Question:
What happened during Mi'raaj journey of Prophet in detail please?
Fatwa:
All perfect praise be to Allah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allah, and that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger.
The details of the night of Mi'raaj (ascension) are reported in al-Bukhari and Muslim. Here we are presenting the translation of the text as reported in al-Bukhari.
Maalik bin S'as'aah, may Allah be pleased with him, said that Allah's Apostle described to them his Night Journey saying, "While I was lying in Al-Hateem or Al-Hijr (close to the Ka'abah), suddenly someone came to me and cut my body open from here to here." Al-Jaarood (one of the narrators of this Hadeeth) was asked, "What does he mean?" He said, "It means from his throat to his pubic area," or said, "From the top of the chest." The Prophet further said, "He then took out my heart. Then a gold tray of Belief was brought to me and my heart was washed and filled (with Belief) and then returned to its original place. Then an animal which was smaller than a mule and bigger than a donkey was brought to me." (On this Al-Jarood asked, "Was it the Buraaq, O Abu Hamza?" I (i.e. Anas) replied in the affirmative). The Prophet said, "The Buraaq's step (was so wide that it) reached the farthest point within the reach of its sight. I was carried on it, and Jibreel (i.e. Gabriel) set out with me till we reached the nearest heaven.
When he asked for the gate to be opened, it was asked, 'Who is it?' Jibreel answered, 'Jibreel.' It was asked, 'Who is accompanying you?' Jibreel replied, 'Muhammad.' It was asked, 'Has Muhammad been called?' Jibreel replied in the affirmative. Then it was said, 'He is welcomed. What an excellent visit his is!' The gate was opened, and when I went over the first heaven, I saw Aadam there. Jibreel said (to me). 'This is your father, Aadam; pay him your greetings.' So I greeted him and he returned the greeting to me and said, 'You are welcomed, O pious son and pious Prophet.' Then Jibreel ascended with me till we reached the second heaven. Jibreel asked for the gate to be opened. It was asked, 'Who is it?' Jibreel answered, 'Jibreel.' It was asked, 'Who is accompanying you?' Jibreel replied, 'Muhammad.' It was asked, 'Has he been called?' Jibreel answered in the affirmative. Then it was said, 'He is welcomed. What an excellent visit his is!' The gate was opened.
When I went over the second heaven, there I saw Yahya (i.e. John) and 'Eesa (i.e. Jesus) who were cousins of each other. Jibreel said (to me), 'These are Yahya and 'Eesa; pay them your greetings.' So I greeted them and both of them returned my greetings to me and said, 'You are welcomed, O pious brother and pious Prophet.' Then Jibreel ascended with me to the third heaven and asked for its gate to be opened. It was asked, 'Who is it?' Jibreel replied, 'Jibreel.' It was asked, 'Who is accompanying you?' Jibreel replied, 'Muhammad.' It was asked, 'Has he been called?' Jibreel replied in the affirmative. Then it was said, 'He is welcomed, what an excellent visit his is!' The gate was opened, and when I went over the third heaven there I saw Yoosuf (i.e. Joseph). Jibreel said (to me), 'This is Yoosuf; pay him your greetings.' So I greeted him and he returned the greeting to me and said, 'You are welcomed, O pious brother and pious Prophet.' Then Jibreel ascended with me to the fourth heaven and asked for its gate to be opened. It was asked, 'Who is it?' Jibreel replied, ' Jibreel.' It was asked, 'Who is accompanying you?' Jibreel replied, 'Muhammad.' It was asked, 'Has he been called?' Jibreel replied in the affirmative. Then it was said, 'He is welcomed, what an excellent visit his is!'
