ISRA AND MIRAJ Q&A
    
Q: What is Isra and Miraj? A: It is the Night Journey and the Ascension,
which occurred on the 27th day of Rajab, the seventh month of the Muslim lunar
calendar.

Q: Why does Isra and Miraj fall on a different day
each year? A: Because it occurs in a lunar month, it is about
eleven days earlier each year.

Q: What is the significance of Isra and Miraj? A: Prophet Muhammad is
believed to have made a miraculous journey from Mecca to the Aqsa Mosque
in Jerusalem in 621 C.E., where he then traveled to the heavens where God
commanded him to initiate prayers five times each day.

Q: What was the significance of the occasion in
early Islamic history? A: When the Prophet Muhammad told people about the
experience, the pagans of Mecca called him crazy for claiming to have made
a round trip to Jerusalem in one night, when it required a normal
person several weeks to travel that distance. To Muslims, the event
solidified their belief in the prophethood of Muhammad, who was bestowed with a
miracle from the God. The event also established Jerusalem as a holy place
for Muslims, with its centerpiece Al-Aqsa Mosque.

Q: What does the Quran say about Isra and Miraj? A: A whole chapter in the
Quran, al-Isra (No. 17), is
named after the event. The chapter starts with the following verse:

"Glory to (Allah) Who did take His Servent for a
journey by night from the Sacred Mosque (in Mecca) to the Aqsa Mosque (in
Jerusalem) Whose precincts We did bless--in order that We might show him
(Prophet Muhammad) some of Our signs: for He is the one who hears and sees (all
things)."

Q: What does the tradition of the Prophet Muhammad
say about the significance of al-Aqsa Mosque and Jerusalem? A: Before Muslims
turned their faces toward Mecca in prayer they turned to Jerusalem. Prophet
Muhammad said that visiting al-Aqsa
mosque is a religious practice only comparable to the pilgrimage
to Mecca. The Prophet also stated that a prayer in al-Aqsa mosque is
multiplied 500 times.

Q: What is al-Haram al-Sharif (the Noble Sanctuary) in
Jerusalem? A: It denotes the Aqsa Mosque compound and used
interchangeably with Al-Aqsa Mosque.

Q: What is the Dome of the Rock? A: The structure was built by Muslims in the Aqsa
Mosque compound around the rock from which the prophet Muhammad is believed
to have ascended to heaven.

Q: Why do Muslims educate their children and
communities about Isra and Miraj? A: To remember the genesis of the most
important duty in Muslim life: the daily prayer; and to remember the significance God
has placed on Jerusalem and the Aqsa Mosque.

Q: What do contemporary Muslims do in remembrance of
the event? A: They reflect upon the references of Quran and
Hadith to the event and proclaim the historical, theological and spiritual
significance the city of Jerusalem. They also reflect on the current
situation in the city, where non-Jewish residents face discrimination their daily
lives and their ability of to visit and worship in the city is
restricted by the Israeli occupation authority.

Q: What is the appropriate way to discuss Isra and
Miraj in the classroom? A: Teachers of world religions and history can use
the occasion to discuss the significance of this historical event and
illustrate why Muslims revere Jerusalem.