Al-Isra’ Wal Mi’raj | A Miraculous Night Journey
Before diving into the miraculous night journey that the Prophet (ﷺ) experienced, let’s get into some context.
Several sources note that this preceding year was incredibly difficult on the Prophet (ﷺ). So much so, that it became known as the Year of Sorrow (عام الحزن).
His anchor, his support, his beloved Khadija (ra) passed away. She was the first to stand by him, to comfort him, to acknowledge him. She stood by the Prophet (ﷺ) in every way. It was an incredible loss. The Prophet (ﷺ) was in a state of deep grief.
Then.. his uncle, Abu Talib, passed away.
His uncle was a form of protection to the Prophet (ﷺ), due to the status he carried amongst Quraysh. Losing his uncle, meant losing the protection he had. Even though his uncle was his protector, his uncle had never accepted Islam. Losing his uncle, also meant losing the hope he had in his uncle ever becoming Muslim.
Grief upon grief.
Allah brings a gift
We learn from Quran and Hadith narrations that an incredible event occured - a journey between two worlds.
سُبْحَـٰنَ ٱلَّذِىٓ أَسْرَىٰ بِعَبْدِهِۦ لَيْلًۭا مِّنَ ٱلْمَسْجِدِ ٱلْحَرَامِ إِلَى ٱلْمَسْجِدِ ٱلْأَقْصَا ٱلَّذِى بَـٰرَكْنَا حَوْلَهُۥ لِنُرِيَهُۥ مِنْ ءَايَـٰتِنَآ ۚ إِنَّهُۥ هُوَ ٱلسَّمِيعُ ٱلْبَصِيرُ {١}
Glory be to the One Who took His servant ˹Muḥammad˺ by night from the Sacred Mosque to the Farthest Mosque whose surroundings We have blessed, so that We may show him some of Our signs.1 Indeed, He2 alone is the All-Hearing, All-Seeing. [17:1]
One day, while the Prophet (ﷺ) was in a state between sleep and wakefulness, he hears a voice and is taken to have his heart washed with zamzam and restored, after which it was filled with faith and wisdom. Now he was ready to embark on a journey. Al- Buraq, a white animal, smaller than a mule and bigger than a donkey was brought to him and he set out with Gabriel. One stride of this creature covered a distance as far as it could see. He rides on it and it takes him to Bayt Al-Maqdis (Jerusalem) where he enters and prays two rak’at. This was the first part of the journey, known as Al-Isra’.
The journey commences - the Mi’raj (the Ascension).
The Prophet (ﷺ) is taken in succession to the seven heavens.
فَحُمِلْتُ عَلَيْهِ ثُمَّ انْطَلَقْنَا حَتَّى أَتَيْنَا السَّمَاءَ الدُّنْيَا فَاسْتَفْتَحَ جِبْرِيلُ صلى الله عليه وسلم فَقِيلَ مَنْ هَذَا قَالَ جِبْرِيلُ . قِيلَ وَمَنْ مَعَكَ قَالَ مُحَمَّدٌ صلى الله عليه وسلم. قِيلَ وَقَدْ بُعِثَ إِلَيْهِ قَالَ نَعَمْ - قَالَ - فَفَتَحَ لَنَا وَقَالَ مَرْحَبًا بِهِ وَلَنِعْمَ الْمَجِيءُ جَاءَ - قَالَ - فَأَتَيْنَا عَلَى آدَمَ صلى الله عليه وسلم " . وَسَاقَ الْحَدِيثَ بِقِصَّتِهِ . وَذَكَرَ أَنَّهُ لَقِيَ فِي السَّمَاءِ الثَّانِيَةِ عِيسَى وَيَحْيَى - عَلَيْهِمَا السَّلاَمُ - وَفِي الثَّالِثَةِ يُوسُفَ وَفِي الرَّابِعَةِ إِدْرِيسَ وَفِي الْخَامِسَةِ هَارُونَ - صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِمْ وَسَلَّمَ - قَالَ " ثُمَّ انْطَلَقْنَا حَتَّى انْتَهَيْنَا إِلَى السَّمَاءِ السَّادِسَةِ فَأَتَيْتُ عَلَى مُوسَى عَلَيْهِ السَّلاَمُ فَسَلَّمْتُ عَلَيْهِ فَقَالَ مَرْحَبًا بِالأَخِ الصَّالِحِ وَالنَّبِيِّ الصَّالِحِ . فَلَمَّا جَاوَزْتُهُ بَكَى فَنُودِيَ مَا يُبْكِيكَ قَالَ رَبِّ هَذَا غُلاَمٌ بَعَثْتَهُ بَعْدِي يَدْخُلُ مِنْ أُمَّتِهِ الْجَنَّةَ أَكْثَرُ مِمَّا يَدْخُلُ مِنْ أُمَّتِي . - قَالَ - ثُمَّ انْطَلَقْنَا حَتَّى انْتَهَيْنَا إِلَى السَّمَاءِ السَّابِعَةِ فَأَتَيْتُ عَلَى إِبْرَاهِيمَ " . وَقَالَ فِي الْحَدِيثِ وَحَدَّثَ نَبِيُّ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم