Al-Isra, The Night Journey"

Al-Isra, The Night Journey"
With PROOF From Christian Sources




بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

الحمدلله رب العالمين والصلوة والسلام على اشرف الانبياء وسيدالمرسلين نبينا محمد صل ا لله عليه وعلى آله واصحابه وازواجه اجمعين - امابعد

All the praises and thanks be to Allaah, Sustainer of the Universe, and blessing and salutation to be the most distinguish of the Messengers and foremost among the Prophets, our Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings of Allaah be on him and on his wives, children and Companions.



There have been voluminous work has been authored on the subject cited above by Muslims and non-Muslims including anti-Islaam forces, who have attempted to obscure and obfuscate the truth, but hopelessly failed for doing so. However, this treatise will inSha Allaah give a new dimension without departing from correct Islaamic aqeedah that the Isra/Miraj was in body and soul both. And it was not a dream. Christian sources have also been included as supporting evidence.



Let us examine the Ayaah 1 of Surah Al-Isra!


Surah Al-Israa 1

سُبْحَانَ الَّذِي أَسْرَى بِعَبْدِهِ لَيْلًا مِنَ الْمَسْجِدِ الْحَرَامِ إِلَى الْمَسْجِدِ الْأَقْصَى الَّذِي بَارَكْنَا حَوْلَهُ لِنُرِيَهُ مِنْ آيَاتِنَا إِنَّهُ هُوَ السَّمِيعُ الْبَصِيرُ

Glorified (and Exalted) be He (Allâh) (above all that (evil) they associate with Him) {1} Who took His slave (Muhammad صلى الله عليه و سلم) for a journey by night from Al-Masjid-al-Harâm (at Makkah) to Al-Masjid-al-Aqsâ (in Jerusalem), the neighborhood whereof We have blessed, in order that We might show him (Muhammad صلى الله عليه و سلم) of Our Ayât (proofs, evidence, lessons, signs, etc.). Verily, He is the All-Hearer, the All-Seer {2} .

{1} (V.17: 1) وقد روى طلحة بن عبيد الله أنه قال للنبي صلى الله عليه وسلم ما معنى سبحان الله؟ قال تنزيه الله من كل سوء؛

{2} (V.17: 1) Narrated Jâbir bin ‘Abdullâh رضي الله عنهما that he heard Allâh’s Messenger صلى الله عليه وسلم saying, "When the people of Quraish did not believe me (i.e. in the story of my Isrâ’ - (Night Journey)), I stood up in Al-Hijr and Allâh displayed Jerusalem in front of me, and I began describing it to them while I was looking at it. (Sahih Al-Bukhari, Vol.5, Hadith No.226).



This is our primary duty to try to understand and comprehend the Glorious Qur’aan rather than just a cursory look and general concept. The Ayaah 17:1 is self-evidence of Isra (night journey) that it took place in body and soul (both) i.e. physical and spiritual combined. The following is the evidence to that:



أَسْرَى = took for a Journey ! Take, taking or took is a physical act, not a spiritual act. According to American Heritage Dictionary the meaning of the word “took” is as follows:



took (t‹k) v. Past tense of take.

take (t³k) v. took (t‹k), tak·en (t³“k…n), tak·ing, takes. --tr. 1. To get into one's possession by force, skill, or artifice, especially: a. To capture physically; seize: take an enemy fortress.



The Arabic word أَسْرَى is derived from root letters:



س ر ي



and means, أَسْرَى: جعله يسير ليلا carried by night, made to travel by night. The word أَسْرَى is used only once in Glorious Qur’aan 17:1. Readers must note that traveling and/or carrying (both) are physical things/acts.



مِنْ آيَاتِنَا = Our Ayât (proofs, evidence, lessons, signs, etc.). in the Ayaah 17:1 is confirmed by Allaah (SWT) at another place in Glorious Qur’aan by saying,

Surah An-Najm 18

لَقَدْ رَأَى مِنْ آيَاتِ رَبِّهِ الْكُبْرَى

Indeed he (Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم) did see of the Greatest Signs, of his Lord (Allâh).

*** This again, confirms the corporeal nature of Isra.



The word عَبْدِهِ is derived from the root letters ع ب د the word بِعَبْدِهِ means, His Slave or His Servant, or His bondsman. This word has also been used in the Bible (at dozens of places), example:



1 Chronicles 17: 4 Go and tell David my servant, Thus saith the LORD, Thou shalt not build me an house to dwell in:



1 Kings 1:19 And he hath slain oxen and fat cattle and sheep in abundance, and hath called all the sons of the king, and Abiathar the priest, and Joab the captain of the host: but Solomon thy servant hath he not called.



