Every event in the Prophet’s (pbuh) life has been an important lesson for us to learn from. Yet many of us take for granted the magnificent life and legacy of the one whose sole mission was to teach mankind the purpose of his life.
The journey of Isra wal Miraj was a miraculous journey in his life that not only brought enormous amounts of blessings to him but also to us. This journey was God Almighty’s wonderful response to the Prophet’s (pbuh) sad state in the year which is commonly known as “The year of great sadness”. This was a particularly sad time for Muhammad (pbuh) as his beloved wife Khadija (RA), who was his strongest supporter had passed away. Soon after, his Uncle Abu Talib passed on and left him completely alone, with no protection against the fierce Tribe of Quraish in Mecca.
With no one by his side, his situation looked bleak as the small Muslim community was suffering persecution and were being exiled from their own city in Mecca. With no hope in sight, Muhammad (pbuh) decided to go on his own to the City of Taif to see if he would be able to get some support from the leaders there. To his dismay, it became the lowest point in his life. Upon making his request and inviting the people to Islam, not only was he rejected but he was disgraced and humiliated by their leaders and children who had brutally stoned him and left to bleed alone.
Imagine the state he (pbuh) would have been in, with absolutely no well-wisher by his side, extremely humiliated, he had made the most beautiful plea to Allah(God).
“O Allah! Unto You do I complain of my weakness, of my helplessness and of my lowliness before men. O most Merciful of the merciful. O Lord of the weak and my Lord too. Into whose hands have you entrusted me? Unto some far off stranger who receives me with hostility? Or unto a foe whom you have empowered against me? I care not, so long as You are not angry with me. But Your favouring help, that were for me the broader way and the wider scope. I take refuge in the light of Your countenance whereby all darknesses are illuminated and all things of this world and the next are rightly ordered, lest You make descend Your anger upon me or lest Your wrath beset me. Yet it is Yours to reproach until You are well pleased. There is no power and no might except through Thee.”
This famous dua’a of our Prophet (pbuh) is an example of how a servant of God is ever so grateful to his Lord despite the difficulty that he may be going through. He exhibited true Prophetic patience and humbled himself to the point where all he really cared for was whether Allah was pleased with him. Soon after he made this duaa, Allah had sent his Angel Gabriel who was ready to destroy the people of Taif if the Prophet (pbuh) had wanted to take revenge. Our merciful Messenger instead decided not to take revenge and pleaded for their forgiveness as they may one day leave descendants who will become believers. That is how far sighted Muhammad (pbuh) was.
Despite the fact that everything that Muhammad (pbuh) treasured was taken away from him, his resolve was unchanged and he displayed true belief in the existence of his Lord and knew that Allah Almighty would be pleased with him.
I feel that this is a great lesson for our generation to learn from, that no matter what difficulty we may go through in this life, we must remember to always have true faith and not forget that Allah is always there for us.
Two wonderful gifts of blessings were granted to our Prophet (pbuh) after this difficult test. A group of jinn became believers and embraced Islam and Allah granted Muhammad (pbuh) the Journey of Isra wal Miraj. After the most difficult time in his life had surpassed, the Prophet(pbuh) was rewarded with the Journey that no other human was ever granted or could ever imagine; and that was the journey to meet Allah Himself. Within that journey were miracles and blessings of meetings with past prophets of our time, being shown the seven heavens, having access to view the delights of Paradise and the perils of Hellfire. Muhammad was granted a VIP ticket into Allah’s most privately concealed truths. The Muslim Ummah(Nation) was granted the 5 prescribed prayers; the gift that keeps on giving and our one-way to Allah and His Divine Knowledge. Muhammad (pbuh) was granted access that no other had ever been granted before. Allah blessed him with His Divine blessings and rewards and reminded his servant that none of his suffering has been in vain.
There is a huge lesson in this for humanity and I feel that we always miss the point. Too often we lose hope and faith and give up in life and we feel overwhelmed by the world and its delusions. We need to reacquaint ourselves with the Prophet Muhammad’s (pbuh) life and learn from the lessons within. We owe the man who gave up everything he had to bring Faith into our lives, we owe him our trust and our resolve. We are his ummati. (followers) May Allah forgive us for forgetting who we really are.
So this Isra wal Miraj, lets forget about our worries, our trials, difficulties and sacrifices and lets unite as one Nation under God and pray like Muhammad (pbuh) did in our most humble way. Ask Allah to bless Muhammad and his family and his ummah and to forgive us and guide humanity to the straight way. We too shall be rewarded inshallah(God willing) in this world and in the hereafter. Ameen.
Allah huma salli Ala Muhammad
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