'Isra'
refers to the journey from al-Masjid al-Haram to al-Masjid al-Aqsa stated in
this verse, while al-Mi'raj refers to the travel from here to the seven
heavens. The Isra' is established by the ultimate textual authority of this
verse, and the Mi'raj is established by Ahadith. The term 'bi'abdihi' (His
servant) is unique in that it refers to the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him).
It demonstrates that, in this glorious environment of respect and welcome, when
Allah Almighty, on His own decision, chooses to call someone His servant, a
special link of love is formed, and that this is the highest honour a man can
ever receive.
The Mi'raj
was physical, according to the Qur'an, Sunnah, and Ijma.
The entire
journey of the Isra' and Mi'raj was not only spiritual but also physical, as
evidenced by the Holy Qur'an and the Ahadith.
The very
first word of the Holy Qur'an in this Surah, 'Subhan' (Exalted is He!) contains
a hint in this direction, as this word is meant to express wonder or to
initiate a magnificent surprise. What was so extraordinary about the Mi'raj if
it had only been spiritual or a dream? Every Muslim, and indeed every human
being, can have a dream and claim that he or she went to the sky and
accomplished this or that.
The second
suggestion is found in the term 'Abd' (servant), which refers to a combination
of body and spirit rather than a single spirit.
Furthermore,
when the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) told Sayyidah Umme Hani (may Allah be
pleased with her) about the event of Mi'raj, she urged him not to mention it in
public because it would be further falsified. What was there in the dream that
might be falsified if it had been the matter of a dream?
When the
Prophet finally told people about this event, the Makkan disbelievers labelled
it a falsehood and mocked him, to the point where several neo-Muslims turned
apostates (murtad) after hearing the news. If this had been a dream, the
likelihood of such reactions would have been slim to none. And the fact that he
had previously experienced some spiritual Mi'raj in the shape of a dream does
not contradict it.
The Ahadith
referring to the occurrence of al-Isra appear to be frequent and uninterrupted
in Tafsir al-Qurtubi. Naqqash has recounted related stories from twenty of the
Holy Prophet's Sahabah (peace be upon him). Then, in Al-Shifa, Qazi Iyaz added
more information (Qurtubi).
All of
these narratives were recounted by Ibn Kathir, who, after using the customary
criteria of examination, listed the names of twenty-five Sahabah from whom
these reports originated. Their names are as follows: Hazrat `Umar ibn
al-Khattab, Hazrat 'Ali al-Murtaza, Hazrat `Abdullah ibn Mas’ud, Hazrat Abu
Dharr al-Ghifari, Hazrat Malik ibn Sa`sa`ah, Hazrat Abu Hurairah, Hazrat Abu
Said al-Khudri, Sayyidna `Abdullah ibn `Abbas, Hazrat Shaddad ibn Aws, Hazrat Ubaiyy ibn Ka'b,
Hazrat `Abd ar-Rahman ibn al-Quraz, Hazrat
Abu Hayyah, Hazrat Abu Laila,
Hazrat ibn `Umar, Hazrat Jabir ibn `Abdullah, Hazrat Hudhayfah ibn Yaman, Hazrat Buraidah, Hazrat Abu Ayyut al-Ansari,
Hazrat Abu 'Umamah, Hazrat Samurah ibn
Jundub, Hazrat Abu al-Hamra', Hazrat
Suhayb al-Rumi, Hazrat Umm Hani',
Sayyidah `A'ishah, Sayyidah Asma' bint Abi Bakr.
"As
for the Hadith of al-Isra, there is unanimity among all Muslims on it,"
Ibn Kathir continued. It has only been disputed by heretics and atheists."
(Ibn Kathir)
The
Event of Mi'raj According to Ibn Kathir
Ibn Kathir
is an Islamic scholar mostly accepted by Salafi groups of Muslims. He says,
“The fact of the matter is that the journey of Isra' came to pass when the Holy
Prophet was awake, not dreaming”.
Ibn Kathir
said after explaining the current verse in his Tafsir and providing a full
backdrop of important Ahadith. The route was covered on buraq from Makkah to Baytul-Maqdis
(a special heavenly horse to ride). When he arrived at the gate of Baytul-Maqdis,
he tethered the Buraq near to it, entered the mosque of Baytul-Maqdis, and
offered two Rakat of Tahiyyatul-masjid (prayer in honour of the Mosque) facing
its direction. Following that, a stairwell was brought in with steps leading up
from below. He ascended to the first heaven by this stairwell. He then
proceeded to the rest of the heavens.”