Deuteronomy 34:5 So Moses the servant of the LORD died there in the land of Moab, according to the word of the LORD.



Ezekiel 28:5… then shall they dwell in their land that I have given to my servant Jacob.



"It must be clearly understood that “Slave or Servant or Bondsman” is a physical thing not something spiritual. "



In the Glorious Qur’aan Allaah (SWT) has addressed Prophet Muhammad (SAW) using many names and titles. But Divine Wisdom has used the word “Slave or Servant” in Ayah 17:1, that connote to 2:23 showing the obvious co-relation, as we read:

Surah Al-Baqarah 23

وَإِنْ كُنْتُمْ فِي رَيْبٍ مِمَّا نَزَّلْنَا عَلَى عَبْدِنَا فَأْتُوا بِسُورَةٍ مِنْ مِثْلِهِ وَادْعُوا شُهَدَاءَكُمْ مِنْ دُونِ اللَّهِ إِنْ كُنْتُمْ صَادِقِينَ

And if you (Arab pagans, Jews, and Christians) are in doubt concerning that which We have sent down (i.e. the Qur’ân) to Our slave (Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم), then produce a Sûrah (chapter) of the like thereof and call your witnesses (supporters and helpers) besides Allâh, if you are truthful.



Thus, we learn that it was/is an extra ordinary event, not something significant.



The word Isra أَسْرَى in the Ayaah 17:1 itself denotes to a night journey. لَيْلًا is added to emphasize the miraculous nature of the act i.e. the colossal distance being covered in a fraction of a single night. لَيْلًا is used in the above Ayaah instead of لَيْلَةً , because when they say لَيْلَةً أَسْرَى the meaning generally is “he occupied the whole night in journeying.”



مَسْجِدٍ {(Mosque) in English} properly denoted to the site, not the building of a Mosque (this is often confused by people as “building”); therefore there is no question of the existence or not of the actual Temple at that time. It is called الْأَقْصَى, (furthest or farthest) because it was at that time farthest place of worship of one God from Makkah.



Show him = لِنُرِيَهُ is another physical act; require the use of eyes and brain. Thus the act was with his (Muhammad {SAW}) bodily eyes.



We find further proof from a Hadeeth of Rasool Allaah (SAW) that entire earth is Allaah’s Masjid for Muslims:

Narrated Jabir bin 'Abdullah: "The Prophet said, 'I have been given five things which were not given to any one else before me.

1. Allah made me victorious by awe, (by His frightening my enemies) for a distance of one month's journey.

2. The earth has been made for me (and for my followers) a place for praying and a thing to perform Tayammum, therefore anyone of my followers can pray wherever the time of a prayer is due.

3. The booty has been made Halal (lawful) for me yet it was not lawful for anyone else before me.

4. I have been given the right of intercession (on the Day of Resurrection).

5. Every Prophet used to be sent to his nation only but I have been sent to all mankind.' (Translation of Sahih Bukhari, Rubbing hands and feet with dust (Tayammum), Volume 1, Book 7, Number 331)"

Proof from Glorious Qur’aan that earth is a Masjid for Muslims!



Surah Ar-Ra'd 15

وَلِلَّهِ يَسْجُدُ مَنْ فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ طَوْعًا وَكَرْهًا وَظِلَالُهُمْ بِالْغُدُوِّ وَالْآصَالِ

And unto Allâh (Alone) falls in prostration whoever is in the heavens and the earth, willingly or unwillingly, and so do their shadows in the mornings and in the afternoons.

Surah An-Nahl 49

وَلِلَّهِ يَسْجُدُ مَا فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَمَا فِي الْأَرْضِ مِنْ دَابَّةٍ وَالْمَلَائِكَةُ وَهُمْ لَا يَسْتَكْبِرُونَ

And to Allâh prostrate all that is in the heavens and all that is in the earth, of the moving (living) creatures and the angels, and they are not proud (i.e. they worship their Lord (Allâh) with humility).



