International Sufi Order

Pietermaritzburg

South Africa

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Between The Two Nights

Extracted From The Strategic Significance Of The Fast Of Ramadaan And Isra And Mi’raj

By Imran N. Hosein

The Mi'raj was the most important event in the life of the Holy Prophet (Peace be upon him, his family and his companions) This is so because the Mi'raj culminated with the Messenger of Allah (Peace be upon him, his family and his companions) actually meeting with his Lord. According to the Qur'aan the believer's life has to be lived entirely for the sake of Allah. The ultimate goal in life for the believer is to 'meet with his Lord' as stated in the18^th Sura al-Kahf: Verse 110

Whoever expects to meet his Lord,

Therefore the ultimate goal in life of the believer is to experience a personal Mi'raj which will spiritually transport him to a to a contact or meeting with his Lord which is appropriate to his spiritual state.

The Mi'raj or ascension of the Prophet to the special Divine presence took place on 27 Rajab. This date appears to be linked in the Islamic calendar to 27 Ramadan, the likely day of the 'night of power' (lailatul qadr).

It seems that this period of two months is a special season in which the collective spirituality is progressively enhanced until finally the individual effort of even the average worshipper elevates him to eligibility for some form of religious experience. This, in turn, launches him on a path of spiritual growth.

The progressive enhancement begins on 27 Rajab when the worshipper refreshes his memory about the Prophet's Mi'raj and reminds himself that the five daily prayers (Salat) which were brought ‘down’ from 'above' in the Mi'raj, are the vehicle for his personal Mi'raj. He thus pays serious attention to improving the quality of his Salaat. This involves, most of all, developing a 'devout' frame of mind.

In the month of Shabaan he follows the example (Sunnah) of the Prophet (Peace be upon him, his family and his companions)-a trial run, really, to prepare the body and the mind for the rigors of the fast of Ramadan Thus the preliminary fast of Shabaan is added to (Salaat) and worship moves into a higher gear. On 1 Ramadan not only does the compulsory fast for all (adult) Muslims begin but also there is qiyam al-lail or the prayers of tarawih, when it is customary for the entire Qur'aan to be recited. Fasting, the night-time prayer vigil and the recitation of the Qur'aan have a dramatic impact in effecting a substantial qualitative improvement of worship.

When on 21 Ramadan the withdrawal from worldly affairs and seclusion in the Masjid ('itikaj) for ten days commences, the worshippers reach a pitch or intensity of worship, which makes this period most conducive (spiritually) for religious experience.

Finally comes 27 Ramadan, the night of power (Iailatu-l qadr) when Allah sends down the angels and Gabriel for' every errand', (Qur'aan, 97:4) - i.e. to bestow, among other things, the supreme gift of Miraj to all those who have deserved it or who have earned it.

When the Qur'aan asserts that 'the night of power (Iailtul qadr) is superior to a thousand months', (Qur'aan 97:3) the implication is that that which can best be experienced on that night (namely spiritual experience which launches spiritual growth) is better than an entire lifespan (a thousand months standing for an average lifespan) lived without it.

There are profound psychological and sociological lessons to be learnt from Islam's fast of Ramadan. The enhanced collective spirituality of Ramadan, for example, literally reaches down to embrace even the weakest of the believers and to assist and strengthen his resolve to observe the fast.

Secondly, with the institution of the fast of Ramadan and its attendant charity, prayers, and the recitation of the Qur'aan, Islam takes the believer to the third stage of the process of religious development, the stage of total conformity and harmony with the externally imposed sacred law.

In the first stage, we should recall, the individual was invited to enter into Islam and to submit publicly to the Truth. In the second stage, on the other hand, the process witnessed the internalization of the externally proclaimed belief. This was the stage of faith (al- lmaan). With the fulfillment of stage three, or total conformity with the sacred law, the stage is now set for that spiritual growth (through al-Shariah, at-tariqah, al- Ma'arifah and al-Haqiqah) which is the true goal of the religious way of life.

Imran Hosein