Post by hafeezanwar on Dec 17, 2014 17:00:38 GMT
Importance of the belief of Night Ascension
The faith of Islam is based on aqeeda (creed). Without this no deeds are acceptable. Therefore every muslim must know the creed of Islam According to Imam Nasafi (died 537 AH)
, there are some 63 articles of faith which make up the Islamic creed. One of these articles of faith is the miracle of ascension (Miraj). All of the books of creed speak about the ascension
“The Prophet (peace be upon him)'s ascension was a bodily journey in a wakeful state to the heavens and then to the heights where Allah wished him to go.”
Forty five companions have narrated ahadith about the Miraj. In the tafsir of Ibn Katheer, he has devoted 15 pages and compiled most of the authentic ahadith on this topic.
Apart from Abu Darr Ghaffari, all the other narrators are Madani and from the Ansar. Then there were dozens of tabiun (successors) who narrated ahadith about the Miraj.
The Prophet(peace be upon him), the companions and their successors all used to talk about the Ascension. All the six books of Hadith contain chapters on Miraj. Imam Bukhari
and Imam Muslim have separate chapters on Miraj and Isra respectively. If they hadn’t discussed it, we would have become ignorant about this aqeeda.
What is the Ascension ?
Surah 17 of the majestic Quran, Al-Isra opens with an ayah which concisely describes the ascension:, where Allah says:
“Glorified be He who took his servant for a journey by night from the Masjid Al-Haram to the Masjid Al-Aqsa, the surroundings we have blessed,
in order to show him some of Our signs. Indeed , He is the all-Hearing, the all-Seeing.” ►(Surah Al-Isra Chapter 17:Verse 1 )
- The verse begins with one of the Divine attributes, “Subhaan”, then Glorified.
- The term the "farthest mosque" is considered in Islamic tradition as the general name for the precinct of al-Haram al-Sharif ("The Noble Sacred Enclosure") in Jerusalem,
as well as the specific name for the congregational mosque located at its southern edge.
-The purpose of this journey we are told was “to show him Our signs”.
This verse talks about the most remarkable miracles of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), the night journey (Isra).
This journey had two phases:
1> HORIZONTAL Phase: from the Kaabah in Makkah, to the historic masjid in Jerusalem.
2> VERTICAL phase : from Masjid Al-Aqsa to the divine throne.
Holy Qur’an states in another verse:
Then he drew near, very near, like two bows lengths or even closer. ► (Surah An-Najm Chapter 53, Ayah 8 )
The hadith literature gives graphic details of this momentous journey.
Narrative of Ascension from Hadith Literature
Detailed narratives of the ascension are found in the books of ahadith. Imam Bukhari in his Jami us-Sahih, in the “Book of Tawhid” has a chapter devoted to Miraj,whilst
Imam Muslim’s Jami us-Sahih has a chapter called “Isra” in the “Book of the beginning of the revelation”. Here we shall narrate the event according to the Jami us-Sahih of Imam Muslim.
The Messenger (peace be upon him) says: “One night I was asleep, in the Harim near the Kaabah when I was woken by Jibril. He informed me of the Diving will and took me to
the well of Zam Zam, where upon he opened by chest and poured wisdom and faith into it. Then he sealed it. I was then presented with a beautiful Buraq.
This is an animal larger than a mule but smaller than a horse. I mounted it.”
It traveled at phenomenal speed. The Messenger(peace be upon him) was soon at the second precinct of Masjid al-Aqsa. There all of the prophets of the past ages were
assembled and waiting for him. He lead them in congregational prayer.
This noble assembly marked the end of the horizontal part of the journey. From here, accompanied by Jibril(Alaih Salam), the Messenger(peace be upon him) traveled on
the Buraq ascending the heavens.
In the first heaven, He met Adam (Alaih Salam), who greated Him with love and affection in the words, “Welcome O righteous Son!”.
The ascension continued to the second heavens where He met Isa (Alaih Salam) and Yayha (Alaih Salam),
then on to the third heaven where He was met by Yusuf(Alaih Salam)
on the fourth by Idris (Alaih Salam),
on the fifth by Harun (Alaih Salam),
and on the sixth by Musa (Alaih Salam) and
on the seventh He was greeted by Ibrahim (Alaih Salam).
