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Israa Wal Mi’raaj:
The Night Journey And The Ascension
Would you like to take a trip to Mars?
Well, if you decide to take a walk to the planet, it will take you over a 1000 years!
If you get lucky and hop on to NASA’s next spaceship launch, you can probably reach your destination in around 9 months.
But what if I told you, many many years ago, someone travelled far into space, beyond all the galaxies and across the seven skies, all within a few minutes?
Not only this, they were back home within the same night!
‘Impossible!’ you say?
Well, it may seem unbelievable but such an event happened in reality.
By the command of Allah, Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) travelled from the Kaabah in Makkah to Masjid Al Aqsa in Jerusalem in just a few minutes.
Masjid Al Aqsa is the third holiest masjid in Islam.
This journey is known as the Israa or The Night Journey.
On the same night, Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) embarked on a special journey upwards.
Starting from Masjid Al Aqsa in Jerusalem, he travelled up to the seven heavenly skies!
This is known as the Mi’raaj or The Ascension which means to ‘go up’.
Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) ascended upwards with his body and soul. It was not his imagination or a dream.
In fact, it was a miracle gifted to our beloved Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) by Allah the Almighty.
Did you know?
Miracles are extraordinary events that do not follow any rules of nature or science. They just follow the orders of Allah.
Allah is the Creator of everything and He can do anything!
A Beautiful Gift
Did you know that the daily prayers or the salah were gifted to Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) on this very special event?
Allah commanded that from that day onwards every follower of Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) was required to pray the salah as an obligation or farz five times a day.
The salah that we offer was taught to the Holy Prophet by angel Jibreel (Peace be upon them) the very next day of the Mi’raaj.
Reason For The Miraculous Journey
Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) was going through a period of sadness. Two very important people, who were his pillars of support and encouragement, had passed away one after the other. His precious uncle, Abu Talib and his beloved wife, Khadija (May Allah be pleased with her). Now the Quraish were free to do whatever they wanted and be as mean as they could be.
Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) visited a place called Taif to ask the people to provide some protection to the Muslims. Instead of helping him, the people of Taif drove him away and even threw stones at him (Peace be upon him)!
It was at this point that Allah honored his beloved Prophet (Peace be upon him) with the gift of Israa and Mi’raaj.
It was a reminder that Allah loved him the most. Through this beautiful gift, Allah showed some very important signs to His Prophet (Peace be upon him).
Israa - The Night Journey
From the Kaabah in Makkah to Masjid Al Aqsa in Jerusalem
One night Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) was asleep near the Kaabah in Makkah when he was awakened by angel Jibreel (Peace be upon him). With him was a strange creature that Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) had never seen before. It was called the Buraq and Jibreel instructed him to mount it.
The Buraq was a large, white colored creature. It did not look like any of the animals from this world. It was bigger than a donkey but smaller than a mule. In one step it could travel a distance as far as one’s eyes could see!
Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) rode on its back and travelled all the way to Masjid Al Aqsa in Jerusalem in just a few minutes!
Did you know?
It is a false belief (myth) that the Buraq was a horse with wings.
The speed of a bullet train is 320 km per hour.
The Buraq is way faster than a bullet train!
At Masjid Al Aqsa some very special people were waiting for Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) to arrive. They were all the previous prophets sent to this world before him (Peace be upon them). Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) then led them all in a congregational prayer.
A Wise Choice
Angel Jibreel presented Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) with two pitchers. One was filled with wine while the other was filled with milk. Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) selected the pitcher of milk. His choice proved that he had a pure and noble soul.
The Mi’raaj - The Ascension
From Masjid Al Aqsa in Jerussalem to The Seven Heavenly Skies
Next, angel Jibreel guided Prophet Muhammd (Peace be upon them) to mount the Buraq once again. They were now ready to start their spectacular journey upwards, towards the seven heavenly skies.
Did you know?
Allah has created seven skies. The sky that we see with the sparkling stars and the shiny moon is just a worldly one. The seven heavenly skies are beyond the universe we belong to. We humans cannot cross this worldly sky.
Above the seventh sky is Allah’s throne or the Arsh. The seven heavenly skies have gates that are guarded by angels. Even angel Jibreel (Peace be upon him) has to take permission to cross from one sky to the other!
On the journey of the Mi’raaj, at the entrance of the each sky, an angel asked Jibreel (Peace be upon him),
“Who is it?”
“Jibreel.” It was answered.
“Who is with you?”
“Muhammad (Peace be upon him).”
“Has he been sent for?” It was asked.
“Yes, he has been sent for.” Angel Jibreel confirmed.
Only then the gate was opened and Prophet Muhammad and Jibreel (Peace be upon them) were allowed to cross.
A Meet & Greet With The Prophets
How would you feel if you were about to meet some of the most honorable prophets (Peace be upon them) of Allah?
Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) got the opportunity to meet and talk to not one but eight prophets on the Mi’raaj!
Riding the glorious Buraq and guided by angel Jibreel, the Holy Prophet (Peace be upon him) ascended up, up, until they reached the very first sky. Here, Prophet Muhammad met a very tall man. It was Prophet Adam (Peace be upon him). Greetings were exchanged and Prophet Adam sent peace and blessings on Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him).
