Text Box: ADDRESS ON THE OCCASION OF THE NIGHT OF MIRAJ THAT A GREAT NUMBER OF MUSLIMS CELEBRATE 31st July2008 HAZRAT AMIR’UL MOMENEEN MUHYI-UD-DIN AL-KHALIFATULLAH MUNIR AHMAD AZIM (In the North-West of Mauritius after Salaat-ul-Esha) Before the Speech of the Khalifatullah, there was a recitation of the Holy Quran by Qari Khalid Naeem Saheb and a Qaseeda in Arabic on the Holy Prophet (saw) by a group of youngsters.   After welcoming the assistance with the greeting of peace, the Khalifatullah began his speech on the following subject pertaining to the Mi'raj (a summary of the speech - the important points):     Most glorified is the One who summoned His servant (Muhammad) during the night, from the Sacred Masjid (of Mecca) to the farthest place of prostration, whose surroundings we have blessed, in order to show him some of our signs. He is the Hearer, the Seer. (Ch.17 Al Isra V.2)   Another error that has crept among Muslims is about the Mi'raj. Our faith is that the prophet has made the ascension - those who think that this was just a dream are wrong. Similarly, those who believe that the ascension to heaven took place with the physical body are also in error. The truth is that the Mi'raj took place in a KASHF with a body of light. This was a body, but one of light and the Prophet (saw) was in an awake state where he had this vision (KASHF). The people of this world cannot understand it except those who have already had the experience of KASHF.   The Jews had asked the Prophet (saw) to go up to heaven with his physical body, in an awake state, to show a miracle, but the answer given in the Quran is: “I am only a human messenger.”   The mistakes that all Muslims have committed except the Ahmadies about the Mi'raj and Isra are two words that are used in Islamic literature in reference to two trips that the Holy Prophet (saw) was reported to have undertaken; one in Heaven and the other at the Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem.   Both trips were undertaken by the Holy Prophet (saw) on the orders of God. It is Gabriel who was his guide, which led to the SMA in one and Jerusalem in the other. In Arabic SMA is used for things high-placed above all other things, and in a sense it means the heavens or the firmament.   Some Muslims and non-Muslims commit the mistake of thinking that the Mi'raj and Isra are two different names of the same incidents. While in the Holy Quran we learn that these are two separate incidents that took place in two separate occasions, although they have a common bond as far as their spiritual meanings and reasons are concerned.   The second mistake that they committed about the Mi'raj and Isra is that the Holy Prophet (saw) made these two trips with his earthly body, while the Holy Quran, the Hadith forcefully negates such an idea. About the Mir'aj the Holy Quran says:   “What his heart (the Holy Prophet - saw) perceived is true, and his spirit did not deceived him about what he had seen.” (Al Najm Ruku 1) These words are what is most clear to indicate that this trip was spiritual and was made during a vision (KASHF) and not physically. The Hadith also tells us that during this trip the Holy Prophet (saw) was lying and that his sleep that night was not an ordinary sleep when our senses and our perceptibility are dormant. (BUKHARI) He ended his speech with this prayer: “O Allah, open our minds in the knowledge of religion; protects us against bad judgment of the true and the false; Free our souls in Thy love and the love of our beloved Prophet Hazrat Muhammad (saw); Prophet of light, Blessing for this universe. Glory to Thee O Allah and peace be upon Thy servants that Thou have chosen. AMEEN