Taking the word مَسْجِدٍ {(Masjid} literally as building is incorrect because another place in Glorious Qur’aan, Allaah says,



Surah Ta-Ha 53

الَّذِي جَعَلَ لَكُمُ الْأَرْضَ مَهْدًا وَسَلَكَ لَكُمْ فِيهَا سُبُلًا وَأَنْزَلَ مِنَ السَّمَاءِ مَاءً فَأَخْرَجْنَا بِهِ أَزْوَاجًا مِنْ نَبَاتٍ شَتَّى

Who has made earth for you like a bed (spread out); and has opened roads (ways and paths) for you therein, and has sent down water (rain) from the sky. And We have brought forth with it various kinds of vegetation.



At another place we read,



Surah An-Nabaa 6

أَلَمْ نَجْعَلِ الْأَرْضَ مِهَادًا

Have We not made the earth as a bed,



In conclusion, we learn that the farthest Mosque is the reference to the site (not a building or Temple literally), where once Temple used to be that was built by Solomon.



PROOF From Christian Sources That Isra Was Physical!



In his book Dala’il An-Nubuwwah, Al-Hafiz Abu Nuaym al-Isbahani recorded via Muhammad bin ‘Umar Al-Waqidi who said: Malik bin Abi Ar-Rajjal told me from ‘Amr bin Abdullah that Muhammad bin Ka’b Al-Qurazi said: “The Messenger of Allaah (SAW) sent Dihyah bin Khalifah to Caesar.” He mentioned how he came to him, and described an incident that showed how wise Caesar was. He sent for the Arab merchants who were in Syria and Abu Sufyan Sakhr bin Harb and his companions were brought to him. He asked them the well-known questions that were recorded by Al-Bukhari and Muslim, as we shall discuss below, and Abu Sufyan tried hard to give the impression that this was an insignificant issue. [The narrator] said that Abu Sufyan [later] said: “By Allaah, nothing stopped me from saying something to Heraclius to make him despise [Muhammad] but the fact that I did not want to tell a lie that would later be found out, and he would never believe me again after that. Then I told him about the night on which he was taken to the Night Journey. I said: ‘O King, shall I not tell you of something from which you will know that he is lying? He said, “What is it?” I said: ‘He claims that he went out of our land, the land of Al-Haram, in one night, and came to your sanctuary in Jerusalem, then came back to us the same night, before morning came.’ The Patriarch of Jerusalem was there, standing next to Caesar. The Patriarch of Jerusalem said: ‘I know that night.’ Caesar looked at him and said, ‘How do you know about this?’ He said, ‘I never used to sleep at night until I closed all the doors of the sanctuary. On that night I closed all the doors except for one, which I could not manage to close. I asked my workers and others who were with me to help me deal with it, but we couldn’t move it. It was like trying to move a mountain. So I called the carpenters, and they looked at it and said: The lintel and some part of the structure have fallen onto it. We cannot move it until morning, when we will be able to see what the problem is. So I went back and left those two doors open. The next morning I went back, and saw that the stone at the corner of the sanctuary had a hole in it, and said to my companions: This door has not been closed last night except for a Prophet, who prayed last night in our sanctuary.”



Proof from the Bible

Christian missionary love to misrepresent the truth that Prophet Muhammad (SAW) didn’t perform any miracles, which of course is not true. He performed over three hundred fifty (350) miracles. Their own Bible testifies and/or contains the prophecies about the miracles performed by Prophet Muhammad (SAW). Readers must remember that no Biblical prophet including Jesus has performed more miracles than Prophet Muhammad (SAW) and no Biblical prophet has performed miracle of splitting the moon into two halves, it is the miracle of Muhammad (SAW) that Bible has prophesied and Glorious Qur’aan has vouched for that. Let us examine the reference from the Bible containing three prophecies about Prophet Muhammad (SAW) and his miracle/s.

Isaiah 24:23!

024:023 Then the moon shall be confounded, and the sun ashamed, when the LORD of hosts shall reign in mount Zion, and in Jerusalem, and before his ancients gloriously.

The above verse has three prophecies mentioned in it. First, it is referring to the miracle of moon splitting that Prophet Muhammad (SAW) performed and has mentioned earlier (see Glorious Qur’aan 54:1-3), the second thing that this verse is describing is the conquest of Khaiyber by Muslims. Khaiyber was a very the strong hold of Jews. The third thing in the same verse is about (Isra) Mera’aj (see Glorious Qur’aan 17:1, 60; 53: 10, 12, 14-18; 94:1). In other words this verse contains THREE prophecies about Prophet Muhammad. All three prophecies have come to pass!


