Jerusalem became known as al Quds (The Holy). Many of Prophet’s Companions travelled to worship at the blessed precincts from which area the Prophet Muhammad (Sallallahu Alaihi Wa Sallam) was brought by night and from where he ascended through the seven heavens to his Lord.
In 690’s (72AH) the Umayyad Khalifa Abdul Malik Ibn Marwan commissioned the work to built the Dome over the rock. Essentially unchanged for more than fourteen centuries, the Dome of the Rock remains one of the world’s most beautiful enduring architectural treasures.
The gold Dome stretches 20m across the rock, rising to an apex of more than 35m above it. The Qur’aniv sura “Ya’sin” is inscribed across the top in the dazzling tile work commissioned in the 16th century by Suleiman the Magnificent. The interior is exquisitely decorated, the two most important decorative elements are the glass mosaics and the carved marbles.
n the Surah al-Isra (Qur’an 17:1), it is mentioned: “Glory be to Him! Who made His messenger (Prophet Muhammad Sallallahu Alaihi Wa Sallam) to go on a night from the Sacred Mosque (Holy Kaaba) to the Farthest Mosque (Masjid-e-Aqsa) of which We have blessed the precincts, so that We may show to him some of Our signs; surely He is the Hearing, the Seeing.
The event in the Islamic calendar being glorified by Allah himself in the Holy Quran is the Night of Ascension or the Shab-e-Meraj. It is marked as one of the golden annals in the growth of the religion of Islam as well as establishing the prominence of Prophet Muhammad (Sallallahu Alaihi Wa Sallam) as the Prophet of the prophets. The night of 27th Rajjab of the Islamic calendar, when in an instance of that night Prophet Muhammad (Sallallahu Alaihi Wa Sallam) was ascended to the heavens across the veils of skies and other holy places by angel Jibraeel at the insistence of Allah. It is said that the whole episode was over in the time it takes for a swinging chain (or pendulum) to return to its mean position from its extreme angle. While many others believe that the entire universe stood still from the time when Prophet Muhammad (Sallallahu Alaihi Wa Sallam) was wakened up by Jibraeel till he was brought back after traversing the entire creations of Almighty Allah across the skies. The apprehensions of many people doubting this event was clarified by the greatest Islamic scholar Imam Ahmad Raza Rahamtullah Alaih said in the following verse, “Wo na the to kuch naa tha, Wo na ho to kuch na ho; Jaan hai wo jahan ki, Jaan hai to Jahan hai”. Speaking of Prophet Muhammad (Sallallahu Alaihi Wa Sallam) he said, “When he wasn’t there, there was Nothing, If he isn’t there, there will be Nothing. He is the soul of the entire creations of Allah, and as long as the soul (Prophet Muhammad Sallallahu Alaihi Wa Sallam) is there, the universe will be there.”
Expounding more upon this can be vouched at the instance when Prophet
Muhammad (Sallallahu Alaihi Wa Sallam) was ascending during Meraj along with Jibraeel. He asked the Leader of the Malaekeen (Angels), “Jibraeel!
What is your age?”, to which the holy angel replied, “O Prophet
(Sallallahu Alaihi Wa Sallam), I have never kept track of my age, but
since the time I was brought into existence by Allah, I have seen a very
bright source of light, at the horizons of the Heaven, which comes into
existence once in 70,000 years. And I have seen that light 70,000 times
in my life. So that will be my age.” The Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihi Wa
Sallam) smiled back at him and asked, “Jibraeel, do you know
what is that source of light?” The innocent angel replied in negative.
