Mi'raj Un-Nabi ﷺ is an Arabic word that means a ladder because one uses a ladder to ascend or to go towards heights. Mi'raj Un-Nabi ﷺ is the ascension of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ towards the sky and into the Heavens and beyond. In the first stage (Isra) of the journey of Mi'raj, Prophet ﷺ rode a Buraq from Masjid Al-Haram to Masjid Al-Aqsa. Prophet Muhammad ﷺ performed Namaaz in Masjid Al-Aqsa, as the imaam in the congregation of all the prophets. Then, Prophet ﷺ ascended into the Heavens for the next part of this incredible journey. It is narrated in a hadith that Prophet ﷺ said, 'I was ascended towards the skies and the Heavens'. (Bukhari).

Qutbe Shaam Imaam Abdul Ghani Muhaddith Nabulusi narrates that Prophet ﷺ was taken on the journey of Mi'raj by the use of ten ladders. Hazrat Sa'ed Kudri(Radi Allaahu Anhu) says, he heard Prophet ﷺ saying that, after he ﷺ had finished (Namaaz) at Masjid Al-Aqsa, a ladder was brought before him. He ﷺ had never seen such a beautiful ladder in comparison to it. In the same narration, it is reported that Hazrat Jibreel(alaihis salaam) and Prophet ﷺ went up the ladder until they reached the door of the Heavens.

Imaam Abdul Ghani Nabulusi narrated that on the night of Mi'raj, ten luminous ladders were made ready for Prophet Muhammad ﷺ. There are seven skies. Prophet ﷺ used one ladder at a time to travel to each level of the sky. The eighth ladder was used to travel from the Sidra to the Arsh. The ninth ladder was used to travel from the Arsh to Mustawaa (above the Arsh). And the tenth ladder was used to travel from Mustawaa to La Makaan.

There is uncountable number of creations above and below the earth. Above the earth are the air and the sky. The thickness of one sky is five hundred years of travel from one end to the other. There are nine planets orbiting around the sun and the closest planet to the earth is the sun. If we send a rocket to the sun at the speed of eight hundred km/hr., it would take twenty-one years to reach the sun.

The Heavenly journey of Mi'raj went against all the scientific and natural laws of today. It was a divine journey.

On the night of Mi'raj, Prophet ﷺ travelled on a Buraq. The Buraq was a summation of all the lightnings that Allah Ta'ala had created. Prophet ﷺ rode this Buraq to ascend to the skies and the Heavens.

Allah Ta'ala mentions the lightnings in The Holy Quran:

'It so seems that the lightning would snatch away their sight, whenever there is some flashing they walk therein and when it is dark, they stand still and if Allah willed, He would have taken away their sense of hearing and sight. Surely Allah has the power to do everything'

(Surah Al-Baqara. verse 20)

Such light created by Allah Ta'ala can travel in seconds from east to west or anywhere in the world. Buraq was a summation (accumulated at one place) of all such lights. Prophet ﷺ rode on this Buraq from this world through to the skies and Heavens to meet Allah Ta'ala.

However, the lights (electricity) the human beings create are no matches to the light created by Allah Ta'ala.

There are people who claim Prophet ﷺ as a normal human (bashar) like us (Ma'az Allah Thuma Ma'az Allah). They cannot even touch the light (electricity) created by people. But Prophet ﷺ rode on a Buraq that was a summation of all the lights (noor) created by Allah Ta'ala. How would they account for their belief now?

The companions(Radi Allaahu Anhum) asked Prophet ﷺ, 'what was the speed of the Buraq?' Prophet ﷺ replied, 'in a single stride, it could reach as far as the eye could see'. Prophet ﷺ travelled beyond the sun, beyond all the planets through the seven skies.

