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Article 5

VARIOUS DIMENSIONS OF MIRAJ
(An exerpt from "the Scientific significance of Isra' and Miraj" by Imran N. Hosein)

THE SCIENTIFIC SIGNIFICANCE OF MIR'AJ
Since the AI-Isra and Miraj involved a real journey (rather than a vision or a dream) it is important that we should seek to understand how the journey was effected. How was it possible for the Prophet (pbuh) to be transported from Makkah to Jerusalem and back to Makkah in a matter of a fleeting moment? Also, how was it possible for the physical being of the Prophet to be transported into the transcendental realms and to return to this spatiotemporal dimension of existence?

We are, in fact, faced here with a situation which is virtually identical to that of the ascent of Jesus (pbuh) - if we accept the majority Muslim view that Jesus (pbuh) was transported bodily into the heavens and will return to this world before the end of the world.

Now since the physical body occupies space, one cannot, in terms of the Qur'anic Guidance, conceive of a physical approach to Allah Who is non-spatial and Who is also "with you wherever you are" and is "closer to (man) than his jugular vein". The only way, therefore, that we can understand this journey is by postulating the transformation of the physical body into its transcendental form which, by definition, pertains to that domain of existence which transcends space and time. Although the majority opinion in the time of the Prophet (pbuh) and up to this day has been that the physical body made the entire journey, we noted earlier that there was a minority opinion to the effect that the body did not participate in the journey. It is important
that we remember that the Prophet himself did not explicitly confirm the participation of the physical body in the physical form. Indeed he seemed to be deliberately vague on the subject.

Dr. Muhammad Fazlur Rahman Ansari, the learned author of "The Qur'anic Foundations and Structure of Muslim Society", (World Federation of Islamic Missions, Karachi, 1973) supports the thesis of `transformation'

"The holy Prophet's Miraj was, however, an event of unique nature in which it should be accepted that his sacred personality had been transformed by God from the physical to the transcendental dimension of existence. . ." (Vol. 1. p58)

Now both the physical and the transcendental are dimensions of the self-same human personality.
A1-Isra and Miraj involved move-ment within the individual person of the Prophet (pbuh) from one dimension of existence to another.

Para-psychologists have conclusively demonstrated that out-of body travel over long distances in very short periods of time is possible and actually happens. The transformation of the physical being has, however, eluded para-psychology. The secret explanation for this probably lies in the Sufi view of the origin of matter - that it is light which generates energy and gradually transforms itself into matter. The first thing which God created was a particle of light in intense motion, and from this original light emerged all creation. Matter, therefore, is at its origin, light. If scientific research can discover how to reverse the transformation of light into matter it will be possible for the physical being to be transformed - and herein lies the primary scientific significance of the Prophet's (pbuh) miraculous journey.

One cannot commence the effort of seeking to discover the process of reverse transformation, however, until one has first understood the original process of creation through transformation.
Nor can one penetrate the knowledge of the original process of transformation without turning to the divine guidance on the subject revealed through the Word of Allah (the Qur'an). For this reason also, therefore, the Qur'an remains a book of supreme scientific importance advent of Muhammad (pbuh).

THE THEOLOGICAL SIGNIFICANCE

Nearly all, if not all the Prophets of Allah recognized by Jews and Christians at the time of the were in some way or another connected with Palestine and Jerusalem. Indeed many had their roots in that holy land. The Christians and Jews considered it a holy land because of Solomon's (pbuh) temple which was built in Jerusalem, because of the Sakhrah or holy rock close to Solomon's (pbuh) temple to which they turned in prayer, and because David (pbuh) had established his kingdom there.
Abraham (pbuh) lived there and the Jews and Christians believed that the trial of the sacrifice of his son took place there. Therefore, none could, at that time, claim to be a Prophet of God and hope to have his claim accepted by the Jews and Christians unless he could demonstrate a powerful personal link with the holy land.

Now Muhammad (pbuh) was born of Arab parents in the city of Makkah in Arabia - a land which, to that time, had produced no Prophets of god. He spent his entire life in Makkah and Medina and never even once traveled to Jerusalem. It was very likely, therefore, that the majority of Jews and Christians would have very serious reservations about his claim to Prophet hood despite the fact that he recognized and venerated the previous Prophets and claimed to be imparting the same guidance which the world received through them.