At the second sky, Prophet Muhammad met Prophets Eesa and Yahya (Peace be upon them).
On the third sky, the stunningly handsome Prophet Yusuf awaited to welcome Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon them).
Next, he met Prophet Idrees, while on the fifth level he met Prophet Haroon (Peace be upon them).
On the sixth sky Prophet Musa was waiting to greet Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon them).
Finally, Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) reached the seventh sky. Here he met Prophet Ibrahim (Peace be upon him).
Each of the prophets greeted Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) and sent peace and blessings on him.
Wonders Of The Seventh Sky
The seventh sky was extra special as Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) saw some extraordinary sights there.
1. The Bait ul Ma’mur
In front of Prophet Muhammad’s (Peace be upon him) eyes was a structure so magnificent and so beautiful that it was almost impossible to describe it. It was a place of worship called the Bait Al Ma’mur which means The Much Visited House.
Seventy thousand angels visit it every day to worship Allah! Every day, a new group of seventy thousand angels visit the Bait Al Ma’mur. Even right now, seventy thousand angels are going around the Bait Al Ma’mur worshipping Allah as they perform the tawaaf!
2. The Sidra Tul Muntaha or The Tree of Paradise
Can you imagine getting a chance to see a magical tree of Paradise? Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) was given this honour.
The Sidra Tul Muntaha or The Lote Tree was like a piece of heaven. Its leaves were as big as an elephant’s ears and fragrant with the sweetest smell one can imagine. Its branches were adorned with berries as large as earthenware pitchers.
Golden butterflies fluttered around as if a sprinkle of good dust all over. A splash of wonderful colours illuminated the tree. The colours were not like the greens, reds and purples we see in this world. They were out of this world and almost impossible to describe!
3. The real form of Angel Jibreel (Peace be upon him)
Angels are a part of the unseen world of Allah. So no one can see them as Allah has kept them hidden from the sight of ordinary humans. Every time angel Jibreel came to the earth to reveal the Quran to Prophet Muhammad, he would come disguised as a handsome man.
But on this glorious day, with the command of Allah, angel Jibreel revealed himself to Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him).
Jibreel (Peace be upon him) was a grand angel with six hundred wings. Each wing was so big that it covered the entire distance from the east to the west! Glittering rubies and sparkling pearls hung from the wings like raindrops from a leaf.
It was a breathtaking sight to behold.
4. Kauthar – The River of Paradise
Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) was also made to see the magnificent river of ‘Kauthar’.
It is a beautiful river in Paradise, with pearls and rubies glittering on its banks.
Only the most obedient and sincerest followers of Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) will get to take a sip of the refreshing water on the Day of Judgement.
Would you want to be amongst the lucky ones who get to taste this delicious water?
Apart from these, Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) also got to see a glimpse of heaven and hell. He witnessed people getting punished for different wrong doings. This way he was able to convince his followers to do good deeds and earn a place in heaven.
A Beautiful End
It was time for the magnificent journey of the Mi’raaj to come to an end. At this point Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) was brought very close to Allah the Almighty!
Did you know?
Prophet Muhammad did not see Allah as it is not possible for anyone to see Him.
He only got the honour of speaking to Allah the Almighty.
Allah ordered one command, made one promise and gave one gift to Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him).
The command was to offer the five daily salah.
The promise was that any person who does not associate partners with Allah and worships Him alone will be taken out of hell fire.
And the gift was the last two verses of Surah Al Baqarah.
The Reaction
After the magical journey across the heavenly skies, Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) was back home the same night. The next morning, he informed his people about the remarkable experience.
As expected, the people of Quraish made fun of him and accused him of making up stories. While the sincere Muslims believed every word and every detail without any doubts. After all, Prophet Muhamamd (Peace be upon him) was Sadiq, the most honest man ever!
People like Abu Bakar (May Allah be pleased with him) simply said,
“If he said so, it must be true.”
Because of this response, from that day onwards he was given the title of Siddiq which means the ‘one who believes’.
Some Points To Think About
- Nothing is impossible for Allah. He is the Creator and He can do anything even if it seems impossible to us humans.
- Even if people make fun of you, the only thing that matters is whether Allah loves you or not. And Allah loves His true believers.
- If you are patient, Allah will reward you with blessings you cannot even imagine. Just like He blessed Prophet Muhamamd (Peace be upon him) with a miraculous journey.
- Praying the salah is the most important act of worship. Even if you are traveling or are very tired, or even sick, there is no way you can miss a prayer.
- It is part of our faith in Allah to believe that He has created things that we have not seen, such as angels, heaven and even the fire of hell.
REFERENCES:
- Ma’arifal Quran
- Tafsir Ibn Kathir
- Surah Al Israa 17:1
- Surah Najam 53:13-18
- Surah Tur 52:4
- Surah Al Kauthar 108:1
- https://sunnah.com/mishkat:5863
- https://www.skyatnightmagazine.com/space-science/how-long-does-take-get-mars
- When The Moon Split by Safiur Rahman Mubarakpuri
- The Sealed Nectar by Safiur Rahman Mubarakpuri
- Muhamamd by Martin Lings
