During the blessed night journey (al-mi'raj) of Prophet Muhammad (peace upon him) from Mecca to Medina and then ascent (al-isra') to Jerusalem, he was thereafter taken up to the Highest Lote Tree, the boundary which Angel Jibril cannot enter upon.
From then on, the connection between the lineage of the sons of Prophet Ibrahim (peace be upon him), that of the Arabic first son Prophet Ismail (peace be upon him) and Jewish second son Prophet Ishaq (peace be upon him) is cemented. Today's Judaism, Christianity and Islam are all derived from the creed of monotheism.
Just as Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) had met all Prophets of other nations (first heaven - Prophet Adam; second heaven - Yahya ibn Zakariya i.e. John the Baptist and Isa i.e. Jesus; third heaven - Yusuf i.e. Joseph; fourth heaven - Idris i.e. Enoch; fifth heaven - Harun i.e. Aaron; sixth heaven - Musa i.e. Moses; seventh heaven - I(A)brahim - peace be upon them all) during his ascension to the levels of heavens, so were all the tenets of Islamic Deen perfected upon all Muslims, past present and future generations.
The Qur'an Karim is repleted with wonderful Parables, giving men guidance and lessons through Allegories and the mention of Allah's beautiful names. Notably, the event of Isra' Mi'raj highlighted the generosity of Allah and His favors by bestowing upon Muslims only 5 solah prayers daily but the reward equates that of 50. To such extent that even when Prophet Musa (peace be upon him) told Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) to ask Allah to reduce the 5 unit prayers, the latter was embarrassed to do so.
An analysis of the Repeated Verses showcase the crucial messages of Qur'an:
24 repetitions -
"So which of the favors of your Lord would you deny?" (55:77)
10 repetitions -
"Woe, that Day, to the deniers." (77:49)
8 repetitions -
"And indeed, your Lord - He is the Exalted in Might, the Merciful." (26:191)
7 repetitions -
"So which of the favors of your Lord would you deny?" (55:75)
"So fear Allah and obey me." (26:179)
"Ha, Meem." (46:1)
6 repetitions -
"Indeed in that is a sign, but most of them were not to be believers." (26:190)
5 repetitions -
"And I do not ask you for it any payment. My payment is only from the Lord of the worlds." (26:180)
"Alif, Lam, Meem." (32:1)
"Indeed, We thus reward the doers of good." (77:44)
"Indeed, I am to you a trustworthy messenger." (26:178)
4 repetitions -
"And We have certainly made the Qur'an easy for remembrance, so is there any who will remember?" (54:40)
"And they say, "When is this promise, if you should be truthful?" (67:25)
3 repetitions -
"Indeed, he was of Our believing servants." (37:132)
"So exalt the name of your Lord, the Most Great." (69:52)
"And how [severe] were My punishment and warning." (54:30)
How does a common person like you and I attain the high spirituality of the Prophets who are chosen for the arduous task of leading mankind to repentance and goodness?
The Deen comprises Islam, Iman (faith) and Ihsan (Allah-consciousness). These may vary in intensity from birth, across childhood, adolescence, adulthood and old age. Since one cannot predict death, we must always strive to ensure that we are truth to the goodly souls and reject the evil whisperings.
Seeking refuge with Allah from the accursed whose aim is to misguide us, we pray to Allah fervently to give us strength and be amongst the grateful ones.
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THE MUSLIM PRAYER
During Solah, the goodly souls meet and there is direct communication with Allah.
What differentiates the Islamic way of praying from that of other faiths? In Islam, there is no statue or image being worshipped because Allah has no form. Muslims pray in the direction of Ka'ba at Mecca, believed to be a replica of a home in Heaven.
With regards to a famous incident where Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), in his fervor to convert the Quraysh leaders, had ignored the blind Ibn Umm Maktum. And Allah had sent down a revelation in rebuke. Thereafter the Messenger kindly and generously gave humble words to him: "Welcome unto him on whose account my Sustainer has rebuked me.” This proved that although blind, Allah knew Ibn's sincerity.
As such, there is no room for us to neglect the sincere worshipper. There are important references to Prophets with regards to blindness. Prophet Isa (peace be upon him) cured the blind. Prophet Ya'kob (peace be upon him) became blind due to his grief over Prophet Yusuf (peace be upon him). Thus the inner dimension of one's spirit is linked to physical ailments. And prayer assists one to overcome the worldly pain and strive to attain inner peace.
While many faiths disregard the existence of the soul, it is incumbent upon Muslims to believe in the unseen. That angels record our good and bad deeds. And there is a day of judgement to account for these fairly. And the first deed to be judged is that of prayers.
Muslims all around the world make it a point to visit the home of the Prophet in Madina and Allah's home at Mecca at least once in their lifetime. The rewards of prayer in these holy lands and mosques surpass that at other places combined, including at Al-Aqsa in Jerusalem.
BASIS OF SYAHADAH
Testimony of faith in Allah is at the pinnacle of the Deen. These Qur’anic verses sum up beautifully why we exercise our free will and embrace Islam...
Everyone who dwells upon the earth must pass away, yet the Face of your Lord still abides, in Majesty and Glory. (55:26,27)
Unto Him good words ascend, and the righteous deed He does exalt. (35:10)
He directs the business [of His entire creation] from the heaven to the earth, then it goes up to Him in one day, the measure of which is a thousand years by your reckoning. (32:5)
He knows the secret and [what is yet] more deeply hidden. (20:7)
He is Cognizant ['Alim] of what is in the breasts [of men]. How should He not know, He who created? And He is the Subtle One [Latif], the All- Aware [Khabir]. (67:14)
He has indeed counted them, and He has numbered them exactly. And every one of them shall come to Him on the Day of Resurrection, all alone. (19:94,95)
The Hour is surely coming, but I would rather keep it hidden, so that every soul may be recompensed for what it is striving to achieve. (20:15)
So He may reward those who do evil with what they have done, and so He may reward those who do good with goodness. (53:31)
Lord of the Throne, the All-Glorious, Doer of what He will. (85:15,16)
Every day He is about some awesome business [kulla yawmin Huwa fi sha'n]. (55:29)
And the heavens are rolled up in His right hand. (39:67)
To those who do good belongs the finest-and an extra reward! [li'lladhina ahsanu'l-husna wa ziyada]. (10:26)
That day will faces be resplendent, looking toward their Lord. (75:22,23)
Those who bear the Throne, and those who are around it, proclaim the praise of their Lord and believe in Him, and they ask forgiveness for those who believe, [saying]: "Our Lord, You embrace all things in mercy and knowledge; therefore forgive those who repent and follow Your way. Ward off from them the punishmentof Hell!" (40:7)
And you shall see the angels circling around the Throne. (39:75)169
The All-Merciful has established Himself upon the Throne [ar-Rahmanu 'ala'l-'arshi 'stawaj. (20:5) ...then established Himself upon the Throne, the All- Merciful.... [thumma'stawa 'ala'l-'arshi'r-Rahmanu...]. (25:59)
Unto Him good works ascend, and the righteous deed He does exalt. (35:10)
There is no god but He [la ilaha ilia Hu]. His are the Most Beautiful Names [lahu'l-asma'u'l-husna], (20:8)
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