Surah Isra'

Surah Isra' is a Meccan surah. It speaks about the most beautiful and spiritual journey of the Prophet Muhammad (May the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). This surah was revealed after the difficult events of Ta'if in which the Prophet (Peace be upon him) was beaten with stones to the point that his feet were covered with blood.

Surah Isra' covers the event of Isra' and Mi'raj in which the beloved Prophet of Allah was taken from Masjid al Haraam, in Meccan, to Masjid Al Aqsa, in Jeruselum and then ascended to Heaven, and then returned over the duration of one night, making a connection between these two sacred mosques. The Mi'raj was thought to be on the 27th night of Rajab in the year before the Hijrah.

This surah talks about the spiritual experiences that the Prophets go through to make the signs of Allah clear. It reminds us of the unity of the one true religion and that all the Prophets came with the same message. The Prophet has explained to us the significance of these two sacred mosques when he (Peace be upon him) said "No one should make pilgrimage or special effort to visit the holy sight, except Masjid al Haram, Masjid an Nabi and Masjid Al Aqsa.

Allah swt is taking the reader on a spiritual journey. He begins the surah by reminding us in verse 9 that Allah has provided the Qur'an as a guide for the believers to do what is right and good. Ramadan is a time when our interaction with the Qur'an increases. Allah has sent it as a guide, will we not seek the guidance from it after Ramadan? Is the Qur'an only something we use for special occasions? Our challenge is to contemplate our relationship with the Qur'an throughout the rest of the year. Is interacting with the Qur'an a part of our every day life as it should be?

The Qur'an must be a part of each of our everyday lives. It is not sufficient to be in a house where the Qur'an is present. We are in need of the guidance as Allah reminds us in verse 13 and 14 that ultimately the responsibility of ever single one of our actions is on us alone. We cannot not depend on the religiousity of our family members or friends to save us from punishment as Allah says "Every man's fate We have fastened on his own neck:" Imagine a book in which every single one of our smallest deeds is documented; each word we uttered, each thought, each deed.

We will continue the tafseer of Surah Isra' tomorrow Friday September 4, 2009