He ﷺ saw the Paradise, which is on the upper level of the seventh sky. He ﷺ saw all the eight Paradise and beyond that. When Prophet Muhammad ﷺ and Hazrat Jibreel(alaihis salaam) reached Baitul Ma'mur (the qibla of the angels), he ﷺ led the congregation of angels as their imaam in Namaaz. They then, reached the Lote Tree-Sidratul Muntaha. Lote Tree is one berry tree whose root is in the sixth Heaven and its branches are in all the Heavens. In height, it is beyond the seventh Heaven. The knowledge of the angels stops at that point. Hazrat Jibreel(alaihis salaam) stopped here. When Prophet ﷺ enquired why he had stopped, Jibreel(alaihis salaam) said, 'this is my limitation. I cannot go beyond this. If I cross this point, my wings will burn. From here onwards you will have to proceed alone'. Prophet ﷺ took leave of Hazrat Jibreel(alaihis salaam) and progressed beyond Sidratul Muntaha all alone by himself. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ did not leave the boundaries of time and space and surpassed the restrictions of human nature. He ﷺ saw the secrets from Eternity till Eternity combined in a dot unity.

Prophet Muhammad ﷺ is the most Beloved of Allah Ta'ala and the most unique in creation. He ﷺ is the only creation to be blessed with physical Mi'raj. Prophet ﷺ travelled further than the Arsh, Kursi, and the limitations of time and space.

The noor of Hazrat Jibreel(alaihis salaam) reached its limitation, but Prophet ﷺ went beyond that limit. Where the limitations of humans (bashariyat) and light (nooraniyat) ends, the reality/truth (haqqi) of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ begins. Prophet ﷺ went beyond those limitations. So, is Prophet ﷺ a human (bashar) like us? (Ma'az Allah Thuma Ma'az Allah)

Prophet ﷺ went into solitude (khalwat), and this is not possible for a bashar or noor. This is the truth and the reality (haqqi) of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ. This is the magnificence of Muhammad ﷺ.

Before leaving Hazrat Jibreel(alaihis salaam), Prophet ﷺ asked Hazrat Jibreel(alaihis salaam) if he ﷺ could ask Allah Ta'ala' for anything on his behalf. The rational behind this was that people don't form an opinion that Prophet ﷺ was dependent on Hazrat Jibreel(alaihis salaam). The reality is that Hazrat Jibreel(alaihis salaam) is dependent on Prophet Muhammad ﷺ.

The scholars (Ulama) give another reason as to why Prophet ﷺ asked this question to Hazrat Jibreel(alaihis salaam). When Hazrat Ibrahim(alaihis salaam) was thrown in the fire of Namrood, Hazrat Jibreel(alaihis salaam) descended immediately and asked Hazrat Ibrahim(alaihis salaam) if he (Jibreel(alaihis salaam)) could do anything for him. Hazrat Ibrahim(alaihis salaam) is the grandfather of Prophet ﷺ, and Hazrat Jibreel(alaihis salaam) did him a favour then. This was the return of the favour.

Hazrat Jibreel(alaihis salaam) told Prophet ﷺ that he needed the permission of Allah Ta'ala to spread his wings on the Pul Siraat, on the Day of Judgement, to enable the ummah of Prophet ﷺ to cross this bridge and enter Paradise. The Ulama say that this gesture of Hazrat Jibreel(alaihis salaam) was to show Prophet ﷺ that he (Jibreel(alaihis salaam)) loved the ummah of Prophet ﷺ. And in turn, Prophet ﷺ would love him the same.

As Prophet Muhammad ﷺ progressed into seclusion, Hazrat Jibreel(alaihis salaam) didn't even know where Prophet ﷺ 'had gone. Hazrat Jibreel(alaihis salaam) said that he didn't understand how and where Prophet ﷺ 'had gone.. And the Mulla of nowadays says that Prophet ﷺ was a normal human (bashar) like us (Ma'az Allah Thuma Ma'az Allah).

The Raf Raf had reached its limitation, but Prophet Muhammad ﷺ progressed further. He ﷺ came across seventy thousand veils of silver, and behind each veil there were seventy thousand veils. Then came seventy thousand veils of gold, seventy thousand veils of ruby, and seventy thousand veils of knowledge. Behind every veil, there were seventy thousand veils. As the veils rose, came the veil of grandeur, closest to the Arsh. Prophet ﷺ progressed beyond this veil and reached the underpinning of Arsh.

