Darulifta Ahlesunnat
(Dawateislami)
Question
What do the noble scholars and muftis of the mighty SharīꜤah
say concerning the following matters: 1) Was the MiꜤrāj
of the beloved Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ
وَسَلَّم bodily or
spiritual? 2) What is the legal ruling on someone who denies the MiꜤrāj
being bodily?
بِسْمِ اللہِ
الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِیْمِ
اَلْجَوَابُ بِعَوْنِ الْمَلِکِ
الْوَھَّابِ اَللّٰھُمَّ ھِدَایَۃَ الْحَقِّ وَالصَّوَابِ
The beloved
Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ
وَسَلَّم was granted
a bodily MiꜤrāj,
in a wakeful state. The QurꜤanic
verses and Sahih Aḥādīth indicate
upon this. This is the opinion of the majority of the honourable Companions, TābiꜤīn
(successors), tbāꜤ TabiꜤīn
(successors to the successors), fuqahā (jurists), muḥaddithīn (hadith masters) and mutakallimīn (scholastic theologians) and this is the
belief of the Ahl al-Sunnah wa al-JamāꜤah.
Allah mentions in the
noble Quran:
سُبۡحٰنَ الَّذِیۡۤ اَسۡرٰی بِعَبۡدِہٖ
لَیۡلًا مِّنَ الۡمَسۡجِدِ الۡحَرَامِ اِلَی الۡمَسۡجِدِ الۡاَقۡصَا
الَّذِیۡ بٰرَکۡنَا حَوۡلَہٗ لِنُرِیَہٗ مِنۡ اٰیٰتِنَا
ؕ اِنَّہٗ ہُوَ السَّمِیۡعُ الۡبَصِیۡرُ ﴿۱﴾
Translation
from Kanz al-Īmān: Glory be to Him Who took
His bondsman by the night from the Sacred Mosque (the Ka'bah)
to Al-Aqsa Mosque around which We have placed blessing, in order that We may
show him Our great signs. Indeed, He is the All-Hearing, the All-Seeing.
It is
mentioned in the commentary of this verse in Tafsīr
al-Khāzin, Tafsīr
Jalālayn and Ḥāshiyah al-Ṣāwi:
والحق الذی علیہ اکثر الناس ومعظم السلف وعامۃ
الخلف من المتاخرین من الفقھاء والمحدثین والمتکلمین انہ اسری
بروحہ وجسدہ صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم، ویدل علیہ قولہ سبحانہ
وتعالی: ﴿ سُبْحٰنَ الَّذِیۡۤ اَسْرٰی
بِعَبْدِہٖ لَیۡلًا ﴾، ولفظ العبد عبارۃ عن مجموع
الروح والجسد، والحدیث الصحیحۃ التی تقدمت تدل علی
صحۃ ھذا القول
“The truth which which
is affirmed by most of the people, the majority of the salaf
(pious predecessors), the generality of the jurists, hadith masters and
scholastic theologians from
Mutakhhireen (the later scholars), is
that the beloved Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ
وَسَلَّم went on the
night journey with his body and soul. The following statement of Allah Almighty
indicates upon this:
سُبۡحٰنَ الَّذِیۡۤ اَسۡرٰی بِعَبۡدِہٖ
لَیۡلًا
Translation
from Kanz al-Īmān: Glory be to Him Who took
His bondsman by the night
The word عبد is an expression of the combination
of body and soul. The preceding Sahih hadith also indicates upon the
correctness of this opinion.”
It is stated
in Nasīm al-Riyāḍ:
(انہ اسراء بالجسد والروح فی
القصۃ کلھا) ای فی قصۃ الاسراء الی المسجد الاقصی
والسموات، (وعلیہ تدل الآیۃ) الدالۃ علی شطرھا صریحاً
(وصحیح الاخبار) المشھور المستفیضۃ الدالۃ علی
عروجہ صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم الی السماء، والاحادیث الاحاد
الدالۃ علی دخولہ الجنۃ ووصولہ الی العرش او طرف العالم
کما سیاتی کل ذلک بجسدہ یقظۃ
(The Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ
عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم undertook the journey to Masjid al-Aqṣā
and the heavens with both body and soul. The verse mentioned clearly indicates
upon one part of this journey, whilst a Mashhoor
Mustafeed hadith proves the journey towards the heavens. Whereas, a khabar-e-wahid indicates upon his entry into Paradise and his
arrival at the ꜤArsh or the edge of the created realm, all of which shall
be discussed further on. All of this occurred with his body in a wakeful state.”
