The Forty Precious Hadiths of Jerusalem
Muhammad, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him:
The Foremost Prophet and Supreme Leader on the Night of the Isra'
On the authority of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him),
the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said regarding the Night Journey:
"I found myself among a gathering of the prophets."
And he mentioned among them those who were standing in prayer:
Moses, Jesus, and Abraham, peace be upon him.
Then he (peace be upon him) said:
"Then the time for prayer came, and I led them."
Related by Muslim.
Vocabulary of the Hadith
"Then the time for prayer came, and I led them":
Meaning: I became their imam in prayer and led them in it.
General Meaning
The hadith indicates that the Prophet (peace be upon him)
saw himself in the presence of a gathering of the prophets,
among them Moses, Jesus, and Abraham, peace be upon him,
as they stood in prayer.
Then the appointed time for prayer arrived,
and he (peace be upon him) led them in prayer,
meaning he acted as their imam.
Ibn Kathir (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
"Al-Masjid al-Aqsa, which is Bayt al-Maqdis—
also known as Aelia—
has been the abode of the prophets since the time of Abraham the intimate friend of Allah.
For this reason, they were all gathered there for him,
and he led them in prayer in their very sanctuary and homeland.
This clearly demonstrated that he is the supreme leader
and the foremost chief,
may the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him and upon all of them."
Reflections on Jerusalem
The greatest gathering in history:
the assembly of the prophets
on the Night of the Isra' at al-Masjid al-Aqsa,
under the leadership of the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.
Through this leadership in prayer,
the Prophet (peace be upon him) formally received
the legitimate spiritual legacy of al-Masjid al-Aqsa
by divine commission on the Night of the Mi'raj.
Al-Masjid al-Aqsa is the inheritance of this Ummah,
a sacred trust bequeathed by the Prophet (peace be upon him)
into our hands,
and a covenant of Islam bound to our necks.
The Forty Hadiths of Jerusalem