In the previous episode, we discussed the deaths of Abu Talib and Khadija (RA). Abu Talib was the political protector of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and Khadija (may Allah be pleased with her) was the housekeeper of the Prophet (peace be upon him). When these two people left, it became a very difficult time for the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). In the absence of Abu Talib, the people of Quraysh became very reckless, as we have already discussed. Then, when the people of Taif rejected the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) in a rude manner, it became even more painful. Insecurity, helplessness, and loneliness seemed to surround the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). And then a surprising thing happened, Al-Islam Wal-Miraj.
After this hardship, the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) received a special gift from Allah. This gift has never been given to any prophet, messenger, or servant before. The greater the suffering, the greater the gift from God. Isra and Miraj were a gift to the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). Isra al-Miraj was a special gift through which Allah Almighty showed some of His special signs to the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him).
So that the Prophet (peace be upon him) could become stronger in faith. He needed to be mentally stronger in the war he was waging against polytheism. For the same purpose, Moses (peace be upon him) was shown some signs.
And what is that in your right hand, O Moses? He said, “It is my staff; I lean upon it, and I bring down leaves for my sheep and I have therein other uses. So he threw it down, and thereupon it was a snake, moving swiftly. [Allah] said, “Seize it and fear not; We will return it to its former condition. And draw in your hand to your side; it will come out white without disease – another sign,
(Quran 20:17-22)
Isra Al Miraj was a source of peace and comfort for the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).
Allah Almighty has mentioned in the Quran Sharif:
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.
(Quran 17:1)
He certainly saw of the greatest signs of his Lord.
(Quran 53:18)
Abul Hasan Nahati (may Allah be pleased with him) said: Al-Isra Miraj is not an ordinary event. Through it, the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) saw the signs of Allah. He saw the kingdoms of Allah’s heavens and earth. Beyond these events, something more important holds. This journey contains far-reaching esoteric knowledge. The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) became the prophet of both Mecca and Jerusalem after performing the Isra’ al-Mi’raj. This journey declared that the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was the Imam of the West. He is the successor of all the prophets and the Imam of all those who come after him. During this journey, other prophets led the prayer under the leadership of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). This incident never happened and this incident itself shows that the message brought by the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) is universal.
Which is applicable to all ages and times The incident of Isra al-Miraj has been mentioned in many hadiths, but there are some slight differences. We will try to summarize the journey.
The Night of Miraj in the Narration of the Prophet (peace be upon him). He said that I was staying near the Kaaba.
An angel came to me, took out my heart from my chest, and placed it in a golden vessel filled with faith. Was it washed and placed back in my heart? Then an animal was brought before me that was smaller than a donkey but larger than a donkey. This beast can fly as far as it can see in a single bound. That means this animal was very fast. Gabriel Al-Aslam told me to mount the animal and took me to Jerusalem. When I reached there, I tied my animal to the gate of the mosque and entered the mosque.
I prayed two rak’ahs there, and at that time other prophets were also praying. And this congregation was led by the Prophet (peace be upon him). He was performing the duties of an imam. Then Gabriel Aslam took me to the sky. We reached the lowest heaven and Gabriel (peace be upon him) knocked on the door. The gatekeepers asked who you are, Gabriel. He replied, “I am Gabriel.” He asked, “Who is with you?” Gabriel replied, “I have Muhammad Salah Salam.” They asked if he had been given permission to come. Jibra said yes.
He replied, “Welcome him and we are happy with his arrival.” The gatekeepers happily opened the gate.
When I entered, the first thing I saw was my father, Adam Alai Sallam. Gabriel introduced him to me and told me that he was your ancestor Ibrahim (peace be upon him). I greeted him and said, “Assalamualaikum.” He replied, “Waalaikum assalamualaikum.”
Then he added, “Welcome to my holy Prophet.” Adam Alai Sallam saw the Prophet (peace be upon him) among his millions of holy children.
But time was short for the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) because there was so much more waiting for him. Then, the Prophet (peace be upon him) and the Zebra ascended to the second heaven, and as before, the guards asked to know their identities. After being identified, they opened the door and the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said, “When I entered, I saw Peace be upon Jesus and John. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said that I then greeted them.
Then we went to the third heaven and there we saw Joseph (peace be upon him). The Prophet (peace be upon him) went to the fourth heaven and met Hazrat Idris (peace be upon him). Then we went to the fifth heaven and there we met Harun (peace be upon him). Moses (peace be upon him) was in the sixth heaven.
