Sunday, August 2, 2026

The Supreme Excellence of the Prophet ﷺ in Miraj and the Qur'anic Wisdom of the Blessed Journey

It is the status of the other Prophets عَلَيْهِمُ السَّلَام that they offered prayer behind the leadership of the beloved, chosen Prophet in Bayt Al-Muqaddas and then in mere moments, they presented themselves in the skies in order to welcome the Prophet there. What then is the status of the glory, rank and power of the leader of the Prophets, the beloved of Allah ?

It becomes known from this that the presentation of the Burāq in the court of the Prophet , and his mounting it, traveling to Bayt al-Muqaddas, and traversing the skies upon it was purely for honouring, ennobling, and making apparent his lofty status. It cannot be said at all that the Prophet was in need of Burāq for this journey. It is not possible that the Prophet be in need of any creation in any matter whatsoever. The Prophet is the greatest representative of Allah Almighty. Whoever received anything received it through the intermediation of the Prophet .

La wa Rabbil 'arsh jis ko jo mila un say mila
Bat-ti hai kawnain mayn ni'mat Rasulullah ki

Wo Hell mayn gaya jo un say mustaghni huwa
Hai Khalīullah ko haajat Rasulullah Ki

Oath by Allah! Whoever attained something attained it through him
Distributed in both worlds are the blessings of the Messenger of Allah

Destined for Hell is he who considers himself independent of him
Even Khalīullah is in need of the Messenger of Allah

¹ Hada'iq-e-Bakhshish, vol. 2, p. 372

All are in need of the blessed Prophet and the blessed Prophet is in need of no one other than Allah Almighty. In Ṣaḥīḥ Al-Bukhārī, it is narrated that the Prophet said, اِنَّآاَنَاقَاسِمٌ وَّاللّٰهُ یُعْطِیْ "Indeed I am the distributor and Allah Almighty is the Bestower."¹

Ḥakīm Al-Ummah, ʿAllāmah Muftī Aḥmad Yār Khān Naʿīmī رَحْمَةُاللّٰهِعَلَيه states, "The illuminated Prophet's riding upon the Burāq was to express his grandeur like a groom rides upon a horse whilst those accompanying the wedding procession walk and the horse treads gracefully, slowly. So even this pace of Burāq was slow, otherwise the speed of the Prophet himself would have been faster than the Burāq on that day.

Consider! The Prophets عَلَيْهِمُ السَّلَام offered prayer behind the leadership of the beloved, chosen Prophet in Bayt Al-Muqaddas and bade him farewell. However, they arrived in the skies first in order to welcome the Prophet there, because they were to fulfil their duties and the Prophet was like the groom on this day. Such is the travel speed of a Prophet.²

It also becomes apparent from the event of Miʿrāj that the Beloved Prophet has such acceptance with Allah Almighty that he can present himself in the court of Allah Almighty repeatedly. Thus, we find on hearing the plea of Prophet Mūsā عَلَيْهِ السَّلَام to request the lightening of the number of prayers, the Prophet did not leave the matter as it is, but rather went back and forth between the court of Allah Almighty and the Prophet Mūsā عَلَيْهِ السَّلَام.³

¹ Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī: 71
² Mir'aat Al-Manajih, vol. 8, p. 137
³ Al-Marji' Al-Sabiq, p. 145, Derived from

❖ From this, we also learn the importance of prayer as Allah Almighty raised His beloved Prophet above the seven skies, in fact beyond the 'arsh to Lā Makān, for the bestowal of the daily prayers.

