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Simon Altaf with Howard Conder on Revelation TV
Its a package take it and be
guaranteed eternity with Him or remain outside
to suffer eternally.
Choice
is clear,
either
you have the Son or you
have nothing!
For they have consulted together with one consent: they are confederate against thee:
Psalm 83:5
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Muhammad’s
Alleged Night Journey to the Jerusalem Temple
According to the Quran, Allah allegedly took
Muhammad on a journey from the Kabah in Mecca to the Temple at Jerusalem:
Glory to (Allah) Who did take His Servant for a Journey by
night from the Sacred Mosque to the Farthest Mosque (Masjid
al-Aqsa), whose precincts We did bless,- in order that We might
show him some of Our Signs: for He is the One Who heareth and seeth (all
things). S. 17:1
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The hadiths confirm that not only did Muhammad
travel to the Temple at Jerusalem, but that Muhammad was also able to describe
some of its features:
Bukhari Volume 6,
Book 60, Number 233:
Narrated Jabir bin 'Abdullah:
The Prophet said, "When the Quraish disbelieved me (concerning
my night journey), I stood up in Al-Hijr (the unroofed portion of the Ka'ba)
and Allah displayed Bait-ul-Maqdis before me, and I started to inform
them (Quraish) about its signs while looking at it."
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Bukhari, Volume 5, Book
58, Number 228:
Narrated Ibn 'Abbas:
Regarding the Statement of Allah:
"And We granted the vision (Ascension to the heavens) which
We made you see (as an actual eye witness) was only made as a trial for
the people." (17.60)
Ibn Abbas added: The sights which Allah's Apostle was shown
on the Night Journey when he was taken to Bait-ul Maqdis (i.e. Jerusalem)
were actual sights, (not dreams). And the Cursed Tree (mentioned) in the
Quran is the tree of Zaqqum (itself) .
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Muslim Book 001, Number
0309:
It is narrated on the authority of Anas b. Malik that the Messenger
of Allah (may peace be upon him) said: I was brought al-Buraq Who is an
animal white and long, larger than a donkey but smaller than a mule, who
would place his hoof a distance equal to the range of version. I mounted
it and came to the Temple (Bait Maqdis in Jerusalem), then tethered
it to the ring used by the prophets. I entered the mosque and prayed
two rak'ahs in it, and then came out and Gabriel brought me a vessel
of wine and a vessel of milk. I chose the milk, and Gabriel said: You have
chosen the natural thing. Then he took me to heaven…
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The following commentary on S. 17:1 is taken
from Tafsir Ibn Kathir-Abridged Volume5, Surah Hud to Surat Al-Isra’,
Verse 38, abridged by a group of scholars under the supervision of
Shaykh Safiur-Rahman Al-Mubarakpuri, (Darussalam Publishers & Distributors;
Riyadh, Houston, New York, Lahore, July 2000):
<from Al-Masjid Al-Aqsa> means the Sacred House
which is in Jerusalem, the origin of the Prophets from the time of
Ibraham Al-Khalil. The Prophets all gathered there, and he (Muhammad) led
them in prayer in their own homeland. This indicates that he is the greatest
leader of all, may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him and upon
them. (Ibid., p. 551 bold emphasis ours)
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Ibn Kathir includes the following hadith:
I remember being in Al-Hijr, and the Quraysh were asking me
about my Night Journey. They asked me things about Bayt Al-Maqdis that
I was not sure of, and I felt more anxious and stressed then than I
have ever felt. Then Allah raised up Bayt Al-Maqdis for me to see, and
there was nothing they asked me about but I told them about it. And
I remember being in a gathering of the Prophets. Musa was standing there
praying, and he was a man with curly hair, as if he were one of the men
of Shanu’ah. I saw ‘Isa ibn Maryam standing there praying, and the one
who most resembles him is ‘Urwah bin Mas’ud Ath-Thaqafi. And I saw Ibrahim
standing there praying, and for the one who most resembles him is your
companion (meaning himself). Then the time for prayer came, and I led them
in prayer. When I finished, a voice said, ‘O Muhammad, this is Malik, the
keeper of Hell,’ so I turned to him, and he greeted me first. (Ibid., p.
