The Life & Character of the Seal of Prophets (sa) - Volume I — Page 263
VIII - Expansion of Preaching 263 of the M‘iraj and Isrā’. Similarly, in Sīrat Ibni Hishām, which is the most well- known book among the works of Sīrat , the M‘iraj and Isrā’ have been discussed completely separate from one another. It has clarified that subsequent to his journey from Makkah to Jerusalem, the Holy Prophet sa returned back to Makkah and the occurrence of the Mi‘rāj took place separately thereafter. 1 Likewise, the famous historian, Ibni Sa‘d, has also alluded to the M‘iraj and Isrā’ on different dates, along with their separate details. 2 By these testimonies, it is irrefutably proven that although the M‘iraj and Isrā’ may possess a spiritual relation or connection to one another, with regards to the actual occurrence, they were completely separate and distinct instances from one another, which occurred discretely along with their corresponding details. Therefore, among the early scholars, a majority of them have declared the M‘iraj and Isrā’ separate from one another. 3 In this discussion, the second fallacy is that these journeys have been understood as physical, as if they took place with a material body, even though all three of the above mentioned testimonies categorically reject this notion. Therefore, in the Holy Qur’ān, where the Mi‘rāj has been mentioned, the following words are used: مَا كَذَب َ الْفُؤَاد ُ مَا رَاٰی , 4 in other words, at that instance, that which the heart of the Holy Prophet sa witnessed was completely accurate and true. Moreover, whatever the pure heart of the Holy Prophet sa witnessed was not misconstrued in any way. By this, it is clearly proven that this was a heart-felt vision, and not a bodily or physical journey. In the same manner, an indication can also be found in Ḥadīth , which illustrates that the Mi‘rāj was a 1 As-Sīratun-Nabawiyyah, By Abū Muḥammad ‘Abdul-Malik bin Hishām, pp. 286-290, Dhikrul-Isrā’i wal-Mi‘rāj , Dārul-Kutubil-‘Ilmiyyah, Beirut, Lebanon, First Edition (2001) 2 * Aṭ-Ṭabaqātul-Kubrā, By Muḥammad bin Sa‘d, Volume 1, p. 102, Dhikrul-Mi‘rāj wa Farḍiṣ-Ṣalawāt , Dārul-Iḥyā’it-Turāthil-‘Arabī, Beirut, Lebanon, First Edition (1996) * Aṭ-Ṭabaqātul-Kubrā, By Muḥammad bin Sa‘d, Volume 1, pp. 102-104, Dhikru Lailatin Usri’a bi- Rasūlillāhi sa ilā Baitil-Muqaddas , Dārul-Iḥyā’it-Turāthil-‘Arabī, Beirut, Lebanon, First Edition (1996) 3 * Sharḥul-‘Allāmatiz-Zarqānī ‘alal-Mawāhibil-Ladunniyyah, By Muḥammad bin ‘Abdul-Bāqī Az- Zarqānī, Volume 2, pp. 67-72, Waqtul-Isrā’, Dārul-Kutubil-‘Ilmiyyah, Beirut, Lebanon, First Edition (1996) * Sharḥul-‘Allāmatiz-Zarqānī ‘alal-Mawāhibil-Ladunniyyah, By Muḥammad bin ‘Abdul-Bāqī Az- Zarqānī, Volume 8, pp. 3-271, Al-Maqṣadul-Khāmis fī Takhṣīṣihī ‘Alaihiṣ-Ṣalātu was-Salāmu bi- Khaṣā’iṣil-Mi‘rāj wal-Isrā’, Dārul-Kutubil-‘Ilmiyyah, Beirut, Lebanon, First Edition (1996) * Tārīkhul-Khamīs, By Ḥusain bin Muḥammad bin Ḥasan Dayār Bakrī, Volume 1, pp. 306-316, Dhikru Qiṣṣati Mi‘rāj, Muwassasatu Sha‘bān, Beirut * As-Sīratul-Ḥalbiyyah, By ‘Allāmah Abul-Faraj Nūr-ud-Dīn ‘Alī bin Ibrāhīm, Volume 1, pp. 577-579, Dārul-Kutubil-‘Ilmiyyah, Beirut, First Edition (2002) 4 An-Najm (53:12)