Amazing Virtues and significance of Masjid Al Aqsa
5 min read
The Night Journey & Ascension (Al-Isra’ wal-Mi’raj) is a miracle second only to the revelation of the Qur’an, and it is crucial that we do not let this night pass us by without pondering on its lessons and significance.
Many of us are just familiar with the fundamental account of Al-Isra’ wal-Mi’raj, which states that the Prophet (saw) was transferred from al-Masjid al-Haram to al-Masjid al-Aqsa, from which he (saw) ascended to heaven. There were other stops during this extraordinary voyage, and the tale is full with wonders and miracles. This blog will tell the storey of the first half of the Miraculous Journey, with as much detail as possible. Enjoy!
Al-Isra’ wal-Mi’raj in Context
Al-Isra’ wal-Mi’raj happened at a period when the Prophet (saw) was going through a lot of hardship and pain. The Prophet (saw) and his followers were regularly mocked, humiliated, and oppressed by the Quraysh, his tribe and kin. Furthermore, the Prophet (saw) had just experienced the Year of Sorrow (‘Aam al-Huzn), during which he (saw) had lost both his beloved wife Khadijah (ra) and his defender and ally Abu Talib.
In addition to all of these difficulties, when the Prophet (saw) went to Ta’if to convey the Islamic message, the people of Ta’if rejected him in the cruellest way possible, sending their children out into the streets to stone him until he fled the city.
The Prophet Muhammad (saw) was given a wonderfully beautiful and soothing gift after going through so much anguish and suffering. Not only was he brought to the Sacred Sanctuary and across the heavens, but he was also transported into the Divine Presence, the source of all comfort and hope. As a result, one of Al-Isra’ wal-most Mi’raj’s essential lessons is that “with every affliction [there will be] ease” (The Noble Qur’an, 94: 5).
From the Ka’bah to Al-Aqsa, this is Al-Isra’.
‘The roof of my house was opened and the Angel Jibril [as] descended,’ the Prophet (saw) remarked while sleeping in the house of Umm Hani (ra) in Makkah (Bukhari). Scholars who have reconciled conflicting accounts believe the Prophet (saw) was subsequently escorted to the Hijr, the Ka‘bah’s semi-circular wall, where he said Jibril (as) “opened my chest and bathed it with Zamzam water.” Then he came a golden platter brimming with wisdom and faith, which he emptied into my chest and then closed.’ [Bukhari]
‘I was then brought a white beast called al-Buraq [from the Arabic word barq, signifying lightning], bigger than a donkey and smaller than a mule,’ the Prophet (saw) added. It had a stride as long as the eye could see.’ [Muslim]
Buraq was ‘saddled and reined, but he shied away from him,’ according to Anas (ra) (saw). “Is it from Muhammad [saw] that you do this?” Jibril [as] asked him. Nobody has rode you who is more deserving of Allah’s honour than he!” “Then he started sweating tremendously,” he explained. [Tirmidhi]
Jibra’eel (as) halted Buraq numerous times along the way and instructed the Prophet (saw) to “dismount and pray.” The first stop was at ‘the location of emigration,’ i.e. Madinah, where the Prophet (saw) would meet the Ansar and migrate to Madinah shortly after this night. The Torah was revealed to Musa by Allah (swt) on Mount Sinai, the second stop (as). The third visit was Bethlehem, the birthplace of ‘Isa (as).
‘I happened to pass by Musa [as] on the night of my Night journey by the red sandhill as he was standing praying in his grave,’ says the fourth halt (Muslim). We know that his cemetery is a short distance from the sacred land of the Blessed Masjid Al-Aqsa (Bukhari). This occurrence clearly demonstrates what Allah’s Messenger (saw) stated concerning Prophets (as) after they died: “The Prophets are alive in their graves praying” (Abu Ya‘la).
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Arriving at the Al-Aqsa Mosque
When the Messenger of Allah (saw) arrived in the holy city of Al-Quds (Jerusalem), he said, ‘When we reached Bait al-Maqdis [literally, ‘the holy house,’ another name for the Blessed Masjid Al-Aqsa], Jibril (as) pointed with his finger, causing a crack in the rock, and he tied the Buraq to it [at the noble sanctuary’s western wall]’ (Tirmidhi). All 124,000 Prophets were waiting inside (as). Jibra’eel (as) escorted the Prophet (saw) to the front, where he (saw) led them all in prayer in this sacred location.
According to certain accounts, the Prophet (saw) greeted the Masjid by praying “two units of prayer” (Muslim) (known as Tahiyyat al-Masjid). This is one of the first examples of the Prophet’s established Sunnah (saw). Jibril (as) called the Adhan (call to prayer) before it was ever established later in Madinah, and that angels from the skies descended to pray behind all the Prophets in this sacred spot – Subhan-Allah!
“Someone remarked, “Here is Malik (as), the custodian of the Hell, so convey Salams to him,” the Prophet (saw) stated after completing the prayer. So I turned to face him, but he was already greeting me with Salams (Muslim).
‘The Prophets were given to me, and Musa (as) was a slender guy, as if he were from the men of Shanu’ah [a Yemeni tribe],’ stated Allah’s Messenger (saw). And I saw ‘Isa ibn Maryam (as), and ‘Urwah ibn Mas‘d is the person who bears the most resemblance to him among those I have seen (ra). And I saw Ibrahim (as), and your friend [meaning himself] is the person who bears the most resemblance to him among all I have seen. And I saw Jibril [as], and Dihyah (ra) is the person who bears the most resemblance to him among all I have seen’ (Tirmidhi).
Following their praise of Allah, the Prophets (as) talked of ‘the Hour.’ Musa (as) and Ibrahim (as) both declared that they “had no knowledge of it.” ‘Isa (as)’ brought up the Dajjal (anti-Christ) and said,
“I will descend and slay him, after which the people will return to their own regions and face Gog and Magog, who will “swoop down from every mound” [Qur’an, 21:96]”’. [Ibn Majah] [Ibn Majah] [Ibn Majah
‘Then I came out, and Jibril (as) gave me a vessel of wine and a vessel of milk,’ the Prophet (saw) remarked. “You have selected the natural state (Fitrah),” Jibril (as) said when I picked milk. (Muslim).
The Prophet (saw) and Jibril (as) are said to have then travelled to the Noble Rock (as-Sakhrah al-Musharrafah), which is now housed by the holy Dome of the Rock Masjid in the heart of the noble sanctuary (al-Haram ash-Sharif) of the Blessed Masjid Al-Aqsa. He (saw) ascension into the heavens for the next leg of this wonderful adventure, the Mi‘raj, or Ascension!
‘It is the region of Resurrection and Congregation,’ the Prophet (saw) declared. It is worth a visit and a prayer. Indeed, prayer in it is equivalent to a thousand prayers elsewhere’.
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