571 bold emphasis ours)
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Finally,
"The truth is that the Prophet was taken on the Night Journey
when he was awake, not in a dream, and he went from Makkah to Bayt Al-Maqdis
riding on Al-Buraq. When he reached THE DOOR OF THE SANCTUARY,
he tied up his animal by THE DOOR AND ENTERED, where he prayed two Rakahs
to ‘greet the Masjid’…
"Then he came back down to Bayt Al-Maqdis, and the Prophets
came down with him and he led them in prayer there when the time for prayer
came. Some claim that he led them in prayer in heaven, but the reports
seem to say that it was in Bayt Al-Maqdis. In some reports it says
that it happened when he first ENTERED…
"Then he came OUT OF BAYT AL-MAQDIS and rode on Al-Buraq
back to Makkah in the darkness of the night. As for his being presented
with the vessels containing milk and honey, or milk and wine, or milk and
water, or all of these, some reports say that this happened in Bayt
Al-Maqdis, and others say that it happened in the heavens. It is
possible that it happened in BOTH places, because it is like offering
food or drink to a guest when he arrives, and Allah knows best." (Ibid.
pp. 572-573 bold and capital emphasis ours)
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The following citations are taken from ‘Abd-Allah
Hajjaj’s The Isra’ and Mi’raj-The Prophet’s Night-Journey And Ascent
Into Heaven, Dar Al-Taqwa Ltd., London, second edition 1993. All bold
emphasis ours:
Jabir Ibn ‘Abd Allah heard the Prophet (S) say: "When Quraysh
disbelieved me (about the Isra’), I stood up in al-Hijr (the unroofed
part of the Ka’bah) and Allah displayed Bayt al-Maqdis to me.
So I began to describe its features to them whilst I was looking at it."
(Ibid., p. 5)
Al-Hafiz said, Ka’b ibn Ahbar narrated that the gate of heaven
called Mas’ad al-Mala’ikah ("The angels’ point of ascent") faces
Bayt al-Maqdis. The ‘Ulama’ understood from this that the reason
why the Prophet (S) was taken to Bayt al-Maqdis before ascent was so that
he could be taken straight up…
Other, weaker, suggestions have also been put forward. For
example: so that the Prophet (S) would see both of the Qiblahs on
that night; or because Bayt al-Maqdis had been the place to which most
of the previous Prophets had migrated, so the Prophet Muhammad (S) had
to go there to have the same virtues as they had… (Ibid., p. 15)
It is said that the ‘Isra happened twice, and on both occasions
the Prophet (S) was awake. On the first occasion, he returned from Bayt
al-Maqdis, and in the morning he told the Quraysh what had happened.
On the first morning he told the Quraysh what had happened. On the second
occasion he was taken to Bayt al-Maqdis, then on the same night he was taken up to heaven… But when he told them that he had traveled
to Bayt al-Maqdis and returned in one night, they disbelieved him and asked
to describe it, because some of them knew it, and they also knew that he
had not seen it before… (Ibid., p. 18)
I reached Bayt al-Maqdis, where I tied my beast (al-Buraq) to the hitching-post
which all the Prophets before me used… Gabriel and I entered Bat al-Maqdis
where we both prayed two Rak’ahas”… “Then I entered the Mosque where I
saw all the Prophets praying-some standing, some bowing and some prostrating…
When the Prophet (S) reached al-Masjid al-Aqsa, he began to pray…” Another
Hadith narrated by Ahmad tells us that when ‘Umar entered Bayt al-Maqdis,
he said: “I shall pray where the Prophet (S) prayed”- then he went forward
to the Qiblah and prayed. (Ibid., p. 28) ‘Ayat said: “It is possible that
he prayed with all the Prophets IN Bayt al-Maqdis… Those who prayed with
him IN Bayt al-Maqdis may have been there as souls only, or in body and
soul. It is more likely that he prayed with them IN Bayt al-Maqdis before
ascent; but Allah knows best.” (Ibid., pp.28-29)
The Book’s glossary notes:
Bayt al-Maqdis: The name used for Jerusalem and in particular
for the Mosque from which the prophet Muhammad (S) ascended to Heaven.
