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The Night Of Mi'râj (1)

Mi'râj Night is the twenty-seventh night of the month of Rajab. Mi'râj means ladder. It is the night on which Rasûlullah 'sall-Allâhu 'alaihi wa sallam' was made to ascend to heavens and was taken to unknown places.

The inhabitants of Mekka would not have îmân. They had been persecuting Muslims very much. They had gone too far and had already begun torturing Muslims. Rasûlullah 'sall-Allâhu 'alaihi wa sallam' was very sorry. It was one year before the Hegira, and he was fifty-two years old. Taking Zayd bin Hârisa with him, he went to Tâif. He preached to the inhabitants of Tâif for one month. None would have îmân. They mocked him and tortured him, hooted and jeered at him. The children pelted him with stones. Hopeless, wearied, he was on his way back, his blessed legs wounded. Meanwhile, Zayd's head had blood all over. During a very hot hour, they sat by the roadside, exhausted. The owners of a vineyard that happened to be there, two rich brothers named Utba and Shayba, who were sons of Rabî'a sent their servant Addâs with a bunch of grapes for each.

Before eating the grapes Rasûlullah 'sallallâhu alaihi wa sallam' said the Basmala. Addâs, a Christian, was surprised to hear this. "I have been here for many years. I have never heard anybody say such a word. What kind of a word is that?" he said.

Rasûlullah 'sall-Allâhu 'alaihi wa sallam' asked, "Where are you from?"

Addâs: "I am from Ninawa."

Rasûlullah 'sall-Allâhu 'alaihi wa sallam': "I see you are from the same place as Hadrat Yûnus 'alaihissalâm'."

Addâs: "How do you know Yûnus? No one hereabouts knows him."

Rasûlullah 'sall-Allâhu 'alaihi wa sallam': "He is my brother. He was a prophet like me."

Addâs: "The owner of this beautiful face and these sweet words cannot be a liar. I now believe that you are Allah's Messenger." So he became a Muslim and added, "O Rasûlallah. I have been serving these cruel people for many years. They have been depriving people of their rights. They have been cheating others. They have no goodness. They will commit any baseness to get what is worldly and to fulfill their sensuous desires. I hate them. I want to go with you, get honoured with your service, to be the target of the irreverence which the ignorant and the idiots will commit against you and to sacrifice myself to protect your blessed body."

Rasûlullah 'sall-Allâhu 'alaihi wa sallam' smiled: "Stay with your masters for the time being! After a short while, you will hear of my name far and wide. Come to me then," he stated. Resting for a while, they wiped off the remaining blood that was still on them and walked towards Mekka. It was already dark when they arrived in the city. The recent few months he had spent in Mekka had been troublesome. The enemy was everywhere. There was not a place to go. At last he went to the district of Abû Tâlib, where lived the house of Umm-i Hânî, his uncle's daughter. Umm-i Hânî had not become Muslim yet. "Who is there?" she said.

Rasûlullah 'sall-Allâhu 'alaihi wa sallam' said, "It is me, Muhammad, your uncle's son. I have come here as a guest, if you will accept me."

Umm-i Hânî: "I will gladly sacrifice my life for such a true, trustworthy, honourable and noble guest as you are. But if you had said in advance that you would honour us, I would have prepared something. I have no food to give you now."

Rasûlullah 'sall-Allâhu 'alaihi wa sallam': "I want nothing to eat and drink. I care for none. A place will suffice where I can worship, entreat my Allah."

Umm-i Hânî received Rasûlullah 'sall-Allâhu 'alaihi wa sallam', gave him a mat, a bowl and an ewer. It was considered as the most honourable duty among the Arabs to do kindness to a visitor and to protect him against an enemy. Any harm given to a guest in a home would be a grave shame for the host. Umm-i Hânî thought, "He has a lot of enemies in Mekka. There are even those who want to kill him. I will be on the watch for him till morning in order to protect my honour." Taking her father's sword, she began to walk around the house.

Rasûlullah 'sall-Allâhu 'alaihi wa sallam' was hurt very much during the day. Performing an ablution, he began to entreat his Allah, ask for forgiveness and pray so that people would have îmân and attain to happiness. Being very tired, hungry and aggrieved, he lay down on the mat and soon fell asleep.

At that moment, Allâhu ta'âlâ commanded to Hadrat Jabrâil 'alaihissalâm':

"I have afflicted My Beloved Prophet so much. I have hurt his blessed body, his tender heart so much. But he still entreats Me. He does not think of anything besides Me. Go! Bring Me My Beloved! Show him My Paradise and Hell. Let him see the blessings I have prepared for him and for those who love him. Let him see the torment I have prepared for those who disbelieve him, who hurt him with their words, writings and actions. I will console him. I will cure the wounds of his tender heart." Within a moment Jabrâil 'alaihissalâm' was near Rasûlullah 'sall-Allâhu 'alaihi wa sallam'. He found him sound asleep. He was afraid to wake him up. He was in a man's figure. He kissed under his blessed foot. Because he does not have a heart or blood, his cold lips woke Rasûlullah 'sall-Allâhu 'alaihi wa sallam'. At once he recognized Jabrâil 'alaihissalâm' and, fearing that Allâhu ta'âlâ might have gotten offended with him, he said, something wrong, have I offended my Allah? Have you brought bad news for me?"