It was, perhaps, with the specific objective of enhancing the legitimacy of his claim of prophethood in the eyes of those who associated prophethood with Jerusalem that the Sakhrah (Holy Rock) of Jerusalem had been ordained as the direction to which he and the Muslims should turn in prayer (Qibla).

Shortly, however, before the Prophet's (pbuh) migration (Hijrah) to Madina where, unlike Makkah, there was a large and influential community of Jews and Christians, Allah strengthened his credentials in dealing with those two groups by taking him on a miraculous journey to Jerusalem and to the temple of Solomon (pbuh) (referred to in the Qur'an as Masjid al-Aqsa) so that he, too, could be physically linked to that holy land as were Prophets who preceded him. Indeed the Prophet (pbuh) had an added and unique honour in the fact that whereas other Prophets had themselves to travel to Jerusalem (Jesus (pbuh) went on a donkey), Muhammad (pbuh) was taken there by God Himself.

Nineteen months before he actually confronted the Jews and Christians of
Madina with his physical presence, the powerful impact (and implications) of Al-Miraj was beamed to that city and to the Christian and Jewish worlds by the Prophet from Makkah. Here was tangible and incontrovertible evidence of the truthfulness of his claim that he was the Prophet of God and that he was imparting the same guidance as was taught by the Prophets who preceded him.

The Prophet's (pbuh) Miraj is an indispensable strategic instrument for the projection of the Qur'anic guidance in the lands of Christians and Jews.

The second important theological significance of Al-Isra and Miraj is to be found in the fact that he, Muhammad (pbuh) led the congregational prayers at Masj id al-Aqsa in which participated all the Prophets of God. This amply demonstrates his status as leader of the Prophets.

In addition, the fact that, in so far as we are aware, he Muhammad (pbuh) was the only one in the entire history of creation, to be honored by Allah with an approach to Him closer than even Gabriel was permitted, is demonstrative of his added status (clearly established in the Qur'an) of being unique in all creation.

Finally, we must note the important fact of theological significance that, as a consequence of Al-Isra and Miraj God's Messenger could invite the people to believe in the hereafter - in the world of unseen verities, of angels, heaven and hell, etc., not only on the basis of what was communicated to him by Gabriel, but

also on the basis of his direct experience of these verities. That direct experience was, for him, a confirmation of that which he had previously been taught through revelations. As a result of Miraj he could speak of those unseen verities with even greater conviction and this lent and still lends, added strength and appeal to his message.

The truths of religion can never be truly established until they are experienced. Miraj holds out the possibility that those truths can be experienced. This is a matter of
supreme importance in today's world in which values are collapsing and corruption is doing great damage to political, economic, legal, educational and so many other social institutions. The verdict of history is that religion, and religion alone, can restore and sustain values. But religion can only do so to the extent that it can establish indubitable faith in the unseen world. Islam alone appears to have preserved the capacity to do so, and the Miraj plays a strategic role in that capacity.

THE POLITICAL SIGNIFICANCE

Al-Isra and Miraj of the Prophet (pbuh) have a political significance and implication with respect to the status of Jerusalem which is very important indeed for contemporary international politics and, in particular, for the problem of Palestine (more popularly referred to as the "Middle East Problem" - a term which skillfully avoids the use of the word `Palestine').

The Prophet's (pbuh) Isra and Miraj was meant to demonstrate to Jews and to Christians that he, Muhammad (pbuh), was now God's Messenger on earth and had, as a consequence, inherited spiritual authority over the multi-dimensional legacies of previous Prophets. This was emphatically so in respect of Jerusalem, to which he turned in prayer, and to which he was transported by God's order.

The fact that the Prophet (pbuh), upon his arrival in Jerusalem, is reported to have led the congregational prayer in Masjid al-Aqsa, in which participated all previous
Prophets of Allah, is indicative of the fact that Muhammad's (pbuh) spiritual authority over Jerusalem superseded all previous claims to (spiritual) authority over the city. Of course, spiritual authority does not equate with political authority! Had this been the case the Prophet (pbuh) would have taken steps in his own lifetime, or would at least have given instructions to the Muslims to ensure that Islamic rule over Jerusalem was established. He did no such thing!

