Safari ya usiku ya Mtume kutoka Msikiti Mtakatifu wa Makkah hadi Msikiti wa Aqṣā huko Yerusalemu, kisha kupaa kwake kutoka hapo hadi mbingu ya juu kabisa na ulimwengu ambao hatuujui chochote, imetajwa katika riwaya kadhaa. Imekuwa mada ya mabishano mengi, ambayo yanaendelea hata leo. Kuna riwaya mbalimbali kuhusu mahali ambapo safari ya usiku ya Mtume ilianzia. Baadhi zinasema kwamba ilianzia ndani ya msikiti wenyewe, jambo linalolingana na maneno ya aya hiyo.
The story of the night journey by the Prophet from the Sacred Mosque in Makkah to the Aqşā Mosque in Jerusalem, and then his ascension from there to the highest heaven and the world of which we know nothing, is mentioned in several reports. It has been the subject of much controversy, which continues even today. There are various reports about the place from which the Prophet’s night journey started. Some suggest that it was the mosque itself, which fits with the phraseology of the verse.
Hadithi moja inasimulia kwamba Mtume ﷺ alisema: "Nilipokuwa msikitini, katika Hijr Ismail, nikiwa nusu nimelala, Gabriel alinijia na al-Buraq..." Pia imepokewa kwamba safari yake ilianzia nyumbani kwa binamu yake Umm Hani. Simulizi hii inakubalika kwa msingi kwamba neno 'Msikiti Mtakatifu' linajumuisha eneo lote la Haram linalouzunguka msikiti. Ibn Abbas amepokewa kuwa alisema: "Eneo lote la Haram ni msikiti." Pia imepokewa kwamba alikuwa amelala nyumbani kwa Umm Hani wakati alichukuliwa katika safari hiyo, na akarudi nyumbani kabla usiku haujaisha. Alimsimulia binamu yake tukio hilo, akamwambia: "Niliwaona manabii na nikawaongoza katika sala." Alipokuwa karibu kuondoka kwenda msikitini, alimzuia, akisema: "Ninaogopa watu hawatakuamini ukiwaambia yale uliyonieleza sasa hivi." Mtume ﷺ alionyesha wazi nia yake ya kuwaambia, "hata kama hawataniamini." Mtume ﷺ alipoketi msikitini, Abu Jahl, adui mkuu wa Uislamu, alimwendea na kumwuliza kama alikuwa na habari yoyote. Mtume ﷺ alimwambia kuhusu safari yake ya usiku. Abu Jahl aliwaita watu wakusanyike na kusikiliza habari ya ajabu ambayo Mtume ﷺ alikuwa nayo kuwaambia. Mtume ﷺ alipofanya hivyo, baadhi yao walianza kupiga makofi kama ishara ya kukataa waliyosikia, huku wengine wakiweka mikono vichwani kwa mshangao wa kutoamini. Baadhi ya waliokuwa wamekubali Uislamu awali sasa waligeuka na kutangaza kwamba hawakuwa tena Waislamu. Wengine walimwendea Abu Bakr, sahaba wa karibu zaidi wa Mtume ﷺ, kutaka kujua mwitikio wake. Walipomhakikishia kwamba Muhammad ﷺ kweli alidai kwamba alirudi Yerusalemu na kurudi usiku mmoja, Abu Bakr alisema: "Ikiwa kweli amesema hivyo, basi anasema kweli." Walipoonyesha mshangao wao kwamba angeamini hadithi ya ajabu kama hiyo, Abu Bakr alisema: "Kuna nini cha kushangaza? Mimi ninamwamini anaposema jambo lenye kueleweka hata zaidi kuliko hilo."
