Hadith of Aisha (Radiallahu Anha) concerning meraj

[mehebub]

ASSALAMU ALEIKUM
DEAR BROTHERS, I am here as a sunni muslim, who follow the path of ahl sunnat wal jammat, who loves and hope for the intercession (INCHAALLAH) of the Beloved Prophet of Allah (Salallahu alaihi wa salam) his ahl bayt, sahaba and awliya Allah (RadiAllahu anhum).
But there is a question in our believes concerning the Meraj of Prophet Muhammad (Salallahu alaihi wa salam) that I am not able to answer, beside the fact that I had searched for in some books and with some ulama, always being disappointed about it. I ask all muslim sunni brothers to please give me a clear answer about the issue according to quran, hadith and ijma.

The question is abouth the hadith which occurs in sahih Muslim Sharif, Book 1, Chapter 78, hadith number 337 (Abdul Hamid Sidiqqi Translation), which is:

It is narrated on the authority of Masruq that he said: I was resting at (the house of) 'A'isha that she said: O Abu 'A'isha (kunya of Masruq), there are three things, and he who affirmed even one of them fabricated the greatest lie against Allah. I asked that they were. She said: He who presumed that Muhammad (may peace be upon him) saw his Lord fabricated the greatest lie against Allah. I was reclining but then sat up and said: Mother of the Faithful, wait a bit and do not be in a haste. Has not Allah (Mighty and Majestic) said: "And truly he saw him on the clear horizon" (al-Qur'an, lxxxi. 23) and "he saw Him in another descent" (al-Qur'an, iiii. 13)? She said: I am the first of this Ummah who asked the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) about it, and he said: Verily he is Gabriel. I have never seen him in his original form in which he was created except on those two occasions (to which these verses refer); I saw him descending from the heaven and filling (the space) from the sky to the earth with the greatness of his bodily structure. She said: Have you not heard Allah saying. "Eyes comprehend Him not, but He comprehends (all) vision. and He is Subtle, and All-Aware" (al-Qur'an, v. 104)? (She, i.e. 'A'isha, further said): Have you not heard that, verily, Allah says: "And it is not vouchsafed to a human being that Allah should speak unto him otherwise than by revelation, or from behind a veil, or that He sendeth a messenger (angel), so that he revealth whatsoever He wills. Verily He is Exalted. Wise" (al. Qur'an, xii. 51)She said: He who presumes that the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) concealed anything, from the Book, of Allah fabricates the greatest lie against Allah. Allah says: "O Messenger ! deliver that which has been revealed to thee from thy Lord, and if thou do (it) not, thou hast not delivered His message" (al-Qur'an, v. 67). She said: He who presumes that he would inform about what was going to happen tomorrow fabricates the greatest lie against Allah. And Allah says "Say thou (Muhammad): None in the heavens and the earth knoweth the unseen save Allah" (al-Qur'an, xxvii 65).

What I want to know is: what is the explanation (sharh) of this particular hadith, concerning the fact that that Hazrat Aishah was the first person in the ummah to query about the ayah to the Prophet, and his reply that it was related to Gabriel.

I don’t ask for hadith that proves that the Prophet (Salallahu alaihi wa sallam) saw Allah (Azza wa Jall), as I have many of them, I ask for what shall I reply to a non sunni person who presents me this hadith as the prove that the Prophet did not saw ALLAH.


WASSALAM
May Allah increase us in our believe. AAMIN

[Imam]

Bismillahir Rahmanir Raheem

Wa'alaykum 'Assalam wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuhu


All Praise be to Allah who is the Lord of the Worlds, and may Endless Blessings be showered upon His Most Beloved, and Final Messenger of Islam, Hadrat Muhammad Mustafa Salla Allahu ta'ala 'alayhi wa 'aalihi wa Sallam

From your question, the following point may be raised. Does the 'being close' refer to Hadrat Jibra'il alayhis 'salam or does it refer to Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala.

At this stage there are many differences of opinion amongst the Comanions of the Beloved Messenger of Allah Salla Allahu ta'ala 'alayhi wa Sallam. Hadrat 'A'isha Radi Allahu anha and Hadrat 'Abdullah ibn-e-Mas'ud Radi Allahu anhu are of the view that this is referred to the closeness to Jibra'il alayhis 'salam. The view of Hadrat 'Abdullah ibn-e-'Abbas and Hadrat Abu Dhar Radi Allahu anhum is tyhat the closeness is referred to the closeness to Allah the Almighty. It must be remembered, that the majority of the tabi''in Radi Allahu anhum, and the majority of the muhaqiqin of Islam have supported the second view. Other circumstancial evidence (qara'in) also support the second view. The reason being that all those verses of Surah al Najm had descended in the excellence and dignity of the Beloved Messenger of Allah Salla Allahu ta'ala 'alayhi wa Sallam. It is not a state of excellence for the Beloved Messenger of Allah Salla Allahu ta'ala 'alayhi wa Sallam to be close to Jibra'il alayhis 'salam, but in reality, it is a station of excellence for Hadrat Jibra'il alayhis 'salam to become destined in becoming close to the Beloved Messenger of Allah Salla Allahu ta'ala 'alayhi wa Sallam. However, it is a state of excellence, and completeness (sharf-o-kamal) for the Beloved Messenger of Allah Salla Allahu ta'ala 'alayhi wa Sallam to become as close as possible to Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala.