Ulul 'Azm Prophets (The Prophets of mighty resolve)

There are differing ranks amongst the Prophets عَلَيْهِمُ السَّلَام. Some are superior to others. The most superior is our master, the leader of the Messengers . After the Final Prophet , the highest rank belongs to Prophet Ibrāhīm عَلَيْهِ السَّلَام, then Prophet Mūsā عَلَيْهِ السَّلَام, then Prophet ʿĪsā عَلَيْهِ السَّلَام and then Prophet Nūḥ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَام. These are known as the Prophets of mighty resolve.¹

The virtue of Ummah Muhammadiyyah

Like the Prophet is the leader of all the Messengers and the most superior, without resemblance, through the Prophet's grace, his Ummah is the most superior of all other nations.²

The Mention of Miʿrāj in the Quran

Allah Almighty has mentioned the Miʿrāj at 3 places in the Quran:³

The First Place

In Surah Bani Israel, Allah Almighty states:

¹ Bahar-e-Shari'at, vol. 1, p. 52
² Al-Marji' Al-Sabiq, p. 54
³ Maqalat-e-Kazimi, vol. 1, p. 174

سُبْحٰنَ الَّذِیْۤ اَسْرٰی بِعَبْدِهٖ لَیْلًا مِّنَ الْمَسْجِدِ الْحَرَامِ اِلَی الْمَسْجِدِ الْاَقْصَا الَّذِیْ بٰرَکْنَا حَوْلَهٗ لِنُرِیَهٗ مِنْ اٰیٰتِنَا ۭ اِنَّهٗ هُوَ السَّمِیْعُ الْبَصِیْرُ

Glory be to Him Who took His bondsman by the night from the Sacred Mosque (the Ka'bah) to Al-Aqṣā Mosque around which We have placed blessing, in order that We may show him Our great signs. Indeed, He is the All-Hearing, the All-Seeing.¹

Madani Pearls

The noble Quranic exegetes state that when the Prophet attained ranks of great loftiness and elevation on the night of Miʿrāj, Allah Almighty said to him, "O Muhammad ! Why have I bestowed upon you this virtue and honour?" The Prophet replied, "Because You attributed me to Yourself with the description of servitude." Upon this, the aforementioned verse was revealed.²

In this verse, the terrestrial journey (from al-Masjid al-arām to Bayt al-Muqaddas) is mentioned. A few Madani pearls can be gleaned from this:

The Wisdom of Starting the Verse with the Word سُبْحٰنَ

Allah Almighty stating سُبْحٰنَ الَّذِیْ at the beginning of this verse declared His transcendence. This phrase is mentioned at an incident of astonishment. The scholars of Islam say that because the event of the Miʿrāj was a most astounding occurrence and beyond human comprehension, then for this reason, Allah Almighty stated سُبْحٰنَ الَّذِیْ i.e this took place according to the Will of the One who is omnipotent in all ways and free from incapacity.

¹ [Kanz-ul-Iman (Translation of Quran)] (Part 15, Surah Bani Isra'il, Verse 1)
² Khaza'in Al-'Irfan, part 15, Surah Bani Isra'il, Under the verse 1, p. 525

Even though the travelling of the pure body of the Prophet upwards, passing through the intensities of the cold and heat of the globe, entering the skies, traversing Paradise and witnessing hell, and then returning so quickly appears very formidable, nothing is difficult for Allah Almighty.¹

Remedy for Avoiding Sins

The renowned exegete, akīm al-Ummah, Muftī Amad Yār Khān Naʿīmī رَحْمَةُاللّٰهِعَلَيه states, "Whosoever recites this glorification of Allah Almighty as a litany, i.e. یٰسُبْحٰنَ یَاسُبْحٰنَ, Allah Almighty will purify him from sin. The manifestation of each name of Allah Almighty occurs upon its reciter. So, whoever recites the litany of یَا مَنَّانُ will become enriched and wealthy.²

Explanation of Allah's Omnipotence

After mentioning سُبْحٰنَ الَّذِیْ and explaining His transcendence, Allah عَزَّوَجَلَّ mentioned the word اَسْرٰی whose meaning is, 'He took him'. Take note that Allah Almighty did not term the Holy Prophet as the one who travelled, rather He Almighty termed His pure Self as the One that took.

¹ Shan-e-Habib Al-Rahman, p. 112
² Nūr Al-'Irfān, Part 15, Surah Bani Isra'il, under the Verse 1, p. 339

No comments:

Post a Comment