Haggai 2:7-9

The modern translation of the Bible after redaction reads:

002:007 And I will shake all nations, and the desire of all nations shall come: and I will fill this house with glory, saith the LORD of hosts. 002:008 The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, saith the LORD of hosts. 002:009 The glory of this latter house shall be greater than of the former, saith the LORD of hosts: and in this place will I give peace, saith the LORD of hosts.

In older (Assyrian) version read as follows:

002:007 And I will shake all nations, and the Himada of all nations shall come: and I will fill this house with glory, saith the LORD of hosts. 002:008 The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, saith the LORD of hosts. 002:009 The glory of this latter house shall be greater than of the former, saith the LORD of hosts: and in this place will I give Shalom, saith the LORD of hosts.

This prophecy contains double promise, a messianic prediction in the word “Himda.” If we take this prophecy in the abstract sense of the words himda and shalom as “desire” and “peace”, then the prophecy becomes nothing more than an unintelligible aspiration. But if we understand this prophesy by the term himda then a concrete idea, a person and reality, and in the word shalom, not a condition, but a living and active force and a definitely established religion, then this prophecy must be admittedly true and fulfilled in the person of Ahmad and the establishment of Islaam, since himda and shalom have precisely the same significance respectively as Ahmad and Islaam.

For the sake of readers, the etymology of the two words is as follows:

(a) Himda: the clause in the original Hebrew reads “ ve yavu himdath kol haggoyim”, which literally means in English “and will come the Himda of all nations.” The final “hi” in Hebrew as in Arabic is changed into th, or t when in the genitive case. The word is derived from an archaic Hebrew or rather Aramaic (root hmd are consonants pronounced hemed). In the Hebrew hemed is generally used in the sense of great desire, covet, appetite and lust. In Arabic the verb hemida from same consonants hmd means “to praise”, whichever of the two meanings be adopted, the fact that Ahmad is the Arabic form of Himda remains indisputable and decisive. Declaration to this affect is found in the Glorious Qur’aan 61:6 which reads:

وَإِذْ قَالَ عِيسَى ابْنُ مَرْيَمَ يَا بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ إِنِّي رَسُولُ اللَّهِ إِلَيْكُم مُّصَدِّقاً لِّمَا بَيْنَ يَدَيَّ مِنَ التَّوْرَاةِ وَمُبَشِّراً بِرَسُولٍ يَأْتِي مِن بَعْدِي اسْمُهُ أَحْمَدُ فَلَمَّا جَاءهُم بِالْبَيِّنَاتِ قَالُوا هَذَا سِحْرٌ مُّبِينٌ

And (remember) when ‘Îsâ, son of Maryam, said: "O Children of Israel! I am the Messenger of Allâh unto you, confirming the Taurât ((Torah) which came) before me, and giving glad tidings of a Messenger to come after me, whose name shall be Ahmad. {1} But when he (Ahmad i.e. Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم) came to them with clear proofs, they said: "This is plain magic." {2}

{1} (V.61: 6) i.e. the second name of Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم and it (Ahmad) literally means: "One who praises Allâh more than others".

{2} (V.61: 6) A) Narrated Jubair bin Mut‘im رضي الله عنه: Allâh’s Messenger صلى الله عليه وسلم said, "I have five names: I am Muhammad and Ahmad; I am Al-Mahî through whom Allâh will eliminate Al-Kufr (infidelity); I am Al-Hashir who will be the first to be resurrected, the people being resurrected thereafter; and I am also Al-‘Âqib (i.e. there will be no Prophet after me)." ( Sahih Al-Bukhari , Vol. 4, Hadîfh No.732). B) Narrated Abû Hurairah رضي الله عنه: Allâh’s Messenger صلى الله عليه وسلم said, "By Him (Allâh) in Whose Hand my soul is, surely, the son of Maryam (‘Îsâ) عليهما السلام * will shortly descend amongst you people (Muslims), and will judge mankind justly by the Law of the Qur’ân (as a just ruler), and will break the Cross and kill the pigs and abolish the Jizyah (a tax taken from the people of the Scriptures (Jews and Christians), who are under the protection of a Muslim government. This Jizyah tax will not be accepted by ‘Îsâ عليه السلام and all mankind will be required to embrace Islam with no other alternative). Then there will be abundance of money and nobody will accept charitable gifts." (See Fath Al-Bari, Page No. 304 and 305, Vol. 7), (Sahih Al-Bukhari, Vol. 3, Hadîth No.425). * ‘Îsâ, the son of Maryam عليهما السلام will descend as a leader of the Muslims and it is a severe warning to the Christians who claim to be the followers of ‘Îsâ and he will break the Cross and kill the pigs, and he will abolish the Jizyah (tax); and all mankind will be required to embrace Islam with no other alternative.



