“Exalted is He who took His Servant by night from al-Masjid al-Haram to al-Masjid al- Aqsa, whose surroundings We have blessed, to show him of Our signs. Indeed, He is the Hearing, the Seeing.” – Surat Al-Israa, Ayat 1.
It is the night of the greatest of miracles, the most beautiful of gatherings, and the start of prayers…it is the night of Israa and Miraj. The term Israa refers to the Prophet’s night journey from the Holy Mosque in Makkah to Al Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem. Miraj, on the other hand, refers to the Prophet’s ascendance from Jerusalem to the seven heavens and his reaching of Sidrat Al-Muntaha. These two journeys were completed in one night on the back of an animal of Paradise called Al Buraq, under the direct guidance of Jibreel.
The Israa journey began when the Prophet prayed two rakats and then traveled to Jerusalem, where he ascended to the first heaven. The angels asked: “Who is this?” to which Jibreel responded: “Jibreel.” They asked: “Who is with you?” and he responded: “Mohammed.” They asked if Mohammed had been summoned, and Jibreel said “Yes.” The angels then said: “Welcome.” There, the Prophet met Adam and saw the Nile and Furat rivers as well as the Kawthar water. He ascended to the sky above and the angels there welcomed him the same way. He continued towards the rest of the seven heavens, welcomed by the angels in each one. In a narrative by Al Bukhari, it is said that Anas bin Malek said: “Every heaven has a prophet, and I know that Idris is in the second, Haroun is in the fourth, I cannot recall the name of the one in the fifth, Ibrahim is in the sixth, and Moussa is in the seventh, until Sidrat Al-Muntaha.”
At Sidrat Al-Muntaha, the Prophet met with Allah, and the distance between them was two bow-lengths or less. Allah told him that the Muslim nation must pray 50 prayers every day and every night. The Prophet then asked Allah to ease this burden until Allah reduced the number to only five prayers. Allah said: “I have fulfilled my obligation and relieved my worshippers.” And these are the five prayers we pray today, where worshippers line up in the mosques of Muslim countries and humble themselves before Allah for thawab.
We know that worshipping is what drives our guests to stay at Shaza Makkah in the first place, which is why we offer unique services for our pious guests. In a Hadeeth narrated by Abdullah bin Zubair, it is said that one prayer in the Holy Mosque amounts to one hundred thousand prayers, which is why we broadcast the call to prayer and prayers through speakers inside the hotel. As for your room, you’ll find a comfortable folded prayer rug waiting for you, or you can head out to the hotel mosque overlooking Al Haram Al Sharif and equipped with speakers synchronized with Al Haram Al Sharif. You can also go to the Holy Mosque using the shuttle bus provided for each prayer, or you can walk the short distance between the hotel and Al Haram Al Sharif.
