A brief description of the journey of Meraj

The enmity and the waywardness of the non-Muslims hurt and saddened the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam).  To console the beloved Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) and to make the people realize the true status of the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam), Allah Ta’ala summoned Him unto His presence, gave him a tour of all the skies, the Jannah 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 is to ascend.  The journey from the Ka’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.   The Holy Quran says:   Holy (free of any imperfection, weakness and insufficiency) is He Who took His (most beloved and intimate) Servant in a small portion of a night from the Sacred Mosque to the al-Aqsa Mosque, whose surroundings We have blessed, in order that We might show him (the Perfect Servant) Our Signs. Surely He is the One Who is All-Hearing, All-Seeing. Surah Bani Israil (17:1)   In this verse, the journey from the Ka’aba to Baitul Muqaddis has been clearly mentioned.  And “signs” means the journey of the heavens and beyond them.   The journey (with the body and soul together and not the soul only) from the Ka’aba to the Baitul Muqaddis and from there to the heavens, the tour of Jannah and hell and the Vision of Allah Ta’ala with the physical eyes, all this happened only in a small part of the night.  This heavenly journey happened on 12 Nabawi 27th night of Rajab (i.e. the night after 26th 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 was with His blessed body and soul together.  The person who denies the Meraj of the body and the soul is a “Fasiq” and an innovator (Bida’ati).  Mulla Jivan (May Allah shower His Mercy on him) says:   Translation: Meraj occurred in a state of wakefulness, for both the body and the soul.  This is the stance of the Ahle Sunnah.  Thus, anyone who says that Meraj was granted only to the soul or was granted in sleep, that person is misguided.   The Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) was resting in the house of Umme Hani which was near the Ka’aba.  Jibreel (May peace be upon him) came to the Prophet with angels who had radiant torches in their hands and rubbed his face 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 Jibreel’s (May peace be upon him) face.  Jibreel (May peace be upon him) entreated: O Prophet of Allah (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam)!  Allah Ta’ala summons you.  The Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) went to the well of Zam Zam.  His blessed bosom was opened and a vessel full of Iman and wisdom was poured into it.  The Burraq 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 Burraq 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 (May peace be upon him) and on the 7th heaven, the father of the Prophets, Prophet Ibrahim (May peace be upon him).  Along with all other Prophets, Prophet Ibrahim (May peace be upon him) greeted the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam):  O Prophet who have the ability to have the vision of Allah, blessings and glory be to you.   Then the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) went up to Sidratul Muntaha, which is the place for the radiance of Allah.  Whatever happened after that is neither expressible by the tongues nor understandable by the minds.  The secret dialogue between Allah Ta'ala and the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) has been described by the Holy Quran:   So (on that station of nearness and union) He (Allah) revealed to His (Beloved) servant whatever He revealed.  Surah Najm (53:10)   Allah Ta’ala granted the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) His vision which has been mentioned in the Holy Quran:   Surely he saw the Greatest Signs of His Lord (during the Ascension Night). Surah Najm (53:18)   It has been mentioned in Kitab Al Shifa that many of the Sahabah and the Tabi’een say that the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) had the vision of Allah Ta’ala with His physical eyes.   Hadhrat Abdullah Bin Abbas (May Allah be well pleased with him) says:   Translation: Verily, on the night of Meraj, Hadhrat Muhammad (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) saw His Lord twice.  Hadhrat Ka’ab (May Allah be well pleased with him) gave a cry that echoed around the hills and said:  Hadhrat Moosa (May peace be upon him) heard the voice of his Lord and Hadhrat Muhammad (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) saw Him.   Hadhrat Ma’adh bin Jabal (May Allah be well pleased with him) says:   Translation of Hadith: The Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) said: I saw my Lord.   It has been narrated in the authority of Hadhrat Abudhar 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 Radiance of Truth.   Hadhrat Abdul Razzaq (May Allah shower His Mercy on him) who is a teacher of Imam Bukhari’s teachers says:   Translation: 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.   It has been mentioned in Kitab Al Shifa that Imam Ahmed bin Hambal (May Allah be well pleased with him) was asked about this.  He said, My stance 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 Ta'ala, saw Allah Ta’ala, saw Allah Ta'ala.  He kept saying this until he was out of breath.   The Mounts of the Journey of Meraj     On the night of Meraj, the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) used 5 mounts.   1.  From Makkah to Baitul Muqaddis- Burraq 2.  From Baitul Muqaddis to the first heaven- A staircase of radiance 3.  From the first heaven to the seventh heaven- On the wings of the angels. 4.  From the seventh heaven to Sidratul Muntaha- On the arms of Jibreel (May peace be upon him). 5.  From the Sidrah to the ‘Arsh- On His own blessed feet.   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 (or a dream), they would not have denied it.

Dr. Mufti Syed Ziauddin Naqshbandi Mujaddidi Qadri

Shaykh Ul Fiqh, Jamia Nizamia; Founder - Director

Mufti Maulana Syed Zia Uddin Naqshbandi Quadri

Shaik-ul-Fiqh - Jamia Nizamia

Scholarly Articles

A brief description of the journey of Meraj