The month of Shaban is here. How did the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and early good Muslims spend this month? Do you know why it is called the “forgotten month”?
This lecture by Sheikh Omar Suleiman has the answer, along with answers for many other questions. In this informative and comprehensive video, Sheikh Suleiman discusses different issues related to the month.
- aboutislam.net
We’re going to talk today about contentment with Allah’s decree; in Arabic we call this al-rida, being content with what God Almighty has given us and being happy with our lot.
In English there is a saying “Keeping up with the Joneses.”
What it means is that there is an imaginary family, a fictional family called the Jones family, who live next door to us, or they live across the road or down the street, and according to this idea of keeping up with the Joneses, if the Jones family get a new car, we have to get a new car as well.
If the Jones get a swimming pool, we need a swimming pool; if the Jones’ children go to such and such fancy school, our children have to go to such and such fancy school…
This idea of keeping up with the Joneses can eat away at us. We have to be the same, if not better, than all the people around us.
This attitude to life encourages us just to be envious of other people. You know with this attitude of those people have a better car than we have, why? I want a better car. Those people wear nicer clothes than I do, I want better clothes…
This world of things, of material things, encourages us to judge one another compared to other people and to rate ourselves according to our neighbor.
Well, according to that calculation, if I haven’t got very much, and the people walking past me have got a lot, it’s going to make me very envious, unless we are content, unless we see things in a different way, unless we see all things as gifts, unless we see that everything in this life comes as a gift from Allah Almighty.
You know how at a feast time or a birthday, you open the presents and someone gives you a big gift and someone gives you a small gift, and usually you don’t resent the people who’ve given you the small gift because it’s been given with love. Your mother gives you small gift and your uncle gives you a bigger gift, you love them both very much.
The Gift of Life
But if we look at life as gift, we become content with what we have. You know, I was told some years ago, I heard a very beautiful khutbah and the one speaking described this world saying that this world is like a play, this world is like a drama and when this life starts we all put on different clothes.
So some of us put on the clothes of a King, some of us put on the costume of a poor person, some of us put the costume of an engineer, a teacher, or a housewife… and we play that part. But when the drama is over, when life is finished, we take off the costumes that we’ve been wearing, and we all go back to exactly what we were to start with, everyone equal in Allah’s sight.
You know in the mosque, there are no Kings or Presidents and Princes in a mosque. All we have in a mosque are Muslims standing side by side, praying with one another to Allah. One might be a King, one might be a Prince, one might be the road sweeper who cleans the palace and gardens, but we’re all the same in Allah’s sight.
So in this world we have different roles to play. Everyone is the same, everyone is equal in Allah’s sight but people have different roles to play, and Allah has chosen what roles we have.
Before we carry on, we must be very careful when we’re talking about Allah’s plan and His decree, we mustn’t blame Allah for problems that are of our own making.
You know, if there are people in this world starving to death, they have no food, let’s not blame God for that.
There is plenty food in this world, there is plenty food to go around; the fact that some people like to eat beef burgers that require that cows be fed on so much corn and whatever, our choice means that people living in another part of the world don’t have anything to eat. So let’s not blame God for some of the problems that we cause.
But yes, in life, people are different; some people are rich, some people are poor, some people are clever, some people aren’t, some people are handsome, some people are not handsome… people are different, but in Allah’s eyes we are all beautiful.
Remember Allah Almighty doesn’t make mistakes. When He created one person, He didn’t create him and say: “Oh! I made a mistake with that one”.
No.
He makes us all just how He wants us to be, and in fact, He tells us in the Quran:
Indeed we’ve created Man in best of moulds. (Quran 95:4)
He doesn’t say “we created some men, some people in the best of moulds, and others we didn’t, we have classes of people…”
He doesn’t say that. He says:
We’ve created Man in best of moulds.
All people are equal in Allah’s sight but all people are different. So like in that drama, some of us wear the clothes of a King, some of us wear the clothes of a poor man.
Contentment as Part of Faith
Contentment with what we have is for people of faith.