The gate was opened, and when I went over the fourth heaven, there I saw Idrees (i.e. Idris). Jibreel said (to me), 'This is Idrees; pay him your greetings.' So I greeted him and he returned the greeting to me and said, 'You are welcomed, O pious brother and pious Prophet.' Then Jibreel ascended with me to the fifth heaven and asked for its gate to be opened. It was asked, 'Who is it?' Jibreel replied, 'Jibreel.' It was asked. 'Who is accompanying you?' Jibreel replied, 'Muhammad.' It was asked, 'Has he been called?' Jibreel replied in the affirmative. Then it was said, 'He is welcomed, what an excellent visit his is!' So when I went over the fifth heaven, there I saw Haaroon (i.e. Aaron), Jibreel said, (to me). This is Haaroon; pay him your greetings.' I greeted him and he returned the greeting to me and said, 'You are welcomed, O pious brother and pious Prophet.' Then Jibreel ascended with me to the sixth heaven and asked for its gate to be opened. It was asked, 'Who is it?' Jibreel replied, 'Jibreel.' It was asked, 'Who is accompanying you?' Jibreel replied, 'Muhammad.' It was asked, 'Has he been called?' Jibreel replied in the affirmative. It was said, 'He is welcomed. What an excellent visit his is!'
When I went (over the sixth heaven), there I saw Moosa (i.e. Moses). Jibreel said (to me),' This is Moosa; pay him your greeting. So I greeted him and he returned the greetings to me and said, 'You are welcomed, O pious brother and pious Prophet.' When I left him (i.e. Moosa) he wept. Someone asked him, 'What makes you weep?' Moosa said, 'I weep because after me there has been sent (as Prophet) a young man whose followers will enter Paradise in greater numbers than my followers.' Then Jibreel ascended with me to the seventh heaven and asked for its gate to be opened. It was asked, 'Who is it?' Jibreel replied, 'Jibreel.' It was asked,' Who is accompanying you?' Jibreel replied, 'Muhammad.' It was asked, 'Has he been called?' Jibreel replied in the affirmative. Then it was said, 'He is welcomed. What an excellent visit his is!'
So when I went (over the seventh heaven), there I saw Ibraaheem (i.e. Abraham). Jibreel said (to me), 'This is your father; pay your greetings to him.' So I greeted him and he returned the greetings to me and said, 'You are welcomed, O pious son and pious Prophet.' Then I was made to ascend to Sidrat-ul-Muntaha (i.e. the Lote Tree of the utmost boundary) Behold! Its fruits were like the jars of Hajar (i.e. a place near al-Madeenah) and its leaves were as big as the ears of elephants. Jibreel said, 'This is the Lote Tree of the utmost boundary.' Behold! There ran four rivers; two were hidden and two were visible. I asked, 'What are these two kinds of rivers, O Jibreel?' He replied, 'As for the hidden rivers, they are two rivers in Paradise and the visible rivers are the Nile and the Euphrates.'
Then Al-Bait-ul-Ma'moor (i.e. the Sacred House) was shown to me and a container full of wine and another full of milk and a third full of honey were brought to me. I took the milk. Jibreel remarked, 'This is the Islamic religion which you and your followers are following.' Then the prayers were enjoined on me: They were fifty prayers a day. When I returned, I passed by Moosa who asked (me), 'What have you been ordered to do?' I replied, 'I have been ordered to offer fifty prayers a day.' Moosa said, 'Your followers cannot bear fifty prayers a day, and by Allah, I have tested people before you, and I have tried my level best with Bani Israel (in vain). Go back to your Lord and ask for reduction to lessen your followers' burden.' So I went back, and Allah reduced ten prayers for me. Then again I came to Moosa, but he repeated the same as he had said before. Then again I went back to Allah and He reduced ten more prayers. When I came back to Moosa he said the same, I went back to Allah and He ordered me to observe ten prayers a day. When I came back to Moosa, he repeated the same advice, so I went back to Allah and was ordered to observe five prayers a day.
When I came back to Moosa, he said, 'What have you been ordered?' I replied, 'I have been ordered to observe five prayers a day.' He said, 'Your followers cannot bear five prayers a day, and no doubt, I have got an experience of the people before you, and I have tried my level best with Bani Israel, so go back to your Lord and ask for reduction to lessen your follower's burden.' I said, 'I have requested so much of my Lord that I feel ashamed, but I am satisfied now and surrender to Allah's Order.' When I left, I heard a voice saying, 'I have passed My Order and have lessened the burden of My worshipers."
For more details please read the books of al-Seerah (biography of the Prophet Muhammad and the explanation of the Surah al-Israa (no.17) in the books of Tafseer (interpretation of the Quran).
Allah knows best.
Fatwa answered by: The Fatwa Center at Islamweb