Al-Huda
Foundation, NJ U. S. A
the Message Continues ... 9/174
Newsletter for May 2016
Article ... 1 - Article ... 2 - Article ... 3 - Article ... 4 - Article ... 5 - Article ... 6 - Article ... 7 - Article ... 8 - Article ... 9 - Article ... 10 - Article ... 11 - Article ... 12
Isra and Miraj:
The Miraculous Night Journey
by Sayyid Abul Ala Maududi
The Israa and Miraj refer to,
two parts of an miraculous journey
that Prophet Muhammad
Israa is an Arabic word
referring to Prophet Muhammad’s
It is believed to have been
followed by the Mi’raj, his
ascension to heaven. According
to some of the Hadith scholars
this journey is believed to have
taken place just over a year
before Prophet Muhammad
Muslims celebrate this night by
offering optional prayers during
this night, and in many Muslim
countries, by illuminating
cities with electric lights and
candles.
Following is the translation of
the first verse of chapter 17,
Al-Israa, from the Quran that
refers to this journey, followed
by a detailed explanation of the
verse by Sayyid Abul Ala Mawdudi.
1 This
is a reference to the event
known as Mi’raj (Ascension)
and Isra’ (Night
Journey). According to most
traditions – and especially the
authentic ones – this event took
place one year before Hijrah.
Detailed reports about it are
found in the works of Hadith and Sirah and
have been narrated from as many
as twenty-five Companions. The
most exhaustive reports are
those from Anas ibn Malik, Malik
ibn Sa’sa’ah, Abu Dharr al-Ghifari
and Abu Hurayrah. Some other
details have been narrated by ‘Umar,
‘Ali, ‘Abd Allah ibn Mas’ud,
‘Abd Allah ibn Abbas, Abu Sa’id
al-Khudri, Hudhayfah ibn al-Yaman,
and ‘A’ishah among other
Companions of the Prophet
The Quran here only mentions
that the Prophet
It may be recalled that
according to authentic reports
when the Prophet
The details of the event
provided by the Hadith
supplement the Quranic account.
There is no reason, however, to
reject all this supplementary
information on the grounds that
it is opposed to the Quran.
Nevertheless, if someone is not
quite convinced and hence does
not accept some of the details
concerning the Ascension
mentioned in the Hadith as true,
he should not be considered an
unbeliever. On the contrary, if
someone were to clearly deny any
part of the account
categorically mentioned in the
Quran, he would be deemed to
have gone beyond the fold of
Islam.
What was the nature of this
journey? Did it take place when
the Prophet
Now, let us consider the matter
carefully. The Quran tells us,
in clear terms, that the
Prophet
However, when it is clearly
stated that it is God Who did
something out of His power, any
doubts about the possibility of
these acts can be entertained
only by those who do not believe
God to be all-powerful.
Those who reject the Hadith as
such raise several objections
against the traditions
concerning this incident. It
seams that only two of these
objections are worth of any
consideration.
First, it is claimed that the
contents of the traditions
relating to the Ascension imply
that God is confined to a
particular place. For had that
not been the case, it is argued
there would have been no need to
transport the Prophet Both
these objections, however, carry
little substance, The first
objection is to be rejected on
the grounds that although the
Creator is infinite and
transcends both time and place,
yet in dealing with His
creatures He has to have
recourse to the means which are
finite and are circumscribed by
time-space limitations. This is
because of the inherent
limitations of man. Hence when
God speaks to His creatures, He
employs, of necessity, the same
means of communication which can
be comprehensible to the latter
even though His Own speech
transcends the means employed in
the speech. In like fashion,
when God wants to show someone
the signs of His vast kingdom,
He takes him to certain places
and enables him to observe
whatever he is required to
observe. For it is beyond the
power of man to view the
universe in the manner God can.
While God does not stand in need
of visiting a certain place in
order to observe something that
exists there, man does need to
do so. The same holds true of
having a direct encounter with
the Creator. Although God is not
confined to a particular place,
man needs to experience His
presence at a defined place
where the effulgence of His
Being might be focused. For it
is beyond man’s power to
encounter God in His
limitlessness.
Let us now consider the second
objection. That too is
fallacious for the simple reason
that the objects shown to the
Prophet
Note:
*Buraq was
the name of the heavenly steed
on which the Prophet |
HOME - NEWSLETTERS - BOOKS - ARTICLES - CONTACT - FEEDBACK - UP
DISCLAIMER:
All material published by Al-Huda.com / And the Message Continues is the sole responsibility of its author's).
The opinions and/or assertions contained therein do not necessarily reflect the editorial views of this site,
nor of Al-Huda and its officers.