The Beginning of Prayer

During the Mi‘raj, the Noble Prophet ﷺ saw Malik, the guardian of Hell. He was an extremely stern angel. Anger and wrath remained apparent on his face.

The Prophet ﷺ greeted him, and the guardian of Hell returned his greeting and also welcomed him, but he did not smile.

«“Why is it that everyone among the inhabitants of the heavens whom I met welcomed me with a smile, but the guardian of Hell did not smile while speaking to me?”»

Jibril عليه السلام replied:

«“He is the guardian of Hell. From the time he was created until today, he has never smiled. If he were ever to smile, he would smile only for you.”»

You should know well that the Noble Prophet ﷺ experienced the Mi‘raj while awake, with both his body and soul.

Some people say that the Mi‘raj was merely a dream, while others say that only his soul went and his body did not accompany it.

If either of these claims were true, then what would have been the special significance of the event of Mi‘raj? An ordinary person can see many things in a dream.

The real distinction of the Mi‘raj is that the Prophet ﷺ went to the heavens with his physical body as well.

Therefore, do not be misled by the deception of misguided people.

There is also this point: if the Mi‘raj had merely been a dream, or if only the soul had undertaken it, then the polytheists of Makkah would not have mocked the event. Yet they refused to accept it and mocked it as well.

Why would anyone mock an event merely because someone had seen it in a dream?

There is also a difference of opinion concerning the Mi‘raj as to whether the Noble Prophet ﷺ saw Allah Almighty or not. There are narrations supporting both positions.

In this matter, it is better for us to remain silent, because this is not an essential matter of our faith, nor will we be asked about it on the Day of Judgment.

After speaking with Allah Almighty, the Prophet ﷺ returned from the heavens to the earth.

When he reached his bed, it was still warm in exactly the same condition as when he had left it.

In other words, this extraordinary event of the Mi‘raj and such a long journey was completed in what seemed like only a moment. It may be understood that Allah Almighty caused the passage of time in the universe to be suspended during this period, due to which this miracle was completed in an extremely short time.

After the night of Mi‘raj, when morning came and the sun had begun to decline, Jibril عليه السلام arrived.

He led the prayer so that the Prophet ﷺ could learn the timings of the prayers and the manner in which they were to be performed.

Before the Mi‘raj, the Prophet ﷺ used to offer two rak‘ahs in the morning and two in the evening, and he would also perform night prayer. Therefore, he did not yet know the manner of performing the five obligatory prayers.

When Jibril عليه السلام arrived, the Noble Prophet ﷺ announced that everyone should gather.

Accordingly, the Prophet ﷺ offered the prayer under the leadership of Jibril عليه السلام, while the Companions رضی الله عنہم offered the prayer under the leadership of the Prophet ﷺ.

This was the Zuhr prayer.

That very day, it was called Zuhr. This was because it was the first prayer whose manner of performance was demonstrated.

Since midday is called Zahīrah in Arabic, it is also possible that the name was given on this basis, because this prayer is performed at midday.

In this prayer, the Prophet ﷺ led four rak‘ahs and did not recite the Qur’an aloud.

Likewise, when the time of ‘Asr arrived, the ‘Asr prayer was performed.

When the sun set, the Maghrib prayer was offered. It consisted of three rak‘ahs. In the first two rak‘ahs, the Qur’an was recited aloud, while in the last rak‘ah it was not recited aloud.

In this prayer as well, just as in Zuhr and ‘Asr, Hazrat Jibril عليه السلام was standing in front. The Prophet ﷺ was offering the prayer under his leadership, while the Companions were offering the prayer under the leadership of the Noble Prophet ﷺ.

This means that the Prophet ﷺ was both a follower and an imam at that time.

As for the question of where these prayers were offered, the answer is that they were offered at the Kaaba, and the Prophet ﷺ was facing Bayt al-Maqdis, because at that time the direction of the Qiblah was Bayt al-Maqdis.

As long as the Prophet ﷺ remained in Makkah, he continued to offer the prayer facing in that direction.

On the first day, Jibril عليه السلام led these prayers at the beginning of their respective times, and on the second day he led them at the end of their respective times, so that it would become known from where the times of the prayers began and where they ended.

Thus, these five prayers became obligatory, and the method of performing them was also revealed from the heavens.

Today, some people are heard saying:

«“No method of prayer is established from the Qur’an. Therefore, prayer can be performed in any manner. We only follow the Qur’an.”»

Such people are clearly misguided.

The method of performing the prayer was also revealed from the heavens, and we must perform the prayer in the same manner in which the Noble Prophet ﷺ and his Companions رضی الله عنہم used to perform it.

It has also been established that there are five obligatory prayers.

Those who reject Hadith and deny the five prayers believe that only three obligatory prayers exist. In order to deceive people, they say that only three prayers are mentioned in the Holy Qur’an.

First of all, this statement of theirs is itself false. Secondly, when five prayers are established through the Hadith, there is no room for a Muslim to deny them.

Regarding the wisdom behind the five daily prayers, the scholars have written that Allah Almighty has placed five senses within human beings.

A person also commits sins through these senses—that is, through the eyes, ears, nose, mouth, and limbs and organs, such as the hands and feet.

Therefore, five prayers were prescribed so that the sins a person commits through these five senses during the day and night may be washed away through these five prayers.

There are countless other wisdoms as well.

Also remember that the Prophet’s ﷺ journey to the heavens during the event of Mi‘raj establishes that the heavens truly exist.

Modern advanced science holds the view that the heavens have no actual existence, but that the universe is an immense expanse of space.

Wherever human vision reaches its limit, a bluish boundary can be seen behind the various lights of this vast space. Human beings call this bluish boundary the sky.

However, Islamic teachings have informed us that the heavens exist and that they exist in the arrangement described by the Qur’an and Hadith.

The Holy Qur’an mentions the heavens in many verses. Some verses specifically mention the seven heavens, from which it is understood that the heavens are an established reality, not merely an illusion of human sight.

Alhamdulillah, the account of the Mi‘raj has now reached its completion.

After this, in Seerah of the Prophet ﷺ Step by Step, we will describe the events that took place after the Mi‘raj, step by step, Insha’Allah.