Episode Summary
This episode marks the beginning of the 12th year of Nabua, approximately one and a half years before the Hijra. After suffering the deaths of Khadijah and Abu Talib and facing rejection at Ta’if, the Prophet was granted the profound experience of Al-Isra (the night journey to Jerusalem) and Al-Mi’raj (the ascension to the Heavens). The narrative details the spiritual preparation of the Prophet through the splitting of his chest, the description of the Buraq, and the sacred stops at Madinah, Midian, Mount Sinai, and Bethlehem. It further explores the symbolic spiritual realities witnessed by the Prophet, including the rewards of those who struggle for Allah and the martyrdom of the woman who served Pharaoh’s daughter.
Key Highlights
- The Al-Isra Wal-Mi’raj took place in the 12th year of Nabua, following years of intense public preaching and personal loss.
- Different Sahaba related varying details of the journey, which scholars have pieced together into a flowing narrative.
- The Prophet’s chest was split open for the third time, and his heart was washed with Zam-zam to remove the pain of the past 12 years.
- The Buraq is described as a large white animal capable of traveling as far as the eye can see in a single step.
- The Prophet performed two rakaat of prayer at several blessed locations, including the future site of his migration in Madinah.
- Spiritual visions included farmers whose crops were harvested immediately, symbolizing the 700-fold multiplication of good deeds.
- The Prophet encountered the beautiful fragrance of a woman martyred by Firaun for her belief in Allah.
Comprehensive Analysis
1. Historical Context: The 12th Year of Nabua
The journey of Al-Isra Wal-Miraj occurred during the 12th year of Nabua, approximately twelve years since the Prophet first received Divine Revelation. By this time, the Prophet had engaged in nine years of public preaching and had endured major hits to his personal and mission life, including the boycott of Banu Hashim and the deaths of Khadijah and Abu Talib one and a half years prior. It had also been six months since his rejection at Ta’if.
While the Prophet was humanly being beat down by these circumstances, he continued to survive through his relationship with Allah. Small victories, such as the group of jinn who accepted the Qur’an and the protection of Mut’im bin Adi, provided some reprieve. It was in this state that the Prophet embarked on the profound journey of Al-Isra (secret night travel from Makkah to Jerusalem) and Al-Mi’raj (ascension to the Heavens).
2. Spiritual Preparation: The Opening of the Heart
The journey began late at night while the Prophet was at the Ka’bah, lying in the hatim (Hijr al-Isma’il). Over the course of three nights, Jibril, Mikail, and a third angel visited him, eventually bringing him to the home of Ummu Hani for privacy. There, Jibril split open the Prophet’s torso from his chest to his belly button, marking the third incident of the Prophet’s chest being opened.
Jibril used water of Zam-zam to wash the Prophet’s heart three times, removing the pain and hurt accumulated over the past twelve years. A bowl made of gold, full of hikma (wisdom) and imaan, was poured into his chest. The angel filled him with forbearance, ilm (knowledge), conviction, strength, fortitude, and submissiveness to Allah before sealing the chest back up. A fine scar remained from the split, and the Seal of Prophethood between his shoulder blades became more pronounced.
3. The Buraq and the Angelic Escorts
The angels brought the buraq to the door of the Ka’bah. The Prophet described it as a four-legged, white animal, larger than a donkey but smaller than a mule. The buraq moved at a mind-blowing speed, placing its hoof as far as the eye could see, effectively traveling 30 miles in a single step. It possessed wings on its hips and could adjust its leg length to traverse mountains and declines with ease.
The Prophet was provided with an angelic escort, with Jibril traveling on his right side and Mikail on his left. This journey was documented by multiple Sahaba, including Aisha, Ibn Abbas, and Ibn Mas’ud. While their individual narrations contain minor variations or focus on different details, they do not contradict and have been pieced together by scholars like Muhammad ibn Yusuf al-Salihi al-Shami to create a flowing narrative.
4. Sacred Stops: Connecting the Legacies of the Prophets
During the journey to Jerusalem, Jibril instructed the Prophet to stop and pray two rakaat at several blessed locations. The first stop was a place filled with date palm trees, which Jibril identified as the place where the Prophet would eventually migrate (Madinah). The next stop was in Midian, under the same tree where Musa sought refuge and made dua after fleeing Egypt.
They continued to Tur-u-Sina (Mount Sinai), the site where Allah spoke directly to Musa, and finally to Bethlehem, the place where Maryam gave birth to Isa. At each of these locations, the Prophet descended from the buraq and performed salah, linking his mission to the sacred history of the previous messengers.
5. Spiritual Realities and the Protection from Evil
As they traveled, Allah allowed the Prophet to witness various spiritual realities. He saw a powerful and evil jinni who repeatedly tried to take a piece of fire but was unable to do so. Jibril taught the Prophet a dua of refuge using the noble face of Allah and His complete words. As soon as the Prophet repeated the dua, the fire the jinn was chasing was extinguished, symbolizing the removal of fuel for the jinn to wreak havoc.
The Prophet also saw people who were sowing seeds and harvesting the very next day, with the crops immediately returning to full growth. Jibril explained that these represented the people who strive in the path of Allah. Their good deeds are multiplied 700 times, and whatever they spend is returned to them many times over, providing an immediate spiritual turnover for their efforts.
6. The Fragrance of the Martyr
A beautiful and fragrant breeze was encountered, which Jibril identified as the scent of the woman who used to comb the hair of Pharaoh’s daughter. This woman had been martyred by Pharaoh after she openly declared her belief in Allah as her Lord. Pharaoh had her entire family, including her husband and two young sons, thrown into a pit of boiling metal.
During this trial, the woman’s nursing baby miraculously spoke, encouraging his mother not to back away because they were upon the haqq (truth). This child was one of four babies known for speaking in their infancy, alongside the witness of Yusuf, the companion of Jurayj, and Isa. The woman’s only request before her death was that Pharaoh bury their bodies together in the ground.