A brief description of the journey of Meraj

<span class="content1"><strong>A brief description of the journey of Meraj </strong> <p>The enmity and the constant refusal of the non-Muslims to recognize Him hurt and saddened the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam). To console, to make the beloved Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) happy and to make the people realize the true status of the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam), Allah SWT summoned Him into His presence, gave him a tour of all the skies, the heaven and the hell and favored Him with His Vision. The Holy Quran has referred to this heavenly journey as Isra and the Hadith have referred to it as Meraj. Isra means to journey in night and Meraj means perfection, zenith etc. The journey from the Ka&rsquo;aba to Baitul Muqaddis has been called Isra and the journey from Baitul Muqaddis to the heavens, Sidratul Muntaha and beyond is called as Meraj.</p> <p>The verse of the Holy Quran:</p> <p>Glory to (Allah) Who did take His Servant for Journey by night from the Sacred Mosque to the Farthest Mosque whose precincts We did bless&#8213; in order that We might show him some of Our Signs: for He is the one Who heareth and seeth (all things). Surah Isra (17:1)</p> <p>describes the journey clearly mentions the journey from the Ka&rsquo;aba to Baitul Muqaddis; &ldquo;some of Our Signs&rdquo; means the journey of the heavens and beyond them. (Madarij Un Nabuwwa, Vol. 1, Pg No: 158)</p> <p>The journey (with the body and soul together and not the soul only) from the Ka&rsquo;aba to the Baitul Muqaddis and from there to the heavens, the tour of the heaven and hell and the Vision of Allah SWT with the physical eyes, all this happened only in a small part of the night. This heavenly journey happened on 12 Nabvi 27th of Rajab, after the journey of Taif and before the migration to Medina. Most of the scholars write that the Meraj was granted to the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) 34 times; among them once together with His body and soul (Zurqani Sharh Al al Mawahib Ladunniya, Vol. 8, Pg No: 13, Madarij Un Nabuwwa, Vol. 1, Pg No: 157). The person who denies the Meraj of the body and the soul is a &ldquo;Fasiq&rdquo; (sinner) and an innovator in religion (Bida&rsquo;ati). Mulla Jivan (May Allah shower His Mercy on him) says: Meraj occurred in a state of wakefulness, for both the body and the soul. This is the position of the Ahle Sunnah, so anyone who says that Meraj was granted only to the soul or was granted in sleep, that person is misguided, a misguides others and is a Fasiq.</p> <p>The Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) was resting in the house of Umme Hani which was near the Ka&rsquo;aba. Jibrail (Peace be upon him) came to the Prophet&rsquo;s presence with angels who had radiant torches in their hands and rubbed his face of camphor on the heels of the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam). The Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) opened His eyes due to the coldness of Jibrail&rsquo;s (Peace be upon him) face. Jibrail (Peace be upon him) requested: O Prophet of Allah (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam), Allah SWT summons You. The Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) went to the well of Zam Zam. His holy chest was opened and a vessel full of Iman and wisdom was poured into it. The Buraq which was brought as a mount was so fast that it would set down its foot on the farthest point of sight. The Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) mounted it and came to Baitul Muqaddis and tied the Buraq to the ring where the earlier Prophets used to tie their mounts. All the Prophets were waiting for Prophet Muhammad (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) there. The Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) led them in Salaat. After that the tour of the heavens started. At various levels, various Prophets welcomed Him. On the first heaven, the Father of all mankind, Prophet Adam (Peace be upon him) and on the 7th heaven, the Father of the Prophets, Prophet Ibrahim (Peace be upon him) met Him. Along with all other Prophets, Prophet Ibrahim (Peace be upon him) greeted the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) thus: O Prophet who have the ability to have the vision of Allah, Blessings and Glory to You.</p> <p>Then the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) went up to Sidratul Muntaha which is the place for the radiance of Allah SWT. Whatever happened after that is neither expressible by the tongues nor understandable by the minds. The secret dialogue between the Beloved and the One who loves has been described by the Holy Quran as &hellip; Surah Najm-10. And Allah SWT granted the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) His vision which has been mentioned in the Holy Quran thus:</p> <p>(His) sight never swerved nor did it go wrong! (17) For truly did he see of the Signs of his Lord the Greatest! Surah Najm (53:18)</p> <p>It has been mentioned in Kitab Al Shifa that many of the Sahabah and the Tabi&rsquo;een say that the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) had the vision of Allah Ta&rsquo;ala with His physical eyes.</p> <p>Hadhrat Abdullah Bin Abbas (May Allah be well pleased with them) says: Verily, on the night of Meraj, Hadhrat Muhammad (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) saw His Lord twice (al Mawahib Ladunniya Vol. 8, Pg No: 247). Hadhrat Ka&rsquo;ab (May Allah be well pleased with him) gave a cry that echoed around the hills and said: Hadhrat Moosa (Peace be upon him) heard the voice of his Lord and Hadhrat Muhammad (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) saw Him.</p> <p>Hadhrat Ma&rsquo;az bin Jabal (May Allah be well pleased with him) says: The Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) said: I saw my Lord. It has been narrated on the authority of Hadhrat Abuzar Ghifari (May Allah be well pleased with him), that he asked the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam): Did You see Your Lord? The Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) said, Yes: I saw the Noor al Haq (Radiance of Truth) (Muslim Shareef, Vol. 1, Pg No: 99).</p> <p>Hadhrat Abdul Razzaq (May Allah shower His Mercy on him) who is a teacher of Imam Bukhari&rsquo;s teachers says: Hadhrat Hasan Basri (May Allah be well pleased with him) used to say on oath that the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) saw His Lord (Al Mawahib Laddunniya, Vol. 8, Pg No: 244).</p> <p>It has been mentioned in Kitab Ash Shifa that Imam Ahmed bin Hambal (May Allah be well pleased with him) was asked about this. He said: My position on this is what Hadhrat Abdullah Bin Abbas (May Allah be well pleased with him) said that the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) saw Allah SWT, saw Allah SWT saw Allah SWT. Imam Ahmed kept saying this till he lost his breath.</p> <strong>The Mounts of the Journey of Meraj </strong> <p>On the night of Meraj, the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) used 5 mounts.</p> <p>1. From Makkah to Baitul Muqaddis- Buraq <br /> 2. From Baitul Muqaddis to the first heaven- A staircase of radiance <br /> 3. From the first heaven to the seventh heaven- On the wings of the angels <br /> 4. From the seventh Heaven to the Sidratul Muntaha- On the arms of Jibrail (Peace be upon him) <br /> 5. From the Sidrah to the &lsquo;Arsh- On His own blessed feet.</p> <p>When the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) came back after completing the journey in a very short period of time: He (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) announced this among the people of Mecca. The Meccan people denied this and started taunting Him. This denial also shows that the Meraj was for the body and the soul. If it was only for the soul, they could not have denied it.</p> </span>