WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:03.720 In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. 00:00:24.300 --> 00:00:27.300 [Lecture Title]: The Obelisk Workshop. 00:00:28.260 --> 00:00:37.859 What are the theological and faith-based implications of the miracle of the Isra' and Mi'raj? 00:00:40.640 --> 00:00:48.159 The journey of the Isra' and Mi'raj is among the greatest miracles and most magnificent signs that Allah, glory be to Him, bestowed 00:00:48.479 --> 00:00:52.240 upon His Prophet and chosen one, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him. 00:00:52.950 --> 00:00:59.509 Due to its importance and status, Allah, glory be to Him, mentioned it in two places in the Qur'an. 00:01:00.240 --> 00:01:03.840 The first is His saying, glory be to Him and Exalted is He: 00:01:04.819 --> 00:01:28.659 “Glorified be He Who carried His servant by night from the Inviolable Place of Worship to the Far distant place of worship the neighbourhood whereof We have blessed, that We might show him of Our tokens! Lo! He, only He, is the Hearer, the Seer.” (17:1) 00:01:30.079 --> 00:01:34.079 The second is in Surah al-Najm, where He says: 00:01:35.000 --> 00:01:52.719 "It is but a revelation revealed, taught to him by one intense in strength, one of soundness. And he rose [to his true form] while he was in the higher horizon. Then he approached and descended." 00:01:52.920 --> 00:02:15.400 "And was at a distance of two bow lengths or nearer. And He revealed to His Servant what He revealed. The heart did not lie about what it saw. So will you dispute with him over what he saw? And he certainly saw him in another descent." 00:02:15.599 --> 00:02:36.919 "At the Lote Tree of the Utmost Boundary—near it is the Garden of Refuge—when there covered the Lote Tree that which covered [it]. The sight did not swerve, nor did it transgress. He certainly saw of the greatest signs of his Lord." 00:02:38.080 --> 00:02:50.919 The miracle of the Isra' was not merely a consolation for the Prophet, peace be upon him, for the loss of his best supporter and defender against the Quraysh, his uncle Abu Talib, 00:02:51.479 --> 00:03:07.680 and the death of his wife Khadijah, may Allah be pleased with her, who was his best supporter and helper; rather, it was a journey of upbringing, strengthening, and refinement for all of us, due to the lessons, admonitions, and morals it contains. 00:03:09.370 --> 00:03:19.889 Imam Muslim recorded in his Sahih from a hadith of Anas ibn Malik, may Allah be pleased with him, that the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said: 00:03:19.889 --> 00:03:32.610 "I was brought the Buraq, a white beast, taller than a donkey but smaller than a mule, which places its hoof at the furthest limit of its sight." He said: 00:03:32.610 --> 00:03:49.840 "I mounted it until I reached Bayt al-Maqdis (Jerusalem)." He said: "I tethered it to the ring to which the prophets used to tether [their mounts]. Then I entered the mosque and prayed two rak'ahs, then I went out." 00:03:49.840 --> 00:04:04.270 "Then Jibril, peace be upon him, came to me with a vessel of wine and a vessel of milk, and I chose the milk. Jibril, peace be upon him, said: 'You have chosen the fitrah (natural disposition).'" 00:04:04.270 --> 00:04:18.199 In a narration by al-Bukhari, may Allah have mercy on him, Jibril, peace be upon him, said: "Praise be to Allah who guided you to the fitrah; had you taken the wine, your Ummah would have gone astray." 00:04:18.399 --> 00:04:31.850 Allah, the Exalted, inspired him to choose the milk for what He, glory be to Him and Exalted is He, intended of success and kindness for this Ummah; so to Allah belongs all praise and favor. 