Muslims believe that when this drama is over, the poor man and the King, if they lived a good life, they both go to the same Paradise, and – as the Quran beautifully describes – they’ll both be dressed in garments of green silk and will be wearing bracelets of pearls and gold and will be drinking from goblets of gold and there’ll be water flowing beneath us…
These are beautiful images, but God tells us very clearly that for all people of faith the reward is going to be great.
So for people who are poor in this world, for people who don’t have as much as other people in this world, we do, for a start, have the promise that after this short time of life (50, 60, 70 years, whatever it is) our reward is going to be extraordinary.
There is something that people of faith can do, because contentment with what Allah wants, as Muslims, we say “Qaddarallahu wa ma sha’a fa’al” (Allah has decreed things as He wanted them to be).
Allah is in Charge
Let’s not forget that Allah is in charge, we’re not. Allah is in charge of this world and He decided things in justice: “I want things to be like this, and I want other things to be like this”.
We don’t have the mind of Allah, we don’t know why He did these things, but we do know that He didn’t need to make us, we do know that He didn’t need to make this world or anything that’s in it.
We do know that He doesn’t need the angels to praise Him, He doesn’t need us to worship Him, He needs none of those things. He‘s is infinite in all His Perfection; He’s perfect in every way, and our praise adds nothing to His greatness.
So if He made us, well it sounds to reason if He gets nothing out of making us, He can only either make us out of hatred or make us out of love, and from the Quran and the Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), we see that He made us out of love.
So if He made us out of love and our minds are not like His mind, He makes someone in this situation and someone in this situation. We don’t understand why, but we do understand that He knows why. “Qaddarallahu wa ma sha’a fa’al.” He decreed something and He did what He wanted to do, Alhamdulillah.
So what do we, as Muslims, do, what do we as People of faith do to try and come to terms with what we have?
One thing Muslims do for example is in all things we say Alhamdulillah in all things: when something bad happens we say Alhamdulillah (praise be to Allah); when something good happens, we say Alhamdulillah. And because we don’t look at things as Allah looks, you know sometimes a bad thing happens, and we think it’s a disaster.
Think of a time in your life when you’ve lost a job, you’ve lost a loved one… something seemingly terrible has happened and out of it we look back on it years later and we say “well, it wasn’t the end of the world when that thing happened”.
The loss of a loved one is a terrible thing, but losing a job for example, sometimes you can look back and say “It seemed terrible but actually, it was a start of a new period of my life.”
Practical Tips
So if we want to be content with what Allah gives us, we say in all things “Alhamdulillah”. We say in all things, as Muslims, “Bismillah Ar-Rahman Ar-Rahim”; In the name of Allah, we do this, in the name of Allah we take a sip of water… we do all things in Allah’s name.
And as well, as Muslims for all things we say Inshallah; if Allah Almighty wills it to be so, it will happen.
If we can keep those three phrases close to our heart: “Alhamdulillah, Inshallah, Bismillah Ar-Rahman Ar-Rahim” we’ll become people of faith and we’ll begin to see things not with an eye on the swimming pool of the people next door, not with an eye on the car of the man who comes to work and parks next to our bicycle, not next to the people with fancy shoes when we’re just wearing little plastic shoes in our feet.
What we do is we thank Allah Almighty because we see things with the eyes of faith and if we see things with the eyes of faith, we come to realize that all things are made and controlled by Allah.
Allah planned from the beginning of time that I’ll be sitting here talking to you today, it is part of His plan. He doesn’t plan that we do bad things.
He doesn’t plan that I would say bad words to the camera, that’s my choice, but He planned that I’ll be here sitting in front of you.
So, as people of faith, we look to Allah and we are always thankful and grateful and we look to our future where we can rest in His pleasure, finding pleasure in Allah is how we find pleasure in our lives.
- aboutislam.net
Tahajjud prayer is part of the Sunnah of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him-PBUH).