The journey continued beyond the heavens until he reached the Baiy al Mamur – The Kaabah of the Angels, from where He ascended to the Lote tree of the uttermost boundary.
This is the focal point of the Divine mercy. Jibril (Alaih Salam) then reached the point where he was not allowed to travel any further. It was at this point that he parted from
Prophet Muhammad(peace be upon him).
The Prophet(peace be upon him) continued alone, but where to ? That is beyond the point of human grasp.
The Glorious Quran alludes to it, in Surah An-Najm [53] Ayah 8:Then he drew near, very near, like two bows lengths or even closer.►(Surah An-Najm Chapter 53, Verse 8 )
What happened there is also in the realm of a mystery. We are just told that He revealed to His servant what he revealed, in Ayah 10 of Surah An-Najm:
“And He revealed to His servant what He revealed.”►(Surah An-Najm Chapter 53, Verse 10 )
Was the Ascension a dream or a physical journey ?
The numerous Ahadith reported in Bukhari, Muslim and other books do not indicate this journey was a dream. Qadi Iyaad al Malaki, in his commentary on Sahih Muslim says:
“The majority of the pious predecessors and later jurists, scholars of Hadith and men of learning believe the Miraj to be bodily. Four reasons are given by the scholars for this conclusion:
- Firstly, the word ‘Abd’ in the ayah of the Miraj refers categorically to mind and soul together.
- Secondly, all the ahadith about the Miraj actually talk about the Prophet (peace be upon him) mounting the Buraq, eating, drinking, meeting past prophets, leading them in
the prayer. All these are physical actions. Nowhere is it mentioned that this was a dream.
- Thirdly, if it was a mere dream, which the beloved Messenger (peace be upon him) narrated to the people of Makkah, why did they deny it? Surely don’t people see many weird
and wonderful dreams ?
- Fourthly, how could it have been a test of people’s faith it was a mere dream ?
This is why the great scholar, Imam Nasafi mentioned in his classical work “Aqaid an Nasafi”.
“In the Miraj, he was taken to Masjid al-Aqsa and then to Sidrat-ul-Muntaha,and wherever Allah wished.”
All this took place in a state of wakefulness and with the body. However it took place in the realm of the Barzakh, which is the state between the physical and spiritual.
Hence spiritual laws govern the body and the spiritual elements appeared in the bodily form. In fact all the ‘strange’ events of Miraj were expressed in this state of Barzakh.
Shah Wali Allah’s comments on the intercession: (Sirat un –Nabi, page 451, in Hujja Tullahil Balaagah)
Shah Wali Allah goes on to interpret many of the scenes of the Miraj in light of the above.
For example, the Hadith mentioned two cups were presented to the Prophet(peace be upon him) . Once was a cup of milk and the other was a cup of wine. He chose the cup of milk,
and there upon the Jibril(Alaihi Salam) said: "Praise be to Allah who has guided you to the natural form! If you had taken the wine, your community would have erred."
►{Sahih Bukhari , The Book of Drinks, Hadith #5254}
In this world for Barzakh, milk represented the natural state, and misguidance was in the form of wine.
The Purpose of the Ascension
According to Imam Nawawi and Zarqaani, this took place on 27th Rajab, 17 months before Hijrah. This was the year which biographers call “the year of sorrow”
when his beloved wife and caring uncle had passed away. The Messenger(peace be upon him) was very sad that he lost two great supporters and comforters.
The ascension was a “Divine treat” for him. Some of the other purposes of the journey are as follows:
- Declaration of the universality of Islam
o By leading the Prophets(A.S.)
o By praying in Masjid al-Aqsa
- Warning the Kuffar of the imminent punishment
- The twelve commandments:
o Not to commit shirk
o Kindness to parents
o Respect others rights
o Avoid spend thriftiness
o Do not kill your children
o Do not commit adultery
o Do not kill
o Be kind to orphans
o Fulfill your promise
o Be fair in your dealings
o Do not be suspicious of others
o Do not be arrogant
-Prelude to Hijrah(Migration)
-The obligatory five prayers
The faith of Islam is based on aqeeda (creed). Without this no deeds are acceptable. Therefore every muslim must know the creed of Islam According to Imam Nasafi (died 537 AH)
, there are some 63 articles of faith which make up the Islamic creed. One of these articles of faith is the miracle of ascension (Miraj). All of the books of creed speak about the ascension
“The Prophet (peace be upon him)'s ascension was a bodily journey in a wakeful state to the heavens and then to the heights where Allah wished him to go.”
