The Prophet Muhammad Pocket Guide

Aishah once asked the Prophet “Have you ever experienced a day harder than the day of the battle of Uhud?” He replied, “The hardest treatment I met from them was on the Day of ‘Aqabah when I went to Ibn ‘Abd Yalil bin ‘Abd Kulal (who was one of the chiefs of Ta’if) with the purpose of inviting him to Islam, but he made no response (to my call).” An Extraordinary Journey In the tenth year of prophethood the angel Jibril came to take the Prophet on the miraculous journey to the heavens known as Mi‘raj. They first went from Makkah to Jerusalem, the Prophet riding on a winged horse. At Jerusalem, the Prophet said his prayers in the Temple of David, where all other prophets joined him in prayer. Then he ascended to the heavens still accompanied by the angel Jibril. The Prophet ascended up the seven heavens, one by one. He met prophets in each heaven. He met Adam, the forefather of man, in the first heaven. John, son of Zacharia and Jesus in the second heaven, Joseph in the third, Idris in the fourth. Aaron in the fifth and Moses in the sixth. The Prophet Moses started crying when he saw the Prophet Muhammad . When asked the reason, the Prophet Moses said he was weeping as the Prophet Muhammad would be able to lead more of his people to Paradise than he himself had done. God granted an audience to His messenger. It was on this blessed occasion that the Prophet received God’s commandments including the prayer to be said five times daily. Originally, fifty daily prayers had been ordained, but Moses asked him to return and ask for a reduction. First the prayers were reduced to 10 and then when the Prophet Muhammad‌ went back for a further reduction, the number was reduced to five. The Prophet then came back home. The Prophet was amazed to find the spot where he had lain was still warm, and the cup he had tipped over was still emptying. This incredible experience had taken place in less than a moment! The next morning, the Prophet told the Quraysh what had happened. They did not believe him. Many of the companions were amazed and wanted the Prophet to explain how such a thing could happen. But the Prophet’s description of Jerusalem, and the caravans he had seen on the way back to Makkah, convinced them he was telling the truth. The Migration to Madinah The Prophet used to convey the message of Islam to the people coming from outside Makkah. People from Yathrib (renamed as Madinatun-Nabi, the Prophet’s city) had started to accept Islam. In the thirteenth year of Prophethood, seventy two Muslims from Yathrib came for the Hajj. On behalf of their people they invited the Prophet to make Yathrib his home. These men from Yathrib pledged to protect the Prophet from his enemies. For all this sacrifice they only wanted one assurance from the Prophet: that when the Prophet gained power, he would not leave them and return to Makkah. The Prophet replied: “You have that assurance. I am yours and you are mine.”