In his famous work, Fiqh As-Sunnah, Sheikh Sayyid Sabiq elaborates on the subject as follows:
Ordering His Messenger to perform Tahajjud, Allah Almighty says what means:
{And during a part of the night, pray Tahajjud beyond what is incumbent on you; maybe your Lord will raise you to a position of great glory.} (Al-Israa’ 17:79)
This order, although it was specifically directed to the Prophet, also refers to all Muslims, since the Prophet is a perfect example and guide for us in all matters.
Moreover, regularly performing Tahajjud prayers qualifies one as righteous and earns Allah’s bounty and mercy.
In praising those who perform the late-night prayers, Allah says what means:
{And they who pass the night prostrating themselves before their Lord and standing.} (Al-Furqan 25:64)
Next to these Quranic verses, there also exist a number of hadiths that reinforce the importance of Tahajjud.
Salman Al-Farsi quoted the Prophet (PBUH) as saying:
Observe the night prayer; it was the practice of the righteous before you and it brings you closer to your Lord. And it is penance for evil deeds and erases the sins and repels disease from the body. (At-Tabarani)
The following acts are recommended for one who wishes to perform the Tahajjud prayer:
On waking up, it is recommended that one wipes the face, use a toothbrush, and look to the sky and make the supplication which has been reported from the Prophet (PBUH).
Whenever the Prophet intended to go to bed, he would recite: “With Your name, O Allah, I die and I live.”
And when he woke up from his sleep, he would say: “All the Praises are for Allah Who has made us alive after He made us die (sleep) and unto Him is the Resurrection.” (Al-Bukhari)
Tahajjud may be performed in the early part of the night, the middle part of the night, or the latter part of the night, but after the obligatory `Isha’ prayer (night prayer).
While describing the Prophet’s way of performing prayer, Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) said:
If we wanted to see him praying during the night, we could see him praying. If we wanted to see him sleeping during the night, we could see him sleeping.
And sometimes he would fast for so many days that we thought he would not leave fasting throughout that month. And sometimes he would not fast (for so many days) that we thought he would not fast during that month. (Al-Bukhari, Ahmad, and An-Nasa’i.)
It is best to delay this prayer to the last third portion of the night. The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said:
Our Lord descends to the lowest heaven during the last third of the night, inquiring: ‘Who will call on Me so that I may respond to him? Who is asking something of Me so I may give it to him? Who is asking for My forgiveness so I may forgive him?’ (Al-Bukhari)
The Prophet (PBUH) said:
The closest that a slave comes to his Lord is during the middle of the latter portion of the night. If you can be among those who remember Allah the Exalted One at that time, then do so. (At-Tirmidhi)
The Number of Rak`ahs in Tahajjud
Tahajjud prayer does not entail a specific number of rak`ahs that must be performed, nor is there any maximum limit that may be performed. It would be fulfilled even if one prayed just one rak`ah of Witr after `Isha’.
Samurah ibn Jundub (may Allah be pleased with him) said:
The Messenger of Allah ordered us to pray during the night, a little or a lot, and to make the last of the Prayer the Witr Prayer. (At-Tabarani and Al-Bazzar)
And Allah knows best.
- aboutislam.net
On his way back to Makkah, the Prophet (PBUH) saw many details from the unseen realm that God mentions in the Quran.
Among them, he saw Paradise (Jannah) and Hell. He saw people punished in Hell for sins they had committed in this world. These scenes are detailed in several hadiths.
Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) then returned to Jerusalem and rode the Buraq back to Makkah. His main concern was how people would react when he told them what had happened that night.
Would the people of Makkah believe him when he told them what he had seen on the Night Journey?
Would his tribe, his supporters, and his enemies believe him when he told them what he had witnessed?
Or would his enemies reject and ridicule him even more?
Evidence in the Desert & Reactions in Makkah
To his relief, on the last leg of the journey before reaching Makkah, he passed three familiar caravans.
In the first caravan, he saw people from Makkah whom he knew personally. While passing by the second caravan, he felt thirsty and drank water from a big container they had. In the third caravan, he saw a person he knew by name who was looking for a camel they had lost.
When Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) arrived in Makkah, he went to sleep and later woke up in the Haram. Sitting in front of the Ka’bah, he was anxious, nervous, and worried. How would he tell people what had happened?
