Islam In Focus Isra and Meraj
Isra and Meraj
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Rajab is the seventh month of the Islamic lunar calendar. This month was regarded as one of the sacred months in which battles were prohibited in the days of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh).
It is also deemed as a prelude to the month of Ramadan, because Ramadan follows it after the intervening month of Shaban. Therefore, when the Holy Prophet (pbuh) sighted the moon of Rajab, he would pray to Allah in the following words:
Allahumma baa-rik-lanaa fi-rajaba wa sha`bana wa bal-lig-naa shah-ra ramadana.
“O Allah, make the months of Rajab and Shaban blessed for us, and let us reach the month of Ramadan.” (i.e. prolong our life up to Ramadan, so that we may benefit from its merits and blessings.)
It would be meritorious to recite the above dua often in the months of Rajab and Shaban, as they are a prelude to the auspicious month of Ramadan.
ISRA (NIGHT JOURNEY): Refers to the journey of the Messenger of Allah, Muhammad (pbuh) from the Sacred Mosque (Masjid al-Haram) in Makkah to the Distant Mosque (Masjid al-Aqsa) in Jerusalem on Al-Buraq in the company of Angel Jibra`il (AS).
MERAJ (ASCENSION): Refers to what happened to the Prophet (pbuh) when he ascended from Masjid al Aqsa in Jerusalem right beyond the Seventh Heaven, where salah (prayer) was prescribed, and then returning in the same fashion on the same night.
Summary of Events
(The Miraculous Night Journey from Makkah to the Farthest Mosque in Jerusalem, and the Ascent through the Spheres of Heavens)
The story of the ‘Night Journey’ as we find in the Noble Qur’an is epitomised in the first verse of Surah Isra (Chapter 17 — The Journey by Night):
“Exalted is He who took His Servant by night from al-Masjid al-Haram to al-Masjid al-Aqsa, whose surroundings We have blessed, to show him of Our signs. Indeed, He is the Hearing, the Seeing.”
This journey is also confirmed in the sahih (authentic) hadith. As such, there is scholarly consensus (ijma) that Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) journeyed in body and soul on the night of al-Isra from Masjid al-Haram in Makkah to Masjid al-Aqsa in Jerusalem and to the heavens beyond.
Some significant suggestive incidents featured in the ‘Night Journey’ of the Prophet (pbuh) include:
- The Prophet’s (pbuh) breast was cleft by Jibra`il (AS), his heart extracted and washed with the water of Zam Zam —a sacred spring in Makkah.
- In the same context, there were brought to him two gold vessels. There was milk in one, while the other was full of wine. He was asked to choose either of them, so he selected the vessel containing milk and drank it. He (the angel) said: “You have been guided on Al-Fitrah or you have attained Al-Fitrah. Had you selected wine, your nation would have been misled.” [It is a symbolic way of saying that good and evil - in the form of milk and wine - were brought before the Prophet and he instinctively made a choice for the good. It is very difficult to render the Arabic term ‘Fitrah’ into English. It denotes the original constitution or disposition with which a child comes into this world, as contrasted with qualities or inclinations acquired during life; further it refers to the spiritual inclination inherent in man in his unspoilt state.]
- He had the opportunity to see Malik, the guardian of Hell, with a cheerless frowning face. Therein, he saw the Hell dwellers, of whom were those who unjustly eat up the property of the orphans. They have flews similar to those of camels, swallowing red-hot stones and then issuing out of their backs.
- In Paradise, the Prophet (pbuh) saw some of the bounties Allah prepared for its inhabitants. He saw the Hur al Ayn (Damsels of Paradise). They are in Paradise and will be married to those men Allah willed them to marry.
- The ‘Night Journey’ raised a good deal of stir among the people and the sceptical audience plied Muhammad (pbuh) with all sorts of questions. He told them that he saw the camels of Makkan merchants’ journey to and fro. He also guided them to some of their animals that went astray. He informed them that he had drunk some of their water while they were fast asleep and left the container covered.
There are several virtues that emanate from this blessed Journey that leave lessons manifest for humankind.
- This year Laylatul Meraj (Night of Ascension) takes place on the evening of Wednesday 29 June (27 Rajab) in South Africa.
Source: everymuslim.net
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