Then I was taken to the seventh heaven and there I met our father, Hazrat Ibrahim (peace be upon him).
Then we exchanged greetings and then I was met at Baitul Mamur. Just as the Kaaba is the place of worship for Allah on earth, so too is Baitul Ma’mūr the place of worship for the angels.
Just as Muslims on earth circumambulate the Kaaba, so do the angels circumambulate the Baitul Ma’mur Mosque.
The number of people on earth is nothing compared to the number of angels in Baitul Ma’mur. The number of mankind is insignificant in front of this vast creation. The incident of Ibrahim (peace be upon him) reclining in the mosque of Baitul Ma’mur is quite significant because he built the Kaaba and when Allah took him from this world, He placed him in Baitul Mama.
Then the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said, “I saw Sidratul Muntaha, which is a tree that is located at the farthest limit.”
That is, the end of this world is Sidratul Muntaha. One after the other is the seventh heaven, then there is Sidratul Muntaha. Then the abode of the other world, the Hereafter, began. When the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) reached Sidratul Muntah, he saw four rivers flowing beneath it.
When asked about the rivers, Gabriel (peace be upon him) said that out of these four rivers, two rivers have emerged, one is the Euphrates River and the other is the Nile River.
And the remaining two rivers are hidden, which are the rivers of paradise. The Nile and Euphrates rivers are so sacred that they are in the sky.
The Nile and Euphrates rivers are so sacred that they are in the sky. The first heaven is like a ring lying on a finger in the desert compared to the second heaven, and the second heaven is like a ring lying on a finger in the desert compared to the third heaven. In this way, one comparison after another can be made. Similarly, the seventh heaven is like a small ring lying in the desert compared to the Kursi. So how big the chair is is beyond our concern. We are currently in the first heaven. In this regard, Allah Almighty says that We have adorned the first heaven with stars.
And the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) had the opportunity to see this vast creation, which was a unique journey.
After crossing Sidratul Muntaha, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) reached the final frontier and met Allah. This was the final stop on his journey. Allah commanded him to pray 50 times a day. The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said that he was returning but on the way he met Musa (peace be upon him). He asked me what command you received from Allah. I replied that I was commanded to pray 50 times a day. Then Musa (peace be upon him) said, “I have seen my people not being able to pray this much, and your people will not be able to pray this much, so return to Allah and reduce the number of prayers.”
The Prophet (peace be upon him) returned to Allah and reduced the number of prayers. The number of prayers was reduced to 10 times. When the Prophet (peace be upon him) returned, he met Moses (peace be upon him). Moses (peace be upon him) told him to return and reduce the number of prayers.
The Prophet (peace be upon him) went to Allah again and reduced the number of prayers to 10. On the way, he met Moses again and he suggested reducing the number of prayers even further. The Prophet (peace be upon him) returned to Allah again.
This time, ten more times were reduced. When Musa (peace be upon him) returned, he again asked him to return to Allah and to reduce our number. After going back and forth like this several times, the number of prayers was reduced to five times.
When the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) returned, he met Musa (peace be upon him) again. He said, “O Muhammad, I was the prophet of the Children of Israel. I know that your people will not be able to pray this much. Go back and reduce the number of prayers.”
The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said, “I am ashamed to go back again. I cannot go again.”
Then the Prophet (peace be upon him) heard an unseen voice and it said that five daily prayers have been prescribed for your Ummah, but in return for this, you will be given all the prayers of 50 times.
That night, the Prophet (peace be upon him) returned to earth and told Umm Ayman the details. Umm Ayman heard everything and said, “O Messenger of Allah, do not tell this to anyone else.”
Umm Ayman believed in the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), but she was afraid that if these words were published, people would distrust the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him).
When the polytheists heard that the Prophet (peace be upon him) had gone to Jerusalem in one night, where it took more than a month to travel, they would ridicule the Prophet (peace be upon him), so Umm Ayman requested that this be kept secret, but the Prophet (peace be upon him) said, “No, I will tell everyone.”
Rassala Salam knew what kind of reaction this incident would cause if it became known, but he revealed it and at some point this news reached Abu Jahl.
The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) was sitting in the mosque worried when Abu Jahl came to him and said, “O Muhammad, is there any news?” He replied, “Yes, I went to Jerusalem last night and returned.”
