Last week Muslims around the world commemorated the event of Isra wal Mi’raj (the Spiritual Night Journey). It is believed that the event occurred in the twelfth year of the Holy Prophet’s mission in Makkah during the night of the 27th of Rajab.
The Isra refers to the miraculous journey the Holy Prophet (SAW) took from Masjid al Haram in Makkah to Masjid al Aqsa in Jerusalem (Al-Quds) and is narrated in the first ayah of Surah al-Isra: “Limitless in His glory is He [Allah] Who transported His servant by night from the Inviolable House of Worship [at Makkah] to the Remote House of Worship [at Jerusalem]—the environs of which We had blessed—so that We might show him some of Our symbols; for, verily, He alone is all-hearing, all-seeing” (17:01).
The Prophet (SAW) then led all the earlier prophets in prayer at the location where the Masjid al Aqsa stands today in Al Quds. From Al Quds, the Holy Prophet (SAW) ascended to Heaven on a heavenly horse known as Buraq. This is referred to as the Mi‘raj and is narrated in Surah An-Najm. Through the Isra, Allah (SWT) granted Prophet Muhammad SAW the leadership of all the Prophets (AS).
During the Mi‘raj, Allah (SWT) revealed the mysteries of Heaven to the Prophet (SAW) and took him to the highest point in the cosmos, a place where even the angel Gabriel could not reach.
There are many things we can learn from this miraculous journey. One of them is certainly the importance of Al Quds and Masjid Al Aqsa in Islam. Needless to say, alleviating the suffering of the oppressed people in that land should be a priority for all Muslims.
It is also important to realize that our entire lives are a journey that begins from Allah (SWT), by Allah (SWT) and is to Allah (SWT). With such certainty of where we are coming from and where we are going, in every situation we face and every action we take we should be relying wholeheartedly on He who brought us here in the first place, Allah (SWT). Contentment with the outcome of this reliance is submission to Allah (SWT) and is the source of peace whether in hardship or in ease.
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