One report quotes the Prophet as saying: “As I was in the mosque, at Ĥijr Ismā`īl, half asleep, Gabriel came to me with al-Burāq...” It is also reported that his journey began from the house of his cousin Umm Hānī. This report is acceptable on the basis that the term, ‘the Sacred Mosque’, includes the whole Ĥaram area, which surrounds the mosque. Ibn `Abbās is reported to have said, “The whole of the Ĥaram area is a mosque.” It is also reported that he was sleeping in Umm Hānī’s house when he was taken on his journey and returned home before the night was over. He related the event to his cousin and told her: “I saw the prophets and led them in prayer.” As he was about to leave to go to the mosque, she stopped him, saying: “I fear that people will not believe you if you tell them what you have just told me.” The Prophet made clear his intention to tell them, ‘even though they would not believe me.’ When the Prophet sat in the mosque, Abū Jahl, the arch-enemy of Islam, went to him and asked him whether he had any news. The Prophet told him of his night journey. Abū Jahl called on people to gather and listen to the strange news the Prophet had to tell them. As the Prophet did so, some of them started clapping as a gesture of rejecting what they heard while others put their hands on their heads in disbelief. Some who had earlier accepted Islam now turned away declaring that they were no longer Muslims. Some went to Abū Bakr, the Prophet’s closest Companion, to find out what his reaction would be. When they assured him that Muĥammad actually claimed to have made the return journey to Jerusalem overnight, Abū Bakr said: “If he has actually said this, he is telling the truth.” When they expressed their amazement that he would believe such a singular story, Abū Bakr said: “What is so surprising? I do believe him when he says something even more incomprehensible.
"Anasema kwamba anapokea wahyi kutoka juu mbinguni, nami namwamini." Kisha Abū Bakr akapewa jina la Şiddīq, ambalo linaashiria 'muumini wa kweli na imara'.
He says he receives revelations from on high and I believe him.” Abū Bakr was then given the title Şiddīq, which denotes ‘a true and firm believer’.
Baadhi yao walikuwa wamewahi kwenda Yerusalemu, kwa hiyo wakamwomba Nabii ﷺ amwelezee. Picha yake ilinyanyuliwa mbele ya macho yake, naye akawaelezea kwa undani.
Some of them had been to Jerusalem and so asked the Prophet to describe it to them. Its picture was raised before his eyes and he described it to them in detail.
Walisema kwamba maelezo yake yalikuwa sahihi. Kisha wakamwomba awaeleze kuhusu msafara wao wa biashara na itakapowasili. Akawaambia idadi ya ngamia wake na hali yake wakati huo. Aliwaambia zaidi kwamba utawasili wakati wa kuchomoza kwa jua siku fulani, ukiongozwa na ngamia mweupe. Siku aliyoweka Nabii ﷺ, walitoka kuhakikisha msafara unawasili. Jua lilipoanza kuchomoza, wakasema:
They said that his description was accurate. They then asked him to tell them about their trade caravan and when it would arrive. He told them the number of its camels and its condition at the time. He further told them that it would arrive at sunrise on a particular day, headed by a white camel. On the day appointed by the Prophet, they went out to make sure the caravan arrived. When the sun began to rise, they said:
Hapa ni jua likichomoza. Kisha wakatazama wakasema: Na hapa ni msafara ukiongozwa na ngamia mweupe, kama alivyosema Muhammad ﷺ. Hata hivyo bado walikataa kuamini.
Here is the sun rising. Then they looked and said: And here is the caravan headed by a white camel, just like Muĥammad said. Yet still they refused to believe.
Usiku huo huo, Mtume ﷺ alipaa kutoka Yerusalemu hadi mbinguni. Wanazuoni wametofautiana kuhusu kama Mtume ﷺ alisafiri safari hii ya usiku akiwa macho au kama ilikuwa safari ya ndoto. Imepokewa kwamba `Ā’ishah, mke wake, alisema: "Kwa Mungu, mwili wa Mtume ﷺ haukuwahi kupotea, bali ni roho yake iliyopaa." Imepokewa pia kwamba al-Ĥasan alisema kwamba yote hayo yalikuwa ndoto aliyoiona. Riwaya nyingine zinaonyesha wazi kwamba ilikuwa safari aliyoifanya kwa mwili na roho, na kwamba kitanda chake bado kilikuwa cha joto aliporudi.