This leaves the issue that the Beloved Messenger of Allah Salla Allahu ta'ala 'alayhi wa Sallam became close to Allah the Almighty, and Allah the Almighty became close to the Beloved Messenger of Allah Salla Allahu ta'ala 'alayhi wa Sallam, so what type of closeness was this?

Imam Nawawi Rahmatullahi ’alayh has stated that the Beloved Messenger of Allah Salla Allahu ta'ala 'alayhi wa Sallam became close to Allah the Almighty in order to achieve the specific unseen, the angelic realm, and the enlightenment of the intimate knowledge of Allah, and to achieve the rank of the specific closeness, which had never been granted to anyone except the Beloved Messenger of Allah Salla Allahu ta'ala 'alayhi wa Sallam. Allah the Almighty, according to his dignity bestowed all the unseen, secrets, intimate enlightenments, and the station of closeness, and became close to the Beloved Messenger of Allah Salla Allahu ta'ala 'alayhi wa Sallam.

Imam Razi Rahmatullahi ’alayh states that a hadith sharif states that when a person becomes one span close to me, I become close to him, an arms length. Accordingly, The meaning of the verse is that when the Beloved Messenger of Allah Salla Allahu ta'ala 'alayhi wa Sallam became close to Allah the Almighty, then Allah the Almighty also became close to the Beloved Messenger of Allah Salla Allahu ta'ala 'alayhi wa Sallam, according to his dignity.

(Imam Fakhr-ud-Din Razi (d.606h), Tafsir-e-Kabir, vol.7, p.704).

Amongst the Companions of the Beloved Messenger of Allah Salla Allahu ta'ala 'alayhi wa Sallam, Hadrat 'Abdullah ibn-e-'Abbas Radi Allahu anhu and Hadrat Abu Dhar Radi Allahu anhu both have clearly stated that on the night of ascension (me'raj) the Beloved Messenger of Allah Salla Allahu ta'ala 'alayhi wa Sallam saw the Almighty Allah. It has been passed in previous ahadith, that Hadrat Abdullah ibn-e-Mas'ud, and Hadrat Abu Hurayrah Radi Allahu anhum had seen Hadrat Jibra'il alayhis 'salam on the night of ascension. That from these verses, is referred the seeing of Hadrat Jibra'il alayhis 'salam, but Imam Nawawi Rahmatullahi ’alayh, and 'Allamah Alusi have stated that there are narrations from Hadrat Abdullah ibn-e-Mas'ud, and from Hadrat Abu Hurayrah Radi Allahu anhum that the Beloved Messenger of Allah Salla Allahu ta'ala 'alayhi wa Sallam had seen Allah the Almighty on the night of me'raj.

(Imam Abu Zakariyyah Yahya bin Sharf Nawawi (d.676h.) Sharh Muslim 'alal Muslim, vol.1, p.97, also 'Allamah Syed Muhammad Alusi (d.1270h), Ruh-al-Ma'ani, vol.27, p.53)

Other than this, 'Allamah 'Aini has stated that 'Allamah Imam ibn-e-Khuzaymah has narrated with a strong narration from Hadrat Anas Radi Allahu anhu, that the Messenger of Allah Salla Allahu ta'ala 'alayhi wa Sallam had seen Allah the Almighty.

('Allamah Badr-ud-Din Ainai Hanfi,(d.855h), Umadat-al-Qari, vol.19, p.198)

'Allamah ibn-e-Hajar Rahmatullahi ’alayh, has stated that Ibn-e-Khuzaymah has proven from the narration of Ibn-e-'Abbas that the Beloved Messenger of Allah Salla Allahu ta'ala 'alayhi wa Sallamhad seen Allah the Almighty twice. Once with the eye of the heart, and once with the normal eye.

('Allamah ibn-e-Hajar 'Asqalani (d.852h.) Fath-hul-Bari, Vol 10, p.232)

The seeing of the Beloved Messenger of Allah Salla Allahu ta'ala 'alayhi wa Sallam of Allah the Almighty, is from one of his great excellences. The essence of which one manifestation where a mountain ceased to exist, nor the Prophet Moses exist, such a manifestation was now seen by the Beloved Messenger of Allah Salla Allahu ta'ala 'alayhi wa Sallam with such dignity, that even the one who showed it Subhanahu wa Ta'ala gave the praise, and gave it thus 'The eye did not move, nor did it exceed it's limit' (Qur'an, an Najm).

Jazak'allah for your question.





Wallahu A'lamu Biththawaab


M. Waseem Ashrafi