أَنَّهُ رَأَى أَرْبَعَةَ أَنْهَارٍ يَخْرُجُ مِنْ أَصْلِهَا نَهْرَانِ ظَاهِرَانِ وَنَهْرَانِ بَاطِنَانِ " فَقُلْتُ يَا جِبْرِيلُ مَا هَذِهِ الأَنْهَارُ قَالَ أَمَّا النَّهْرَانِ الْبَاطِنَانِ فَنَهْرَانِ فِي الْجَنَّةِ وَأَمَّا الظَّاهِرَانِ فَالنِّيلُ وَالْفُرَاتُ . ثُمَّ رُفِعَ لِيَ الْبَيْتُ الْمَعْمُورُ فَقُلْتُ يَا جِبْرِيلُ مَا هَذَا قَالَ هَذَا الْبَيْتُ الْمَعْمُورُ يَدْخُلُهُ كُلَّ يَوْمٍ سَبْعُونَ أَلْفَ مَلَكٍ إِذَا خَرَجُوا مِنْهُ لَمْ يَعُودُوا فِيهِ آخِرُ مَا عَلَيْهِمْ . ثُمَّ أُتِيتُ بِإِنَاءَيْنِ أَحَدُهُمَا خَمْرٌ وَالآخَرُ لَبَنٌ فَعُرِضَا عَلَىَّ فَاخْتَرْتُ اللَّبَنَ فَقِيلَ أَصَبْتَ أَصَابَ اللَّهُ بِكَ أُمَّتُكَ عَلَى الْفِطْرَةِ . ثُمَّ فُرِضَتْ عَلَىَّ كُلَّ يَوْمٍ خَمْسُونَ صَلاَةً "
I was mounted on it, and then we went forth till we reached the lowest heaven. Gabriel asked for the (gate) to be opened, and it was said: Who is he? He replied: Gabriel. It was again said: Who is with thee? He replied: Muhammad (ﷺ). It was said: Has he been sent for? He (Gabriel) said: Yes. He (the Prophet) said: Then (the gate) was opened for us (and it was said): Welcome unto him! His is a blessed arrival. Then we came to Adam (peace be upon him). And he (the narrator) narrated the whole account of the hadith. (The Holy Prophet) observed that he met Jesus in the second heaven, Yahya (peace be on both of them) in the third heaven, Yusuf in the third, Idris in the fourth, Harun in the fifth (peace and blessings of Allah be upon them). Then we travelled on till we reached the sixth heaven and came to Moses (peace be upon him) and I greeted him and he said: Welcome unto righteous brother and righteous prophet. And when I passed (by him) he wept, and a voice was heard saying: What makes thee weep? He said: My Lord, he is a young man whom Thou hast sent after me (as a prophet) and his followers will enter Paradise in greater numbers than my followers. Then we travelled on till we reached the seventh heaven and I came to Ibrahim. He (the narrator) narrat- ed in this hadith that the Prophet of Allah (ﷺ) told that he saw four rivers which flowed from (the root of the lote-tree of the farthest limits): two manifest rivers and two hidden rivers. I said: ' Gabriel! what are these rivers? He replied: The two hidden rivers are the rivers of Paradise, and as regards the two manifest ones, they are the Nile and the Euphrates. Then the Bait-ul-Ma'mur was raised up to me. I said: O Gabriel! what is this? He replied: It is the Bait-ul-Ma'mur. Seventy thousand angels enter into it daily and, after they come out, they never return again. Two vessels were then brought to me. The first one contained wine and the second one contained milk, and both of them were placed before me. I chose milk. It was said: You did right. Allah will guide rightly through you your Ummah on the natural course. Then fifty prayers daily were made obligatory for me.
Excerpt from: Sahih Muslim 164a
From Fifty to Five Prayers
Initially, fifty prayers were prescribed, but as the Prophet (ﷺ) came down and shared the news with Musa (as), Musa encouraged him to ask their Lord to reduce it as it would be too burdensome on the people. Allah reduced it by five, and Musa (as) again encouraged the Prophet (ﷺ) to ask for it to be reduced further. This “negotiation” happened back and forth, with Allah reducing it by five, then another five, then another five, until the number of prayers were reduced to only five prayers, and the Prophet (ﷺ) was too shy to ask for it to be reduced any further.