On the same night, the Prophet ascended from Jerusalem to heaven. Disagreement among scholars touches on the point of whether or not the Prophet went on this night journey when he was awake or if it was a dream-like journey. It is reported that `Ā’ishah, his wife, said: “By God, the Prophet’s body was never missing, but it was his soul which ascended.” Al-Ĥasan is reported to have said that it was all in a dream he saw. Other reports make it clear that it was a journey he took, body and soul, and that his bed was still warm when he came back.
Kwa mujibu wa riwaya zote tulizo nazo, maoni yenye uzito zaidi ni kwamba Mtume ﷺ aliondoka kitandani mwake nyumbani kwa binamu yake na kwenda Al-Ka`bah. Alipokuwa Ĥijr Ismā`īl, akiwa ameamka nusu, alichukuliwa katika safari yake hadi Yerusalemu, na kutoka huko alipaa mbinguni, kisha akarejea kitandani mwake ambacho bado kilikuwa na joto.
The weightier view, on the basis of all the reports we have, is that the Prophet left his bed in his cousin’s home and went to the Ka`bah. When he was at Ĥijr Ismā`īl, half awake, he was taken on his journey to Jerusalem and from there he ascended to heaven, before returning to his bed which was still warm.
Baada ya kufafanua haya, hatuoni umuhimu mkubwa wa mabishano marefu ambayo watu wamekuwa wakiyafanya zamani, na bado wanayafanya, kuhusu asili ya tukio hili ambalo bila shaka lilitokea. Kama lilikuwa safari ya kimwili au ya kiroho, au ono alilokuwa nalo akiwa macho au akiwa amelala, hilo halileti tofauti kubwa. Kuseme kwamba lilikuwa tendo la kufunua pazia lililomwezesha Nabii ﷺ kuona mahali pa mbali na walimwengu wengine kwa muda mfupi, hakubadilishi sana asili ya tukio hili. Wale wanaofahamu hata kidogo asili ya uwezo wa Mungu na asili ya unabii hawataona chochote cha ajabu katika tukio hili. Kwa uwezo na nguvu za Mungu, mambo yote, yanayoonekana rahisi au magumu kwa viwango vyetu vya kibinadamu na kulingana na yale yanayotufahamika, ni sawa. Yale yanayotufahamika katika ulimwengu wetu hayapaswi kuchukuliwa kuwa kipimo cha kutoa hukumu kuhusu uwezo wa Mungu. Asili ya unabii ni kiungo cha uhusiano na Mungu, ambacho hakiwezi kulinganishwa na chochote kinachofahamika katika maisha ya kibinadamu. Kwamba mahali au ulimwengu wa mbali ulioneshwa kwa Nabii ﷺ, au kwamba Nabii ﷺ alitembelea mahali kama hapo kwa njia tunazozijua au tusizozijua, si jambo la ajabu wala la kimuujiza zaidi kuliko yeye kupokea ujumbe wa Mungu. Kwa hakika, Abū Bakr aliliweka jambo hili katika mtazamo wake sahihi alipowaambia watu wa Makka kwamba alimwamini Nabii ﷺ katika jambo lililokuwa gumu zaidi kuelewa, yaani mafunuo aliyoyapokea kutoka juu.
Having clarified this, we do not see much point in the long arguments people have engaged in over the past, and still do, concerning the nature of this event which certainly took place. Whether it was a physical or spiritual trip, or a vision he saw while awake or asleep, does not make much difference. It does not alter much of the nature of this event to say that it was an act of unveiling that enabled the Prophet to see remote places and worlds in a brief moment. Those who understand even a little of the nature of God’s power and the nature of prophethood will find nothing strange in this event. To God’s power and ability, all matters, which appear easy or difficult by our human standards and according to what is familiar to us, are the same. What is familiar to us in our world is not to be taken as the criterion for making a judgement in relation to God’s ability. The nature of prophethood is a link with God, which may not be compared to anything familiar in human life. That a remote place or world be shown to the Prophet, or that the Prophet visited such a place by means that we know or do not know about, are no more strange or miraculous than for him to receive God’s message. Indeed Abū Bakr put the matter in its proper perspective when he told the people of Makkah that he believed the Prophet in what was even more incomprehensible: the revelations he received from on high.
