بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
سُبْحَانَ الَّذِي أَسْرَىٰ
بِعَبْدِهِ لَيْلًا مِّنَ الْمَسْجِدِ الْحَرَامِ إِلَى الْمَسْجِدِ
الْأَقْصَى الَّذِي بَارَكْنَا حَوْلَهُ لِنُرِيَهُ مِنْ آيَاتِنَا ۚ
إِنَّهُ هُوَ السَّمِيعُ الْبَصِيرُ
Glory
be to Him who took His slave on a journey by night from the Masjid al-Haram to
the Masjid al-Aqsa, whose surroundings We have blessed, in order to show him
some of Our Signs. He is the All-Hearing, the All-Seeing.
(Surah
al-Isra’: 1)
Every Muslim
knows and loves Muhammad صلى الله عليه و سلم, the seal of the Prophets, sent as a mercy for
all creation and for all time. Muhammad صلى الله عليه و سلم
was given the Quran, the final scripture sent from Allah confirming earlier
revelations given to Prophets before him such as Musa (as) and Isa (as). Although the Quran was the greatest miracle
given to Muhammad صلى الله عليه و سلم, his Prophethood was full of various other miracles. One of the greatest (arguably the
greatest) of these miracles is mentioned in the ayah from Surah al-Isra’ which
this post begins with. This ayah refers to Muhammad صلى الله عليه و سلم travelling miraculously from Makkah to Jerusalem and from Jerusalem through the seven Heavens to meet
and speak with Allah, all in the space of a single night. This most amazing of journeys is known as
Al-Isra’ wal-Mi’raj
When the
disbelievers in Makkah heard the Prophet صلى الله عليه و سلم talking about his incredible journey
they mocked him and found the concept unbelievable. They were unwilling to believe he had
travelled to Jerusalem and back in one night, let alone that he had travelled
to meet Allah. Even though the Prophet صلى الله عليه و سلم was able to meet their challenges, they simply refused to believe such a
journey could be possible. For the Muslims though- both then and now- it is
part of faith to believe that the Prophet صلى الله عليه و سلم went on this journey by the qadr
(decree) of Allah; anyone who does not believe the Prophet صلى الله عليه و سلم actually went to
Jerusalem and the Heavens is not a believer. For Allah to link a place with faith
in this way is a clear sign of its importance.
Like earlier Prophets before him, Muhammad صلى الله عليه و سلم made sure his followers
understood the significance and status of Al Quds in Islam. Al-Isra’ wal-Mi’raj was a remarkable blessing
from Allah which presses this message home for all believers.
The next post will take up this story, inshaAllah.