Abu Jahl, an enemy of Allah, passed by him and saw him in that state. In a sarcastic manner, he asked, “What is the matter with you? Has anything new happened?”
The Prophet (peace be upon him) responded:
Last night I was taken from here to Jerusalem.
Abu Jahl was shocked to hear this. He asked:
“And you are now back here amongst us?”
When the Prophet (peace be upon him) answered in the affirmative, Abu Jahl saw this as a golden opportunity. He gathered the people to listen to what Muhammad had to say, and the Prophet repeated what had happened. He had gone to Jerusalem and prayed in Bayt Al-Maqdis.
People reacted in different ways. Some started laughing and mocking the Prophet (peace be upon him). Others put their hands on their heads, not knowing what to do. The Prophet was speaking seriously. It was not a joke. They knew that he was a truthful man who did not lie.
Can You Describe Bayt Al-Maqdis?
One of the people there, who had traveled to Jerusalem, put the Prophet (peace be upon him) to the test. Knowing that the Prophet had never been there before, he asked him to describe Bayt Al-Maqdis.
The Prophet (peace be upon him) started describing what he remembered seeing the previous night. But then the man started asking more questions about specific details of the city which he could not recall.
The Prophet (peace be upon him) became extremely worried and anxious. While in that uncomfortable state, he saw Bayt Al-Maqdis in front of him. With Divine help, he was able to answer every question they asked by looking at the image in front of him.
At the end of this interrogation session, one of the people said:
“He is accurate in his description of Jerusalem.”
The Prophet (peace be upon him) followed up by saying:
I will give you some extra signs.
He then mentioned the three caravans he had passed by. One of them was actually very close to Makkah, and it arrived during the interrogation.
Abu Jahl went to see the caravan, and found it was exactly as Muhammad (peace be upon him) had described.
Did he believe after seeing that clear sign?
The answer was no.
The disbelief of Abu Jahl and his followers increased. Instead, they accused Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) of sorcery.
Don’t Be Sad When People Choose Disbelief
Many converts to Islam face a similar situation when inviting their families to Islam. They make a tremendous effort to convince their non-Muslim parents, relatives, and close friends that Islam is the truth. But in many cases, their loved ones refuse to believe, despite all the evidence and proof offered to them. And sometimes they are made fun of.
If one day you face a similar situation, don’t be sad. God created human beings with the free will to believe or disbelieve. He says in the Quran:
And say, “The truth is from your Lord, so whoever wills – let him believe; and whoever wills – let him disbelieve…” (18:29)
Also, remember that some people need time to accept the truth when they find it. Some of the leading figures in Makkah, like Abu Sufyan, Amr ibn Al-‘As and Khaled ibn Al-Waleed spent more than fifteen years fighting the Prophet. They only finally accepted Islam a few years before the Prophet (peace be upon him) passed away. The search for truth is a process, a journey that takes time, so don’t be impatient.
Pray for your family and friends to see the light and the beauty of Islam. Treat them with the best manners, even when they are not treating you well. One day, with Allah’s permission, they may find their path to the Truth like you. So be patient and never give up. Your role is only to convey the message.
Wisdom of the Journey
There is much wisdom to be found in the journey of Al-Isra’ and Al-Mi’raj. The most important was to show the Prophet (peace be upon him) his status and console him after the hardships he had been through. The journey was a personal gift from God that no other prophet or human being has been given. It confirms the rule that with every hardship comes ease.
During this journey, Allah (SWT) showed His prophet that everything he was preaching was true. It was meant to strengthen his faith and prepare him for the second phase of his mission in Madinah.
The Night Journey links the two branches of the descendants of Prophet Abraham by linking Makkah and Jerusalem. Its events confirm the brotherhood of all of God’s prophets, as they greeted each other and prayed together.
Finally, we realize from this journey the importance of Salah, the only command God gave believers in Heaven. All Divine commands were revealed on earth, except Salah. Will we then remember that and give our daily prayers their correct due? - aboutislam.net
OK, folks, try this one at two o’clock in the morning or, if you can’t manage that, after the Fajr (Dawn) Prayer when the world around you is quiet.
