Islamic

The Journey of Mi’iraj and Al Isra

Inthikab Zufer

In the name of Allah the lord who enabled His slave, Muhammad, sallahualihiwasallim to make the journey at night from Masjid al-Haram in Makkah to Masjid al-Aqsa.

Thereafter, Allah sent the prophets as a mercy to the slaves and supported them with miracles to indicate the truthfulness of their message. Of all the prophets, our Prophet, Muhammad Sallahualihiwasallim, was blessed with the most miracles. Al-Isra’ and al-Mi-raj are among the many miracles of Prophet Muhammad sallahualihiwasallim.

“Glory be to He
who carried His servant by night,
from the Holy Mosque
to the Furthest Mosque,
the precincts of which
We have blessed.
So that We might show him
some of Our signs.
surely He is the All-Hearing,
the All-Seeing.”
(Qur’an.in Surat al-Isra’, Ayah 1)

This verse talks about the most remarkable miracles of Muhammad Sallahualihiwasallim, 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 literature gives graphic details of this momentous journey.

Analyzing the Quranic verse

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 three 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 epithets “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.

This journey is also confirmed in the sahih hadith. As such, there is scholarly consensus (ijma) Prophet Muhammad Sallahualaihiwasallim journeyed in body and soul the night of al-Isra’s from Masjid al-Haram in Makkah to Masjid al-Aqsain Jerusalem. Moreover, these scholars indicated the person who denies al-Isra’ is a blasphemer for belying the explicit text of the Qur’an.

The night journey

Before the Prophet took this night journey, the ceiling of the house in which he was staying was opened, and Jibril alahisalam descended. He cut open the chest of Prophet Muhammad and washed that open area with Zamzam water.

Then he emptied something from a container into the chest of the Prophet to increase his wisdom as well as the strength of his belief. This was done to prepare the Messenger of Allah for that which he had yet to see in the upper world from among the wonders of the creation of Allah.

The Buraq

After the Prophet performed the Evening Prayer (‘Isha’), Jibril came to him with a white animal, slightly larger than a donkey yet smaller than a mule. This animal was the buraq, — one of the animals of Paradise.

Jibril held the buraq by his ear and told the Prophet to mount it. When the buraq was mounted, the Prophet setforth. The buraqis a very fast animal; the length of the buraq’s stride is the farthest distance its eye can see.

Praying in three sacred places

The Prophet and Jibril arrived to a land with palm trees. Jibril told the Prophet to dismount and pray, so the Prophet dismounted the buraq and prayed two rak’as. Jibril asked him, “Do you know where you prayed?” and the Prophet answered, “Allah knows best.” Jibril told him, “This is Yathrib; this is Taybah.” (These are two names for the city of al-Madinah).

Before the Prophet emigrated to al-Madinah, it was called Taybah and Yathrib. It earned the name al-Madinah after the Prophet emigrated to it.

The buraq continued with the Prophet and Jibril until they reached another place. Again Jibril told the Prophet to get down and pray. The Prophet dismounted there and prayed two rak’as. Jibril informed the Prophet of the name of that place; it was Tur Sina.’

Once again the buraq took off with the Prophet and Jibril. Once again it stopped, and the Prophet dismounted and prayed two rak’as. This was in Bayt Lahm, where Prophet ‘Isa (Jesus) was born.

Praying along with the Prophets

Then the buraq continued with the Messenger of Allah until they entered the city of Jerusalem. There the Prophet went to Masjid al-Aqsa. Outside was a ring used by the Messengers of Allah to tie their animals.

The Prophet tied his buraq to this ring. Then the Prophet entered the masjid where Allah assembled for him all the Prophets — from Adam to ‘Isa. Prophet Muhammad moved forward and led them all in prayer. This is an indication the Prophet is higher in status than all the rest of the prophets and messengers.

