The Life & Character of the Seal of Prophets (sa) - Volume I — Page 282
Seal of the Prophets - Volume I 282 place (more or less) one year prior to the migration. In this manner, their time- frame was during 12 Nabawī , or the beginning of 13 Nabawī. Most definitely, this is true for the Isrā’ , although the occurrence of the Mi‘rāj perhaps may have taken place prior to this. There is also a disagreement between historians in the order of both these instances. Those people who consider these two journeys a single journey or two portions of the same journey generally order the Isrā’ first and the Mi‘rāj afterwards. It is their belief that first the Holy Prophet sa was taken from Makkah to Jerusalem, and was then lifted into the heavens from there. However, we have proven that this notion is not correct, rather, the Mi‘rāj and Isrā’ are two separate occurrences all together. However, the problem is that there is even a disagreement in the order of these two instances, between those who consider them separate occurrences. Ibni Isḥāq has kept the Isrā’ first and the Mi‘rāj afterwards. 1 This belief is reinforced by Bukhārī as well, which has presented separate chapters for the Isrā’ and Mi‘rāj , and mentioned the Isrā’ first and the Mi‘rāj subsequently. 2 However, Ibni Sa‘d has clearly expressed an opinion contrary to this, and with specific dates has kept the Mi‘rāj first and then the Isrā’. As such, Ibni Sa‘d has mentioned the Mi‘rāj to have taken place in Ramaḍān of 12 Nabawī and the Isrā’ in Rabī‘ul-Awwal of 13 Nabawī. 3 The inclination of Ṭabarī also seems to be in the same direction, that the occurrence of the Mi‘rāj is before the Isrā’ , because Ṭabarī has kept the Mi‘rāj at the beginning of prophethood. 4 We have not gone into a deeper study of these dates, but by an elaborate study of these occurrences, we are inclined towards the belief that the occurrence of the Mi‘rāj took place before the Isrā’. ُ وَاللّٰه ُ اَعْلَم Ordainment of Five Daily Prayers Prior to the Mi‘rāj , the commencement of the prescribed prayer had 1 As-Sīratun-Nabawiyyah, By Abū Muḥammad ‘Abdul-Malik bin Hishām, pp. 286-293, Dhikrul-Isrā’i wal-Mi‘rāj, Dārul-Kutubil-‘Ilmiyyah, Beirut, Lebanon, First Edition (2001) 2 * Ṣaḥīḥ Bukhārī, Kitābu Manāqibil-Anṣār, Bāb 41/101, Ḥadīthul-Isrā’ * Ṣaḥīḥ Bukhārī, Kitābu Manāqibil-Anṣār, Bāb 42/102, Ḥadīthul-Mi‘rāj 3 * Aṭ-Ṭabaqātul-Kubrā, By Muḥammad bin Sa‘d, Volume 1, p. 102, Dhikrul-Mi‘rāji wa Farḍiṣ-Ṣalawāt , Dārul-Iḥyā’it-Turāthil-‘Arabī, Beirut, Lebanon, First Edition (1996) * Aṭ-Ṭabaqātul-Kubrā, By Muḥammad bin Sa‘d, Volume 1, p. 103, Dhikru Lailatin Usri’a bi- Rasūlillāhi sa ilā Baitil-Muqaddas , Dārul-Iḥyā’it-Turāthil-‘Arabī, Beirut, Lebanon, First Edition (1996) 4 Tārīkhuṭ-Ṭabarī, By Abū Ja‘far Muḥammad bin Al-Jarīr Ṭabarī, Volume 2, pp. 222-223, Bābu Dhikril-Khabri ‘ammā kāna min Amri Nabiyyillāhi sa ‘inda Ibtidā’illāhi Ta‘ālā. . . . . . , Dārul-Fikr, Beirut, Lebanon, Second Edition (2002)