Had the Jews and Christians correctly understood the significance of the Prophet's (pbuh) miraculous journey to Jerusalem they would have accepted his claim that he
was the Prophet of God and, in all probability, Jerusalem would have retained its exclusive status as the spiritual capital of the world. The change of the Qibla from Jerusalem to Makkah, took place seventeen months after the Hijrah to Madina, was a direct consequence of the manifest refusal of the Jews and Christians to accept Muhammad (pbuh) as the Prophet of God. For the Jews, indeed, this was
their second consecutive rejection of a Prophet of God since they had
previously rejected and ridiculed Jesus (pbuh), the son of Mary.

With the change of Qibla the spiritual capital of Islam became Makkah. By
clinging to Jerusalem as their spiritual capital Jews and Christians reconfirm daily their rejection of the Prophet hood of Muhammad (pbuh).

What then is the political significance of Al-Isra, and Miraj and the change
of Qibla?

Firstly, it is, I believe, of crucial political significance to reiterate that although Jerusalem remained a Christian city throughout the life-time of the Prophet (pbuh), he
made no attempt to subject it to the rule of Islam and he left no instructions to this effect before his death. And yet, at the end of his life he publicly declared that his mission had been completed.

There does not, therefore, appear to be any theological and scriptural basis
for the insistent demand of the member-States of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) that no other status for Jerusalem can be acceptable to the Muslim world, other than a return of the city to Arab and Islamic sovereignty and control (Lahore Declaration of the Second Islamic Summit Conference, 1974).

Indeed it would appear to us to be, perhaps, an act of divine providence itself and the
fulfillment of some divine plan that Jerusalem and Palestine should today be occupied by a secular nationalist Zionism which has `high jacked' Judaism. For it not only provides authentic Islamic forces with a heaven-sent opportunity to mobilize the Ummah and to break the chains which imprison the world of Islam today, but also, and just as important, to reach out beyond the Ummah to build a grand alliance or community of all forces which uphold authentic religion, divine truth and justice. And it is in this specific context that we criticize the Lahore Declaration.

Now although Islam holds the entire earth to be sacred to the extent that the
Prophet (pbuh) described the entire earth as a prayer carpet, al-Isra and Miraj confirm Jerusalem as a land specially blessed by God (17:1) not only because of the Prophets who lived there and because of the Sakhrah and the temple built by Solomon (pbuh) etc., but also because it was from Jerusalem that Allah took His Messenger on that unique j ourney which culminated in the approach to the
special divine presence.

Jerusalem, therefore, enjoys a special spiritual status. It is a land specially blessed by Allah. Consequently there is a political obligation on the Muslims to protect the
city's spiritual status and to prevent any attempt to modify or repudiate it.

It is therefore inconceivable that the Muslim Ummah can ever consent to, or
acquiesce in, the establishment of a secular Jewish nation-state in holy Palestine with
Jerusalem as its capital. Such would amount to nothing less than a sacrilegious violation of the special spiritual status of Jerusalem.

Jewish nationalism, misled by the secular Zionist Movement, did precisely
this when it succeeded, in 1948, in establishing a secular state in Palestine, with Jerusalem as its capital. The Palestine Liberation Organization, vanguard of secular Palestinian nationalism, appears to have the identical goal.

Muslims, and all who will join with them in that struggle, have a religious obligation to liberate Palestine and Jerusalem because its sacred character and status is being
continuously violated by a bigoted occupying power with a monopoly claim of access to the sacred, a power which oppresses the indigenous people of the land with a contempt reserved for the sub-human.

THE SPIRITUAL SIGNIFICANCE

We mentioned earlier that the al-Miraj was the most important event in the entire life of the Prophet (pbuh). This is so because the Miraj culminated with the Messenger of
Allah (pbuh) actually meeting with his Lord. According to the Qur'an the believer's life

has to be lived entirely for the sake of Allah. And the ultimate goal in life for the believer is to "meet with his Lord" (18:11). Therefore the ultimate goal in life of the
believer is to experience

a personal Miraj which will spiritually transport him to a contact or meeting
with the Lord which is appropriate to his spiritual status.

Miraj is, in fact a religious experience, although not all religious experiences qualify as Miraj. And since the Prophet (pbuh) is reported to have said that prayer (salaah)
which Muslims perform five times a day) is the Miraj of the believers, the implications is that prayer is most conducive to religious experience. Indeed, in the context of the statement of the Prophet (pbuh) that the worshipper is closest of all to his Lord when he is in the posture of prostration (sajda) during prayer, the worshipper can in fact strive for repeated Miraj or religious experiences.

