Night Journey Miraj Miracles of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ Revealed

The Prophet’s صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم Report about the Caravans after Returning from the MiꜤrāj

Covering a distance of months in mere moments is one of the miracles of the holy Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم. Here is another miracle related to this:

When the beloved Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم informed the Quraysh about the Night Journey, MuṭꜤim b. ꜤAdī asked: "How far did you travel?"

The beloved Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم replied: "To Bayt al-Maqdis (Jerusalem)."

Upon hearing this, MuṭꜤim denied the miracle, saying: "Astonishing! It takes us a long and difficult month-long journey to reach Bayt al-Maqdis from Makkah, and another month to return, whereas you went there and returned in a single night."

The disbelievers of the Quraysh then asked: "Tell us about our caravans. Did you encounter them along the way?"

The beloved Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم said: "At the station of Rawḥāˈ, I passed by the caravan of such-and-such a tribe. Their camel was missing, and they were searching for it. I went to their camp, but no one was there. I saw a vessel of water, drank from it, and covered it with a lid. That caravan will arrive here on Wednesday at sunset. Then you can ask them if their bowl was empty after finding their lost camel. Also, ask them: 'While you were searching for the camel, did anyone call out to you and tell you that your camel is at such-and-such a place, which made you exclaim in surprise: ‘How could Muhammad’s (صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم) voice reach here in al-Shām?’ But when you went to that exact place, did you not find your camel there?'"

The Quraysh replied: "Yes! This is correct. This is a great sign."

Then the beloved Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم said: "I also passed by the caravan of another tribe, where two men were riding the same camel. Their camel, startled by the speed of the Burāq, bolted away, causing both of them to fall off. One of them, so and so, broke his wrist. That caravan will arrive here on Wednesday, precisely at noon. Ask them about this incident when they come."

The disbelievers of Quraysh said: "Very well, this sign is also good."

The noble Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم continued: "I passed by the caravan of such and such a tribe near TanꜤīm. At the front of the caravan was a light-brown camel carrying two striped sacks of grain, and an Abyssinian was riding it. In the same caravan, a certain person was feeling cold and asked his slave for a blanket. This caravan is now very near; it will arrive here at sunrise."

So, before sunrise, some people sat on a hill and waited for the caravan, while others were appointed to watch carefully for the rising of the sun. Suddenly, one of the observers cried out: "Look! The sun has risen!" Another immediately called out: "Look! The caravan has also arrived!" They saw that indeed, leading the caravan was a light-brown camel carrying two striped sacks of grain.

Later, on Wednesday at noon, a group of disbelievers from the Quraysh sat on a hill, waiting for the second caravan, whose arrival the Merciful Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم  had foretold. Exactly at noon, the caravan arrived, and a person amongst them had fallen and broken his wrist, just as the beloved Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم had informed.

After that, some people waited for the third caravan, which the beloved Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم had foretold would arrive at sunset. As sunset approached and the caravan had not yet appeared,  the beloved Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم supplicated, and the sun was held back. When the caravan arrived, only then did the sun set. When the people questioned the members of the caravans about the Greatest Prophet’s صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم reports, they confirmed every detail exactly as he described. The idolaters were left embarrassed, yet still, they did not believe.[1]

It should be remembered that when MuṭꜤim b. ꜤAdī inquired, the Merciful Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم only described the earthly portion of the MiꜤrāj. In reality, the journey extended far beyond the heavens. In the Prophetic era, a round trip from Masjid al-Ḥarām to Masjid al-Aqṣā and back would normally take about two months. Yet, the noble Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم completed this distance in only a small part of a single night. Moreover, he accurately described the caravans of the Quraysh, their circumstances, and the exact times of their return, and even the stopping of the sun occurred through his supplication. All of this was among the astounding miracles of the beloved Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم.

In light of this miraculous event, there are several lessons we can learn:

1. The detailed description of the caravans, the announcement of their time of return, and the recounting of earthly observations all prove that the Journey of the MiꜤrāj was not merely a dream or a spiritual vision (kashf), but a real, physical journey that occurred while the Greatest Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم was awake.

2. The miracles of Allah Almighty’s Prophets عَـلَـيْهِمُ السَّلَام transcend human intellect. Therefore, the denial of the miracle by MuṭꜤim b. ꜤAdī and other disbelievers, due to their limited understanding, teaches us that miracles should not be viewed through the lens of reason, but through the eyes of faith.

3. By the grace of Allah Almighty, the noble Prophets عَـلَـيْهِمُ السَّلَام are granted knowledge of the unseen.

4. Every unseen matter foretold by a Prophet of Allah Almighty is true, word for word.

5. When opponents and enemies demand proof, one should not refuse, irrespective of whether they abandon their position or not after the proof is provided.

6. It has always been the habit of the unfortunate that they demand evidence, but after receiving it, they refuse to accept the truth.

7. If the intention is not correct, even proofs are not beneficial.

8. The blessing of faith is not dependent on witnessing a miracle, but rather on guidance and enablement (tawfīq) from Allah Almighty.

9. The miracles of the noble Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم are a means for strengthening the faith of Muslims and a source of guidance for non-Muslims until the Day of Judgement.

10. In the path of calling others to Islam, it is incorrect to become anxious or angry when faced with trials; one should remain calm and patient.

11. Those engaged in the mission of preaching and inviting others to Islam must be prepared to face objections, and they should develop the courage to bear them with steadfastness.