This noble assembly marked the end of the horizontal part of the journey. From here, accompanied by Jibril alaihisalam, the Messenger sallahualihiwasallim travelled on the Buraq ascending the heavens. In the first heaven, He sallahualihiwasallim met Adam alaihisalam, who greated Him sallahualihiwasallim with love and affection in the words, “Welcome O righteous Son!”

The ascension continued to the second heavens where He sallahualihiwasallim met isa alaihisalam and Yayha alaihisalam, then on to the third heaven where He sallahualihiwasallim was met by Yusuf alaihisalam, on the fourth by Idris alaihisalam, on the fifth by Harun alaihisalam, and on the sixth by Musa alaihisalam and on the seventh He sallahualihiwasallim was greeted by Ibrahim alaihisalam.

The journey continued beyond the heavens until He sallahualihiwasallim reached the Baiy al Mamur.

The Kaabah of the Angels, form where He sallahualihiwasallim ascended to the Lote tree of the uttermost boundary.

This is the focal point of the Divine mercy. Jibril alahisalam then reached the point where he was not allowed to travel any further. It was at this point that he parted from Muhammad Sallahualaihiwasallim.

The Prophet sallahualihiwasallim continued alone, but where to? That is beyond the point of human grasp.

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.”

Some incidents with the Prophet sallahualihiwasallim saw in his journey

1 On Prophet Muhammad’s sallahualihiwasallim journey from masjid al-Haram to Masjid al-Aqsa, Allah enabled him to see some of His wondrous creations. Allah enabled the Prophet to see the world (dunya) like an old woman.

2. On his journey, the Prophet smelled a very nice odor. He asked Jibril about this pleasant scent and Jibril informed him this good smell was coming from the grave of the woman whose duty used to be to comb Pharaoh’s daughter’s hair. This woman was a good, pious believer.

One day, as she was combing Pharaoh’s daughter’s hair, the comb fell from her hand. At this she said, “Bismillah.

“Pharaoh’s daughter asked her, “Do you have a god other than my father?” The woman said, “Yes, my Lord and the Lord of your father is Allah.” Pharaoh’s daughter told her father what had happened. Pharaoh demanded this woman blasphemen and leave Islam, but she refused.

At that, Pharaoh threatened to kill her children. He brought a great pot of water and built a great fire under it. When the water boiled, Pharaoh brought her children and started to drop them into that pot one after the other.

Throughout all this, the woman remained steadfast to Islam, even when Pharaoh reached her youngest child — a little boy still breast feeding — but she felt pity for him. At that, Allah enabled this child to speak.

He said to his mother, “O Mother, be patient. The torture of the Hereafter is far more severe than the torture of this life, and do not be reluctant, because you are right.” At this the woman requested Pharaoh collect her bones and the bones of her children and bury them in the same grave.

Pharaoh promised her that — then dropped her into that boiling water. She died as a martyr. The good odor the Prophet smelled coming from her grave is an indication of her high status.

3. During his trip, the Prophet saw people who were planting and reaping in two days. Jibril told the Prophet, “These were the people who fight for the sake of Allah (mujahidun).”

4. The Prophet also saw people whose lips and tongues were clipped with scissors made of fire. Jibril told the Prophet, “These are the speakers of sedition (fitna) who call people to misguidance.”

5. He sallahualihiwasallim also saw a bull which exited a very small outlet, then was trying in vain to return through that small outlet. Jibril alahisalam told the Prophet sallahualihiwasallim, “This is the example of the bad word — once spoken, it cannot be returned.”

6. The Prophet sallahualihiwasallim saw people grazing like animals, with very little clothing on their private parts. Jibril alaihisalam told the Prophet sallahualihiwasallim, “These are the ones who refused to pay zakat.”

7. The Prophet sallahualihiwasallim saw angels smashing some people’s heads with rocks. These heads would return to the shape they had been, and then the angels would smash their heads again — and so on. Jabril alahisalam told the Prophet sallahualihiwasallim, “These are the ones whose heads felt too heavy to perform prayer — the ones who used to sleep without praying.”

