Prophet's Ascension to heaven: From
a futuristic point of view
Q516 :Recently I came across a book by Maudoodi in
which Prophet's night journey from Makkah to Jerusalem and his
Ascension from there to heaven is viewed in ordinary political terms.
It is likened to a king summoning one of his state governors to an
audience in which the affairs of the state are discussed. In his view,
Verses 24-37 of Surah 17 provide a summing up of the directives which
were to provide the basic principles of Islamic society. I referred to
the writings of several commentators on the Qur'an, but I could not
find anything to substantiate this view. I would be grateful for your
comments.
A516 : I believe you did not find anything to refute
this view either. Hence, this view represents a reading by a scholar of
a particular event in the life of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).
The fact that this event was of far reaching significance means that
Muslim scholars in every generation find themselves speaking about it,
explaining its importance, as they see it. There is nothing to prevent
a scholar who has achieved such eminence as Maudoodi from reading a
particular event in the life of the Prophet in terms which makes its
significance more readily appreciated by his contemporary readers. I
must admit that I have not seen this book by Maudoodi in which you read
his interpretation of the event. Yet, the way he describes it, as you
have quoted, seems to be very interesting. I am reproducing here what
you have quoted from his book: "Rulers of the earth are used to
calling governors on certain occasions to give them special
instructions on various issues. Allah, the ruler of the universe, has
done something of this type. The Prophets are the governors deputed to
the earth, a small state of His Kingdom. On special occasions, Allah
personally gave directives to governors He had appointed. Such
audiences were granted to Prophets Abraham, Moses and Jesus (peace be
upon them all). The night journey of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon
him) and his Ascension to heaven also conforms to this pattern. After
the difficult phase it went through in Makkah, Islam was about to
establish its own nation state in Madinah. At such an important
juncture, Allah invited His Prophet in order to give him the
constitution and the manifesto of that nation. Responding to the
invitation, Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) presented himself
before the Lord. That was the essence of his Ascension to heaven."
Most commentators on the Qur'an look at the Prophet's night journey and
Ascension to heaven as a mission of comfort to the Prophet. He had been
working hard for the message Allah had entrusted to him for ten years,
meeting every conceivable sort of opposition from his people in Makkah.
At times, their opposition weighed heavily on him. He was distressed by
their stubborn refusal to realize that he only wanted their happiness.
His two main sources of support, his wife, Lady Khadeejah, and his
uncle, Abu Talib, died late in the tenth year or early in the eleventh
year of the start of his mission. By losing them, he lost both the
public support provided by Abu Talib, the chief of the Hashemite clan
of Quraish, and the internal comfort at home provided by a loving,
caring and devoted wife. It was natural that the Prophet, a human
being, should experience a deep feeling of sorrow for their loss. In
his wisdom, Allah had determined that it was time for the new message
to stand alone, requiring no outside support, with its primary
advocate, Allah's messenger, managing his affairs on his own. He -
limitless He is in His Glory - took both Khadeejah and Abu Talib away
and the Prophet was alone. Commentators on the Qur'an view the night
journey in terms of a new source of comfort, encouragement and
reassurance to the Prophet. On this trip, he saw many of the great
manifestations of Allah's greatness. His resolve to carry on with his
message was sharpened and his determination was never to show any
weakening. This is the traditional way of looking at the Prophet's
night journey and it is supported by some Qur'anic verses which refer
to it. As quoted by you, Maudoodi looks at this highly significant
event from a futuristic point of view. He looks at what was to come,
rather than what had happened in the past. Within three years of that
trip, the Islamic state in Madinah was established. Every state needs a
constitution, and this applies, in a rather stronger measure, to an
ideological state. The Surah 17 is entitled, the "Night Journey," and
it opens with a reference to the trip, glorifying Allah for having
taken the Prophet on it and pointing out that the Prophet was made to
see some of the signs Allah has in the universe. The verses to which
Maudoodi refers provide an outline of the moral and social code of the
Muslim community. They were the first detailed Qur'anic account of the
boundaries within which the Muslim community will have to live. Indeed,
they give a sense of the moral fabric of the Muslim society. Maudoodi's
vision is, then, a fresh approach to a great event. It is the merit of
its futuristic outlook, which fits more perfectly with the nature of
the Islamic message. Allah could have comforted His messenger for the
losses he had suffered in a variety of ways. Giving him an outline of
the moral and social code of his future state gave him much more than
comforting condolence. It gave him the sense of the continuity of his
message and a feeling of the task ahead. Maudoodi, thus, has offered us
something new, something which makes us appreciate in a far better way
a momentous event in the life of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).
May Allah bless Maudoodi's soul and shower His mercy on him. The
analogy with a governor being summoned for an audience with the king is
also interesting because it makes the event closer to our minds to
understand and appreciate. The relationship between Allah and His
messenger is far closer than that of a sovereign and one of his
governors. In any state, the governor could be sacked at any time. In
the Kingdom of the Most Supreme, the governor, or, Allah's messenger,
is the perfect choice. Hence, he would not suffer anything like the
fall from grace many governors endure.
Our Dialogue ( Source : Arab News - Jeddah )