http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8mvGtaHntyI - By Shaykh Mumtaz Ul Haq

The Qur'an, Sunnah and 'Ijma' Prove that the Mi'raj was Physical

Mufti Muhammad Shafi (ra)

It is proved from the text of the Holy Qur'an, and from Ahadith coming in uninterrupted succession mentioned later that the entire journey of the Isra' and Mi'raj was not simply spiritual, instead, it was physical - like the journey of anyone else. The very first word of the Holy Qur'an in this Surah: (Subhan: Pure is He!) carries a hint in this direction because this word is used to register wonder or introduce a great marvel. Had the Mi'raj been merely spiritual, just a matter of dream, what was there so unusual about it? As for a dream, every Muslim, even every human being, can see it and report that he or she went to the heavens, did this and did that.

The second indication embedded in the word: ('abd: servant) also points out in the same direction because 'abd is no spirit all by itself, instead, it is the name of the combination of body and spirit.

In addition to that, when the Holy Prophet Sallallahu 'Alayhi Wasallam: Peace be upon him related the event of Mi'raj to Sayyidah Umm Hani Radhi-Allahu Anha: Allah be pleased with her, she advised him not to mention it before anyone otherwise people would falsify it even more. Had this been the matter of a dream, what was there in it that needed to be falsified?

After that, when he did tell people about it, the disbelievers of Makkah called it a lie and made fun of him, so much so that some neo-Muslims became apostates (murtadd) after hearing the news. If this would have been the matter of a dream, the likelihood of such reactions was least warranted. And that he had experienced some spiritual Mi'raj in the form of a dream, before this or after that, does not become contrary to it. According to the majority of Muslim scholars, the word: (ar-ru'ya) in the verse of the Qur'an: (And We showed you the scene - 17:60) means: (ru'yah: seeing). But, it has been expressed through the word: (ru'ya, which is frequently used in the sense of seeing a dream). The reason for this expression could be that this thing has been called ru'ya in the sense of a simile.

This is like someone seeing a dream. And if, ru'ya is taken to mean dream itself, then, it is also not too far out to say that the event of Mi'raj, in addition to its being physical, also transpired, before or after it, in the form of a spiritual Mi'raj as a dream as well. Therefore, the saying, that it was a dream, reported from Sayyidna 'Abdullah ibn 'Abbas Radhi-Allahu Anh: Allah be pleased with him and Umm al-Mu'minin Sayyidah 'A'ishah Radhi-Allahu Anha: Allah be pleased with her is also correct in its place - but, it does not necessarily imply that physical Mi'raj did not take place.

It appears in Tafsir al-Qurtubi that the Ahadith relating to the event of al-Isra' are recurrent and uninterrupted. Naqqash has reported related narratives from twenty Sahabah of the Holy Prophet Sallallahu 'Alayhi Wasallam: Peace be upon him. Then, Qadi Iyad has given additional details in Al-Shifa' (Qurtubi).

Imam Ibn Kathir has, in his Tafsir, reported all these narratives and after applying the standard rules of scrutiny has mentioned the names of twenty-five Sahabah from whom these reports come. Their names are:

1.
Sayyidna 'Umar ibn al-Khattab,
2.
Sayyidna 'All al-Murtada,
3.
Sayyidna 'Abdullah ibn Mas'ud,
4.
Sayyidna Abu Dharr al-Ghifari,
5.
Sayyidna Malik ibn Sa'sa'ah,
6.
Sayyidna Abu Hurairah,
7.
Sayyidna Abu Sa'id al-Khudri,
8.
Sayyidna 'Abdullah ibn 'Abbas,
9.
Sayyidna Shaddad ibn Aws,
10.
Sayyidna Ubaiyy ibn Ka'b,
11.
Sayyidna 'Abd ar-Rahman ibn al-Quraz,
12.
Sayyidna Abu Hayyah (),
13.
Sayyidna Abu Laila,
14.
Sayyidna 'Abdullah ibn 'Umar,
15.
Sayyidna Jabir ibn 'Abdullah,
16.
Sayyidna Hudhayfah ibn Yaman,
17.
Sayyidna Buraidah,
18.
Sayyidna Abu Ayyub al-Ansari,
19.
Sayyidna Abu 'Umamah,
20.
Sayyidna Samurah ibn Jundub,
21.
Sayyidna Abu al-Hamra',
22.
Sayyidna Suhayb al-Rumi,
23.
Sayyidah Umm Hani',
24.
Umm al-Mu'minin Sayyidah 'A'ishah,
25.
Sayyidah Asma' bint Abi Bakr,..............

Radiallaahu 'anhum ajma'een

After that, Ibn Kathir said:

As for the Hadith of al-Isra', there is a consensus of all Muslim on it. Only heretics and atheists have denied it. (Ibn Kathir)(Ma'ariful Qur'an)


See also:

Al Isra wal Mi'raj - Mufti Abdur Raheem Limbada - http://www.muftisays.com/blog/Seifeddine-M/1249_24-02-2011/al-isra-wal-mi%27raj.html

Al Isra wal Mi'rah in detail - http://www.muftisays.com/blog/Seifeddine-M/334_20-05-2010/-isra%27-and-mi%60raj-%28in-detail%29.html

Rajab - http://www.muftisays.com/blog/Seifeddine-M/1654_03-06-2011/rajab.html

» Posted by Seifeddine-M on 30th June 2011

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