Spend some time reflecting on the Night Journey and Ascension—Israa’ and Mi`raj—which takes place on 27 Rajab. Imagine yourself accompanying the Prophet Muhammad on that miraculous Night Journey.
Here’s a guy (peace be upon him) who’s been struggling for 12 long years to get people to worship only the One God, Allah. They call him “Al-Ameen”, The Trustworthy, and even the staunchest pagans continue to entrust their property to him when they travel because of his honesty. Yet they won’t accept his words concerning Allah.
Muhammad (peace be upon him) sees his followers persecuted and tortured and is powerless to help them. He himself is persecuted and reviled by most. He has recently traveled to a distant city, Ta’if, to try to win the people there to Islam, but he was ignominiously driven out. His mission as a Prophet has not brought him wealth or power.
So here he is asleep, an ordinary human with an extraordinary mission. Imagine if you can, the Angel Jibreel (Gabriel) coming to wake him up and setting him on the marvelous steed, Al-Buraq.
Imagine the flight to Jerusalem and the salah (ritual Prayer) of all the past prophets with Muhammad as their imam (peace and blessings on them all).
In this miraculous gathering of these holy men, they didn’t go around shaking hands and slapping each other on the back.
“Hey, Moses! I always wanted to meet you! I’ve heard so much about you!”
“Jesus! What really happened when they tried to arrest you?”
If it had been me, that’s what I would have done. But Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) didn’t do that, he didn’t try to gain moral strength and encouragement from his fellow Prophets, and they didn’t offer any. Instead, they all turned their attention to their Lord and worshiped Him in the way He had instructed.
Prophet Muhammad sought moral and spiritual strength not from other humans—even if they were great ones who miraculously appeared to him then—but from his Lord and Creator.
And then their flight to the heavens. It’s hard to picture it because, of course, it’s totally out of our comprehension. How can a human being—with all his physical limits, his composition of matter—how can he possibly travel in the Unseen? That’s the whole wonder and glory of it. That a human could be lifted to another realm of existence and return safe.
Dwell upon that for a few minutes while the world around you sleeps. Let your spirit be lifted up towards your Creator and Lord.
I imagine Muhammad (peace be upon him) at the highest point of his ascension, when he has reached the vicinity of the Throne of Allah. But even for Prophet Muhammad, who has already passed through so much on that night, the vision is limited.
Allah is veiled by light and Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) is unable to see Him. I contemplate that. I imagine that I’m standing behind Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) and also gazing at the veil of light. And I long to have the veil lifted. I long to gaze in adoration at my Lord.
But not yet. I’m still limited by my humanity, my corporeal being.
In a Hadith, the Prophet Muhammad told us that the believers will have ocular vision of their Lord in the hereafter. Will we only be able to glance because even in our resurrected bodies the sight will be too much for us? Or will we be able to feast our eyes and gaze lovingly, adoringly? I hope the latter.
For now, when the world is quiet, I can only imagine myself before a veil of light, longing for what is within. And when I recall that Prophet Muhammad actually was in the presence of that veil of light, the tune of a gospel song comes to mind (I long ago changed the words):
Were you there when the Prophet made Mi’raj?
Were you there when the Prophet made Mi’raj?
O-o-o-oh! Sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble.
Were you there when the Prophet made Mi’raj?
The world is waking up around me as I write and my own spiritual “flight” must end as I am brought back to the daily realities: breakfast to make, family to wake up, bus to catch, etc.
But those few minutes of quiet contemplation have fed my spirit and (at least for a few days) when life gets stressful, I will close my eyes and imagine myself again standing behind Muhammad in the vicinity of the Throne of the One Being Whom I long to see.
And I will tremble again at the thought that he was really there.
- aboutislam.net
Prophet Muhammad’s (peace be upon him) Night Journey from Makkah to Jerusalem and hence to heaven, and his return to his home town on the same night, was, to a contemporary mind, very much a miracle. Caravans, during this time, took a whole month to cover the distance between the two cities.
