THE PROPHET’S ACENT TO HEAVEN

          In the 12^th year of the call in the month of Rabi-ul-Awwal (some say the 27^th of Ramadan or the 27^th of Rajab) was the date of the holy Prophet’s ascent to heaven, popularly known as Miraj came to pass. The popular version as witnessed/stated in the traditions/hadith is that the holy prophet (pbuh) was lying one night within the enclosure of the holy Ka’ba in Mecca when suddenly the archangel Gabriel came with a steed called ‘Buraq’ running like lightning, had the prophet mounted thereon and went to mosque of Jerusalem (i.e. Al-Aqsa).  The holy Qur’an says regarding this occurrence, “GLORY BE TO HIM WHO TOOK HIS SERVANT FROM THE SACRED MOSQUE TO THE FURTHEST MOSQUE (JERUSALEM) OF WHICH WE HAD BLESSED ITS PRENCINTS SO THAT WE MAY SHOW HIM SOME OF OUR SIGNS.” (17:1) From this verse coupled with tradition/hadith the prophet’s (pbuh) night journey from the holy Ka’ba to the mosque of Jerusalem has been firmly established. Thereafter, the steed was kept outside and the prophet entered the masjid and prayed two ra’ka. 

Then he went to the first heaven with Gabriel. In this way he crossed the seven heavens after meeting all the great Prophet’s (pbuta) who welcomed him with great honor.  In the 7^th heaven, he was taken by Gabriel up to the Lote-tree which is the furthest limit of men and angels.  They can not go beyond that, nor their knowledge exceeds that limit. The holy prophet alone went a little further and spoke with Allah (awj) behind a veil and received revelations and secret knowledge which no mortal had attained before.  The Qur’an refers to this meeting of his with Allah: “…WHILE HE WAS IN THE HIGHEST PART OF THE HORIZON THEN HE APPROACHED AND CAME CLOSER DREW NEAR AND NEARER, THEN HE WAS THE MEASURE OF TWO BOWS AND CLOSER STILL. HE REVEALED TO HIS SERVANT WHAT HE REVEALED. THE PROPHET’S MIND AND HEART IN NO WAY FALSIFIED WHAT HE SAW. WILL YE THEN DISPUTE WITH HIM ABOUT THAT WHICH FOR INDEED HE SAW HIM (GABRIEL) AT A SECOND DESCENT. NEAR THE LOTE TREE BEYOND WHICH NO ONE MAY PASS. NEAR IT IS THE GARDEN OF ABODE. BEHOLD THE LOTE-TREE WAS SHROUDED IN MYSTERY UNSPEAKABLE!) HIS SIGHT NEVER SWERVED NOR DID IT GO WRONG FOR TRULY HE DID SEE THE SIGNS OF HIS LORD THE GREATEST! (51:7-18) Thereafter the prophet (pbuh) returned in the same night after attaining the highest spiritual perfection.

This night journey of the prophet baffled the imagination of the people and hence the enemies of the prophet and did not believe in his ascent. Some of the Quraish asked him to describe the mosque of Jerusalem (Quds) and he was successful. The companions of the prophet believed the prophet in the narrative of his ascent, but some of them differed with regard to its actual nature, whether it was spiritual, physical or whether it was in a dream. Hazrats Ayesha and Muwayiah (rah) held that it was purely spiritual, in other words, his soul was taken to see the signs of Allah, they were supported by the great saint Hasan al-Basri. The greater body of the companions and their successors hold the doctrine of physical ascent in other words the prophet went to heaven with the body. They gave stress on the word ….There is another group that says it was only an experience in a dream.

These differences arose only because the knowledge and experience of man cannot comprehend an incomprehensible thing. Whenever such inconceivable things such as predestination, paradise and hell ect. have been described differences found congenial room. The best thing is to leave to Allah what is beyond comprehension and believe in the words of the holy prophet (pbuh) and let not any controversy misguide us…”   

   

COMMENTARY

The subject of this khutbah is also known as the “Night journey” to the Muslim ummah while the narratives concerning it have been rigorously authenticated in the major works/collections of the hadith literature (Bukhari &Muslim). Among its highlights is the “meet and greet” of prophet Muhammad with the previous prophet’s and messengers (pbuta), as an indication of his connection to them in several areas. First is their believing, preaching and maintaining the primary belief of Tawheed (monotheism).

Second, is family lineage from the great patriarch Abraham (Ibrahim), despite the Bible focusing on Hagar being a slave/bondwoman making her son Ishmael by Abraham not one to inherit due to the implied inferiority to Sarah and her son, Issac (pbuta), because of social status.