“I am that light, it is my soul” said Prophet Muhammad (Sallallahu
Alaihi Wa Sallam), “That light is the very first creation of Allah. Had
it not been created, nothing would have come into existence. The entire
universe, the earth, the life-forms, the angels and all the prophets;
they all owe their existence to that source of light, which is my soul.”Those who doubt the authenticity of the event of Meraj and that it happened in reality when Prophet Muhammad (Sallallahu Alaihi Wa Sallam) made the eventful journey to meet Allah in person and not in his dreams and that the whole episode was over in an instance, can be said that, it is a similar concept of a body and the soul. The body functions as long as the soul is there. Take the case of a watch, and let’s treat it as a body and the cell which runs the watch will be its soul. When you take out the cell from the watch, it stops functioning and its needles come to a standstill there and then. Now if you replace the cell back to its position, after 5 minutes or 5 hours or 5,000 years, the watch (unless tampered or destroyed) will resume its functioning from the instance when its cell was removed. The same was the case on the night of Meraj. The soul of the universe and all life-forms that is Prophet Muhammad (Sallallahu Alaihi Wa Sallam) was called upon by Allah; and as he was raised to the heavens, the whole world came to a standstill. And all the while when Prophet Muhammad (Sallallahu Alaihi Wa Sallam) was paying visit to Allah and his creations, the world lay life-less, only to be revived upon his return. So who are we as mere mortal, to doubt the genuineness of Shab-e-Meraj? People have reservations believing the ascension of Prophet Muhammad (Sallallahu Alaihi Wa Sallam) above the skies and his presence forth Allah, in person, but Imam Ahmad Raza Rahamatullah Alaih said in one of his countless books, “Mankind has wondered, how can Prophet Muhammad (Sallallahu Alaihi Wa Sallam), be raised in person to the heavens in an instance, I have been wondering how the beloved soul and Prophet of Allah spend 63 years of his life on the earth amongst the sinners? His rank is too high and so close is he to Allah that it’s a sin to call him as one amongst ourselves.”
The night of Meraj was a gift of Allah to his Prophet and his followers, for what he returned with was immense knowledge of Allah’s creations and a way of worshipping our Almighty in the form of Namaz. The Prophet was carried upon Burraq, the legendary creature, which took him to places like Tayibbah (Madina), Mount Sinai – the place where Prophet Musa Alaihissalam spoke to Allah, Bethlehem (birth place of Prophet Isa – Jesus) and then to Baitul Muqaddas (Jerusalem) where Masjid-e-Aqsa is situated. At each of these places Prophet Muhammad (Sallallahu Alaihi Wa Sallam) and Jibraeel performed Namaz with the head of angels providing insight to the importance of these places. That he was informed about Madina by Jibraeel, it clearly tells us that Shab-e-Meraj happened before Prophet Muhammad’s (Sallallahu Alaihi Wa Sallam) Hijrat or journey from Makkah to Madina with his followers. There is a reason to this timing as well; it is said that before the night of Meraj, the intolerance of the tribe of Quraish towards Prophet Muhammad (Sallallahu Alaihi Wa Sallam) and his teachings on Islam had grown to its extremes and he was now being physically harassed by the barbarians. It was on one of those days he was walking towards his house, when he was showered by stones and sticks, by them and his feet started bleeding and his footwear was drenched in blood. As he sat down in sadness owing to the agony and distress caused upon him, Allah almighty decided to give his beloved Prophet, what we can decipher as a ‘break’. This is similar in the way we go for a vacations after long hectic days of work. Allah Almighty took all the care to provide his Prophet the best of the comfort and knowledge during Meraj, thus asking Jibraeel to accompany him and making Burraq available for him as a mode of transport.
It was in Masjid-e-Aqsa, where all the prophets of the past right from Prophet Adam Alaihissalam, Prophet Ibrahim Alaihissalam to Prophet Musa and Isa Alaihissalam and all the approximately 124,000 prophets paid salutations and reverence to Prophet Muhammad (Sallallahu Alaihi Wa Sallam). Here too they all congregated to offer Namaz and stood in rows, when Jibraeel very politely requested Prophet Muhammad (Sallallahu Alaihi Wa Sallam) to lead the prayers as the Imam of all prophets. This event enlightens us of the position held by our Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihi Wa Sallam) amongst all other prophets of Allah. Some scholars however claim that the other prophets met Prophet Muhammad (Sallallahu Alaihi Wa Sallam) at various levels in the skies, with Prophet Ibrahim (Alaihissalam) meeting him at the last of the levels. And it was at this place wherein Prophet Muhammad (Sallallahu Alaihi Wa Sallam) led the congregation to offer the Namaz.