00:04:31.850 --> 00:04:44.129 Here is an important indication and a necessary pause: that kindness, success, honor, and elevation will not be fully realized for this Ummah in their complete form 00:04:44.129 --> 00:04:57.399 as long as the Al-Aqsa Mosque remains distant from it and captive in the hands of the enemies, the killers of the prophets. Thus, all success, goodness, and happiness for this Ummah lie 00:04:57.399 --> 00:05:08.680 in reclaiming its sanctities and preserving them. The blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque possesses a heritage and historical authenticity 00:05:08.680 --> 00:05:22.160 which the Prophet, peace be upon him, established and confirmed on the night of the Isra' when he tethered the Buraq to the ring to which the previous prophets used to tether the mounts they rode 00:05:22.160 --> 00:05:37.560 when they came to the Al-Aqsa Mosque to pray in it: Ibrahim, Ishaq, Ya'qub, Dawud, Sulayman, Zakariyya, Yahya, and 'Isa, peace be upon them. 00:05:37.600 --> 00:05:47.920 Even though the Al-Aqsa Mosque at that time was under Byzantine rule and was not a fully standing, complete mosque, 00:05:47.920 --> 00:05:57.639 the foundations of the mosque and some pillars and ruins remained, as evidenced by the ring to which the Buraq was tethered. 00:05:57.639 --> 00:06:07.680 Therefore, Allah, the Exalted, called it a mosque, and it will remain so regardless of the calamities that befall it and the changes it is subjected to. 00:06:08.439 --> 00:06:18.639 The night of the Isra' is the happiest night in the life of the Prophet, peace be upon him, and it is a night of Jerusalem par excellence. 00:06:18.639 --> 00:06:25.519 Prayer is the only obligation that was ordained in the seventh heaven without an intermediary, 00:06:25.519 --> 00:06:33.720 so that the Prophet, peace be upon him, could lead all the prophets in prayer at the Al-Aqsa Mosque that night, 00:06:33.759 --> 00:06:43.600 in a historical gathering that never occurred throughout history except on that night and in that holy place. 00:06:43.600 --> 00:06:53.240 That wondrous journey, by divine decree and care, combined the greatest of matters in the middle of time, 00:06:53.240 --> 00:07:01.399 as Jibril, peace be upon him, came—the greatest of the angels and the most magnificent companion and associate for him on his journey— 00:07:01.480 --> 00:07:08.879 and with him was the Buraq, the greatest beast and the most magnificent means of transport known to humanity. 00:07:08.879 --> 00:07:17.160 And the Prophet, peace be upon him, the greatest of creation, was carried from Makkah, the greatest of places and lands, 00:07:17.160 --> 00:07:23.629 to the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque in a short time of the night. 00:07:23.629 --> 00:07:31.509 The Prophet's leading of his brothers, the prophets, in prayer that night in Jerusalem 00:07:31.509 --> 00:07:37.589 is a clear indication and an explicit announcement that the religion of the prophets is one, 00:07:37.589 --> 00:07:46.050 and that their connection to that spot is a continuous theological, religious, and faith-based connection. 00:07:46.050 --> 00:07:51.930 It also contains an indication of the Ummah receiving the banner, leadership, and imamate, 00:07:51.930 --> 00:07:56.569 a matter which implies that this Ummah alone is 00:07:56.569 --> 00:08:03.019 qualified to inherit the land of the prophecies and the cradle of the messages. 00:08:03.019 --> 00:08:10.180 That unique miracle came with many links, bonds, and documentations. 00:08:10.180 --> 00:08:15.980 It linked two holy cities and two blessed spots: 00:08:15.980 --> 00:08:21.379 Makkah and Jerusalem. It also linked two qiblahs: 00:08:21.379 --> 00:08:27.579 the Ka'bah and the Al-Aqsa Mosque. It linked the earth and the heavens, 00:08:27.579 --> 00:08:31.980 linked the prophets through their gathering there, 00:08:31.980 --> 00:08:36.820 and linked two times by shortening the travel time. 00:08:36.820 --> 00:08:42.360 It brought together the places of revelation: Makkah and Jerusalem. 00:08:42.360 --> 00:08:48.600 Among the most subtle links is the tethering of the Buraq to the ring at the gate of the Al-Aqsa Mosque, 00:08:48.639 --> 00:08:55.600 without the need to tether it, for it is obedient to the command of the Prophet, peace be upon him, 00:08:55.600 --> 00:08:58.240 and Jibril, peace be upon him. 00:08:58.240 --> 00:09:06.909 But it contains an indication and confirmation of this beautiful meaning and the strong ties for what was mentioned. 