Forty five companions have narrated ahadith about the Miraj. In the tafsir of Ibn Katheer, he has devoted 15 pages and compiled most of the authentic ahadith on this topic.
Apart from Abu Darr Ghaffari, all the other narrators are Madani and from the Ansar. Then there were dozens of tabiun (successors) who narrated ahadith about the Miraj.
The Prophet(peace be upon him), the companions and their successors all used to talk about the Ascension. All the six books of Hadith contain chapters on Miraj. Imam Bukhari
and Imam Muslim have separate chapters on Miraj and Isra respectively. If they hadn’t discussed it, we would have become ignorant about this aqeeda.
What is the Ascension ?
Surah 17 of the majestic Quran, Al-Isra opens with an ayah which concisely describes the ascension:, where Allah says:
“Glorified be He who took his servant for a journey by night from the Masjid Al-Haram to the Masjid Al-Aqsa, the surroundings we have blessed,
in order to show him some of Our signs. Indeed , He is the all-Hearing, the all-Seeing.” ►(Surah Al-Isra Chapter 17:Verse 1 )
- The verse begins with one of the Divine attributes, “Subhaan”, then Glorified.
- The term the "farthest mosque" is considered in Islamic tradition as the general name for the precinct of al-Haram al-Sharif ("The Noble Sacred Enclosure") in Jerusalem,
as well as the specific name for the congregational mosque located at its southern edge.
-The purpose of this journey we are told was “to show him Our signs”.
This verse talks about the most remarkable miracles of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), the night journey (Isra).
This journey had two phases:
1> HORIZONTAL Phase: from the Kaabah in Makkah, to the historic masjid in Jerusalem.
2> VERTICAL phase : from Masjid Al-Aqsa to the divine throne.
Holy Qur’an states in another verse:
Then he drew near, very near, like two bows lengths or even closer. ► (Surah An-Najm Chapter 53, Ayah 8 )
The hadith literature gives graphic details of this momentous journey.
Narrative of Ascension from Hadith Literature
Detailed narratives of the ascension are found in the books of ahadith. Imam Bukhari in his Jami us-Sahih, in the “Book of Tawhid” has a chapter devoted to Miraj,whilst
Imam Muslim’s Jami us-Sahih has a chapter called “Isra” in the “Book of the beginning of the revelation”. Here we shall narrate the event according to the Jami us-Sahih of Imam Muslim.
The Messenger (peace be upon him) says: “One night I was asleep, in the Harim near the Kaabah when I was woken by Jibril. He informed me of the Diving will and took me to
the well of Zam Zam, where upon he opened by chest and poured wisdom and faith into it. Then he sealed it. I was then presented with a beautiful Buraq.
This is an animal larger than a mule but smaller than a horse. I mounted it.”
It traveled at phenomenal speed. The Messenger(peace be upon him) was soon at the second precinct of Masjid al-Aqsa. There all of the prophets of the past ages were
assembled and waiting for him. He lead them in congregational prayer.
This noble assembly marked the end of the horizontal part of the journey. From here, accompanied by Jibril(Alaih Salam), the Messenger(peace be upon him) traveled on
the Buraq ascending the heavens.
In the first heaven, He met Adam (Alaih Salam), who greated Him with love and affection in the words, “Welcome O righteous Son!”.
The ascension continued to the second heavens where He met Isa (Alaih Salam) and Yayha (Alaih Salam),
then on to the third heaven where He was met by Yusuf(Alaih Salam)
on the fourth by Idris (Alaih Salam),
on the fifth by Harun (Alaih Salam),
and on the sixth by Musa (Alaih Salam) and
on the seventh He was greeted by Ibrahim (Alaih Salam).
