Ruling on celebrating the Night of Isra' and Mi'raj
All praise be to Allah and peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah, and upon his family and Companions!
There is no doubt that Isra' (Night Journey) and Mi'raj (Ascension to Heaven) are among Allah's Great Signs that testify to the truthfulness of His Messenger Muhammad (peace be upon him) and his great status in the Sight of Allah (Exalted be He). They are also signs of Allah's AweInspiring Power and His Exaltation above all His Creation.
Allah (may He be Praised) says (what means): Glorified (and Exalted) be He (Allâh) [above all that (evil) they associate with Him] Who took His slave (Muhammad ﺻﻠﻰ ﺍﷲ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻭ ﺳﻠﻢ) for a journey by night from AlMasjidalHarâm (at Makkah) to AlMasjida lAqsâ (in Jerusalem), the neighbourhood whereof We have blessed, in order that We might show him (Muhammad ﺻﻠﻰ ﺍﷲ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻭ ﺳﻠﻢ) of Our Ayât (proofs, evidence, lessons, signs, etc.). Verily, He is the AllHearer, the AllSeer.
It was reported by Tawatur (a significant number of narrators whose agreement upon a lie is impossible) that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) was taken up to the heavens and their gates were opened for him until he went beyond the Seventh Heaven. There Allah (Glorified be He) spoke to him about what He willed and enjoined the Five Daily Prayers upon him. Allah (Exalted be He) first enjoined fifty Salah (Prayers), but our Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) kept returning and asking Him to lighten the duty, until Allah reduced them to five in number, but fifty in reward, because a good deed earns a tenfold reward. All praise and thanks to Allah for all His Blessings!
The night on which the Isra' and the Mi'raj occurred has not been reported in the Hadith Sahih (a Hadith that has been transmitted by people known for their uprightness and exactitude; free from eccentricity and blemish) as having been in the month of Rajab nor in any other specific month. All that has been reported concerning a specific date for this event is not authentically reported from the Prophet (peace be upon him), according to the Hadith scholars. There must be a great wisdom why Allah made people forget the exact night of Isra' and Mi'raj; but even if it were specified, still it would not be permissible for Muslims to perform specific acts of 'Ibadah (worship) on this night or celebrate it.
This is because the Prophet (peace be upon him) and his Sahabah (Companions, may Allah be pleased with them) did not celebrate it or perform specific acts of 'Ibadah on it. If celebrating this night was prescribed in Islam, the Messenger (peace be upon him) would have made it known to the Muslim Ummah (nation based on one creed) either in words or in deeds. If anything of this was observed on this night, it would be known by all Muslims and would have been transmitted to us by the Sahabah (may Allah be pleased with them), as they transmitted
from the Prophet (peace be upon him) everything that the Muslim Ummah needs, and they never neglected anything related to the Din (religion). In fact, they were the forerunners to every good act, so if celebrating the Night of Isra' and Mi'raj was lawful, they would have been the first people to do so. The Prophet (peace be upon him) was the sincerest giver of advice to people; he perfectly conveyed the Message of Islam and fulfilled the Amanah (trust). If honoring this night and celebrating it was part of the Din of Allah, he (peace be upon him) would never have concealed or neglected it.
Since nothing of this happened, it is understood that celebrating and honoring this night is not part of Islam at all. Allah (Glorified be He) has perfected the Din for the Muslim Ummah and completed His Favors upon them. Moreover, Allah (Glorified be He) condemns those who introduce into the religion things He has not ordained.
Allah (may He be Praised) saysin Surah AlMa'idah: This day, I have perfected your religion for you, completed My Favour upon you, and have chosen for you Islâm as your religion.
Allah (Exalted be He) also saysin Surah AlShura: Or have they partners with Allâh (false gods) who have instituted for them a religion which Allâh has not ordained? And had it not been for a decisive Word (gone forth already), the matter would have been judged between them. And verily, for the Zâlimûn (polytheists and wrongdoers) there is a painful torment.
It was authentically reported in Hadith Sahih that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) warned against Bid'ah (innovation in religion), and clearly stated that it is a deviation from the right path, so as to caution the Ummah against the great danger of Bid'ah and to steer them away from committing it.
It was authentically reportedin the Two Sahih (authentic) Books of Hadith (i.e. AlBukhari and Muslim)on the authority of ' Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her) that the Prophet (may peace be upon him) said, "Anyone who introduces anything into this matter of ours (Islam) that is not part of it will have it rejected." According to the narration by Muslim, "Anyone who does an action which is not in accordance with this matter of ours (Islam) will have it rejected."
It was also related in "Sahih Muslim", on the authority of Jabir (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (may peace be upon him) would say in the Friday Khutbah (sermon): "The best of speech is the Book of Allah, the best of guidance is the guidance of Muhammad (peace be upon him), the most evil of matters are those which are newlyinvented (in religion), and every Bid' ah is a Dalalah (deviation from the right)." AlNasa'iy added with a sound Sanad (chain of narration): "...and every Dalalah will be in the Fire."
It is related in the Sunan (Hadith compilations classified by jurisprudential themes)on the authority of Al' Irbad ibn Sariyah (may Allah be pleased with him) that "The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) one day led us in Salah (prayer) then he faced us and gave us an earnest exhortation that
He said, ' I advise you to fear Allah, and to listen and obey, even if it is an Ethiopian slave (appointed as a ruler over you). Because whosoever among you shall live after me shall see much difference. So I urge you to adhere to my Sunnah (way) and the Sunnah of the righteous, Rightlyguided Caliphs, hold fast to it and bite onto it with your molars (i.e. cling firmly to it). Beware of newlyinvented matters (in religion), for every newlyinvented matter is a Bid'ah, and every Bid'ah is a Dalalah (deviation from the right)."
There are many Hadith with the same meaning. It was authentically reported that the Sahabah (the Prophet's Companions, may Allah pleased with them) and the righteous Salaf (righteous predecessors) after them warned against Bid'ah and scared people away from committing it, as they are additions to the Din unsanctioned by Allah (may He be Praised). It is treading the same path of the enemies of Allah from among the Jews and the Christians, in the additions and innovations they inserted into their religion that Allah has not ordained. It also implies that there is something lacking in Islam and accuses it of being imperfect; it is wellknown what this involves of great corruption and evil, and stands as a denial of the Saying of Allah (Exalted be He): This day, I have perfected your religion for you It is also an open violation of the Hadith of the Messenger (peace be upon him) that warn against Bid'ah and exhort people to shun it.
I hope that the evidence we have quoted is sufficient to convince truthseekers to refute this Bid'ah, namely the Bid'ah of celebrating the Night of Isra' and Mi'raj, and warn them against it, as it has nothing to do with the Din of Islam. As Allah has obligated Muslims to advise one another and to explain His ordained Religion, and has forbidden us from concealing knowledge, I felt it my duty to warn my Muslim brothers against this Bid'ah, which, as it has spread into many countries, some people think it is part of the Din. May Allah (Exalted be He) set right the affairs of Muslims, and grant them understanding of the Din! May Allah help us and them to adhere to Truth and be firm upon it and avoid all that opposes it, as Allah is the Patron and the One Able to do this! And peace and blessings be upon His Servant and Messenger, Muhammad, and upon his family and Companions!