Islamica

Miraj

Both the night journey of the Holy Prophet from Mecca to the Al-Aqsa Mosque supernaturally (Isra) and also the journey of the Holy Prophet to the skies with the permission and power of Allah (Miraj), are events that took place whilst the Holy Prophet was present in Mecca, because the verses related to these two journeys have been mentioned in the Surahs that were revealed in Mecca. However, there is a difference in opinion as to in which year it occurred. Also, from the collection of reports and narrations, it can be understood that this event took place many times during the Holy Prophet’s lifetime.

Verses narrating Isra and Miraj

In two Surahs of the Holy Quran, these two events have been mentioned. The first is in relation to Isra, i.e. the night journey of the Holy Prophet from the Al-Haram Mosque to the Al-Aqsa Mosque, and the second is in relation to Miraj, i.e. the night journey of the Holy Prophet to the skies.

  • The verse in relation to Isra has been mentioned in a Surah of the Holy Quran with the very same name: ”Immaculate is He who carried His servant on a journey by night from the Sacred Mosque to the Farthest Mosque whose environs We have blessed, that We might show him some of Our signs. Indeed, He is the All-hearing, the All-seeing.” (Isra, 1) [1]. In this verse, only the lead-up of Miraj, i.e. the departure from Mecca to the Al-Aqsa Mosque, has been mentioned and nothing has been discussed regarding the journey to the skies. A few points can be picked up from this verse:
  1. The aforementioned journey took place from the Al-Haram Mosque itself.
  2. The whole journey took place during the course of one night.
  3. The objective of this journey was to observe the great signs of Allah.
  4. The apparent form of the the verses indicates that the aforementioned journey took place whilst awake, not in a dream state. This is because what is intended by the sentence ‘carried His servant’ is this that Allah took His servant on such a journey. The beginning of the verse starts with ‘Immaculate’, which shows the importance of the subject at hand and can confirm that this event took place whilst awake; otherwise, dreaming is not an important topic to be mentioned with this phrase. [2] [3]
  • “Certainly he saw it yet another time, (13) by the Lote Tree of the Ultimate Boundary, (14) near which is the Garden of the Abode, (15) when there covered the Lote Tree what covered it. (16) His gaze did not swerve, nor did it overstep the bounds. (17) Certainly he saw some of the greatest signs of his Lord. (18)” (Al-Najm, 13-18) [1]

Even though Miraj and the witnessing and seeing of these great signs in the sky has not been clearly stated in these verses, there are contexts present in the verses that testify that these events took place during the Holy Prophet’s journey to the skies, because in the verse, it is mentioned that the witnessing of the signs took place in paradise and we have contexts from the verses and the narrations that state that the eternal paradise will not be on Earth. Therefore, most Shiite and Sunni exegetes consider these verses to be in relation with the Miraj of the Holy Prophet and have provided a commentary on Miraj under these verses. Apparently, these verses also testify that this event took place whilst the Holy Prophet was awake (“His gaze did not swerve, nor did it overstep the bounds.”). (Al-Najm, 17) [1] Likewise, the goal of this journey to the skies was to observe the great signs of Allah (“Certainly he saw it yet another time,”). (Al-Najm, 13) [1] [4] [5]

Narrations and historical reports

With due attention to the various subject matter present in exegesis, narrations and history, the belief in the Miraj of the Holy Prophet is a common belief of the Muslims; although there are also differences amongst the Muslim groups in regards to Miraj. The Sunni sources differ in view in regards to when Miraj took place and have reported over ten views for when it took place. Ibn Hajar Asqalani and Suyuti alone have filed thirteen views. The following years are reports that have come in the sources: the early years of Bithat, second year, third year, fifth year, sixth year and tenth year of Bithat, seventeen months, eighteen months, twenty months and one year before Hijra. [6] (‘Al-‘Isrā’ wa ‘al-Mi’rāj, p. 60-61)) Likewise, the historical, exegesis and narration sources are not one in regards to whether Miraj took place once or many times. A group of the Sunni elders say that the Miraj of the Holy Prophet took place multiple times. [7] Amongst them, Hafiz Imad al-Din ibn Kathir, Abd al-Rahman ibn Ismail Maqdisi and Ibn Hajar Asqalani can be named. The base of their views was a narration from Anas ibn Malik which narrates multiple occurrences of Miraj; [8] as Halabi Shafii has quoted the number of times Miraj took place as thirty and thirty-four times and the reason for this is the abundant number of narrations considered to be in this regard. [9] Amongst the Shiites, there are also narrations that consider the Miraj of the Holy Prophet as having took place many times. In Tafsire Qummi, a narration has been quoted from the Holy Prophet that clearly states Miraj took place a second time and it has not mentioned anything in regards to it having taken place more than that. [10] Kulayni has quoted a narration, whose chain of narration goes back to the sixth Holy Imam of the Shiites, that considers Miraj to have taken place twice. [11] However, Saduq has filed another narration from the sixth Imam, regarding the same issue, that considers the number of times Miraj to have taken place to be 120 times [12] [13] [14], although Allamah Majlisi has solved the contradiction between these two narrations through his own exegesis. [15] From the totality of the reports, this conclusion is reached that the Miraj of the Holy Prophet took place multiple times and at different times. [16]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Translation by Ali Quli Qarai
  2. ↑ Baḥthī Darbāreh Mi’rāj Payāmbar, p. 57
  3. ↑ ‘Al-Mīzān, vol. 13, p. 8-10
  4. ↑ Baḥthī Darbāreh Mi’rāj Payāmbar, p. 57 and 60
  5. ↑ In Tafsīr ‘al-Mīzān, below the first verse of Surah Isra, with due attention to the verses in Surah Isra and al-Najm, historical reports and narrations has presented a detailed explanation in relation with Isra and Miraj, whose mention in this study is beyond the scope of the audience. Therefore, we leave the study of this part to the reader: ‘Al-Mīzān, vol. 13, p. 8-35
  6. ↑ ‘Āyaḧ ‘al-Kubrá, p. 60-62 and 111
  7. ↑ ‘Al-Bidāyaḧ wa ‘al-Nihāyaḧ, vol. 3, p. 135
  8. ↑ ‘Āyaḧ ‘al-Kubrá, p. 111
  9. ↑ ‘Al-Sīraḧ ‘al-Ḥalabīyyaḧ, vol. 1, p. 365
  10. ↑ Tafsīre Qummī, vol. 2, p. 335
  11. ↑ ‘Al-Kāfī, vol. 1, p. 433
  12. ↑ ‘Al-Khiṣāl, p. 601
  13. ↑ Sa’d ‘al-Su’ūd, p. 195
  14. ↑ Biḥār ‘al-‘Anwār, vol. 18, p. 405
  15. ↑ In order to solve this difference between the two narrations, Allamah Majlisi has suggested one of these four ways: 1. Miraj took place in Makkah twice and the rest took place in Madinah 2. Miraj twice took place to the ‘arsh and the rest of the times, to the sky 3. Miraj took place twice physically and the rest of the times, in soul 4. The Holy Prophet reported two occurrences of Miraj and didn’t talk about the other times. Biḥār ‘al-‘Anwār, vol. 18, p. 306-307
  16. ↑ Bāzpezhūhī Tārīkhe Wilādat wa Shahādate Ma’sūmān, vol. 144-146
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