Four angels are holding the corners of the Arsh and they continuously recite 'la hawla wala quwwata illa billahil aliyyil azeem'. After meeting these angels, Prophet ﷺ progressed further and reached the Arsh. He ﷺ heard a divine voice, 'O Muhammad! Pause. Allah Ta'ala is reciting salaah'. It is narrated in the hadith that Prophet ﷺ was taken back, 'for whom is Allah Ta'ala praying? Allah Ta'ala is free from salaah'.

Allah Ta'ala states in The Quran:

'It is He who sends blessings on you, and so do His angels that He may take out of darkness into light. And He is Merciful to the believers'

(Surah Ahzab. verse 43)

O Beloved! The angels and Allah Ta'ala are reciting salutations upon you. The meaning of salaah is not Namaaz but salutations. When a king steps out of his kingdom and enters into the kingdom of another king, then the host king comes out to welcome the guest king. Allah Ta'ala was sending salutations upon Prophet Muhammad ﷺ to welcome His Beloved.

'Qif Ya Muhammad! fa inna rabbaka yusall' Prophet ﷺ said, 'I heard that in the voice of Hazrat Abu Bakr Siddiq (Radi Allaahu Anhu)'. Allah Ta'ala used the voice of Hazrat Siddiq e Akbar (Radi Allaahu Anhu) so that Prophet ﷺ could feel at ease. Prophet ﷺ progressed further and reached the Arsh. When Prophet Muhammad ﷺ wanted to put his blessed feet on the Arsh, he ﷺ remembered to remove his sandals from his feet. Hazrat Musa (alaihis salaam) was asked to remove his sandals from his feet before climbing on Mount Tur. Prophet ﷺ 'heard a divine voice, 'O Beloved! Do not remove your sandals from your blessed feet'.

In Mawaahibul-Ladunniyah, Imaam Qastalani(Rahmatullah Alaih) narrates that when Prophet Muhammad ﷺ set his blessed feet on the Arsh. The Arsh respectfully touched his sacred Garb. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ progressed further and heard the sound of the Pen (Qalam). There are twelve Pens, which write continuously. The biggest of the Pen is known as Qalam e Taqdeer. He ﷺ progressed further and reached the Throne (Kursi) 'wasiya kursi yuhus samawaati wal ard'. The Throne has surrounded the earth and the skies. Prophet Muhammad ﷺ went beyond the Tablet and the Pen (Loh o Qalam). The Arsh was now below Prophet ﷺ.'' Allah Ta'ala says, 'O Beloved! Come closer'.

[Tablet (on which) and the Pen (with which) the decrees of the deity are written]

It is narrated that Prophet ﷺ said, 'All by myself, this zone has no place, description, name or direction. I heard, 'udnu minni'. My every stride was equivalent to the total number of steps from my home to the last stride. I heard 'udnu minni' again-'come closer'. I heard 'udnu minni' one thousand times. Then came 'Dana', 'Fa Tadalla' and 'Fa Kana Qaaba Qausain'. Allah Ta'ala said, come even closer'. Prophet Muhammad ﷺ reached the noor of Allah Ta'ala. Who can say where did Prophet ﷺ had gone?

Allah Ta'ala states in The Holy Quran:

Holy is He who carried His Bondsman by night from the Sacred Mosque to the Aqsa Mosque around which We may show him our grand signs. No doubt, He is the All-Hearing and the All-seeing'

(Surah Bani Israel [Al-Isra]. verse 01)

In this verse, 'We might show him' mention is made of heavenly Mi'raj and 'He is All-Hearing, All-Seeing mention is made of Mi'raj of the omnipresence, i.e. beyond the Heavens. The earthly Mi'raj is made as an introduction or proof of the Heavenly Mi'raj, i.e. if you accept and believe in the earthly part of Mi'raj, then the rest of the Mi'raj, i.e. the Heavenly and that beyond, you will not deny it.

It is only that beloved bondsmen who really have the capacity to directly see His great signs. His beauteous vision and speak to him. Therefore only Prophet ﷺ is blessed with this Mi'raj.

Who can describe the greatness and elevatedness of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ?

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This article is an abridged English translation of an Urdu sermon delivered by his eminence, Peer Syed Imroz Dean Saifi, Hanfi, Maturidi of Masjid Anwaar e Madina, Surrey BC Canada

If there is an inaccurate translation, please pardon it and not let it be a means to negatively reflect on the honoured presenter.