Quraysh walikuwa na ushahidi mwingi wa kweli kuhusu safari hii pale walipomwomba Mtume ﷺ awaeleze kuhusu msafara wao wa biashara, na baadaye walithibitisha kila jambo dogo alilolitaja. Lakini walipaswa kuipokea habari yake kwa kukataa kabisa mwanzoni. Jambo la kuzingatia hapa ni kwamba Mtume ﷺ hakumsikiliza binamu yake, Umm Hānī, alipojaribu kumshawishi asiwaeleze kuhusu safari yake kwa kuogopa mwitikio wao kwa jambo ambalo lingeonekana kuwa haliwezekani kabisa.
The Quraysh had ample hard evidence of the truth of this journey when they asked the Prophet to tell them about their trade caravan, and their subsequent verification of every point of detail he mentioned. But they were bound to meet his story with total disbelief at first. The point to be noted here is that the Prophet did not listen to his cousin, Umm Hānī, when she tried to persuade him not to tell them about his journey for fear of their reaction to what would sound totally impossible.
Imani ya Mtume ﷺ juu ya ukweli wa ujumbe wake na uhalisia wa safari yake ilikuwa kubwa kiasi kwamba alitoka na kuwaambia, bila kujali sana jinsi watakavyopokea habari zake. Dhamira yake ilikuwa kuwafikishia ujumbe wake kikamilifu, wala hakuwa mtu wa kukwepa wajibu wake ﷺ. Baadhi ya wale waliokuwa wameiamini dini mpya walirudi nyuma.
The Prophet’s trust in the truth of his message and the reality of his journey was such that he went out and told them, paying little heed to how they would receive his news. His mission was to convey to them his message complete, and he was not one to evade his duty. Some of those who had believed in the new faith turned back.
Makafiri walipata katika hadithi yake nyenzo za kudhihaki na kutilia shaka kila alichosema. Lakini hili halikumzuia hata kidogo kutangaza ukweli kama alivyouona na kuuamini. Katika hili Mtume ﷺ anawafundisha wanaolingania Uislamu katika vizazi vyote somo.
Unbelievers found in his story material for ridicule and doubt about everything he said. But none of this made him hesitate to declare the truth as he saw and believed it. In this the Prophet teaches a lesson to the advocates of Islam across all generations:
Wanapaswa kutangaza ukweli waziwazi katika hali zote. Wasiogope mwitikio utakaotokana na hilo. Wasijaribu kuirekebisha imani yao ili ilingane na yale watu wanayopenda kusikia.
they must declare the truth plainly in all situations. They should not fear what reaction this brings about. They must not try to tailor their faith so as to fit in with what people like to hear.
Tunapaswa pia kuzingatia kwamba Nabii Muhammad ﷺ hakujaribu kuelezea tukio hilo kama muujiza au tukio la kimaajabu ambalo lingewafanya watu waamini ujumbe wake. Kwa kweli, watu walikuwa daima wakimwomba muujiza ili kuthibitisha madai yake. Sasa walikuwa na tukio la kimuujiza, na walijua kuwa ni kweli walipothibitisha maelezo yote aliyoyataja Nabii ﷺ. Uislamu hautegemei matukio ya kimuujiza ili kujitambulisha kwa watu. Badala yake, unategemea tu asili ya ujumbe wake na mvuto wake wa moja kwa moja kwa maumbile ya binadamu yanapokuwa yametakaswa na mvutano wote wa kupotosha. Nabii ﷺ alipozungumzia safari yake, hakutaka kuifanya kuwa ushahidi wa kuthibitisha ukweli wa ujumbe wake. Alitaja tu tukio la kweli, kwa sababu tu lilikuwa kweli.
We also note that the Prophet did not try to describe the event as a miracle or a supernatural happening that would make people believe in his message. In fact they were always asking him for a miracle to prove his claims. Now they had the miraculous event and they knew it to be true when they verified the details the Prophet identified. Islam does not rely on miraculous events to present itself to people. Instead it relies only on the nature of its message and its direct appeal to human nature when it is purged of all corrupting influences. When the Prophet spoke out about his journey, he did not seek to make it proof confirming the truth of his message. He only stated a true event, purely and simply because it was true.