Jan 27
Laylat al Mi'raj (Night of Ascention)
Monday 27 Rajab, 1446
Jan 27
Monday 27 Rajab, 1446
Laylat al Miraj, also known as Al Isra wal Miraj, is the second most important in the history of Islam after the revelation of the Quran upon the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ. The night is thought to have occurred on 27 Rajab, a few months before the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ migrated from Makkah to Madinah. It is therefore considered one of the most important nights in Islam; Muslims don’t let the night go to waste and immerse themselves in worshipping Allah سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى.
The event of Miraj occurred at night; therefore, the night is termed Laylat al Miraj. It is also given names as Al-Asra and Al-Miraj, referring to the ascension of the holy Prophet Muhammad ﷺ to the sky. This event is mentioned to have occurred in the Quran in Surah Najm and Surah al Isra.
The Miraj occurred at a time when the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ was dealing with a lot of hardships and troubles. As he was constantly being thrashed by his own tribe, the Quraish, along with the constant rejection of the people among the tribe who were not ready to accept him as their Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, Allah سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى revealed his mercy upon him and sent angels to help him travel across seven skies to meet him.
Also, that year, the holy Prophet Muhammad ﷺ faced the hardest part of his life as he lost his beloved wife, Hazrat Khadijah رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهَا, along with the death of his uncle, Abu Talib, who brought him up. In addition to all these hardships he faced, he was stoned on the way from Taif by children as a consequence of spreading the message of Allah سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى. After all these events, the gift of Miraj was one of the most precious and overwhelming things that converted all his sorrows to joy.
Many events are narrated as having occurred throughout the journey from Makkah to the sky above. Firstly, the event started when the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ was peacefully sleeping in his house. He woke up with some disturbance, seeing that the roof of his house was open. Through the roof, the angel Jibrail descended.
Jibrail took the holy Prophet Muhammad ﷺ with him to the holy Kabba, where he opened his chest and poured Zamzam water into it. Then, he brought a tray of faith and wisdom and poured its contents into his holy prophet’s chest. After all this, he closed his chest down.
Now comes the second event: a white beast appears before the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ. This beast was called Al-Buraq, and it was bigger than a donkey but smaller than a mule. It was the ride for the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ.
There were several stations during the journey. Jibrail and Michael, the angels of God, accompanied the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ. Jibril asked the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ to descend from Buraq at several points and worship Allah سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى.
The first stop was the immigration office. They traveled there and then stopped to worship. Next stop was at Mount Siani. It is the place where Torah was revealed to Musa. After that, they stopped at Bethlehem, where Prophet Isa عَلَيْهِ ٱلسَّلَامُ was born. And the fourth stop was at the grave of Prophet Musa عَلَيْهِ ٱلسَّلَامُ, where the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ witnessed Musa عَلَيْهِ ٱلسَّلَامُ worshipping Allah سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى. And finally, they reached Masjid al Aqsa in Jerusalem. From there, the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ ascended to the skies.
When he reached Al Aqsa, a ladder was provided to him through which he ascended to the skies. According to the hadith, the ladder was the finest one of all. Seven skies were all crossed by the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ along with Jibril. As he ascended and reached the first sky, he was greeted by Prophet Adam عَلَيْهِ ٱلسَّلَامُ and Prophet Ibrahim عَلَيْهِ ٱلسَّلَامُ. Both of them welcomed him as their son.
Next was the second sky, where he met Prophet Isa عَلَيْهِ ٱلسَّلَامُ and Prophet Yahya عَلَيْهِ ٱلسَّلَامُ.On the third sky, he met Prophet Yusuf عَلَيْهِ ٱلسَّلَامُ, and on the fourth, he was greeted by Prophet Idris. Later on, as he reached the fifth sky, he met Prophet Haroon عَلَيْهِ ٱلسَّلَامُ and Prophet Musa عَلَيْهِ ٱلسَّلَامُ on the sixth sky. At the seventh sky, he met Prophet Ibrahim عَلَيْهِ ٱلسَّلَامُ.
After that, he reached Sidra tul Muntaha (The Loth Tree). There, he finally had a meeting with Allah سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى. Allah سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى asked the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ to tell the people to offer prayer 50 times a day. But then, after some discussion and the help of Hazrat Ibrahim عَلَيْهِ ٱلسَّلَامُ, he was able to reduce the number of prayers to 5 and return with a gift of 5 prayers a day for the Muslim ummah. During his journey, the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ saw the doors of heaven and hell, which serve as proof of an afterlife.
After traveling across the seven skies, the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ finally returned home by the end of the night. All of this happened during a small portion of the night. After this, the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ talked about the journey to Quraish and his companions. Some of the people believed him, but some didn’t. Then Allah سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى revealed to him his verses that are stated in the Quran in Surah al-Najf and Surah Al-Isra. There are only two verses that refer to Miraj, while all the other information is provided in the form of hadiths.
Some books and sources state that the Holy Prophet ﷺ, along with all the events mentioned above, met with the angels of death, rain, fire, and harmony. There are some other things, like during the journey, the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ met the other prophets as well, and Jibril circled all seven skies around them. There are many other stories like these two, but there is no proof of their validity, so they are considered superstitions and self-made stories.
Laylat Al-Miraj is one of the most important nights in the history of Islam. The event occurred on 27th Rajab when the holy Prophet Muhammad ﷺ was peacefully sleeping in his bed. At that time, the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ was dealing with a lot of troubles and problems. One of the most soul-hurting things was the loss of his loved one. During that year, he lost his wife, Hazrat Khadijah رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهَا, and his uncle. This journey, Allah سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى showed mercy and love for the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, showing him that he was not alone.
Along with loss, the treatment of Quraish and other tribes towards the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ was extremely harsh. During all this, Allah سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى sent upon him his angels to bring him the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ to Allah سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى. The night of Miraj is one of the most sacred nights of Islam. On this night, the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ brought back a gift of five prayers a day from Allah سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى, making it easy for Muslims to perform their religious duties towards Allah سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى. Many Muslims consider the night of 27th Rajab, the night of worship, and immerse themselves in prayers and worship of Allah سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى. May Allah سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى grant us all to be better Muslims.
The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ was accompanied by two angels of God, Gabriel and Michael.
The holy Prophet Muhammad ﷺ returned with a gift of five prayers from Allah سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى, making prayer and performance of religious duties easier for the Muslims.
The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ met Prophet Ibrahim عَلَيْهِ ٱلسَّلَامُ on the seventh sky.
Miraj occurred on 27th Rajab, just a few months before migration from Makkah to Madinah.
Al Buraq was a white beast that served as a ride for the Holy Prophet ﷺ during his journey from Makkah to Masjid Al Aqsa.