As you know, the occasion of Al-Israa and Al-Miraj is approaching, and many speakers on Fridays concentrate on what the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) saw on that event, and they may ignore what lessons we should learn and how to take the occasion as a beacon in our global age.
Some imams may ignore such a vital issue and concentrate on what the Prophet saw on that journey.
Which aspect should we focus on, especially that some people claim that many of the scenes related to the event are transmitted through weak hadiths?
Answer
In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.
All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger.
In this fatwa:
- Al-Israa and Al-Miraj are a golden opportunity that Muslims should seize to learn some important lessons related to the Sacred mosques, the Prophet, Prayer, etc.
- We have to study the occasion and teach our children, friends, and relatives how this occasion implants in our hearts love for the Prophet and how it deepens our faith in his truthfulness.
Responding to the question, Dr. Sano Koutoub Moustapha, Professor of jurisprudence and its principles at the International Islamic University, Malaysia, states:
No doubt that this event is unique and very important and we all need to be reminded about it whenever its date arrives. Not only that, but we also need to keep in touch with our important historical events in order to derive fruitful lessons from them while moving forward.
It is hoped that speakers on Fridays would try to relate the contents of the journey to the current status of the Muslim Ummah in the world, especially the continuous atrocities and oppression in which they have been living for decades.
It is hoped that Al-Israa and Al-Miraj become an occasion to remind Muslims all over the world about the oppression and injustice that have been going on against our beloved brothers and sisters in Palestine and elsewhere in the world.
Furthermore, it should be taken as an occasion to remind all Muslims about the real condition of Al-Masjid Al-Aqsa, which is now under the unjust occupation and is about to be demolished, God forbid!
This journey teaches us the necessity of doing all our best to assist those fellow Muslims living under occupation and destruction and daily mass killing and humiliation.
The issue of Al-Masjid Al-Aqsa is not a Palestinian issue nor it is an Arab issue; it is an Islamic issue and all Muslims have equal rights in determining its fate.
The occasion of Al-Israa and Al-Miraj should be utilized to remind and undertake all possible efforts in order to liberate Al-Aqsa and end occupation and injustice against helpless Palestinians.
As for those who claim that the hadiths related to this occasion are all weak hadiths, this claim shouldn’t be generalized. There are a few hadiths that are authentic, and they give more details about the journey.
However, one has to believe that the journey took place, as clearly stated in the Quran, and there is a surah named after the journey (Al-Israa, Chapter 17).
Allah Almighty knows best.
Editor’s note: This fatwa is from Ask the Scholar’s archive and was originally published at an earlier date.