The journey continued beyond the heavens until he reached the Baiy al Mamur – The Kaabah of the Angels, from where He ascended to the Lote tree of the uttermost boundary.
This is the focal point of the Divine mercy. Jibril (Alaih Salam) then reached the point where he was not allowed to travel any further. It was at this point that he parted from
Prophet Muhammad(peace be upon him).
The Prophet(peace be upon him) continued alone, but where to ? That is beyond the point of human grasp.
The Glorious Quran alludes to it, in Surah An-Najm [53] Ayah 8:Then he drew near, very near, like two bows lengths or even closer.►(Surah An-Najm Chapter 53, Verse 8 )
What happened there is also in the realm of a mystery. We are just told that He revealed to His servant what he revealed, in Ayah 10 of Surah An-Najm:
“And He revealed to His servant what He revealed.”►(Surah An-Najm Chapter 53, Verse 10 )
Was the Ascension a dream or a physical journey ?
The numerous Ahadith reported in Bukhari, Muslim and other books do not indicate this journey was a dream. Qadi Iyaad al Malaki, in his commentary on Sahih Muslim says:
“The majority of the pious predecessors and later jurists, scholars of Hadith and men of learning believe the Miraj to be bodily. Four reasons are given by the scholars for this conclusion:
- Firstly, the word ‘Abd’ in the ayah of the Miraj refers categorically to mind and soul together.
- Secondly, all the ahadith about the Miraj actually talk about the Prophet (peace be upon him) mounting the Buraq, eating, drinking, meeting past prophets, leading them in
the prayer. All these are physical actions. Nowhere is it mentioned that this was a dream.
- Thirdly, if it was a mere dream, which the beloved Messenger (peace be upon him) narrated to the people of Makkah, why did they deny it? Surely don’t people see many weird
and wonderful dreams ?
- Fourthly, how could it have been a test of people’s faith it was a mere dream ?
This is why the great scholar, Imam Nasafi mentioned in his classical work “Aqaid an Nasafi”.
“In the Miraj, he was taken to Masjid al-Aqsa and then to Sidrat-ul-Muntaha,and wherever Allah wished.”
All this took place in a state of wakefulness and with the body. However it took place in the realm of the Barzakh, which is the state between the physical and spiritual.
Hence spiritual laws govern the body and the spiritual elements appeared in the bodily form. In fact all the ‘strange’ events of Miraj were expressed in this state of Barzakh.
Shah Wali Allah’s comments on the intercession: (Sirat un –Nabi, page 451, in Hujja Tullahil Balaagah)
Shah Wali Allah goes on to interpret many of the scenes of the Miraj in light of the above.
For example, the Hadith mentioned two cups were presented to the Prophet(peace be upon him) . Once was a cup of milk and the other was a cup of wine. He chose the cup of milk,
and there upon the Jibril(Alaihi Salam) said: "Praise be to Allah who has guided you to the natural form! If you had taken the wine, your community would have erred."
►{Sahih Bukhari , The Book of Drinks, Hadith #5254}
In this world for Barzakh, milk represented the natural state, and misguidance was in the form of wine.
The Purpose of the Ascension
According to Imam Nawawi and Zarqaani, this took place on 27th Rajab, 17 months before Hijrah. This was the year which biographers call “the year of sorrow”
when his beloved wife and caring uncle had passed away. The Messenger(peace be upon him) was very sad that he lost two great supporters and comforters.
The ascension was a “Divine treat” for him. Some of the other purposes of the journey are as follows:
- Declaration of the universality of Islam
o By leading the Prophets(A.S.)
o By praying in Masjid al-Aqsa
- Warning the Kuffar of the imminent punishment
- The twelve commandments:
o Not to commit shirk
o Kindness to parents
o Respect others rights
o Avoid spend thriftiness
o Do not kill your children
o Do not commit adultery
o Do not kill
o Be kind to orphans
o Fulfill your promise
o Be fair in your dealings
o Do not be suspicious of others
o Do not be arrogant
-Prelude to Hijrah(Migration)
-The obligatory five prayers