Events of AL-Asra & AL-Mairaj and its importance

(Glorified be He Who carried His servant by night from the Inviolable Place of Worship to the Far Distant Place of Worship the neighborhood whereof We have blessed, that We might show him of Our tokens! Lo! He, only He, is the Nearer, the Seer.) (Al-Israa' 17:1) On 27 Rajab, Muslims remember Israa and Miraj, the miraculous Night Journey and Ascension of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). The exact date of the event is uncertain, but the majority of scholars place it at 12 to 16 months before the Hijrah (the Prophets emigration to Madinah). One night Prophet Muhammad was sleeping near the Kabah in Makkah, when the Angel Jibreel (Gabriel) came to him, woke him up and, taking him by the arm, led him to AlBuraq, a beast resembling a horse with two huge wings springing from its back. From Makkah, Al-Buraq took off toward Jerusalem. There, the Prophet was met by all the other prophets. He dismounted, tethered Al-Buraq to a ring in the gate of Jerusalem, and led them in Prayers. Two vessels were then brought to him, one containing milk, and the other wine. Muhammad drank the milk. Jibreel said, "O Muhammad, you enjoy what is pure. Surely you will guide your people to the right path." This journey demonstrates Gods might and ability to make possible the impossible. The concepts of time and space as we understand them do not apply, and what applies cannot be perceived by our limited faculties. Led by the Angel Jibreel, the Prophet began his ascent through the seven heavens, where he saw the other prophets till he reached Sadrat Al-Muntaha, the remotest lote tree, symbolizing the end of worldly knowledge. He was then taken before the Divine Presence. Allah (God) enjoined the Muslims to perform salah (ritual Prayers) 50 times a day. After his audience with Allah and on his way down, Muhammad met Prophet Musa (Mosespeace be upon him), who asked him how many Prayers were laid upon his followers. When the Prophet replied 50, Musa told him "the congregational Prayer is heavy and your people are weak". He advised him to go back and ask Allah to reduce them. Muhammad made several trips back and forth, and each time The Merciful reduced the number, till finally He reduced it to 5 Prayers a day and if they are performed properly the worshipper will be given credit for 50. The Prophet continued his descent till he arrived back in Makkah. When he told the people what had happened to him, Muslims who were weak in faith doubted the Prophets report. Yet when his friend and long supporter Abu Bakr was asked to take a stand on the issue, he replied, "If Muhammad said it happened, and then it must have happened. I believed him when he first talked about his divine revelation, why should I doubt him now?" Thus on this occasion Abu Bakr earned the title of As-Siddiq (the Veracious). (and We appointed the vision which We showed thee as a trial for mankind)(AlIsraa 17:60) Real Significance of Al-Isra' and Al-Mi`raj The journey of Al-Isra' and Al-Mi`raj did not occur in a routine or ordinary run of things only to demonstrate the profound phenomena of the Kingdom of Allah in the Heavens

and the earth to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) of Islam. More than that, such a prophetic journey of tremendous importance alludes to a number of other significant and complex realities of far-reaching concern to humanity. The two Qur'anic chapters (Surahs) of Al-Isra' and An-Najm revealed in connection with this heavenly journey indicate that Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) was charged with the office of prophethood for both the Houses of Allah, those in Jerusalem and Makkah, and was sent as the leader of the East and the West or the entire human race until the end of time. As the inheritor of all the Prophets of old, he represented the fulfillment and consummation of mankinds religious development. His nightly journey from Makkah to Jerusalem expresses, in a figurative way that his personality conformed and alluded to the oneness of Al-Masjid Al-Haram at Makkah and Al-Masjid Al-Aqsa at Jerusalem. That all the Prophets arrayed themselves behind him in Al-Masjid Al-Aqsa shows that the doctrine of Islam, preached by him, was final, universal and all comprehensive meant for every class and section of human society throughout the ages. The event is, at the same time, indicative of the comprehensiveness of the prophethood of Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) the place accorded to his followers in the great task of humanitys guidance and the distinctive character of his message. The incident of Al-Isra' and Al-Mi`raj represents a demarcation line between the regional, limited and variable rules of divine guidance entrusted to the Prophets of old and the global, comprehensive and abiding principles of faith conferred to the universal leader of human race. The Journey of Al-Isra' and Al-Mi`raj of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was a divine proclamation that he had nothing to do with the category of national or political leaders whose endeavors are limited to their own country and nation, for they serve the nations and races to which they belong and are a product of their time, they serve the need of a particular juncture. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) of Islam, on the contrary, belonged to the luminous line of the Messengers of Allah (peace and blessings be upon them all) who communicate the inspired message of Heaven to the earth. They are links between Allah and His creatures.

The Prescription of Prayer On this occasion, Allah made fifty Prayers a day obligatory for the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and his followers. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) constantly implored Allah for the reduction of the Prayers until the Lord was also pleased to limit these to only five times daily. The Lord was also pleased to declare that whoever properly performs these five times daily Prayers would be recompensed for all the fifty daily Prayers enjoined earlier.

Events that led to the migration of the Holy Prophet to Madinah

THE event that led to what is today known as Hijrah, which means migration, in the Muslim world, is not by any means pleasant. The mission of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (SAW) was greeted with opposition by the pagans of Mecca, his birthplace, not because they did not know him or have any doubt about his trustworthiness but they were not ready to drop the way of doing things, which they inherited from their forefathers for the new religion, which creed is based on the Oneness of Allah. It was unheard of for them to leave their gods and goddesses for just one God, even when the multitude of gods could not satisfy them. It was the opposition against the new movement that led to persecution of the earlier faithful, most of whom were the so-called commoners. Many were tortured, tormented, oppressed, while some even paid the supreme price for accepting Islam. When the persecution became too much, the Prophet left Mecca for Ta'if, where he met a hostile people, especially the youth, who stoned him. Noticing that his life was in danger, the Prophet returned to Mecca where many attempts were made to terminate his life, hoping that if he died, his mission would naturally be terminated. But it was a divine mission, which, no matter what, could never die. The Prophet survived all attempts and at the end triumphed over all. On the instruction of the Prophet, a group of Muslims migrated to Africa, Abyssinia (Ethiopia) to be precise, to seek the protection of King Najash, a Christian. This did not last as the pagans still pursued them to Africa with a view to discrediting them. Though King Najash allowed them to stay in his domain, they soon returned to Mecca to face the struggle. On Allah's command, the Prophet led his followers to migrate to Medina, known then as Yathrib, 320 kilometers north of Mecca, where they were received warmly. The migration occurred in 622 AD and it marked the beginning of the Islamic calendar. The Prophet migrated to Medina because he was not allowed to worship Allah, hence there was the need for Muslims who were not allowed to practice their religion as they ought to, to migrate to a safer place solely for Allah. "Hijrah of the Prophet was as a result of the persecution he and his followers faced in Mecca. He went to Ta'if, came back to Mecca before he finally migrated to Medina. One lesson from this is that Muslims are allowed to leave any place they cannot practise their religion as they should to any place that they can do it comfortably.

Main Events Of Migration to Madinah

The Quraish of Makkah made a plot to murder the Holy Prophet. Allah frustrated their design. One hot afternoon, the Holy Prophet called at the house of Abu Bakr, and gave him the tidings that the time for their migration had arrived. Allah had given the order: Make war on the persecutors till persecution is no more, and religion is for Allah only. At night in the cover of darkness, the Holy Prophet and Abu Bakr left Makkah, but they did not take the road to Yathrib. They moved in the opposite direction, and took refuge in a cave in Mount Thaur some five miles south of Makkah.