The Night Journey And The Ascent To Heaven
One night as the Prophet (pbuh) lay sleeping in the same spot where
'Abd al-Muttalib used to sleep, next to the Ka'bah, he was woken by
the Archangel Gabriel. Later the Prophet (pbuh) described what
happened: 'I sat up and he took hold of my arm. I stood beside him
and
he brought me to the door of the mosque where there was a white
animal
for me to ride.'
The Prophet (pbuh) told of how he mounted the animal and, with the
Archangel Gabriel at his side, was transported from Mecca to the
mosque called al-Aqsa, in far away Jerusalem. There the Prophet
(pbuh)
found Abraham, Moses, and Jesus among a group of Prophets. The
Prophet
Muhammad (pbuh) acted as their leader, or imam, in prayer. Then he
was
brought two jugs, one containing wine and the other milk.
He chose the milk and refused the wine. At this, the Archangel
Gabriel
said, 'You have been rightly guided to the fitrah, the true nature of
man, and so will your people be, Muhammad. Wine is forbidden to you.
The Prophet (pbuh) also related how they passed through Heaven's
gates
and saw countless angels. Among them was Malik, the Keeper of Hell,
who never smiles. Malik stepped forward and showed the Prophet (pbuh)
a view of Hell and the terrible plight of those who suffer in that
place. Then the Prophet (pbuh) was taken up by the angels, through
the
seven Heavens, one by one Along the way he again saw Jesus, Moses,
and
Abraham, and the Prophet (pbuh) said that he had never seen a man
more
like himself than Abraham. He also saw John, called Yahya in Arabic,
Joseph or Yusef, Enoch, that is Idris, and Aaron. At last he reached
the Lote Tree of the Uttermost, the sidrat al-muntaha where no
Prophet
had been before. Here the Prophet (pbuh) received Revelation of what
Muslims believe.
        In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful
"The Messenger believeth in that which hath been revealed unto him
from his Lord and (so do) the believers. Each one believes in Allah
and His Angels and His Books and His Messengers-We make no
distinction
between any of His messengers-and they say: We hear, and we obey.

Grant us Thy forgiveness, our Lord. Unto Thee is the homecoming".
(Koran ii.285) , Then he was taken into the Light of the Divine
Presence of Allah, and was instructed that Muslims should pray fifty
times a day. The Prophet (pbuh) recalled: " On my way back I passed
by
Moses and what a good friend to you he was! He asked me how many
prayers had I been ordained to perform. When I told him fifty, he
said, 'Prayer is a serious matter and your people are weak, so go
back
to your Lord and ask Him to reduce the number for you and your
community.' I did so and He took away ten. Again I passed by Moses
and
he said the same again; and so it went on until only five prayers for
the whole day and night were left.


Moses again gave me the same advice. I replied that I had been back
to
my Lord and asked him to reduce the number until I was ashamed, and I
would not do it again. He of you who performs the five prayers
faithfully, will have the reward of fifty prayers.
On the morning following these events and the Prophet's return to
Mecca, he told Quraysh what had happened. Most of them said, 'By God!
This is ridiculous! A caravan takes a month to go to Syria and a
month
to return! Can you do that long journey in a single night?' Even many
Muslims were amazed by this and wanted the Prophet (pbuh) to explain.
Some ran with the news to Abu Bakr who said, 'By Allah, if Muhammad
(pbuh) himself has said so, then it is true. Remember, the Prophet
tells us that the word of Allah comes to him directly from heaven to
earth at any hour by day or night, and we believe him.


Isn't that a greater miracle than what you are now doubting?
Then Abu Bakr went to the mosque and listened to the Prophet's
detailed description of Jerusalem. He commented, 'You tell the truth,
0 Prophet of Allah!' From then on, Abu Bakr was honored with the
title
'al-Siddiq', which means 'he who gives his word to support the
truth'.
Others also began to believe the Prophet's story when he went on to
describe two caravans he had seen on his way back to Mecca. He told
the doubters where he had seen the caravans, what they were carrying
and when they would arrive in Mecca. All that the Prophet (pbuh) had
said was born out when the caravans arrived at the time he said they
would, carrying all that he had described.


In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful
"Glory be to Him, who carried His servant by night from the Holy
Mosque to the Far distant place of worship, the Neighborhood which We
have blessed, that We might show him some of Our signs, He, only He
is
the All-hearing, the All-seeing". (Koran xvii:1)
By the Star when it setteth, Your comrade is not astray, neither
deceived, Nor does he speak of his (own) desire. This is naught but a
revelation revealed, Taught him by one mighty in power, very strong;
he stood poised, being on the uppermost horizon, Then drew near and
came down, two bows'-length away, or nearer, Then revealed to His
servant that which He revealed. His heart lies not of what he saw;
What, will you then dispute with him what he sees? Indeed, he saw him
yet another time By the Lote- Tree of the utmost Boundary Near which
is the Garden of Abode When there covered the Lote- Tree that which
covered; his eye turne not aside, nor yet was overbold. Verily, he
saw
one of the greatest signs of his Lord.(Koran liii:1-18)
The Treaty of 'Aqabah
In Yathrib there were two main tribes, the Aws and the Khazraj. Both
were very powerful, they were always at war with one another, and
both
worshipped idols. Also in Yathrib were many Jews who,
        unlike the Arab at that time, knew that there was only One
God, and
worshipped Him. They had told the Arabs many times that a Prophet
would be coming to them. The time came for the pilgrimage to the
Ka'bah, and several people from Yathrib were going, among them six
men
from the tribe of Khazraj. They had heard about the Prophet
Mohammed's
preaching and thought that must be the Prophet the Jews had told them
about. So they decided to go speak to him during their stay in Mecca.
They met the Prophet (pbuh) at a spot known as 'Aqabah, near Mecca,
and he invited them to sit with him. He explained to them what Islam
meant and recited to them from the Koran. When they heard the Koran
recited it touched their hearts so deeply that they became Muslims
and
on leaving Mecca they promised to return the following year. When
they
reached Yathrib carrying Islam in their hearts, they told their
relatives and friends what they had heard from the Prophet (pbuh) and
many more people became Muslims.
A year passed and the pilgrimage season came around again