Commemorate night of isra wal mairaaj.
Mu' meneen Brothers and Sisters,
As Salaam Aleikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.
(May Allah's Peace, Mercy and Blessings be upon all of you)
One of our brothers/sisters has asked
this question:
Are
muslims allowed to celebrate the night of al-Israa` wal Mi`raaj, or fast the
next day? What should we do on that night? Do we celebrate that night as a
`special night` for worshipping Allah?
(There may be some grammatical and spelling
errors in the above statement. The forum does not change anything from questions,
comments and statements received from our readers for circulation in
confidentiality.)
Answer:
Commemorate night of
isra wal mairaaj
In the name of Allah, We praise Him, seek His
help and ask for His forgiveness. Whoever Allah guides none can misguide,
and whoever He allows to fall astray, none can guide them aright. We bear
witness that there is none worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear
witness that Muhammad (saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His
Messengers.
Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 17 Surah
Israa verse 1:
1 Glory to (Allah) Who did take His Servant for Journey by night from
the Sacred Mosque to the Farthest Mosque whose precincts We did Bless in order
that We might show him some of Our Signs: for He is the one Who Hears and Sees
(all things).
‘Israa’ literally means a journey and ‘Mairaaj’ means
ascension, thus ‘Al-Israa wal-Mairaaj’ refers to the specific incident of the
Night Journey of the Prophet (saws) from Makkah to Jerusalem, and the
subsequent Ascension to the Heavens of the Noble Prophet Mohamed (saws) one
year before his migration from Makkah to Medinah.
There is absolutely no evidence in the authentic Sunnah
whereby the Messenger of Allah (saws) or his noble companions or his noble
family ever celebrated or commemorated the night of the ‘Israa wal-Mairaaj’,
nor did he (saws) ever offer any special prayers on this night, nor did he
(saws) ever command the believers to do anything special on this night!
It is the absolute unanimous opinion of all the good
jurists and scholars in Islam that there is to be no special commemoration or
celebration of the ‘Israa wal-Mairaaj’; and if anyone offers or ordains any
special prayers, or fasts, or any act of worship for the commemoration of this
night when Allah and His Messenger (saws) have not endorsed any such
commemoration, it would obviously be against the guidance and the Sunnah of the
Messenger of Allah (saws).
It is indeed unfortunate that many amongst the Ummah have
started celebrating and commemorating this night with special gatherings and
prayers, something which was neither performed by the Messenger of Allah (saws)
nor endorsed by him; and any act of worship which was not endorsed by the Noble
Prophet (saws) can be nothing but an innovation (bidah), and every innovation
in the deen of Islam is a grave error.
Sunan of Abu-Dawood Hadith 4515 Narrated by Ali ibn AbuTalib
That the Prophet of Allah (saws) said: “If
anyone introduces an innovation (in religion),
he will be responsible for it.
If anyone introduces an innovation or gives shelter to a man who
introduces an innovation (in religion),
he is cursed by Allah, by His
Angels, and by all the people.”
Sahih Muslim Hadith 1885 Narrated by Jabir ibn Abdullah
That the Prophet of Allah (saws) said in a
sermon: “The best speech is that which
is embodied in the Book of Allah, the Al Quran;
and the best guidance is the guidance given by me, Mohamed (saws). The most evil affairs are the innovations,
and every innovation is an error.”
If one trusts, obeys,
and follows the guidance and commands of Allah and His Messenger
(saws), one can be assured of never
ever being misled; but if one
believes, obeys and follows any other
guidance, other than that of Allah and
His Messenger (saws), one can be assured
of being led astray.
Whatever written of Truth and benefit is only
due to Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error is of me
alone. Allah Alone Knows Best and He is
the Only Source of Strength.
Your brother and
well wisher in Islam,
Burhan