It is the Islamic month of Rajab. This is a very special and blessed time. It is the month of repentance. And it is the beginning of a time that puts our spirituality in focus, culminating in the blessed month of Ramadan.
It was in Rajab that our beloved Prophet Muhammad (may Allah shower His blessings on him) traveled to Jerusalem and up through the seven heavens to speak to Allah.
What can we learn from this Night Journey?
The Gift of Prayer
It was during the Isra Miraj that our beloved Prophet met with some of his brothers in Prophethood. He led them in prayer in Jerusalem before going up through the seven heavens to speak to Allah.
It was then that he was given one of the greatest gifts for the Muslim community: The five daily prayers, salah. However, the initial command was fifty prayers, not five.
Having received the gift of prayer, Prophet Muhammad started his descent through the heavens where he met his brother Prophet Moses (peace be upon him).
Prophet Moses inquired about the number of obligatory prayers commanded by Allah. Prophet Muhammad told him that they were fifty.
Moses encouraged Prophet Muhammad to go back to Allah several times to ask Him to reduce the number of daily prayers until only five were left. Because Moses worried that the Muslim community was weak and would not be able to follow Allah’s commands.
Although encouraged by Prophet Moses to go back one more time, Prophet Muhammad did not do so.
Why?
Because he (peace and blessings be upon him) said that he was shy and embarrassed in front of his Lord to go back again and ask for less prayers.
What Can We Learn from The Night Journey?
In my humble opinion, there are several significant points that we can learn from Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) for his Night Journey.
1- Listen and Obey
When Allah gave the order of fifty daily prayers to our Prophet Muhammad, he did not ask for less. He accepted Allah’s command. He listened and he obeyed (Quran 2: 285).
Following our beloved Prophet, we should also adopt this attitude. Whatever our Most Merciful Lord and our Prophet Muhammad tell us to do or not to do, we should listen and obey.
2- Accepting Advice
Only after being advised by Prophet Moses (peace be upon him), did our Prophet Muhammad go back to ask Allah to reduce the number of prayers. This shows that he (peace and blessings be upon him) was open to advise. He accepted Moses’ genuine, well-wishing advise. Are we open to advise?
3- Showing Care
Following Prophet Moses’ advise to go back to Allah to ask for a reduction in prayers also shows Prophet Muhammad’s sincere love and care for his community.
He went back to Allah for us. And he went back to Allah to ask for prayer numbers to be reduced because he cared for us. He (peace and blessings be upon him) could have done the fifty prayers everyday. But he wanted us to be successful.
This shows Prophet Muhammad’s immense love and worry for us. What are we doing for our Muslim community? Is there any way we can show more care for our Muslim brothers and sisters in Islam?
4- Feeling Shy in Front of Him
And finally, our beloved Prophet Muhammad, the perfect human being, did not go back another time because he felt shy and embarrassed with his Lord.
We need to learn from him (peace and blessings be upon him). Are there times when we feel shy or embarrassed in front of Allah?
Do we feel embarrassed because we missed our prayer?
Do we feel shy to watch that movie because it has explicit scenes in it?
Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) put Allah first. His relation and connection with Allah was most important. He followed Prophet Moses’ advise. He cared for his community. But he could not ignore feeling shy and embarrassed in front of His Lord.
Subhana Allah!
This feeling must have been so profound. We can only try to understand the beginning of it.