Then Abu Jahl said, “O Muhammad, if I call your people here, will you be able to tell them what you are telling me now?”
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) replied, “Yes, I can.” Abu Jahl then called the people of Quraysh because this was a golden opportunity to prove the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) crazy.
When the people of Quraysh gathered, Abu Jahl said to them, “O Muhammad, you should have told me what you told me before.”
The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said without any discomfort that he had returned from Jerusalem yesterday.
The people present immediately started clapping and insulting him by playing the whistle. The people present started making various jokes.
There were some people among them who regularly went to Jerusalem. They wanted to know the description of the mosque in Jerusalem. He started describing the mosque in Jerusalem to them. After giving some descriptions, he got stuck.
Then Allah showed the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) Jerusalem and he described it to them in detail.
Then the people present were amazed because he gave a completely perfect description.
Even after presenting all this evidence, they could not believe this incident. The event of Miraj was so hard to believe that some Muslims immediately left Islam. The Miraj incident doesn’t end here.
However, the event of Miraj is described in different ways in different hadiths, but it is difficult to accurately describe when and where the event occurred.
Another point is that if all the hadiths about life in Mecca were combined, the number of hadiths about the Ascension would be much smaller.
Let’s mention another incident: the incident of milk, water and wine. There is a narration that after the prayer, Gabriel presented three vessels to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). Some narrations only mention milk, water, and wine, while others mention only milk and wine.
However, in most narrations, the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) chose a milk jug. There is a secret here, that is, milk is a symbol of purity and wine is a symbol of vice. When the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) chose the milk jug, Jibra (peace be upon him) said, “Your Ummah has been guided.” Another thing about the Miraj incident is the conversation of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) with the prophets about the Last Judgment. Jesus (peace be upon him) only spoke about the Last Judgment because we all know that he will return before the Last Judgment.
Then the nations of Gog and Magog will come and they will drink up all the water on earth. Then Jesus (peace be upon him) will pray to Allah and as a result these Gog and Magog will die.
Then he will pray to Allah, which will cause rain to fall and their bodies to be removed. The Prophet of Islam learned this description from Hazrat Isa (AS) that the Hour will come after this.
We have already mentioned the conversation that took place with Moses (peace be upon him), and he told Abraham (peace be upon him), “O Muhammad, tell your people that the soil of Paradise is fertile.” But here, no crop will grow from seeds, rather, the crop will grow from counting the Tasbeeh.
And the Sidratul Muntaha tree is huge, with leaves like elephant ears. Colorful things covered the tree, and colorful butterflies flew around it. A very beautiful tree that was shown to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). The description of the Sidratul Muntaha tree is mentioned in Bukhari Sharif. When the Prophet (peace be upon him) passed by Ibrahim (peace be upon him), he saw a Sidratul Muntaha tree.
In this Sidratul Muntaha, the Messenger of Allah saw Gabriel, peace be upon him, in his own form. In its own form, Gabriel Al-Aslam has 600 wings that extend from the sky to the ground.
Allah says:
And he certainly saw him in another descent. At the Lote Tree of the Utmost Boundary. Near it is the Garden of Refuge. The sight [of the Prophet] did not swerve, nor did it transgress [its limit]. He certainly saw of the greatest signs of his Lord.
(Quran 53:13-18)
The distance between Gabriel (peace be upon him) and the Prophet (peace be upon him) during this journey was very short, as mentioned in the Quran.
Taught to him by one intense in strength. One of soundness. And he rose to [his] true form. While he was in the higher [part of the] horizon. Then he approached and descended. And was at a distance of two bow lengths or nearer.
(Quran 53:5-10)
Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) mentioned that whoever says that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) has seen Allah is lying because Allah says in the Quran that no one will see Him.
There is also a hadith in Muslim where Abu Zarif (may Allah be pleased with him) asked the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) if he had seen his Lord. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) replied, “He is a light, how can I see Him?”
That is, the Prophet saw Allah as light. When it is said here that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) saw Allah on the night of Miraj, it means that he saw Allah with his eyes rather than with his heart.
It is not possible to see God in this world, but in the Hereafter, believers will see God. The fourth incident: After Baitul Ma’mur, the Messenger of Allah was taken to a place where he saw the pen with which the fate of all the people of the world is written.
This is the first creation of Allah Almighty, which we learn from a hadith of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).