It is stated
in Maktūbāt Imam al-Rabbāni
and Fatāwā Rizawiyyah:
The noble MiꜤrāj,
absolutely, definitely, occurred with the blessed body and not only
spiritually, which also occurs for his devotees through his granting. Allah
Almighty stated:
سُبۡحٰنَ الَّذِیۡۤ اَسۡرٰی بِعَبۡدِہٖ
لَیۡلًا
Translation
from Kanz al-Īmān: Glory be to Him Who took
His bondsman by the night
He did not
state ‘Who took His bondsman’s soul’.
It is stated
in Maqālāt al-Kāẓimī:
“The view of
majority of the scholars, the honourable Companions, TābiꜤīn,
atbāꜤ al-TabiꜤīn,
as well as muḥaddithīn, fuqahā and mutakallimīn
after them, is that the Isrā and MiꜤrāj
both occurred physically, in a wakeful state. And, this is the truth.”
2. Absolute
denial of the noble MiꜤrāj
is disbelief. This is because the MiꜤrāj from Masjid al-Ḥarām to Masjid al-Aqṣā is definitive and established from the noble
Quran. However, if a person accepts the MiꜤrāj
but believes it to be only spiritual, he is upon error. In this age, only the
deviated deny this.
Outright
denial of the MiꜤrāj,
is an act of disbelief. It is mentioned in Sharḥ
al-ꜤAqāid al-Nasafiyyah and Nibrās:
والمعراج لرسول اللہ صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم فی
الیقظۃ بشخصہ الی السماء، ثم الی ما شاء اللہ تعالی
من العلی حق ای ثابت بالخبر المشھور حتی ان منکرہ یکون
مبتدعاً،۔۔ فالاسراء ھو من المسجد الحرام الی البیت
المقدس قطعی ای یقینی ثبت بالکتاب ای القرآن
ویکفر منکرہ۔۔ الخ
The MiꜤrāj,
in a physical and wakeful state for the beloved Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ
عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم to the sky and then to wherever Allah willed is proven by Mashhoor narrations, such that its denier is an innovator.
The Isrā from Masjid al-Ḥarām to Bayt
al-Muqaddas is definitive, i.e. established by the
Book, meaning the noble Quran. Its denier is declared a disbeliever.”
It is stated in Nasīm al-Riyāḍ:
(ذھب معظم السلف والمسلمین)
عطف للعام علی الخاص، وفیہ اشارۃ الی ان خلافہ لا ینبغی
لمسلم اعتقادہ ( الی انہ اسراء بالجسد (مع الروح) وفی الیقظۃ
The majority
of the pious predecessors and the Muslims took the opinion (this is a
conjunction of the general upon the specific, and the words ‘‘majority of the
pious predecessors and the Muslims’’ indicate that it does not befit a Muslim
to believe contrary to this) that the Isrā was
with the body and soul, and in a wakeful state. [1]
It is
mentioned in Fatāwā Rizawiyyah:
These
profound happenings have also made the fact that the MiꜤrāj was
bodily, more apparent than the Sun. If it was a mere spiritual journey or in a
dream, why would amazement be expressed upon this? Zayd and ꜤAmr travel to
Makkah and Madinah in their dreams and are found in their beds in the morning.
Taking the word رؤیا
as evidence and not looking at اِلَّا فِتْنَۃً لِّلنَّاسِ is a manifest error. رؤیا comes in the meaning of beholding
and فتنہ و آزمائش occurs in a wakeful state, rather than in a dream. For this
reason, Allah stated:
سُبۡحٰنَ الَّذِیۡۤ اَسۡرٰی بِعَبۡدِہٖ
لَیۡلًا
Translation
from Kanz al-Īmān: Glory be to Him Who took
His bondsman by the night[2] , [3]
وَاللہُ اَعْلَمُ عَزَّوَجَلَّ وَرَسُوْلُہ اَعْلَم صَلَّی اللّٰہُ
تَعَالٰی عَلَیْہِ وَاٰلِہٖ وَسَلَّم
Answered By: Mufti Muhammad Qasim Attari
Date: 3rd Jumādā
al-Ūlā 1439 AH/21st January 2018
[1] Nasīm al-Riyāḍ sharh al-shifa, vol. 2, p. 267
[2] al-Quran, 17:1
[3] Al-Fatāwā al-Razawiyyah, vol. 29, p. 635
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