(Ibid., p. 54)
M.A. Qazi’s A Concise Dictionary of Islamic Terms, Kazi Publications, Chicago
IL, 1979, p. 39 states:
Al-Masjid-al-Aqsa “The most distant Mosque.” The temple
at Jerusalem erected by Prophet Solomon (A.A.), also known as “Baitul-Maqdis”
or Umar’s Mosque.
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Finally, Muhammad is purported to have said that
a Muslim should visit the following three Mosques:
Bukhari Volume 2,
Book 21, Number 281:
Narrated Quza'a:
I heard Abu Said saying four words. He said, "I heard the Prophet
(saying the following narrative)." He had participated in twelve holy battles
with the Prophet.
Narrated Abu Huraira: The Prophet said, "Do not set out on
a journey except for THREE Mosques i.e. Al-Masjid-AI-Haram, the
Mosque of Allah's Apostle, and the Mosque of Al-Aqsa, (Mosque of Jerusalem)."
That the phrase Bayt Al-Maqdis undoubtedly refers to
the Temple structure located in Jerusalem as the preceding traditions affirm
is further clarified in the following hadith:
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Bukhari, Volume 4, Book
55, Number 585:
Narrated Abu Dhar:
I said, "O Allah's Apostle! Which mosque was first built on
the surface of the earth?" He said, "Al-Masjid-ul-,Haram (in Mecca)." I
said, "Which was built next?" He replied "The mosque of Al-Aqsa ( in
Jerusalem)." I said, "What was the period of construction between
the two?" He said, "Forty years." He added, "Wherever (you may be,
and) the prayer time becomes due, perform the prayer there, for the best
thing is to do so (i.e. to offer the prayers in time)."
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This would place the erection of the Kabah at
approximately 998 BC., since the construction of the first Temple was not
completed by Solomon until BC. 951. (C.f. 1 Kings 6:1-7:51)
The problem with all of this is that the first
Jerusalem Temple was destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar’s Babylonian armies in
587 BC. Furthermore, General Titus and his Roman soldiers leveled the Second
Temple in AD. 70, nearly six centuries before this alleged night journey
to Jerusalem took place. In fact, the Temple that eventually became Masjid
al-Aqsa did not come into existence until AD. 691 when Amir Abd-ul-Malik
built it.
These preceding factors make it highly improbable
to date Sura 17:1 to the time of Muhammad. This passage could have only
been written sometime after the erection of Masjid al-Aqsa. This
is further substantiated by the fact that Masjid al-Aqsa contains
no early references to the supposed night journey. This is a strange omission
since Muslims claim that Masjid al-Aqsa was erected in commemoration
of this alleged event. The inscriptions that do mention the night journey
are later additions made by Abdul Hamid II in 1876, nearly eleven centuries
later.
In light of all this, we ask the following
questions:
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What Temple did Muhammad
visit, enter and pray at before ascending to heaven? |
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Seeing that the Quran
mentions a journey to a Mosque that did not exist during the lifetime of
Muhammad, how can you consider the Quran to be 100% the word of God? |
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In light of the fact
that both the Quran and the Islamic traditions contain this historical
error, how can you trust either source to provide you with reliable information
on the life of Muhammad and the first Muslims? |
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Does not the fact
that the Quran mentions a Mosque which was only erected in 691 AD. prove
that there were Muslims who unashamedly and deceitfully added stories to
the Quranic text and passed them off as revelation from God? |
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If you cannot find
an answer to this historical problem within the Quran, why do you still
remain a Muslim?
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May God use this article to bring open-minded
Muslims to the truth of his word, the Holy Bible.
In the service of our Great God and Savior
Jesus Christ forever. Amen.
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