In Al-Israa' and Al-Mi`raj Occasion

[نسيبة بنت كعب]

Dear visitors and Readers
It a great pleasure to remember together the great day of Israa & Miraaj and God's reward for patience to all mankind represented in the story of our prophet Mohamed PBUH .
Al-Israa' and Al-Mi`raj
A Reward for Patience*
The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) suffered very much in his efforts to guide his people to their happiness in this world and in the hereafter. He met their opposition and resistance when he was calling to Islam in secrecy and later on when he proclaimed it in public. He still could not perform a proper prayer around the Sacred House while there were 360 idols around it and while any polytheist could come and circumambulate the Sacred House, bow and prostrate himself to his idol without having any trouble or interference.
At the time when men and women used to circumambulate the Sacred House naked, Abu Bakr was beaten when he recited verses from the Qur'an around it. `Utbah ibn Rabi`ah even slapped his face with his shoes. At that time, Sumayah bint Khiyat and her husband Yasir were beaten to death, while Ibn Mas`ud, Abu Dhar, Khubab, Fatimah bint Al-Khattab, and Zunayrah were beaten unconscious. An economic and social boycott was imposed on the Muslims, prohibiting anyone to sell them food or drink, to marry from them, or to visit them, to the point that they had to eat tree leaves. At the same time, the Quraish presented to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) offers such as these:
1. A very generous bribe that would make him the richest man in the whole peninsula
2. Authority and kingdom so that he would be the first to be obeyed by his people
3. Medical treatment of his disease if he was ill or psychologically disturbed
4. An agreement that he would pray to their gods one day and in return they would pray to his God the other day, which would be against his faith
5. A request that he set places for meeting with the slaves away from the meeting places of the rich, in a compromise based on racial discrimination, which would be against his moral values.
All this would be offered him if he left altogether what he was calling for, or if he left out whatever did not please his people, especially those who had authority and wealth.
The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) refused but to hold onto the truth and to continue his path. He was exposed to their mockery, insults, and beating despite his esteem and honor among his people. Consequently, he left to another place where he might find refuge and where his call to Islam might be accepted. He went to At-Ta'if, whose people were even more harmful to him than his own people. They neither treated him with the hospitality so famous of the Arabs, nor did they treat him properly as a messenger who had the right to inform them of the word of Allah while they had the right to accept or reject it. They refused to listen and they refused him the right to present his idea in a peaceful way. They set the children and the wicked adults to throw him out like a fugitive who owns nothing but his faith in his God and his determination to continue his call to Islam without giving up any part of it.
Going back to Makkah, his original town, the homeland of his family and his kin and the residence of his wife and children, he was not allowed to enter. He had to take refuge with Al-Mut`am ibn `Adi. Muhammad turned his face to the sky. He humbly, piously supplicated to God with the best supplication:
O Allah! to You I complain of my weakness, little resource, and lowliness before man. O Most Merciful! You are the Lord of the weak, and You are my Lord. To whom would You confide me? To one afar who will misuse me or to an enemy to whom You have given dominance over me? If You are not angry with me I do not care. Your favor of well-being on me is sufficient for me. I take refuge in the light of Your countenance by which the darkness is illuminated, and the things of this world and the next are rightly ordered, lest Your anger descend upon me or Your wrath not light upon me but come down on me. It is for You to be satisfied until You are well pleased. There is no power and no might except in You.
So Allah rewarded him as follows:
1. A slave called `Addas responded to his call to Islam. It is known that to lead one person to the way of Allah is better than having all the treasures of this world.
2. Allah sent to him a number of jinn who listened to his preaching and returned to their people to warn them.
3. Six people from Yathrib responded to him and formed a group of pioneers for the call to Islam in Al-Madinah Al-Munawarah, thereby establishing the foundation for Islam in this land. These six were As`ad ibn Zurarah, `Awf ibn Al-Harith, Rafi` ibn Malik, Qutbah ibn `Aamir, `Uqbah ibn `Amir, and Jabir ibn `Abdullah. This happened at a time when all the tribes refused him, including Banu Kalb, Banu Hanifah, Banu `Amir ibn Sa`sa`ah, Fizarah,
4. A number of the highly esteemed members of their tribes accepted his call. Among them were the poet Suwaid ibn As-Samit, Iyas ibn Mu`adh, Abu Dhar Al-Ghifari, At-Tufayl ibn `Amr Ad-Dawsy, the head of the tribe of Daws.
5. The Night Journey (Israa') to Jerusalem and the Ascension (Mi`raj) to the Exalted Assembly. [Then he approached and came closer, and was at a distance of but two bow-lengths or even nearer.] (An-Najm 53: 8-9)
taken with permission from
Islam Online

