Bismihi Ta`ala
*THE FOOT STEPS OF PROPHETS AROUND MI’RAJ.*
*Allah Ta`ala referred to Maqaame Ibrahim as the stone marked with the footsteps of Hazrat Ibrahim a.s. as His sign.*
فِيهِ آيَاتٌ بَيِّنَاتٌ مَقَامُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ
*The verse 97 of Surah 3 says that in the Haram of Makkah, there are clear signs. Amongst them is Maqame ibrahim(The foot step of Ibrahim a.s. on a stone)*
*So recommended to see the Mubarak foot step of prophet Ibrahim a.s. So Mubarak that it is recommended to face the foot step towards the Ka`bah when performing 2 rakaats wajib of Tawaaf.*
وَاتَّخِذُوا مِنْ مَقَامِ إِبْرَاهِيمَ مُصَلًّى
*When Rasouloullah Swalallahou `Alaihi Wasallam first entered Ka`bah after Victory of Makkah, he closed the door behind him. So Hazrat Ibn Umar r.a. right after that hastened to Bilaal r.a. to ask him where exactly did Rasouloullah Swalallahou `Alaihi Wasallam read salaah inside the Ka`bah. He told him between the two pillars.*
*Sahabahs were concerned with the foot steps of Rasouloullah SAW for them to follow the prophet SAW in every foot step:*
قال سمعت مجاهدا قال أتي ابن عمرفقيل له هذا رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم دخل الكعبة فقال ابن عمر فأقبلت والنبي صلى الله عليه وسلم قد خرج وأجد بلالا قائما بين البابين فسألت بلالا فقلت أصلى النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم في الكعبة قال نعم ركعتين بين الساريتين اللتين على يساره إذا دخلت ثم خرج فصلى في وجه الكعبة ركعتينبخاري *Hazrat Ibn Umar r.a. used to make sure that on the track of Hajj, he follows every stop, every pace of Rasouloullah SAW. Even the pace of his camel over the pace of camel of Rasouloullah Swalallahou `Alaihi Wasallam.(Ahmad)*
*Hazrat Aisha r.a. concluded :’’No one excelled in following Rasouloullah SAW as Ibn Umar.’’(Hayatus Sahabah)*
قال حدثنا موسى بن عقبة قال رأيت سالم بن عبد الله يتحرى أماكن من الطريق فيصلي فيها ويحدث أن أباهكان يصلي فيها وأنه رأى النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم يصلي في تلك الأمكنةبخاري *Reported in Bukhari that Ibn Umar r.a. used to read salaah exactly wherever Rasouloullah SAW read salaahs.*
*Before Mi`raj, Rasouloullah Swalallahou Alaihi Wasallam was in Makkah Mukarramah. Hazrat Jibra-eel a.s. came to take him for the Israa-Mi`raj. Although Makkah Mukarramah is the best portion on earth, but the Baitul Maqdas is the markaz and headquarters of prophets and their foot steps. So Rasouloullah Swalallahou `Alaihi Wasallam said: I put my foot steps on the place where prophets put their foot steps and I was shown Isaa a.s.(Jesus)- Musnad Ahmad.
* سُبْحَانَ الَّذِي أَسْرَى بِعَبْدِهِ لَيْلًا مِنَ الْمَسْجِدِ الْحَرَامِ إِلَى الْمَسْجِدِ الْأَقْصَى الَّذِي بَارَكْنَا حَوْلَهُ لِنُرِيَهُ مِنْ آيَاتِنَا إِنَّهُ هُوَ السَّمِيعُ الْبَصِيرُ ‘’
*Glory is He who made His servant travel by night from Masjidul Haram to Masjidul Aqsa whose environs we have blessed..’’(17:1)*
*One of the tafseer of the ‘’Barkats around Masjidul Aqsa’’ described in this ayah are said to be the tombs of prophets around Masjidul Aqsa(Qurtubi). There is concentration of the most beloved human beings that were sent generation after generation one after the other. Reported in Musnad Ahmad that the beloved prophet SAW led salaah in front of all prophets in Masjidul Aqsa:*
فَلَمَّا دَخَلَ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ الْمَسْجِدَ الْأَقْصَى قَامَ يُصَلِّي، ثُمَّ الْتَفَتَ فَإِذَا النَّبِيُّونَ أَجْمَعُونَ يُصَلُّونَ مَعَهُ، فَلَمَّا انْصَرَفَ جِيءَ بِقَدَحَيْنِ، أَحَدُهُمَا عَنِ الْيَمِينِ، وَالْآخَرُ عَنِ الشِّمَالِ، فِي أَحَدِهِمَا لَبَنٌ، وَفِي الْآخَرِ عَسَلٌ، فَأَخَذَ اللَّبَنَ فَشَرِبَ مِنْهُ، فَقَالَ: الَّذِي كَانَ مَعَهُ الْقَدَحُ أَصَبْتَ الْفِطْرَةَاحمد *This hadith is stamped Sahih by Ibn Katheer r.a. in his Tafseer.* إسناد صحيح ولم يخرجوه *Allah Ta`ala`s has wished to assemble the prophets there and also note the we will be assembled there on the day of Qiyamah. Imaam Suyuti r.a. commented the following hadith as a sahih hadith of Baihaqi and Tabrani*:
صلاة فى مسجدى هذا أفضل من أربع صلوات فى بيت المقدس ولنعم المصلى فى أرض المحشر والمنشر وليأتين على الناس زمان ولقيد سوط الرجل حيث يرى منه بيت المقدس خير له من الدنيا جميعا (البيهقى فى شعب الإيمان ، والطبرانى فى الأوسط عن أبى ذر ، ورجاله رجال الصحيح) *Salaah in this masjid of mine is 4 times more virtuous than Salaah in Baytul Maqdis(Aqsa). And indeed, praiseworthy is the person performing salaah in the land of Assembly and the land of Resurrection. A time will come upon the people such that the whip`s space of a person`s view on Baytul Maqdis will be more cherish than anywhere in the whole world.(Tabrani;Baihaqi)*
*Note that one of the reasons why the beloved prophet SAW went to Jerusalem is to put his Mubarak pace upon a special place whereby prophets used to stand. It is reported in a Sahih hadith of Musnad Ahmad that the beloved prophet SAW said: ‘’On the night of ascension(Mi`raj), I put my feet on the place that the prophets used to put their feet in Baytul Maqdis and hence I was presented to Isaa a.s….’’(Ahmad)*
حَدَّثَنَا بَكْرُ بْنُ عِيسَى أَبُو بِشْرٍ الرَّاسِبِيُّ، قَالَ: سَمِعْتُ أَبَا عَوَانَةَ، حَدَّثَنَا عُمَرُ بْنُ أَبِي سَلَمَةَ، عَنْ أَبِيهِ، عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ، أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَالَ: ” لَيْلَةَ أُسْرِيَ بِي وَضَعْتُ قَدَمَيَّ حَيْثُ تُوضَعُ أَقْدَامُ الْأَنْبِيَاءِ مِنْ بَيْتِ الْمَقْدِسِ، فَعُرِضَ عَلَيَّ عِيسَى ابْنُ مَرْيَمَ . قَالَ: فَإِذَا أَقْرَبُ النَّاسِ بِهِ شَبَهًا عُرْوَةُ بْنُ مَسْعُودٍ، وَعُرِضَ عَلَيَّ مُوسَى، فَإِذَا رَجُلٌ ضَرْبٌ مِنَ الرِّجَالِ، كَأَنَّهُ مِنْ رِجَالِ شَنُوءَةَ، وَعُرِضَ عَلَيَّ إِبْرَاهِيمُ . قَالَ: فَإِذَا أَقْرَبُ النَّاسِ شَبَهًا بِصَاحِبِكُمْاحمد *As such, placing your feet with respect upon the Mubarak footsteps of prophets would benefit us spiritually.*
*It is sunnah to go put your feet on the foot steps of prophets. In these days when access of Baitul Maqdis is difficult to Palestinians, we urge the muslim ummah to go visit Masjidul Aqsa in Jerusalem. Because Allah Ta`ala sent Buraaq from heaven to take Rasouloullah SAW from Makkah to Masjidul Aqsa in Jerusalem.* *From there Rasouloullah SAW went upwards towards the skies.* *Know that it is recommended to tie Ihraam from Baitul Maqdis and then proceed for Umrah or Hajj from there.*
عَنْ أُمِّ سَلَمَةَ، زَوْجِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَالَتْ: سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ يَقُولُ: ” مَنْ أَهَلَّ مِنَ الْمَسْجِدِ الْأَقْصَى بِعُمْرَةٍ، أَوْ بِحَجَّةٍ، غُفِرَ لَهُ مَا تَقَدَّمَ مِنْ ذَنْبِهِمسند احمدصَحِيحِ ابْنِ حِبَّانَ *Our mother, Hazrat Umme Salma radiyallu `anha, the wife of the prophet SAW, reported that she heard the the beloved Prophet (Swalallahou `alaihi wasallam) saying:*”WHOEVER WEARS THE IHRAAM OF HIS UMRAH OR HIS HAJJ AT MASJID Al AQSA(JERUSALEM) -AND THEN PROCEED TO MAKKAH- THEN HE WILL HAVE ALL HIS SINS FORGIVEN.” (Sahih Ibn Hibbaan, Ahmad).* عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ عَمْرٍو عَنْ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَالَ لَمَّا فَرَغَ سُلَيْمَانُ بْنُ دَاوُدَ مِنْ بِنَاءِ بَيْتِ الْمَقْدِسِ سَأَلَ اللَّهَ ثَلَاثًا حُكْمًا يُصَادِفُ حُكْمَهُ وَمُلْكًا لَا يَنْبَغِي لَأَحَدٍ مِنْ بَعْدِهِ وَأَلَّا يَأْتِيَ هَذَا الْمَسْجِدَ أَحَدٌ لَا يُرِيدُ إِلَّا الصَّلَاةَ فِيهِ إِلَّا خَرَجَ مِنْ ذُنُوبِهِ كَيَوْمِ وَلَدَتْهُ أُمُّهُ فَقَالَ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ أَمَّا اثْنَتَانِ فَقَدْ أُعْطِيَهُمَا وَأَرْجُو أَنْ يَكُونَ قَدْ أُعْطِيَ الثَّالِثَةَابن ماجة *Hazrat suleiman a.s. asked this du`as for all those who will come and do salaah in Masjidul Aqsa-Jerusalem: *O Allah forgive that person such that he becomes as sinless as the day he was born.(Ibn Majah)*
*In these days when Mi`raj is talked a lot, then make sure that your next trip, you visit the Mi`raj place: Baitu Maqdis. Do salaah there every place known where the beloved prophet SAW walked, stepped. Try to wear Ihraam from there and visit Masjidul Aqsa, the Masjid whereby Rasouloullah SAW climbed from there to the heavens.*
Mufti Mackoojee