Nisfu Syaban

Tomorrow night(Friday night) is Nisfu Syaban i.e 15th Syaban,1424.The imam of my surau reminded me to come for the magrib prayer so that all of us can read Surah Yaasin and offer special du'a.

This date also coincides with the change of Qiblat. This event took place at the location of Masjid Qiblatain,a few kilometres from Masjid Nabawi.All muslims who visit Madinah will go to this mosque to 'sembahyang sunat'.

When I was there last January,2003 ,it occurred to me that if Rasullah SAW turned around 180 degrees while praying when the 'wahyu' came to him,then Baitul Muqadis, Madinah and Makkah must be along the same corridor of longitude. On returning home, I checked the longitudes of three cities are more or less within less a few degres of each other longitudes! Masya Allah and I exclaimed: Allahu Akhbar!

Allah swt is the Greatest Planner of All.

Notes on Longitudes:

Mecca(Masjidil Haram) - 39:49E(Second Qiblat)
Medina - 39:35E
Al-Quds(Masjidil 'Aqsa) - 35:14E(First Qiblat)

Wallahua'lam.
Notes on Israj & Mikraj

Comments

[haiza]

Have just been telling my office-mate (an english) on the accurate manner of our Qiblah. He responded, "It's amazingly precise!". Indeed it is. But somehow you just wonder with all these clear evidences of the true path, they still do not believe.

[penawan]

Talking abt qiblah, anyone read a recent opinion from Egypt - by a Muslim - who claimed that Masjidil Aqsa (i.e. the further Mosque)in the Prophet's ascension couldn't have been in Jerusalem as there was no mosque or Muslims there then? He said the Aqsa was the Mosque in Madinah. Imagine the implications of this. A learned person I sought a view from said: the ascension occurred before the Hijrah, so which Mosque in Madinah?

[Adib]

The present Masjid Qiblatain was not there when the 'wahyu' came to change the Qiblat. Rasullulah and his friends were praying in someone's house at that time.

According to my guru Prof Dr Hashim Minhat, there are very few 'ayat Quran' about Israk dan Mikraj and about twenty something hadith sahih.

Whatever it is, the ascension DID OCCUR,otherwise we would not have the commandment to pray.

Btw, I have not read any articles relating to the location of Masjidil Aqsa not in Palestine.The arguement that if there were no muslims there,how could there be a mosque? On the surface,it appears logical but it may refers to a physical place instead of the official designation of the mosque. Remember,Palestine is the land of many prophets of Allah before Prophet Muhammad(pbuh)and there must exist a few places of worship.
Wallahua'lam.

PS:Below is a short note on Israk & Mikraj:
Al Isra' (621 C.E)
It was during this period that al Isra' and al Mi'raj had taken place.[Al Isra' means the night journey the Prophet was reported to have taken from Makkah to al Masjid al Aqsa, the distant mosque, or Jerusalem. AL Mi'raj means the Prophet's ascension to heaven and his visit to paradise and hell, later to serve as model for Dante's La. Diutna Comedia. See M. Asin Palacios, La. evcatologia musulmana en la Divina Comedia, Madrid, 1919; 2nd edition, Madrid, 1943. -Tr.]. On the night of al Isra'. Muhammad was staying in the house of his cousin, Hind, daughter of Abu Talib, who was also called Umm Hani'. Hind related that "The Prophet of God spent the night in my quarters. He recited his night prayers and went to sleep. Just before dawn, the Prophet of God awoke us and we all prayed the dawn prayer together. When the prayer was through, he said, "O Umm Hani', I prayed with you the night prayer in this place; then I went to Jerusalem and I prayed there, and. as you see, I have just finished praying with you the dawn prayer.' I answered, `O Prophet of God, do not tell this to the people for they will belie you and harm you.' He said, `By God I shall tell them.'"

[Adib]

Haiza,

IMHO, clear evidences only work on the rational mind('aqal) but belief comes from the heart.(qalbu).'Aqal and qalbu are two modes of existence of human soul and they may not agree with one another.
Taufik dan Hidayat from Allah is necessary to believe in Islam;evidence alone is not enough.
Walahua'lam.

[atok]

sidetracking:
a few minutes ago, Nobel Peace Prize 2003 has been awarded to an Iranian Muslim female human right activist, Shirin Ebadi...a great award on a great day; Jumaat + Nisfu Syaban.
alhamdulillah....

[Adib]

On the matters relating to Masjidil 'Aqsa, please refer to surah Israk,the first ayat.It clearly stated that our Rasululah travelled from Masjidil Haram to Masjidil 'Aqsa.

The reason given by a muslim from Egypt that muslims(the followers of Prophet Muhamad saw) were not there yet does not conclude that the mosque was not there in Palestine at that time.
According my ustaz, the followers of the prophets of Allah before Muhammad were aslo muslims.
Walahua'lam.

[penawan]

Pak Adib,
Let me just clarify what I said. To the Egyptian (I wish I'd kept a copy of the article!), mention of the Masjid al-Aqsa isn't conclusive proof that it referred to the Mosque in Jerusalem (for reasons he gave). Aqsa simply means 'furthest'. As my friend said, this argument is a dud, as there were no Muslims either in Madinah then. This is a mischievous piece of interpretation. If you ask who else are interested in the site of the Aqsa, you'll see what I mean. Mischief comes in many guises.