After the visit to the places in the world, it was now time for ascension for Prophet Muhammad (Sallallahu Alaihi Wa Sallam) to witness Allah’s aura and get all the knowledge of his creations. It was not that The Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihi Wa Sallam) did not have information about Allah’s creation and he just assimilated all that was told to him by Jibraeel, but it was similar to a case where even a most learned historian calmly listens to a tourist guide while visiting a monument. And concerning Allah’s presence, why would his most beloved Prophet not ask all that which he has knowledge about, just to hear his Lord, his Creator speak, and let his words and voice fall upon his ears, which would have been a blessing in itself for even the Prophet of the prophets. Traveling across the skies, Prophet Muhammad (Sallallahu Alaihi Wa Sallam) and Jibraeel reached a place called as Sidr-tal-Muntaha; a location above all skies, which is marked by a Berry Tree. Here upon Jibraeel paused in his stride and would not move an inch further, he stood beside the tree and said, “O Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihi Wa Sallam), I have reached my limits and I cannot go further beyond this point, as the charisma of Almighty Allah will burn my wings. This is the place where I have access up to and I attend to Allah commands from here only. You will have to travel alone further.”
Prophet Muhammad (Sallallahu Alaihi Wa Sallam) knew that from herein starts the precinct where none of Allah creation has ever walked upon or seen. He prepared to move forward and out of deference, as he was removing his footwear before entering, Allah’s voice emanated from the surrounding, “Beloved Muhammad (Sallallahu Alaihi Wa Sallam), you do not need to remove your footwear, to walk into my audience. Please come in.” This again tells us the respect and admiration showered upon by none other than Allah himself on Prophet Muhammad (Sallallahu Alaihi Wa Sallam). And the narration of the journey further on as described by Prophet himself, has been described beautifully in his various Hadith’s. It was Prophet Musa Alaihissalam who for years had begged and pleaded to see a just a flash or glimpse of the Lord’s profile, which blinded him for the moment and burnt Mount Sinai, and here we see Allah himself inviting Prophet Muhammad (Sallallahu Alaihi Wa Sallam) and asking him to not even remove his footwear. He saw Allah Almighty with his own eyes and in person, and when Allah touched upon his shoulders, the Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihi Wa Sallam) felt as if the entire knowledge of the Universe was getting incorporated in his heart. He was shown the Heavens (Jannat) and the Hell (Jahannam), and what the believers and truthful followers of the Prophet would be showered upon in Heavens as well as what tortures and punishment lay in store for the sinners in the Hell.
He came back with the beautiful legacy of Namaz, which was provided by Allah upon the followers of Prophet Muhammad (Sallallahu Alaihi Wa Sallam) as a means to remember him and ask for his forgiveness as well as seek Allah’s blessings. Jibraeel took all the care to help Prophet Muhammad (Sallallahu Alaihi Wa Sallam) come back to his abode on the earth, a thing which no other living soul had ever done nor will be able to do till perpetuity. Prophet Muhammad (Sallallahu Alaihi Wa Sallam) resumed his message for Islam and Allah’s lordship to the masses with all the learning he acquired during the night of Meraj.
The importance of Shab-e-Meraj holds high prominence amongst Muslims and commences what is described as the preparation for the holy months of Shaban and Ramzan, which follows the months of Rajjab. The other two nights of prayer are Shab-e-Barat and Shab-e-Qadr, which fall in the following two months. Muslims across the globe are advised to pray as much as possible during the night of Meraj and recite Quran and remember Allah and his messenger Prophet Muhammad (Sallallahu Alaihi Wa Sallam). The blessings showered upon all those who spend major part of Shab-e-Meraj in prayers are immense and keeping a fast on the following day is also beneficial both physically and spiritually. Rajjab, the 7th month of Islamic calendar is regarded as Allah’s month and is the month of seeking forgiveness (Istighfar) and distributing charity in form of Sadqah. And as Allah says in the Holy Quran, it offers a great opportunity for the Muslims to cleanse themselves of all their sins.
