Speeches of the Noble Prophets عَلَیْہِمُ السَّلَام on the Night of Miraj

Speeches delivered by the Noble Prophets عَـلَـيْهِمُ السَّلَام on the Night of Ascension

Maulana Khizar Hayat Attari Madani

During the Night of Ascension, several miraculous and wondrous incidents occurred, each of which illustrated the distinguished status of the Beloved Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم. Among such incidents is the gathering of the Noble Prophets عَـلَـيْهِمُ السَّلَام in Jerusalem, where our Beloved Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم led them in Salah.

Namaz-e-Aqsa mayn tha yehi sirr ‘iyaan ho ma’ana-e-awwal aakhir

Keh dast badastah hayn peechay hazir jo saltanat aagay kar gaye thay

(Hadaiq-e-Bakhshish, p. 232)

After this blessed Salah the most Eminent Prophets عَـلَـيْهِمُ السَّلَام rose to deliver speeches in which they praised Allah Almighty and recalled his mercy and blessings. In the end, the Beloved Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم spoke of the unparalleled favours bestowed upon him and his Ummah.

Speeches of the Prophets عَـلَـيْهِمُ السَّلَام

1.   Firstly, Sayyiduna Ibrahim عَـلَيْـهِ الـسَّـلَام praised and glorified Allah Almighty.  Then, he said: ‘All praise is for Allah عَزَّوَجَلَّ who selected me as His close friend, granted me a vast kingdom, made me obedient to Him, and positioned me as a leader that people will follow. He saved me from the fire and rendered it cool, making it a source of comfort for me.’^[1]

2.   Sayyiduna Musa عَـلَيْـهِ الـسَّـلَام followed, praising and glorifying Allah عَزَّوَجَلَّ before stating: ‘All praise is for Allah عَزَّوَجَلَّ who  gave me the honour of conversing with Him^[2], and selected me as a chosen servant by making me His Messenger and granting me direct communion with Him. He made me ‘Naji’ (one who converses with Allah عَزَّوَجَلَّ without the intermediation of an angel), revealed the Torah to me, destroyed Pharaoh through me, and granted salvation to Bani Israel.’

3.   Next, Sayyiduna Dawood عَـلَيْـهِ الـسَّـلَام praised and glorified Allah عَزَّوَجَلَّ and said: ‘All praise is for Allah عَزَّوَجَلَّ who granted me kingship, revealed the Zaboor to me, made iron soft for me^[3], subjugated birds and mountains for me, and granted me wisdom and discernment, (knowledge of judgement which differentiates between truth and falsehood).’

4.   Sayyiduna Sulayman عَـلَيْـهِ الـسَّـلَام then praised and glorified Allah عَزَّوَجَلَّ and said: ‘All praise is for Allah عَزَّوَجَلَّ who made the winds, the Jinn kind, and Humankind subservient to me. He made the rebellious Jinn obey me, making them construct large buildings and depictions as per my wishes.^[4] He taught me the language of birds and all other beings. For me, He caused a spring of molten copper to flow and to me, He conferred a kingdom, the likeness of which will never belong to anyone else.’

5.   Next, Sayyiduna ‘Isa عَـلَيْـهِ الـسَّـلَام praised and glorified Allah عَزَّوَجَلَّ and said: ‘All praise is for Allah عَزَّوَجَلَّ who taught me the Torah and the Injeel. He granted me the ability to cure lepers and those born blind and to revive the dead with His permission. He raised me^[5], saved me from the disbelievers, and safeguarded me and my mother against the accursed Shaytan until he had no influence over us any longer.’

6.   After the Eminent Prophets عَـلَـيْهِمُ السَّلَام finished, the Leader of the Prophets, the Chosen One صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم praised and glorified Allah عَزَّوَجَلَّ and said: ‘You praised and glorified Allah عَزَّوَجَلَّ; now I will praise and glorify my Lord. Thereafter, he صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم said: All praise belongs to Allah عَزَّوَجَلَّ who made me a mercy for the entire universe and sent me to all of mankind as a bearer of glad tidings and a warner. He revealed a Noble Book to me which demarcates truth from falsehood and in which there is a clear explanation of all matters. He made my Ummah the best of all Ummahs which were sent forth for the people. He made my Ummah, which is the first (in terms of entrance into paradise) and the last (in terms of arriving in the world), superior to all others. Allah Almighty expanded my heart and removed all burdens from me. He exalted my remembrance and made me the Fatih (Opener) and the Khatam (last).’

Upon hearing these unmatched merits, Sayyiduna Ibrahim عَـلَيْـهِ الـسَّـلَام addressed the other Prophets عَـلَـيْهِمُ السَّلَام announcing: ‘بِهٰذَا فَضَلَکُمْ مُحَمَّدٌ’ ‘It is due to these excellences that Muhammad صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم has surpassed all of you.’ (Dalaail-un-Nubuwwah-lil-Bayhaqi, vol. 2, p. 400, summarised)

The wisdom

There is a deeper wisdom behind this incident: The other Prophets عَـلَـيْهِمُ السَّلَام mentioned their own virtues after praising Allah عَزَّوَجَلَّ and thus demonstrated that encountering someone better than us should make us recall Allah’s favours upon us and drive us to thanking to Him, with the knowledge that the Lord who has granted that individual such a status, He has also granted us blessings, according to our respective worth. (Al-Kalam-ul-Awdah fi Tafseer Alam Nashrah, p. 280, summarised)