The truth
about this stairwell is only known to Allah. What it was, how it worked, and
other details. Many other types of staircases are used in today's world as
well. There are steps that automatically ascend and elevators that take one to
the top. As a result, having any doubts or suspicions about this wonderful
staircase is inappropriate.
He further
says,
The
resident angels on each heaven greeted him, and he encountered blessed prophets
stationed on each heaven, such as Hazrat Musa (peace be upon him) on the sixth
heaven and Hazrat Ibrahim Khalilullah (peace be upon him) on the seventh
heaven. After that, he walked beyond all of these blessed prophets' stations
and arrived at a plain where he could hear the sound of a pen writing
destinies. And he saw the Sidratul-Muntaha, the Far Tree in Jannah, which was
encircled by angels of Allah and on which moths in gold and variegated colours
were descending from above by Allah's decree.
The Holy
Prophet (peace be upon him) saw Hazrat Jibra'il in his true form with six
hundred wings at this location. And just then, he noticed a green flag covering
the entire horizon. He also saw the founder of the Kaaba, Hazrat Ibrahim (peace
be upon him), lying against the wall of al-Bayt al-Ma'mur (the well-attended
House said to be located in Jannah just above the Baitullah in Makkah).
Every day,
seventy thousand angels enter Bayt al-Ma'mur, where they will wait for their
chance to re-enter until the day of Qiyamah. And with his own blessed eyes, the
Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) saw the Jannah and the Jahannam. At the time,
he was given the instruction to obligate his people with fifty prayers, which
were later reduced to five. This demonstrates the significance and worth of
Salah as the most important and meritorious of all deeds of 'Ibadah.
Following
that, he returned to Baytul-Maqdis, accompanied by the blessed prophets he had
seen on other heavens (as if) they had come to see him off as far as Baytul-Maqdis.
He offered the prayer with all prophets at that time, as it was prayer-time.
It's also possible that this was the Fajr prayer of the same day.
Ibn Kathir
says that according to some, this event involving the Holy Prophet's prayer
with prophets occurred before he ascended to the heavens. However, it is clear
that this event occurred after his return because it was Hazrat Jibra'il who
presented him to all prophets in the event relating to his meeting with blessed
prophets in various heavens. If the incident with his leading the prayer had
occurred earlier, there would have been no need for an introduction - and, for
that matter, it is self-evident that the true aim of this travel was to visit
with the heavenly hosts. It looks that doing so first is more likely.
After
completing his real mission, all prophets came to say good-bye to him up to
Baytul-Maqdis, and his precedence over others was physically demonstrated
because he was appointed the Imam of the prayer through a signal from Hazrat
Jibra'il. Then, when it was still dark, he rode buraq from Baytul-Maqdis to
Makkah al-Mu'azzamah. (Tafsir Ibn Kathir, 17:1)
In his
work, Dala'il al-Nubuwwah, Hafiz Abu Nu'aym al-Isbahani reports a narration
from Muhammad ibn Ka'b al-Qurazi on the authority of Muhammad ibn 'Amr
al-Waqidi, giving the following specifics of the event:
Al-Waqidi
is weak in Hadith narrations, according to Hadith scholars, yet a cautious
Muhaddith, such as Ibn Kathir, has reported his narration because this is not
related to 'Aqa'id or Halal and Haram, and his narration is trustworthy in such
historical topics.
Bibliography
1. Tibyanul
Quran, Allama Ghulam Rasool Saeedi,
2. Maariful
Quran, Maulana Shafee Deobandi
3. Tafsirul
Quran al-Azeem, Ibn Kathir
4. Tafsir
al-Qurtubi, Imam Qurtubi
------
Kaniz
Fatma is a classic Islamic scholar and a regular columnist for New Age Islam.
New Age Islam, Islam
Online, Islamic
Website, African Muslim News, Arab World News, South Asia News, Indian Muslim News, World Muslim News, Women in Islam, Islamic Feminism, Arab Women, Women In Arab, Islamophobia in America, Muslim Women in West, Islam Women and Feminism