The Prophet Muhammad's Night Journey and Ascension - 1
Bismillah, al-hamdulillah, wassalatu wassalamu ^ala Rasulillah.
Praise be to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds,To Him belong the endowments and proper commendations. May Allah raise the rank of Prophet Muhammad and his Companions and protect his nation from what he fears for them. May the Lord of Heavens and Earth grant us the sincere intentions and guide us to the acceptable deeds.
Belief in the Unseen represents a major and essential part of Islam. When we review the key principles of Islam such as belief in Allah, the Hereafter, Paradise and Hell, angels and jinn, past prophets and books, we find that all these issues are ghayb (unseen) and need unshakable conviction in Rasulullah SAW's truthfulness.
The Night Journey and Ascension (Al-Israa' wa Al-Me'raj) posed a crucial test for early Muslims to assess their belief in the Unseen. This journey brought to light the unshakeable, firmly rooted faith of Abu Bakr As-Siddiq and the weak faith of some other people who rejected Islam totally once they heard the story.
The event of Al-Israa' and Al-Me'raj is recorded in the Quran and Hadith. It is the miraculous Night Journey of Rasulullah SAW which consists of two phases. Phase one covers his trip from Makkah to Jerusalem , known as Al-Israa', and phase two covers his ascent from Jerusalem into the Heavens, known as Al-Me'raj. It is the opinion of some historians that Rasulullah SAW went on this remarkable journey on the night of Rajab 27 (in the seventh month of the Islamic calendar). Some authors refer to the year in which this event is recorded as the Year of Grief. It was the year in which Rasulullah SAW lost his beloved wife Khadijah RA and his dear uncle, Abu Talib, who had nurtured him as a child and protected him when he was proclaimed a prophet of Allah. During this same year, he went to the city of Ta'if to invite the people to Islam, but he was stoned and driven out of the city by the street urchins. Rasulullah SAW is reported to have said that the day in Ta'if was the most difficult day of his life.
Due to these three events, Rasulullah SAW was very sad, but Allah Almighty had a superb plan to relieve His Chosen Messenger from distress, as is embodied in the following Quran verse: [ Glorified be He Who carried His servant by night from the Inviolable Place of Worship to the Far Distant Place of Worship the neighbourhood whereof We have blessed, that We might show him of Our tokens! Lo! He, only He, is the Nearer, the Seer ] (Al-Israa' 17:1). The above verse refers to Al-Israa', the journey from Makkah to Jerusalem .
This journey is also confirmed in the sahih hadith. As such, there is scholarly consensus (ijma^) Prophet Muhammad journeyed in body and soul the night of al-Isra' 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.
Before the Prophet took this night journey, the ceiling of the house in which he was staying was opened, and Jibril 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.
Praise be to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds,To Him belong the endowments and proper commendations. May Allah raise the rank of Prophet Muhammad and his Companions and protect his nation from what he fears for them. May the Lord of Heavens and Earth grant us the sincere intentions and guide us to the acceptable deeds.
Belief in the Unseen represents a major and essential part of Islam. When we review the key principles of Islam such as belief in Allah, the Hereafter, Paradise and Hell, angels and jinn, past prophets and books, we find that all these issues are ghayb (unseen) and need unshakable conviction in Rasulullah SAW's truthfulness.
The Night Journey and Ascension (Al-Israa' wa Al-Me'raj) posed a crucial test for early Muslims to assess their belief in the Unseen. This journey brought to light the unshakeable, firmly rooted faith of Abu Bakr As-Siddiq and the weak faith of some other people who rejected Islam totally once they heard the story.
The event of Al-Israa' and Al-Me'raj is recorded in the Quran and Hadith. It is the miraculous Night Journey of Rasulullah SAW which consists of two phases. Phase one covers his trip from Makkah to Jerusalem , known as Al-Israa', and phase two covers his ascent from Jerusalem into the Heavens, known as Al-Me'raj. It is the opinion of some historians that Rasulullah SAW went on this remarkable journey on the night of Rajab 27 (in the seventh month of the Islamic calendar). Some authors refer to the year in which this event is recorded as the Year of Grief. It was the year in which Rasulullah SAW lost his beloved wife Khadijah RA and his dear uncle, Abu Talib, who had nurtured him as a child and protected him when he was proclaimed a prophet of Allah. During this same year, he went to the city of Ta'if to invite the people to Islam, but he was stoned and driven out of the city by the street urchins. Rasulullah SAW is reported to have said that the day in Ta'if was the most difficult day of his life.
Due to these three events, Rasulullah SAW was very sad, but Allah Almighty had a superb plan to relieve His Chosen Messenger from distress, as is embodied in the following Quran verse: [ Glorified be He Who carried His servant by night from the Inviolable Place of Worship to the Far Distant Place of Worship the neighbourhood whereof We have blessed, that We might show him of Our tokens! Lo! He, only He, is the Nearer, the Seer ] (Al-Israa' 17:1). The above verse refers to Al-Israa', the journey from Makkah to Jerusalem .
This journey is also confirmed in the sahih hadith. As such, there is scholarly consensus (ijma^) Prophet Muhammad journeyed in body and soul the night of al-Isra' 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.
Before the Prophet took this night journey, the ceiling of the house in which he was staying was opened, and Jibril 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.
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