(b) Shalom: Hebrew Shalom and Shlama and Arabic Salam and Islaam are derived from one and the same root, meaning peace and submission.



This prophecy becomes more clear when it is read and understood with another prophecy in Malachi 3:1 (“003:001 Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the LORD, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the LORD of hosts.”) Now let us compare it with Glorious Qur’aan chapter 17, Ayah 1, which reads:

سُبْحَانَ الَّذِي أَسْرَى بِعَبْدِهِ لَيْلاً مِّنَ الْمَسْجِدِ الْحَرَامِ إِلَى الْمَسْجِدِ الأَقْصَى الَّذِي بَارَكْنَا حَوْلَهُ لِنُرِيَهُ مِنْ آيَاتِنَا إِنَّهُ هُوَ السَّمِيعُ البَصِيرُ

Glorified (and Exalted) be He (Allâh) (above all that (evil) they associate with Him) {1} Who took His slave (Muhammad صلى الله عليه و سلم) for a journey by night from Al-Masjid-al-Harâm (at Makkah) to Al-Masjid-al-Aqsâ (in Jerusalem), the neighborhood whereof We have blessed, in order that We might show him (Muhammad صلى الله عليه و سلم) of Our Ayât (proofs, evidence, lessons, signs, etc.). Verily, He is the All-Hearer, the All-Seer {2} .

{1} (V.17: 1)وقد روى طلحة بن عبيد الله أنه قال للنبي صلى الله عليه وسلم ما معنى سبحان الله؟ قال تنزيه الله من كل سوء؛

{2} (V.17: 1) Narrated Jâbir bin ‘Abdullâh رضي الله عنه that he heard Allâh’s Messenger صلى الله عليه وسلم saying, "When the people of Quraish did not believe me (i.e. in the story of my Isrâ’ - (Night Journey)), I stood up in Al-Hijr and Allâh displayed Jerusalem in front of me, and I began describing it to them while I was looking at it. (Sahih Al-Bukhari, Vol.5, Hadith No.226).



Thus, this prophecy is absolutely about Muhammad صلى الله عليه و سلم and his sudden arrival at the temple in Jerusalem.



al-Masjid al-Aqsa and the Dome of the Rock



Al-Masjid al-Aqsa (in Jerusalem) was the first of the two qiblahs, and is one of the three mosques to which people may travel for the purpose of worship. And it was said that it was built by Sulaymaan (peace be upon him), as stated in Sunan al-Nasaa’I (693) and classed as Saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Nasaa’i. And it was said that it existed before Sulaymaan (peace be upon him) and that Sulaymaan rebuilt it; this is based on the evidence narrated in al-Saheehayn from Abu Dharr (may Allaah be pleased with him) who said: “I said, ‘O Messenger of Allaah, which mosque was built on earth first?’ He said, ‘Al-Masjid al-Haraam [in Makkah].’ I said, ‘Then which?’ He said, ‘Al-Masjid al-Aqsa.’ I said, ‘How much time was there between them?’ He said, ‘Forty years. So wherever you are when the time for prayer comes, pray, for that is the best thing to do.’”

Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 3366; Muslim, 520.



The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) was taken on the Night Journey (isra’) to Bayt al-Maqdis (Jerusalem), where he led the Prophets in prayer in this blessed mosque.



Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“Glorified (and Exalted) be He (Allaah) [above all that (evil) they associate with Him]

Who took His slave (Muhammad) for a journey by night from Al‑Masjid Al‑Haraam (at Makkah) to Al‑Masjid Al‑Aqsaa (in Jerusalem), the neighborhood whereof We have blessed, in order that We might show him (Muhammad) of Our Ayaat (proofs, evidences, lessons, signs, etc.)? Verily, He is the All‑Hearer, the All‑Seer”

[al-Isra’ 17:1]



The Dome of the Rock was built by the caliph ‘Abd al-Malik ibn Marwaan in 72 AH.

It says in al-Mawsoo’ah al-Filasteeniyyah (4/203): “The name al-Masjid al-Aqsa was historically applied to the entire sanctuary (al-Haram al-Shareef) and the buildings in it, the most important of which is the Dome of the Rock which was built by ‘Abd al-Malik ibn Marwaan in 72 AH/691 CE, which is regarded as one of the greatest Islamic historical buildings. But today the name is applied to the great mosque which is situated in the southern part of the sanctuary plateau.”