Even without these statements of the Prophet (pbuh) it should be clear that prayer (salaah) is the vehicle through which the approach to Allah is be pursued since of all the articles of divine guidance which have reach mankind through the Holy Prophet (pbuh), prayer (salaah) is the only thing he did not receive hereunder from Gabriel. For salaah he had to be transported to the special presence of Allah to receive it from Allah Himself. The implication is clear. Salaah was brought by Muhammad (pbuh) himself from `above' so that the believers may use it to go, themselves, `above'.

Our interpretation of Miraj as a religious experience of the transcendental world is reinforced when we examine the time and date when the Prophet's (pbuh) Miraj took place and the position it occupies in the sequence of spiritually important dates which follow it in the Islamic calendar.

Firstly the Miraj of the Prophet (pbuh) took place in the night time and spiritual pilgrims are well aware that religious experience is much more likely to be achieved
during worship in the night time. Secondly the Miraj of the Prophet (pbuh) took place on 27 Rajab, a date which seems to be linked with 27 Ramadan (lailatul Qadr). The month of Ramadan, which is the month of compulsory fasting contains within it a secret night known as the `night of power'. It is usually thought to be 27 Ramadan.

It would appear that this period of two months (Rajah 27 -Ramadan 27) is a special season when the collective spirituality is progressively enhanced until finally the
individual effort of even the average worshipper elevates him to eligibility for religious experience. This, of course, is subject to the condition that such an average worshipper is living a life of conformity with Allah's law.

The progressive enhancement begins on 27 Rajah when the worshipper refreshes
his memory about the Prophet's (pbuh) Miraj and is reminded that salaah is the vehicle of his personal Miraj. He pays attention to improving the quality of Salaah. On 15 Shaban he follows the example (sunnah) of the Prophet (pbuh) and fasts for the day - a trial run, really, to prepare for the rigours of the fast of Ramadan. Thus on 15 Shaban, fasting (saum) is added to Salaah and worship moves into a higher gear. In addition there is the enhanced consciousness of the obligation to be charitable. The
Prophet (pbuh) was exceptionally charitable in the month of Shaban.

On 1 Ramadan not only does the compulsory month of fasting for all Muslims begin but, also, there is qiyam al-lail or the prayers of the night vigil, when it is customary for
the entire Qur'an to be recited.

The recitation of the Qur'an in the month of Ramadan is unlike normal recitation at other times of the year. When the believer recites the Qur'an in Ramadan he does so with the image in his mind of the Prophet (pbuh) reciting the Qur'an for Gabriel who would check the recitation. In the last Ramadan of his life he was required to recite the Qur'an twice.

In addition, the month of Ramadan is the month of charity par excellence.
Believers are supposed to be most charitable of all in Ramadan. Ramadan is also the month in which Shaytaan is kept in chains and the most favorable opportunity exists to earn divine mercy and forgiveness. And so, all through Ramadan, from the very first sighting of the crescent moon of Ramadan to the eventual sighting of the crescent moon of Shawwal, the believer constantly prays to Allah for forgiveness for his or her sins.

Fasting, the night-time prayer vigil, charity, prayers for forgiveness, and recitation of the Qur'an has the dramatic impact of effecting a substantial qualitative improvement of worship. When on the 21 Ramadan the seclusion and withdrawal from worldly affairs for about ten days (itiqaj) commences, the worshippers reach a pitch or intensity of worship which makes this period most conducive (spiritually) for religious experience. Finally comes 27 Ramadan, the night of power (lailatul Qadr), when Allah sends down the angels and Gabriel for `every errand' - i.e. to bestow, among other things, the supreme gift of Miraj to all those who deserve it and who have earned it.

When the Qur'an asserts that the night of power (lailatul Qadr) is superior to a thousand months (97:4), the implication is that which can best be experienced on that night (namely Miraj) is better than an entire life-time (a thousand months standing for an average life-span) lived without that experience (Miraj).

You may browse through past issues of " The Message Continues " to read, The First Man in Space( Miraj) and many other interesting articles and poems on Islamic Issues.

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