فَنَزَلَتُ حَتَّى انْتَهَيْتُ إِلَى مُوسَى، قَالَ: مَا فَرَضَ رَبُّك عَلَى أُمَّتِكَ؟ قُلْتُ: خَمْسِينَ صَلَاةً فِي كُلِّ يَوْمٍ وَلَيْلَةٍ، قَالَ:ارْجِعْ إِلَى رَبِّكَ فَاسْأَلْهُ التَّخْفِيفَ لِأُمَّتِكَ، فَإِنَّ أُمَّتَكَ لَا تُطِيقُ ذَلِكَ وَإِنِّي قَدْ بَلَوْتُ بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ وَخَبَرْتُهُمْ، قَالَ: فَرَجَعْتُ إِلَى رَبِّي فَقُلْتُ أَيْ رَبِّ خَفِّفْ عَنْ أُمَّتِي فَحَطَّ عَنِّي خَمْسًا، فَنَزَلَتُ حَتَّى انْتَهَيْتُ إِلَى مُوسَى فَقَالَ: مَا فَعَلْتَ؟ فَقُلْتُ: قَدْ حَطَّ عَنِّي خَمْسًا فَقَالَ: إِنَّ أُمَّتَكَ لَا تُطِيقُ ذَلِكَ فَارْجِعْ إِلَى رَبِّكَ فَاسْأَلْهُ التَّخْفِيفَ لِأُمَّتِكَ، قَالَ: فَلَمْ أَزَلْ أَرْجِعُ بَيْنَ رَبِّي وَبَيْنَ مُوسَى وَيَحُطُّ عَنِّي خَمْسًا خَمْسًا حَتَّى قَالَ: يَا مُحَمَّدُ هُنَّ خَمْسُ صَلَوَاتٍ فِي كُلِّ يَوْمٍ وَلَيْلَةٍ بِكُلِّ صَلَاةٍ عَشْرٌ، فَتِلْكَ خَمْسُونَ صَلَاةً وَمَنْ هَمَّ بِحَسَنَةٍ فَلَمْ يَعْمَلْهَا كُتِبَتْ لَهُ حَسَنَةً، فَإِنْ عَمِلَهَا كُتِبَتْ عَشْرًا، وَمَنْ هَمَّ بِسَيِّئَةٍ فَلَمْ يَعْمَلْهَا لَمْ تُكْتَبْ شَيْئًا، فَإِنْ عَمِلَهَا كُتِبَتْ سَيِّئَةً وَاحِدَةً، فَنَزَلَتُ حَتَّى انْتَهَيْتُ إِلَى مُوسَى فَأَخْبَرْتُهُ، فَقَالَ: ارْجِعْ إِلَى رَبِّكَ فَاسْأَلْهُ التَّخْفِيفَ لِأُمَّتِكَ فَإِنَّ أُمَّتَكَ لَا تُطِيقُ ذَلِكَ، فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللهِ صلى الله عليه وسلّم:
«لَقَدْ رَجَعْتُ إِلى رَبِّي حَتَّى اسْتَحْيَيْت»
I came down until I reached Musa, and he said, `What did your Lord enjoin on your Ummah' I said, `Fifty prayers everyday and night.' He said, `Go back to your Lord and ask Him to reduce (the burden) for your Ummah, for your Ummah will not be able to do that. I tested the Children of Israel and found out how they were.' So I went back to my Lord and said, `O Lord, reduce (the burden) for my Ummah for they will never be able to do that.' So He reduced it by five. I came back down until I met Musa and he asked me, `What did you do' I said, `(My Lord) reduced (my burden) by five.' He said, `Go back to your Lord and ask Him to reduce (the burden) for your Ummah.' I kept going back between my Lord and Musa, and (my Lord) reduced it by five each time, until He said, `O Muhammad, these are five prayers every day and night, and for every prayer there is (the reward of) ten, so they are (like) fifty prayers. Whoever wants to do something good then does not do it, one good deed will be recorded for him, and if he does it, ten good deeds will be recorded for him. Whoever wants to do something evil and does not do it, no evil deed will be recorded for him, and if he does it, one evil deed will be recorded for him.' I came down until I reached Musa, and told him about this. He said: `Go back to your Lord and ask him to reduce (the burden) for your Ummah, for they will never be able to do that.' I had kept going back to my Lord until I felt too shy.)
Cherishing Our Prayers
Our five daily prayers are the only command that the Prophet (ﷺ) was raised up for in such a unique journey. This in itself should be a reminder to us of how valuable our prayers are, and what a beautiful gift they are to us.
We witness the incredible mercy of Allah (swt) in this event, where He lovingly agreed to reduced the prayers from fifty to five. Not only did He reduce it to five, but He kept the reward for the five prayers equal to 50 prayers.
Let’s renew our commitment to our prayers, embrace the incredible reward that is within it, and let’s remind ourselves where true success lies.
——
with love and duaas,
Ghena