Sister Maryam Jameelah writes in part, “…St.Paul’s epistles in the new testament condemn Ismail and his descendants even more vehemently than the Old Testament. “…Tell me ye that desire to be under the law; do ye not hear the law? For it is written that Abraham had two sons the one of the bondwoman, the other by the freewoman. But he (Ismail) who was born of the bondwoman was born after the flesh but he of the freewoman was by promise…now we (Christian) brethren, as Issac was, are the children of promise. But him that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was born after the spirit, even so it is now.

Nevertheless, what sayith the scripture, cast out the bondwoman and her son for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the freewoman. So, therefore we (Christians) are not children of the bondwoman but of the free”. (Galatians, 4:21-31) ²

In the Islamic tradition, Ishmael/Isma’il is accorded the full status and respect of a prophet similar to the prophet’s of Israel (pbuta)…“AND ISMA’IL AND ELISHA. AND JONAS AND LOT…“THESE WERE THE MEN TO WHOM WE GAVE THE BOOK, THE AUTHORITY, AND PROPHETHOOD…”  (6:86,89) One Muslim scholar writes, “Of all people, prophets (peace be upon them all) had the most exalted and mature souls. They were immune from such things as being wrong, erring, unawareness, perfidy, bigotry, obstinacy, following the nafs (passions/desires), grudge and hatred. Prophets communicated and explained the things intimated Allah ta’ala. The teachings of Islam, commands and prohibitions communicated by them, are all true. Not one of them is wrong or corrupt.” ³ “NO PROPHET CAN BE FALSE TO HIS TRUST..” (Al-Imran, 3:161) The trust is their office of prophethood which includes all the virtues and character perfections mentioned. This ayat and others effectively refutes/rejects the biblical narratives that charge the great prophets of Israel and others with all manner of sins and heinous crimes. “…The Bible speaks of deceit and lies attributed Abraham, cheating and treachery to Isaac and Jacob, adultery to David, incest to Lot, idol worship to Aaron, apostacy to Solomon and inhuman brutalities to Moses and Joshua, and at the same time calls them men after God’s own heart …” Thus, “..all those calumnies which the Bible heaps on the holy character of the Prophets… the Qur’an clears them”, In clear contrast to these contaminated Biblical accounts stand the pure and sublime theism and the practical code of morals contained in the Qur’an…” ⁴

The logic of denigrating the prophets in the Biblical accounts makes it easy to understand several principal beliefs of Christianity; First is Saul/Paul exalting Prophet Jesus into the son of God, that includes God incarnate (i.e. taking a human form), being a hold over from the Greco-Roman mythology of Mithra/Mithras and others.  Second is the universal savior for all humanity although he (pbuh) stated he was for the“…lost sheep of Israel” (Matt.15:24), that is confirmed in Al-Qur’an (3:48-51), along with this last sacred scripture stating prophet Muhammad’s  (pbuh) mission was for all mankind (21:107). 3) In addition to Paul ‘abrogating’ the law of Moses (pbuh) (Gal. 3:13) and 4) claiming to be inspired by Jesus (pbuh). (Acts. 22: 6-15).      

Returning to the prophet`s heavenly ascent, most historical and authenticated religious reports (ahadith) state the prophet Suliaman/Solomon (pbuh) building masjid Al-aqsa a.k.a. the temple of Solomon in Jerusalem which is referred to as the furthest mosque in the above ayat. This designation is another indication of the connection between the Judeo/Christian and Muslim traditions starting with the Islamic belief in all the prophets and messengers (pbuta).

It has been reported that after this miraculous event when the prophet Muhammad (pbuh) spoke of it to the people they scoffed as the shaykh stated, “Some of the Quraish asked him to describe the mosque of Jerusalem (Quds) and he was successful.  One scholar explains this in contemporary norms, “in order to rout and disgrace Rasulullah (pbuh) (they attempted to test him…At that moment hadrat Jabrail brought Masjid-i Aqsa. [like watching television], in front of my eyes, I saw, counted, and answered their questions at once.” ⁵

(pbuh)—Peace be upon him.

(pbuta)—Peace be upon them all.

 

 

 

 

NOTES

1 Reliance of the Traveller trans. by Nuh Hamim Keller pg. 994

2 Islam versus Ahl al-Kitab past and present.  Pg. 32   

3 Belief and Islam. (Waqf Ikhlas publications). Pg.95   

4 lessons from stories of the Qur’an by Ali Musa Raza Mujahir: Introduction

5 Endless Bliss, Third Fascicle. (Waqf Ikhlas publications). Pg.279