Dear Brothers and Sisters!
We are in the Three Holy Months, the season of grace and mercy, blessing and benefaction. Inshaallah, we will welcome and enjoy the Lailat al-Mi‘raj on the night that turns Sunday to Monday. May the Almighty Allah (SWT) bestow health, peace, and well-being upon our great nation, the ummah of the Prophet Muhammad (saw), and all humanity for the sake of this night. I wish you all a blessed Lailat al-Mi‘raj.
Our Lord Almighty (SWT) states in the first verse of Surah al-Isra as follows, “Exalted is He who took His Servant [i.e., Prophet Muḥammad] 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.”
After which this surah is named, Isra means the Prophet Muhammad’s (saw) journey from the Masjid al-Haram in Makkah to the Masjid al-Aqsa in al-Quds. On the other hand, Mi‘raj means his (saw) ascension to the heavens where he witnessed Allah’s (SWT) might and greatness and was bestowed the grace, mercy, and glad tidings of Allah (SWT).
I would like to share some of the pieces of advice our Lord (SWT) has set out in the Surah al-Isra: Worship none but Allah. Be good to your parents, and should they attain old age, do not repel them, do not even say to them “fie,” but address them in terms of honor. Give the relative his right, and also the poor and the traveler. Do not be stingy and do not spend wastefully. Do not approach unlawful sexual intercourse. Do not kill the soul which Allah has forbidden, except by right, and do not pursue blood feud. Do not approach the property of an orphan. Fulfill every commitment. Give full measure when you measure and weigh with an even balance. Do not pursue that of which you do not know. Do not walk upon the earth exultantly.
With these feelings and thoughts, I congratulate the entire Islamic world on the Night of Miraj, and I pray Almighty Lord that this blessed night will lead Muslims to unity and solidarity.
Muhammet Rıfat Çınar
Imam of Tokyo Camii