Muslims Celebrate Al Isra and Miraj: The Miraculous Night Journey
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| Lailat al Miraj |
The festival is celebrated by telling the story of how the Prophet Muhammad was visited by two archangels while he was asleep, who purified his heart and filled him with knowledge and faith.
The Prophet travelled from Mecca to Jerusalem in a single night on a strange winged creature called Buraq. From Jerusalem he ascended into heaven, where he met the earlier prophets, and eventually God.
During his time in heaven Muhammad was told of the duty of Muslims to recite Salat (ritual prayer) five times a day.
The story of Lailat al Miraj
"The story of Lailat al Miraj consists of two major parts. The first part of the story begins with the Prophet Muhammad at the Kabaa in Mecca. He is visited by two archangels who provide him with a mythical winged steed called Buraq. Buraq carries the Prophet to the 'Farthest Mosque,' believed by Muslims to be the Al Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem, where Muhammad joins past prophets in prayer.The Prophet then ascends to heaven where he is told by God of the duty for Muslims to pray five times daily (Salat). This second part of the journey is commonly referred to as the Miraj, an Arabic word meaning "ladder."
The events of Lailat al Miraj are described briefly in chapter 17 of the Quran, which is named "Sura Al-Isra" after the Prophet's ascension to heaven. Many of the details of the story are filled in by hadith, supplemental writings about the life of the Prophet Muhammad.
Today Lailat al Miraj is observed by Muslims as one of the most important events in the history of Islam. Muslims may attend special prayer services at a mosque, or they may commemorate the holiday privately at home by telling the story to children or reciting special nighttime prayers."
date of this celebration
Muslims will celebrate Lailat al Miraj on August 11. Want to know more about Islam or this celebration? Keep reading. ISLAM:
The major players: The Prophet Muhammad. Muhammad was born in 570 AD in Mecca, Saudi Arabia. In 610, while meditating in a cave, the angel Gabriel came to him and told him to recite the words of God. Those words were eventually written down in the Qur’an. Due to persecution and to the Meccan government’s refusal to accept him as a religious leader (they may have accepted him as political leader had he agreed to it), Muhammad and his early followers were forced to flee Mecca for nearby Medina. This journey was known as the hijra. After several wars and conflicts, Muhammad and his followers returned to Mecca in the year 630. They cleaned out the kabaa (then a center of idol worship). He returned to Mecca, made one more trip to Mecca (the hajj) in 632, and died the same year in Medina.
The sacred texts: The Qur’an (acceptable only in Arabic), the Hadith (traditions and words of Muhammad), and the Sira (biographies of Muhammad).
The main tenants:The five pillars of Islam:
1. The shahadah: There is no God but God and Muhammad is his prophet.
2. Salat: Prayer
3. Zakat: Obligatory alms-giving (charity to the poor)
4. Sawm: Fasting (particularly during Ramadan, a celebration of the revelation of the Qur’an)
5. Hajj: Muslims are required to take a pilgrimage to Mecca at some point in their lifetimes, assuming they have the means to do so.
6. Jihad (sometimes called the sixth pillar): Jihad means a struggle. This can be a struggle within oneself or a holy war in the defense of Islam.
The goal: To be sent to Heaven at the Day of Judgment. This is achieved by doing good works during one’s lifetime.
Social connection: Islam has been connected in recent history to acts of violence and terrorism. A majority of these acts were committed by Muslim extremists and political entities. Muslims consider themselves a peaceful people – Islam and the Qur’an do not condone unjustified violence. Other current debates include the place of women in society and the practice of women wearing th hijab (head covering; a sign of modesty).
:LAILAT AL MIRAJ
Lailat al Miraj is a celebration of the night Muhammad ascended to heaven (temporarily). As the story goes, Muhammad was visited by two angels in Mecca. He then travelled to Jerusalem atop a winged steed named Buraq. From the Temple Mount (the past site of the Jewish temple, the place where Jesus overturned tables, and the current site of the Dome of the Rock), Muhammad was taken to heaven to meet God.
While in heaven, Muhammad was given a tour, met prophets, and was told Muslims needed to pray five times a day (i.e., he was given the duty of salat).
Ironically (or perhaps I’m just finding irony where there is none), Lailat al Miraj occurs just five days after the transfiguration of Jesus in Orthodox Christianity. The story of the transfiguration in the Bible says Jesus stood atop a mountain where he spoke with God (who called him Son).
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