9. On his journey the Prophet sallahualihiwasallim saw people who were competing to eat some rotten meat — ignoring meat that was sliced and unspoiled. Jibril alahisalam told the Prophet sallahualihiwasallim, “These are people from your nation who leave out that which is permissible (halal), and consume that which is forbidden (haram). “This reference was to the fornicators, that is, the ones who left out the permissible (marriage) and committed sins (fornication).

10. Also, the Prophet sallahualihiwasallim saw people who were drinking from the fluid coming from the bodies of the fornicators, (water mixed with blood). Jibril alahisalam indicated to the Prophet sallahualihiwasallim these were the ones who were drinking the alcohol which is prohibited in this world.

11. The Prophet sallahualihiwasallim saw people scratching their faces and chests with brass finger nails. Jibril alaihisalam said, “These are the examples of those who commit gossip (ghibah).”

With this we only can learn a handful of very limited information about the night journey, however which will no doubt be fruitful for our life in the world as well as the next.

In this Holy month of Rajab May Allah save us form his wrath and the hell fire, and May Allah give us a peaceful death & be accepted by his most blessed creation, Allah’s Beloved Muhammed Sallahualahiwasallim.

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Islamic scholar on tour of lecture

Sheikh Esam M Ishaq, a Bahraini National is one of the most prominent Scholars on Islamic Banking and Finance.

A brilliant student since his young days, he excelled in his chosen field of Islamic Shariah, participating in a number of Islamic study circles with various learned scholars and students of Shariah and contributing to the propagation of Islamic Knowledge. In 1982 he was awarded a Bachelors Degree in Political Science from Mc. Gill University, Canada.

He currently teaches Islamic Law and Theology in Bahrain and is an instructor in Fiqh, Aqeeda and Tafseer Courses in Arabic and English in various Islamic Centers in the Kingdom of Baharain where he resides.

He has shown a keen interest in Da’wah activities and is the Director and Shariah advisor in Discover Islam Centre, a well-known institution established in Bahrain to propagate the universal message of Islam.

Sheikh Ishaq is a well recognised and much sought after scholar in his specialised field of Islamic Finance. He sits in the Shariah supervisory boards of a number of Islamic Banks and financial institutions and is a prominent speaker on various topics of Islamic Finance in Major Islamic Finance conferences and forums around the world.

He is a Member of the Shariah Supervisory Boards of ArCapita (formerly first Islamic Investment Bank), Al Baraka Islamic Bank and Bahrain Development Bank, all of the Kingdom of Bahrain, Zayan Finance LLC, United States of America, Meezan Islamic Bank in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan and First Global Investments in the Democratic Republic of Sri Lanka.

He is also a member of the board of the Auditing and Accounting Organisation for Islamic Financial Institutions (AAOIFI).

Sheikh Ishaq has participated in various Islamic Finance forums and conferences, as a panellist in the Shariah and fatwa Forums of the annual Islamic Finance Summit organised by Euromoney Seminars, Islamic Finance Asia organized by IQPC and the “Know it all” and “Know it beyond” Islamic Banking and Finance series organized by the First Global Group.

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Al - Ameen The Trustworthy

Islam is not directly concerned with political and economic systems, but indirectly and, in so far as political and economic affairs influence man’s conduct, it does lay down some very important principles of economic lief. According to Prof. Massignon, Islam maintains the balance between exaggerated opposites and has always in view the building of character which is the basis of civilisation.

This is secured by its law of inheritance; by and organised, and not an optional, system of charity known as Zakat; and by regarding as illegal all antisocial practices in the economic field like monopoly usury, securing of pre-determined unearned incomes and increments, cornering markets, hoarding and creating artificial scarcity of any commodity in order to force the price to rise. Gambling is illegal.

Contributions to schools, to places of worship, hospitals, digging of wells, opening of orphanages are the highest acts of virtue. Orphanages have sprung for the first time, it is said, under the teaching of the Prophet of Islam.

