THE PSYCHOLOGICAL SIGNIFICANCE
In order to appreciate the
psychological or strategic significance of the miraculous event we must look to
the exact moment when it took place. The most authentic sources indicate that
this event took place of the night of 27th Rajab in the eleventh year after the commencement
of his mission, when the Prophet (sallalahu
ta’alah ‘alaihi wa sallam) was 51 years of age. Shortly before this event the Prophet (sallalahu ta’alah ‘alaihi wa sallam) had, at age fifty, suffered the two greatest
blows he had ever suffered since the announcement of his prophethood ten years
earlier.
Firstly, Abu Talib who, because
of his position as leader of an important clan of the tribe of Quraish (Banu
Hashim) and as the Patriach of Makkah, was able to offer security and
protection to the Prophet (sallalahu
ta’alah ‘alaihi wa sallam), now died, and the Prophet (sallalahu ta’alah ‘alaihi wa sallam) was left in a position of grave
insecurity. Shortly before this the Prophet (sallalahu ta’alah ‘alaihi wa sallam) suffered another serious blow
when his beloved wife and life-long companion, Khadija (RA), died. To the
intense grief and the loneliness of a widower were now added the grave burden of
the Prophet's (sallalahu ta’alah ‘alaihi wa sallam) insecurity.
But the darkest day of his life
and of his mission was yet to come when, shortly after, he ventured to the city of
Taif with the hope of extracting some form of support from Banu Saad Bin Bakr
(in which tribe he was suckled) and other tribes in that city which would
alleviate his perilous insecurity. The tribal chiefs not only rejected his
approach but ordered the street urchins to stone him out of the city. With
blood flowing from his wounds, his heart lonely and forlorn with grief, and his
enemies closing the noose around him and his small band of followers, it
appeared as though the end was in sight.
Not once, not even at such a
hopeless moment, did the faith of the Prophet waver. He relied on none but
Allah. He turned to none but Allah. Regardless of the
hopelessness of the objective situation in which he now found himself, there
was no thought of any compromise with the forces ranged against him and his followers.
It was at precisely this
moment, not sooner and not later, that the miraculous journey (Miraj) took place. And it marked the
turning point in his mission (apart from being the greatest honour ever
bestowed by Almighty God on any of His creation). Through his steadfast
commitment to 'Truth' and to the mission of struggle for establishing the
supremacy of 'Truth', and through his noble patience in the face of unrelenting
adversity, the Prophet (sallalahu
ta’alah ‘alaihi wa sallam) earned the Grace of divine intervention (al-Isra wal Miraj) which then charted a course to
victory.
Four and a half months after
the Mira} (i.e. the month ofZil Haj in the same 11th year of the
Call) the tide began to turn and a way was provided for the Prophet (sallalahu ta’alah ‘alaihi wa sallam) and his followers to escape from
the perils of Makkah. The opening was from
the city of Yathrib (later to renamed Madina) and was grasped in the first pledge
of Aqaba. By the time of the second pledge of Aqaba one year later (Zil Haj in the 12th year of the
Call) the way was clear for the migration to Madina (Hijrah) which took place three months
later (Rabi
al-awwal in the
13th year of the Prophet's mission). Hijrah was followed by the successful establishment by
the Muslims of the city-State of Madina with the Prophet (sallalahu ta’alah ‘alaihi wa sallam) as supreme authority. This was
followed by military victory at Badr and diplomatic and political victory at Hudaibiyah
until, finally, complete victory over the Quraish at Makkah in the year 8 A.H.
(eight after Hijrah).
Thus al-Isra and Miraj, in marking the turning point in
the Prophet's mission, also ordained a psychology of da'wah (inviting people to God), to
the effect that it is the obligation of the believers to persevere in the
mission of truth despite all adversities, and no matter how long the struggle
may last (the Prophet was aged 51 and had, by then, pursued the mission for 11
long years), and to be steadfast and patient until Divine intervention charts
the course of victory. Thus the strategic factor for success in the process of
the Islamic revolution lies in the spiritual domain of Divine Grace.
Revolutionary forces cannot invoke this Grace. They must earn it.
To Be Continued ....
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