It also says in al-Mawsoo’ah (3/23): “The Dome of the Rock is situated in the middle of the plateau of al-Masjid al-Aqsa, which is in the southeastern part of the city of al-Quds (Jerusalem). It is a spacious rectangular plateau, which measures 480 meters from north to south, and 300 meters from east to west. This plateau occupies approximately one-fifth of the area of the Old City of Jerusalem.



The mosque, which is the place of prayer, is not the Dome of the Rock, but because pictures of the Dome are so widespread, many Muslims think when they see it that this is the mosque. This is not in fact the case. The Mosque is situated in the southern portion of the plateau, and the Dome is built on the raised rock that is situated in the middle of the plateau.



We have already seen above that the name of the mosque was historically applied to the whole plateau.



This is supported by the words of Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allaah have mercy on him) in Majmoo’at al-Rasaa’il al-Kubra, 2/61: “Al-Masjid al-Aqsa is the name for the whole of the place of worship built by Sulaymaan (peace be upon him). Some people started to give the name of al-Aqsa to the prayer-place which was built by ‘Umar ibn al-Khattaab in front of it. Praying in this prayer-place which ‘Umar built for the Muslims is better than praying in the rest of the mosque, because when ‘Umar conquered Jerusalem there was a huge garbage dump on the rock, since the Christians wanted to show their scorn for the place towards which the Jews used to pray. So ‘Umar issued orders that the filth be removed and he said to Ka’b: ‘Where do you think we should build a place of prayer for the Muslims?’ He said, ‘Behind the rock.’ He said, ‘O you son of a Jewish woman! Are influenced by your Jewish ideas! Rather I will build it in front of it.’



Hence when the imams of this ummah entered the mosque, they would go and pray in the prayer-place that was built by ‘Umar. With regard to the Rock, neither ‘Umar nor any of the Sahaabah prayed there, and there was no dome over it during the time of the Rightly-Guided Caliphs. It was open to the sky during the caliphate of ‘Umar, ‘Uthmaan, ‘Ali, Mu’aawiyah, Yazeed and Marwaan… The scholars among the Sahaabah and those who followed them in truth did not venerate the rock because it was an abrogated qiblah… rather it was venerated by the Jews and some of the Christians.”



‘Umar denounced Ka’b al-Ahbaar and called him the son of a Jewish woman because Ka’b had been a Jewish scholar and rabbi, so when he suggested to ‘Umar that he should build the mosque behind the rock, that was out of respect for the rock so that the Muslims would face it when praying, and veneration of the rock was part of the religion of the Jews, not the religion of the Muslims.



The Muslims’ fondness for the picture of the Dome may be because of the beauty of this building, but this does not excuse them from the resulting mistake of not distinguishing between the Mosque and the buildings that surround it.



This may be one of the plots and tricks of the Jews, because of their veneration for the rock and their facing it in prayer. Or is may be in order to give importance to the Rock so that they can fulfill their desire to build the so-called Temple of Solomon on the ruins of al-Masjid al-Aqsa. This is by making the Muslims think that al-Masjid al-Aqsa is the Dome of the Rock, so that if the Jews start to destroy al-Masjid al-Aqsa and the Muslims denounce them for that, they will tell them, “Al-Masjid al-Aqsa is fine,” and will show them a picture of the Dome of the Rock. Thus they will achieve their aims and be safe from the Muslims’ criticism.



In conclusion we learn that:



· Isra (the Night Journey) was corporeal.

· Allaah (SWT) Himself testified for that {53:18} as cited above.

· Masjid Al-Aqsa is the farthest site, not any Temple or actual building, as often is mistaken.

· Isra was not in a state of dream or vision as sometime incorrectly perceived.

· The testimony of Christian Patriarch of Jerusalem is another evidence in favor of Isra.

· Masjid is any site on earth where Muslims perform Salaat.

· The entire earth is Allaah’s Masjid for Muslims, as proved above from Glorious Qur’aan Ar-Ra’d Ayaah 15, and An-Nahl Ayaah 49 along with Hadeeth.

· Divine Wisdom for taking the Prophet Muhammad (SAW) to Jerusalem (where 1st Qibla used to be) to tell the mankind that religion of Allaah has always been Islaam.