Everything that will happen until the Day of Judgment has been written with this pen. When the Prophet appeared before the pen, no one was with him, not even Gabriel. It was a special favor from Allah to the Prophet that he was able to go where no one had been able to go before.
The fifth event is the story of Muminatul Meraj.
When the Prophet was shown Paradise, he could smell a very beautiful smell. When he asked, Gabriel replied, “It is the smell of the hair of Pharaoh’s maidservant and the smell of her children.” That girl was the personal beautician of the Pharaoh’s daughter. It was her duty to comb Feron’s daughter’s hair. Once, while combing her hair, the comb fell out of her hand.
Then he said, “In the name of Allah.” Upon hearing this, Pharaoh’s daughter asked, “Are you talking about my father?” He replied, “No, I am talking about your fater and my Lord.”
Pharaoh’s daughter was very angry when she heard this and told Pharaoh about the incident. Pharaoh, hearing the incident, ordered them to be punished by having a bronze pot heated and thrown into it. Hearing this, Pharaoh’s maid said, “Okay, we have no objection, but after we die, our bones must be wrapped together in white cloth and buried in the ground.”
Feron said, “Okay, your wish will be fulfilled.” Then the woman and her children were thrown into the hot bronze pot and killed.
The youngest was her nursing baby, and her mother seemed to step back a little when she saw his appearance. Then the child said, “Mom, go ahead, surely the punishment of this world is nothing compared to the Hereafter.” Then the mother and the baby were both killed. This woman’s honor was so great that Allah adorned Paradise with her fragrance.
The last two verses of Surah Al-Baqarah tell us that Gabriel (peace be upon him) used to bring verses from Allah.
But there are two verses in the Quran that are directly given to the Prophet by Allah.
These two verses are the last two verses of Surah Al-Baqarah. These two verses were not included on earth, but rather they were revealed in the heavens.
We will now try to discuss some facts about the story of Isra and Miraj. First, the Prophet’s chest was shaved twice, once when he was very young. The second time it happened was during Al-Isra’wal-Mi’raj.
Here Ishra means to travel and Miraj means to ascend. On this journey, both the body and soul of the Prophet (peace be upon him) traveled. Many people think this is a dream, but if it were a dream, there wouldn’t be so many miracles.
Secondly, the conversation of the Messenger with Musa (peace be upon him) indicates several aspects. When Allah first commanded fifty daily prayers, upon his return, Musa (peace be upon him) said that his nation would not be able to fulfill this command. Musa Alai Salam said this from his long experience. Theoretical knowledge is not everything, but experience is needed. Moses (peace be upon him) gave this kind of advice to the Prophet (peace be upon him) from his experience: When Allah Almighty said to establish five daily prayers, Musa (peace be upon him) said that it would be difficult for your Ummah to perform even this many prayers.
Musa (peace be upon him) was right in saying that most of the current Ummah do not pray five times a day properly. May Allah have mercy on Moses, peace be upon him, who made prayer easy for us.
Thirdly, from the incident of Isra al-Miraj, we understand the importance of prayer. All the rules and regulations of Islam were revealed through Gabriel (peace be upon him), but the command to pray was given directly by Allah Himself. This order was given in a private meeting with the Prophet (peace be upon him).
When Allah met Musa (peace be upon him) on Mount Tur, He also commanded him to pray.
Indeed, I am Allah. There is no deity except Me, so worship Me and establish prayer for My remembrance.
(Quran 20:14)
Moses was commanded to pray soon after becoming a prophet at the age of 40. This shows how important prayer is for Muslims. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: The difference between a believer and a disbeliever is not praying. Even not praying on time is a sin.
Those were the ones upon whom Allah bestowed favor from among the prophets of the descendants of Adam and of those We carried [in the ship] with Noah, and of the descendants of Abraham and Israel, and of those whom We guided and chose. When the verses of the Most Merciful were recited to them, they fell in prostration and weeping.
(Quran 19:58)
Allah has promised hell for those who do not pray. Everyone agrees that performing prayers is an important provision in Islam.
Fifth lesson: After every hardship, Allah Almighty gives peace to His servant. The three years after the seventh year of enlightenment were a very difficult time. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) spent time with his people under siege at Sher-e-Abu Talib.