[نسيبة بنت كعب]

The event of Al-Israa’ and Al-Mi`raj is recorded in the Qur’an and Hadith. It is the miraculous Night Journey of Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) 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-Mi`raj. It is the opinion of some historians that the Prophet 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 Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) lost his beloved wife Khadijah (may Allah be pleased with her) 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. The Prophet is reported to have said that the day in Ta’if was the most difficult day of his life.
Due to these three events, Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) was very sad, but Allah Almighty had a superb plan to relieve His Chosen Messenger from distress, as is embodied in the following Qur’anic verse: [Glorified be He Who carried His servant by night from the Inviolable Place of Worship to the Far Distant Place of Worship the neighborhood 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.
In a hadith in Sahih Al-Bukhari, Abu Dhar narrated the event of Al-Mi`raj or Ascension, as described by the Messenger of Allah. Abu Dhar narrated as follows:
The Prophet was in Makkah and the Angel Jibreel (Gabriel) descended through the roof, opened his chest, washed it with Zamzam water, filled it with wisdom and faith, and then closed it. He was then taken by Jibreel to the nearest heaven, where Jibreel was asked by the gatekeeper, “Jibreel, is there anyone with you?”
He answered that Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) was with him. Again he asked, “Has he been called?” And Jibreel answered in the affirmative. The gate was then opened and they entered the nearest heaven, where they saw a man sitting with a large number of people on his right and also on his left. When he looked on his right he laughed, and when he looked at his left he wept. Then he said, “Welcome! O pious prophet and pious son.” The Prophet inquired from Jibreel who the man was and Jibreel informed him that he was Adam and the people around him were his offspring. Those on his right were the people of Paradise and on his left, the people of Hell.
They then traveled to the second heaven. Here Jibreel was asked the same questions as before and he gave the same response, and so the gate was opened.
Anas reported that Abu Dhar added that the Prophet met Adam, Idris (Enoch), Musa (Moses), `Isa (Jesus), and Ibrahim (Abraham), but Abu Dhar did not mention in which heaven they were, except that the Prophet met Adam in the first and Ibrahim in the sixth. Each of these prophets welcomed Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) and Jibreel identified each of them.
Ibn `Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) and Abu Habba Al-Ansari (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) also said that Jibreel ascended with him to a place where he heard the creaking of pens. Allah prescribed fifty Prayers on His followers. When the Prophet returned with this order from Allah, he passed by Musa, who inquired, “What has Allah enjoined on your followers?” He replied, “He has enjoined fifty Prayers on them.” Musa advised him to go back and appeal for a reduction because his followers would not be able to bear it. So he went back to Allah (a few times) and appealed for a reduction until it was reduced to five per day, and Allah said, “These are five Prayers and they are all equal to fifty in reward, for My Word does not change.” Muhammad returned to Musa, who advised him to seek a further reduction, but he said he felt shy to ask again.
After this, he was taken by Jibreel to Sidrat Al-Muntaha or the Lote Tree of the Utmost Boundary, which was shrouded in colors that are indescribable. He was then admitted into Paradise, where he saw that its walls were made of pearls and its earth was made of musk.
As we contemplate the occurrences of this remarkable night, we can say that Allah had a very good reason for Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) to be transported from Makkah to Jerusalem and then to the Seven Heavens.
Jerusalem was the qiblah or the direction towards which Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) turned in Prayer, and up to that time was the seat of learning for all previously revealed ******ures.
This unique incident also demonstrates Allah’s infinite mercy to the believers. His benevolent gift of Prayer gives the believers the privilege of acquiring countless blessings and also forgiveness for their indiscretions
Many happy returns for the Muslim nation and to all Muslims around the globe and this forum
Nusaiba

[احمد العربى]

Peace and blessings be upon him.
Thank you dear sister for this wanderfull history of Al-Israa and Al-Mi`raj, jazaky Allah kull Alkhair