The world owes its orphanages to this Prophet who was himself born an orphan. “Good all this” says Carlyle about Mohammed. “The natural voice of humanity, of piety and equity, dwelling in the heart of this wild son of nature, speaks”.

The Test

A historian once said, a great man should be judged by three tests:

(1) Was he found to be of true mettle by his contemporaries?

(2) Was he great enough to rise above the standards of his age?

(3) Did he leave anything as permanent legacy to the world at large?

This list may be further extended but all these three tests of greatness are eminently satisfied to the highest degree in the case of Prophet Mohammed. Some illustrations of the last two have already been mentioned.

The first of the three is; was the Prophet of Islam found to be of true mettle by his contemporaries?

Impeccable Character

Historical records show that all contemporaries of Mohammed, both friends an foes, acknowledged the sterling qualities, the spotless honesty, the noble virtues, the absolute sincerity and the absolute trustworthiness of the apostle of Islam in all walks of life and in every sphere of human activity.

Even the Jews and those who did not believe in his message accepted him as arbitrator in their personal disputes on account of his scrupulous impartiality.

Even those who did not believe in his message were forced to say “O Mohammed we do not call you a liar, but we deny Him who has given you a Book and inspired you with a Message.”

They thought he was one possessed. They tried violence to cure him.

But the best of them saw that a new light had dawned on him and they hastened to seek that enlightenment.

It is a notable feature in the history of the Prophet of Islam that his nearest relation his beloved cousin and his bosom friends who knew him most intimately, were thoroughly imbued with the truth of his mission and convinced of the genuineness of his divine inspiration.

“If these men and women, noble, intelligent, and certainly not less educated than the fishermen of Galilee, had perceived the slightest sign of earthliness, deception, or want of faith in the Teacher himself, Mohammed’s hopes of moral regeneration and social reform, would all have been crumbled to dust in a moment.”

From “The Spirit of Islam” by Sayed Ameer Ali. On the contrary we find, that the devotion of his followers was such that he was voluntarily acknowledged leader of their lives.

They braved for his sake persecutions and danger, they believed, trusted, obeyed and honoured him even in the most excruciating torture and severest mental agony caused by excommunication; even unto death.

Would this have been so had they noticed the slightest backsliding in their leader?

Undying Love for the Holy Prophet

Read the history of the early converts to Islam and every heart would melt at the sight of the brutal treatment of innocent men and women. Sumayya, an innocent woman, is cruelly torn into pieces by piercing through with spears.

An example is made of Yasir whose legs are tied to two camels and the beasts are driven in the opposite direction.

Khabbab Bin Arat is made to lie down on a bed of burning coal with the brutal legs of the merciless tyrant on his breast so that he may not move and this makes even the fat beneath his skin melt.

Khabbab Bin Arat is put to death in a cruel manner by mutilation and cutting off his flesh piecemeal.

In the midst of his tortures, when asked whether he did not wish Mohammed in his place while he was in his house with his family, the sufferer cried out that he was gladly prepared to sacrifice himself, his family and children and all to save Mohammed from the prick of a thorn.

Scores of heart-rending incidents of this type may be narrated. But what do all these incidents show? Why was it that these sons and daughters of Islam not only surrendered to their Prophet their allegiance but made a gift of their bodies, hearts and souls?

Is not the intense faith and conviction on the part of the immediate flowers of Mohammed, the noblest testimony to his sincerity and to his utter self-absorption in the task assigned to him?

Followers of best calibre

And these men were not of low station or of an inferior mental calibre.

Around him, in quite early days, gathered what was best and noblest in Mecca, its flower and cream, men of position, rank, wealth and culture, and from his own kith and kin, those who knew the ins and outs of his life. All the first four Caliphs, with their towering personalities, were converts of this early period.

The Encyclopedia Britannica says that “Mohammed is the most successful of all Prophets and religious personalities.”

But this success was not the result of mere accident.

It was not a windfall.

It as a recognition of the fact that he was found to be of true mettle by his contemporaries. It was the result of his admirable and all-compelling personality.