How, then, could Muhammad make a return journey overnight, and have an excursion to Heaven in the same trip?
Even to those accustomed to today’s jet travel and to the notion of supersonic speed, the event can only be classified as supernatural. Hence questions have always been raised about the true aim of this journey and its nature. More precisely, people, as you have, wonder whether it was a spiritual or physical Journey.
The Quran answers the first question clearly. The chapter entitled The Night Journey or Al-Israa’, opens with this verse:
{Limitless in His glory is He who made His servant go by night from the Sacred Temple [of Makkah] to the further Temple [of Jerusalem] whose surroundings We have blessed that We might show him some of Our signs. He alone hears all and sees all.} (Al-Israa’ 17:1)
The whole object of the journey, then, was that the Prophet would have a chance to see some of God’s signs. What these were, we are not told. Seeing them, however, had a greatly reassuring effect on Prophet Muhammad, since it enabled him to experience at first hand the limitless ability of God the Creator.
This was bound to put the dispute in which he had been engaged with the Makkans into perspective. It exhibited before his eyes the true nature and the real might of the two camps: his own, in which God is an active participant, and that of the unbelievers.
Hence, it is not surprising that the following years of his life were free of any feelings of weakness or downheartedness. He remained to the last day of his life unaffected by adversity, certain that he would be victorious as long as he and his followers were true believers, sincere in their intentions and actions.
Here, one should emphasize that the journey was not a miracle with the aim of persuading the unbelievers to accept the faith. It was not one of the type of miracles which was given to other Prophets as evidence of their truthfulness.
The unbelievers had actually challenged the Prophet to go up into heaven, but he refused their challenge, as he refused all their other challenging requests. His answer to all such requests was:
{Say, glory be to my Lord. I am only a human Messenger.} (Al-Israa’ 17:93)
When he actually rose to heaven, he did not portray the fact as a reply for their challenge. Hence, one needs to understand the Night Journey in its proper light: it was an act of God to reassure His Messenger at a time when such a reassurance was needed for the proper conveyance of His message.
The majority of Islamic scholars are of the opinion that the Night Journey was not purely ‘spiritual’. They believe, as does the present author, that the Prophet did physically, in body and spirit, go on this journey.
Some people may find this hard to believe because it involves preternatural powers. The answer is that whatever powers such a journey required, they were easy for God to provide.
Look back only one hundred years and imagine what would have been the reaction of people if someone had told them that anyone would be able to travel the distance between Bahrain and London in a little over four hours, in luxurious comfort.
Now reflect on travelling speeds, if one maintains the rate of progress achieved in this field in the present century. Would supersonic travelling have seemed natural?
Indeed, the term “natural” is certainly relative. What is natural today was preternatural to our ancestors and may become, in our grandchildren’s view, primitive.
“Natural”, in essence, signifies little more than “familiar”. One need only look, with open eyes and mind, at the world to find that there are many miraculous facts which are readily accepted as natural for no reason other than their familiarity.
Every childbirth is a miracle, but it is simply overlooked because it occurs so often. One need only reflect over it a little to understand its miraculous nature.
In tackling such events as the Night Journey, one needs to remember only that they occur because God has willed that they should occur.
To Him there is no such’ thing as “natural” or “preternatural”. He has created all the laws of nature, whether they are familiar or not.
To Him the operation of all laws is equally easy. What is not understood of His actions is readily accepted, because the fact that His power is limitless is already accepted.
- aboutislam.net
And thus, We have sent to you O Muhammad a revelation, and a mercy of Our Command.
You knew not what the Book is, nor what is Faith. But We have made it (this Quran) a light wherewith We guide whosoever of Our slaves We will.
And verily, you O Muhammad are indeed guiding (humankind) to the Straight Path. (Quran 42:52)
Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), the final Messenger from God, received the Quran in two stages.
These perfect words of God were sent down to guide humankind out of the darkness and into the light; they are guidance and a mercy. The Quran – the words of God are perfect words, from a perfect God, to His Creation.
