Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Question: On the occasion of remembering the Prophets Night Journey and Ascension, we read the following in some magazines: Moses was not Prophet Muhammads guardian to advise him to return to his Lord more than once to ask Him for less prescribed prayers for the Muslim nation. This hadith is just one of the Israelite narrations to signify Mosess high status and superiority that he directed and advised Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) to return to Allah and ask Him to make prayer easier for the Muslim nation. What is the juristic opinion in this issue? Mufti Answer: In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful. All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger. Dear questioner, we are greatly pleased to receive your question which shows the confidence you place in us. May Allah reward you abundantly for your interest in knowing the teachings of Islam! The hadith you referred to in your question is narrated by Al-Bukhari and Muslim as well as other compilers of hadith. This hadith has been thoroughly studied by specialized religious scholars along time ago, but those laymen who now question it never thought to provide valid, convincing evidence for their claims. The specialized scholars never claimed that the hadith in point was an Israelite narration cited to prove Mosess superiority over Prophet Muhammad. Responding to the question, Sheikh `Atiyyah Saqr, former head of Al-Azhar Fatwa Committee, states: The hadith regarding the Prophets Night Journey and Ascension is narrated by Al-Bukhari and Muslim and other compilers of hadith, so it is in the highest degree of authenticity. The hadith states that when Almighty Allah initially prescribed fifty daily prayers on the Muslim nation, Prophet Moses advised Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) to return to Allah and ask Him to make them less than fifty. Then Allah granted the Prophets appeal and made them only five daily prayers, yet they are equal to fifty prayers in reward. It is noteworthy that though this hadith deals with an extraordinary, superhuman event, it must be believed and taken for granted, as the majority of scholars agree that a recurrently narrated hadith or a single authentic hadith indicates certainty. It is also important to note that this narration should be believed as a whole, meaning that we should not believe part of it and disbelieve other parts. It should either be completely believed or disbelieved, though the latter case is impermissible. The fact that prayer was prescribed on the Prophets Night Journey and Ascension in the way mentioned in the hadith was never rejected by any of the exegetes of hadith. None of them rejected the fact that Prophet Muhammad, in response to Mosess advice, returned to Allah several times to ask Him to make prayer easier for the Muslims. They never claimed that it was an Israelite narration intended to prove Mosess superiority over Prophet Sheikh 'Atiyyah Saqr
Source: www.al-islamforall.org
Source: www.al-islamforall.org
Source: www.al-islamforall.org