The miracle of Meraj - A great sign of Allah’s Power

 

The miracle of Meraj – A great sign of Allah’s Power

 

On the night of Meraj, Almighty Allah took His Beloved Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) from Masjid Al Haraam to Masjid Al Aqsa, showed Him the heavens, gave Him a tour of paradise and hell and let the Prophet see Him beyond the Sidrah and ‘Arsh.  By completing this journey in the blink of an eye, Almighty Allah has made this journey a proof of His Oneness and His boundless power.

 

Almighty Allah has granted different miracles to different Prophets and His vision was reserved for our Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam).  When Hadhrat Moosa (May peace be upon him) expressed the desire to see Almighty Allah, he was told that he could not see the Lord Almighty.  Here, Almighty Allah did not negate the possibility of seeing Him but negated the ability of Hadhrat Moosa (May peace be upon him) to behold Him.  This ability to behold the Lord Almighty was granted to the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam).  For Hadhrat Moosa (May peace be upon him), Almighty Allah expressed His Independence and by granting Hadhrat Muhammad (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) His vision, Almighty Allah expressed His Mercy.

 

When Prophet Moosa (May peace be upon him) was called for speech with Him, a time period was fixed and he was granted the honor of conversing with the Lord Almighty after 40 days.  For the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam), no period was fixed.  Almighty Allah called Him and granted Him His vision all at once so that the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) did not have to wait.

 

These are the words of Mufti Syed Ziauddin Naqshbandi, Professor, Islamic Law, Jamia Nizamia, Founder-Director, Abul Hasanaat Islamic Research Center, in the weekly lecture conducted under the aegis of AHIRC in Masjid Abul Hasanaat.

 

The revered Mufti said on the authority of Sahih Bukhari that the grandeur of the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) is such that He is seated on the earth and sees all that happens in the spiritual realms.  Then why was the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) called to the skies?  The reason behind Meraj was not only to show the signs of Allah in the creation but also to grant the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) Allah’s special proximity and to grant Him the honor of conversing with the Lord Almighty and beholding Him.  Also, through this the status of the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) was to be expressed before one and all.  That’s why the earthly and spiritual realms were adorned and beautified so that the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) could see the signs of Allah.  The greatest among them was the vision of Almighty Allah.

 

          The revered Mufti said that on this night, Jibreel (May peace be upon him) gave a great example of his respect and reverence for the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam).  When he came to the house of the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam), he did not enter through the door as is the custom, but entered the house through the roof.  The Mufti quoted from Musnad Imam A’adham, Sahih Bukhari, Sahih Muslim, Sunan Nasai, Musnad Imam Ahmad that whenever Jibreel (May peace be upon him) would come to the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam), he would become the very epitome of respect.  Out of respect, Jibreel (May peace be upon him) would not suddenly come closer to the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) but would seek His permission to do so.

 

If on the night of Meraj also, Jibreel (May peace be upon him) had sought the permission of the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam), the rest of the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) would’ve been disturbed.  It was not acceptable to the Lord Almighty that the rest of His Beloved Prophet be broken like that.  Thus, Jibreel (May peace be upon him) entered the house in that unusual manner.

 

The revered Mufti said that one section of people who believe in Meraj that the pinnacle of this journey was the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) saw Jibreel (May peace be upon him) and this is where this journey ended.  It is not so.  Seeing Jibreel (May peace be upon him) as he is, is not against the vision of Almighty Allah.

 

In Sahih Bukhari, the Hadith about Meraj have been related at 11 places.  The first Hadith is related at the beginning of Kitaab Us Salaat and the last in Kitaab Ut Tauheed.  In these Hadith, Imam Bukhari (May Allah shower His Mercy on him) has related the Hadith of seeing Jibreel (May peace be upon him) as he is, as well.  Apart from this, Imam Bukhari (May Allah shower His Mercy on him) has related another Hadith in Kitaab Ut Tauheed that Almighty Allah granted His Beloved His proximity and then granted furthermore proximity, so much so that the Lord and His Beloved came as close as 2 bows or even closer.

 

The revered Mufti described the secrets of the journey of Meraj.  He also exhorted the audience to spend this blessed night in the worship of Almighty Allah.  He described the Supererogatory Salaat of this night in light of Hadith and the method of offering this Salaat.  He said that this night the Ummah was given the great gift of Salaat.  Thus, it would suit it perfectly if the Ummah spends this night in Salaat Ut Tasbeeh and other Supererogatory Salaat.  The session ended with Salaam and Dua.  Maulana Hafidh Syed Wahid ‘Ali Qadri led the proceedings.