From the Heavens to the Earth
On the night known as the ‘Night of Decree’, in the Islamic month of Ramadan, the Quran descended, from the Preserved Tablet to the Lowest Heaven. It then descended from the heavens to the earth in small stages.
The revelation was delivered to Prophet Muhammad through the Angel Gabriel. When Prophet Muhammad was around forty years of age he started to spend time in deep reflection.
According to his beloved wife Aisha:
The love of seclusion was bestowed upon him via vivid good dreams. (Al-Bukhari)
He would go to the cave known as Hira to worship the One God and contemplate life, the universe, and his place in the world.
One night during Ramadan an angel came to him and asked him to read. The Prophet, who was unable to read or write, replied:
‘I do not know how to read’.
The angel then held him forcibly and pressed his chest so hard that he could not bear the pressure. The angel then released Muhammad and asked him once more to read. Again he replied
But I do not know how to read.
The angel held him forcibly three times and Muhammad responded each time that he did not know how to read (or asked what shall I read). The angel then related to him the first words of Quran.
Read! In the Name of your Lord, Who has created (all that exists). He has created man from a clot (a piece of thick coagulated blood). Read! And your Lord is the Most Generous, Who has taught by the pen, He has taught man that which he knew not. (96:1-5)
After this first revelation, which Muhammad found frightening; he was not visited by the angel Gabriel again for an undetermined amount of time.
The next time he encountered him (the angel) he was walking alone. Prophet Muhammad heard a voice from the heavens. When he looked up he saw the angel sitting on a chair between the sky and the earth.
Muhammad was afraid and ran home seeking comfort and asking to be wrapped in blankets. The second revelation occurred at this time.
O you covered in garments arise and warn the people of a severe punishment… (74:1-5)
Over the next 23 years until shortly before Prophet Muhammad’s death, the Quran was revealed in stages. Several reasons have been suggested for this. Some say that it was revealed slowly to offer Prophet Muhammad support and address issues as they arose.
Aisha, the wife of the Prophet, narrates that when asked about how the divine inspiration was revealed Prophet Muhammad replied:
Sometimes it is like the ringing of a bell, this form of inspiration is the hardest of all and then this state passes after I have grasped what is inspired. Sometimes the Angel comes in the form of a man and talks to me and I grasp whatever he says. (Al-Bukhari)
Ibn Abbas described Prophet Muhammad as bearing the revelation “with great trouble and moving his lips quickly”.
Preserved and Guarded
As the words of Quran were revealed to Prophet Muhammad he began to commit them to memory.
Memorization was considered important and was widely practiced even in the early years of Islam. Prophet Muhammad requested that his companions memorize Quran and used various measures to assure that the revelation was preserved in their memories.
According to Ibn Ishaq, compiler of one of the first biographies of Prophet Muhammad, Abdullah ibn Mas’ud was the first man, after Muhammad, to recite the Quran publicly and on this occasion was severely beaten. Prophet Muhammad’s closest companion Abu Bakr was also known to recite Quran outside his home in Makkah.
Quran was memorized by the companions during Prophet Muhammad’s lifetime and this tradition has continued through the following generations.
Even today Muslims unable to read Arabic memorize the exact same words that were memorized by the Arabs of the 7th century CE. The majority of the Arabs were unlettered, including Prophet Muhammad; however the importance of the written word was well understood.
Preserving the divine revelation was paramount; therefore trustworthy and knowledgeable people memorized and wrote down the words of Quran.
These included the four men destined to follow Muhammad as leaders of the Muslim nation and a man named Zaid ibn Thabit, who would be instrumental in the preservation of Quran for the many generations to follow.
Writing materials were difficult to obtain and in these very early days portions of Quran were written onto animal skins, thin light colored stones, bones, and even bars.
The companions would write down the words of revelation and Prophet Muhammad would listen to the men recite from the written word to make sure there were no mistakes. It could be said that the Quran was written down under the direct supervision of Prophet Muhammad.
The Quran was not revealed in order, however the Angel Gabriel instructed Prophet Muhammad on how to compile the Quran in the divinely inspired correct sequence.