00:09:06.909 --> 00:09:12.789 Allah, glory be to Him and Exalted is He, is capable of the Mi'raj of the Prophet, peace be upon him, 00:09:12.789 --> 00:09:17.629 from Makkah to the heavens and his return once again. 00:09:17.669 --> 00:09:20.590 But among the wisdoms of that journey 00:09:20.590 --> 00:09:24.669 is the confirmation and establishment of the importance of Jerusalem, 00:09:24.669 --> 00:09:29.309 its status, and its direct connection to the Sacred Mosque (al-Masjid al-Haram), 00:09:29.309 --> 00:09:33.299 and the divine care for it. 00:09:33.299 --> 00:09:36.100 The incident of the Isra' and Mi'raj 00:09:36.100 --> 00:09:41.940 was a preparation for the Prophet, peace be upon him, for a new and important stage 00:09:41.940 --> 00:09:45.220 in setting out, calling to the faith, and confrontation, 00:09:45.259 --> 00:09:48.100 and in forming the state and spreading the religion, 00:09:48.100 --> 00:09:50.860 as it was one year before the Hijrah, 00:09:50.860 --> 00:09:54.720 or one year and five months, according to the most correct opinion. 00:09:54.720 --> 00:09:58.399 And the seeing of the greatest signs of Allah, the Almighty, 00:09:58.399 --> 00:10:01.159 as a prelude to this journey, 00:10:01.159 --> 00:10:04.919 “Verily he saw one of the greater revelations of his Lord.” (53:18) 00:10:04.919 --> 00:10:10.919 is similar to the stage of preparing Musa, peace be upon him, for the confrontation with Pharaoh, 00:10:10.919 --> 00:10:14.440 and his seeing of the greatest signs of his Lord, 00:10:14.440 --> 00:10:17.759 “That We may show thee (some) of Our greater portents,” (20:23) 00:10:17.759 --> 00:10:22.279 "Go to Pharaoh. Indeed, he has transgressed." 00:10:22.279 --> 00:10:25.159 The beginning of the miracle of the Isra' and Mi'raj 00:10:25.159 --> 00:10:28.720 “Glorified be He Who carried His servant by night from the Inviolable Place of Worship to the Far distant place of worship the neighbourhood whereof We have blessed, that We might show him of Our tokens! Lo! He, only He, is the Hearer, the Seer.” (17:1) 00:10:28.720 --> 00:10:30.799 contains a suggestion to the Muslims 00:10:30.799 --> 00:10:35.360 to remember the places of revelation in Makkah and Jerusalem, 00:10:35.360 --> 00:10:38.879 and that they are all places of the messages, 00:10:38.879 --> 00:10:43.679 and that all the messengers whom Allah chose to convey them 00:10:43.679 --> 00:10:46.080 are children of one house, 00:10:46.080 --> 00:10:51.320 and the last brick in it is placed by their seal, peace be upon him, 00:10:51.320 --> 00:10:55.029 the one who experienced the Isra' and Mi'raj. 00:10:55.029 --> 00:10:56.110 Therefore, 00:10:56.110 --> 00:11:01.230 the banner of Tawhid (monotheism) and faith must always wave over them, 00:11:01.230 --> 00:11:04.710 in the manner that came in his message, 00:11:04.710 --> 00:11:11.710 and their territory must be purified from the seeds of polytheism, idolatry, injustice, and corruption, 00:11:11.750 --> 00:11:16.350 and the authority of truth and the justice of the heavens must rise therein. 00:11:17.350 --> 00:11:19.669 Yes, it is the place of prayer. 00:11:19.669 --> 00:11:22.950 We are a sun that does not set. 00:11:22.950 --> 00:11:26.070 If the caller calls, we answer. 00:11:26.070 --> 00:11:29.309 We return the right, sound and whole. 00:11:29.309 --> 00:11:32.509 We support the beloved Al-Aqsa. 00:11:32.509 --> 00:11:35.750 In it, the best of creation prayed. 00:11:35.750 --> 00:11:38.990 It is, indeed, a blessed place of prayer. 00:11:39.029 --> 00:11:42.149 For the Trustworthy Revelation descended there, 00:11:42.149 --> 00:11:45.429 a mission for the messengers, 00:11:45.429 --> 00:11:48.549 a qiblah for the Muslims, 00:11:48.549 --> 00:11:51.830 a destination for the conquerors. 00:11:51.830 --> 00:11:55.029 In it, the best of creation prayed. 00:11:55.029 --> 00:11:58.190 It is, indeed, a blessed place of prayer. 00:11:58.190 --> 00:12:02.389 It is, indeed, a blessed place of prayer.