Second, his uncle died shortly after he was released from the siege, and his wife died a few days later. Thirdly, after the death of Abu Talib, the Quraysh increased their oppression against him. Fourth, the people of Taif treated the Prophet (peace be upon him) in a disgusting manner. But despite all this, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) did not say, “It is forbidden.” Rather, he continued his work. And that’s when this amazing thing happened.
After a long period of suffering, Allah gave him the opportunity and Gabriel (peace be upon him) was his companion on this long journey.
This trip was a tour of a wonderful kingdom. He was able to reach a place in the sky that no one else had permission to. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) saw a river called Kausar, which was a gift from Allah. Allah Almighty says that with hardship comes relief, meaning that Allah Almighty has arranged relief for His servant after hardship.
Sixth, we Muslims need to have honest courage about Islam. When we speak about Islam, we speak with conviction. The incident that happened to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) was a miracle. Although many laughed it off, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) proclaimed the incident with great force. The seventh principle of the Hadith is that when people were laughing and joking about the incident of Miraj, Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) was not present. A man went to him and said, “Do you know what happened?” Muhammad went to Jerusalem and returned in one night. In response, Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) said that if he said this, he was telling the truth.
When he learned that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) had truly said this, he accepted the incident without hesitation.
It is noteworthy here that Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) accepted it without hesitation, that is, he testified that it was an authentic hadith.
Lesson number 8: The dignity of Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him). Abu Bakr Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him) believed whatever the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said. And for this reason he was called Siddiq or Faithful. Ninth, this incident makes us understand the importance of Jerusalem.
Glory be to the One Who took His servant ˹Muḥammad˺ by night from the Sacred Mosque to the Farthest Mosque whose surroundings We have blessed, so that We may show him some of Our signs.1 Indeed, He2 alone is the All-Hearing, All-Seeing.
(Quran 17:1)
Ninth, this incident makes us understand the importance of Jerusalem. Allah Almighty informed the Muslims about the sovereignty of Jerusalem. He informed Ibrahim (peace be upon him) that the sovereignty of Jerusalem would be returned to the Muslims.
Moses (peace be upon him) was also told to be given authority over Jerusalem. But he couldn’t see it in his lifetime.
Allah Almighty granted this kingdom to the Children of Israel as long as they remained in the path of Allah. But when they started opposing the prophets, Allah Almighty took Jerusalem from them and gave it to the descendants of Ishmael (peace be upon him). They are not preaching the message that the prophets and messengers preached throughout the ages. The Ummah of Muhammad has been given the authority of Jerusalem.
Although the Prophet (peace be upon him) was unable to conquer Jerusalem during his lifetime, Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) did conquer Jerusalem after him.
The governor of Jerusalem did not dare to attack the Muslims, but when the Muslims reached the gates of Jerusalem, they said, “We will surrender to the Muslim ruler.” He had to come here to get the key, that’s why Umar bin Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) came from Medina to Jerusalem to get the key.
The British captured Jerusalem in 1917. Then, Jewish migration slowly began there. The British government helped the Jews with weapons. In 1948, the Jews established their own independent homeland and expelled the Palestinians from their land. Jerusalem is still under Jewish control.
Point number 10: Interestingly, Allah Almighty only discusses Isra in one verse in Surah Al-Isra. And in the next six verses, Allah Almighty presents to us the character of the Jews.
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. And We gave Moses the Scripture and made it a guidance for the Children of Israel that you not take other than Me as Disposer of affairs, O descendants of those We carried [in the ship] with Noah. Indeed, he was a grateful servant. And We conveyed to the Children of Israel in the Scripture that, “You will surely cause corruption on the earth twice, and you will surely reach [a degree of] great haughtiness. So when the [time of] promise came for the first of them, We sent against you servants of Ours – those of great military might, and they probed [even] into the homes, and it was a promise fulfilled. Then We gave back to you a return victory over them. And We reinforced you with wealth and sons and made you more numerous in manpower.
(Quran 17:1-6)
After many years, the Jews have been able to establish their own state. Now the question is, will this state last? The answer is no because their first disaster was at the hands of the Persians, then there was a disaster at the hands of the Romans, and the next disaster will be at the hands of the Muslims. In the end times, there will be a great war with the Jews, and the Jews will be defeated in that war. According to the Hadith, in the end times, Jews will hide behind rocks and trees, and then the tree or rock will say, “O Muslims, a Jew is hiding behind me.”
We see stones and trees addressing people as Muslims. That is, only when Muslims abandon the idea of nationalism and fight solely as Muslims will they win.