First we have to emphasize the role in helping your friend to offer the regular prayer. Prayer is the second pillar of Islam and it is what qualifies who is a believer and who is not.
Give him some of your time. Try always to remind him of prayer before its time. Show him the good impact that prayer has on your life. Explain to him how prayer will give him inner peace and will get him closer to Allah. Tell him that when he offers the Prayer, he is in a private conversation with his Lord.
Try to introduce him to a good company of Muslims who will take him to the mosque to offer the prayer in congregation.
As for his understanding that the Prophet (peace be upon him) was not human because he was taken in the Night Journey to heaven, I will state some facts about this issue.
Muslims believe that Prophet Muhammad was a historical person who preached the message he received from Allah. This belief is supported by scientific grounds.
The Quran forms the basis of the biography of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). Also the extensive data found in the Prophetic Hadiths is another source of his biography. This is in addition to the accounts and anecdotes reported from his contemporaries.
All these sources speak of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) as a human being like all other human beings.
Allah created all human beings from clay and He created the Angels from light. We read in the Quran what means:
{…who gave everything its perfect form. He first created man from clay, then made his descendants from an extract of underrated fluid…} (As-Sajdah 32:7-8)
We also read in the Quran what means:
{Say, ‘I am only a human being, like you, to whom it has been revealed that your God is One.} (Al-Kahf 18:110)
This verse explains that the Prophet was a human being like all other Prophets who came before him.
What is unique about the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) is his being human. He had a father and a mother like all humans.
He was human like all the people who met and preached. He was like them and felt emotions. He endured hardships. He was put to many tests like other people. He ate and drank. He felt happy and felt sad. He felt sick and was treated like humans. During some battles he was injured and his teeth were broken.
He lived his normal life. He married and got children. He struggled against temptations. He chose to submit to Allah’s commands.
Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), like all other prophets, was chosen by Allah to deliver the divine message to all people. This is what gives Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) a status above other people. But still he is a human being.
People should not exaggerate his position and go beyond the limits and raise him to the position of Angels who were created from light. The Prophet himself warned the people against all kinds of exaggeration. The Prophet (peace be upon him) is reported to have said:
“Do not exaggerate about me as was exaggerated about `Isa (Jesus) son of Maryam. Say: the slave of Allah and His Messenger.” (Al-Bukhari)
In order to deliver the divine message, the Prophet (peace be upon him) addressed peoples’ hearts before their minds. He cared for their well being and stability. He found his way to his people easily because he was one of them.
In the Quran, Allah condemns those wondered about the human nature of the Prophet. We read what gives the meaning of:
{They also say, ‘What sort of messenger is this? He eats food and walks about in the marketplaces!…} (Al-Furqan 25:7)
A very clear evidence of the Prophet’s human nature is his death like all humans. His life came to an end and he was buried in a place where all humans are buried. The Quran says what means:
{You [Prophet] will certainly die, and so will they.} (Az-Zumar 39:30)
{We have not granted everlasting life to any other human being before you either [Muhammad] – if you die, will [the disbelievers] live forever?.} (Al-Anbiyaa’ 21:34)
As for the issue of travelling to the seventh sky as your friend put it, this is one of the miracles of the Prophet. The Prophet’s ascension to heaven occurred during the incident of the Isra’ and Mi`raj. The Isra’ (Night Journey) was the journey to Jerusalem when the Prophet traveled with Angel Gabriel on the Buraq which moved swiftly through the night sky.
After the Isra’ came the Mi`raj (Ascension to Heaven) in which the Prophet ascended to the heavens. This journey was a miraculous one and it gave opportunities for Islam to spread. The details of the journey are to be found here.
There is nothing to suggest that the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) is not human because he ascended to heaven during the night journey. The whole event was to support the Prophet in preaching the divine message which he received from Allah.
Being supported by some extraordinary miracles does not give your friend the right to assume that the Prophet was not human. Please try to explain to him the details I have given here and be patient with him.
Argue with him with what is good and do not be tough with him. Be sure that after explaining the truth about the human nature of the Prophet (peace be upon him), Allah will open his mind and heart for accepting the truth.
- aboutislam.net
