The Dream Of Meraj And The Narration Of Sahih Muslim (Sabit Al-Bunani)
It is primarily attributed to Aisha (rta) and Muawiya (rta) they they both held this this view that Meraj was not physical. Hasan Basri seems to hold an opposite view. I am unaware whether Imam Bukhari has explicitly expressed his view anywhere or not. Primary source of these dissenting views is what Ibn-e-Ishaq (d:151H) narrated in his Seerah ( However t here is criticism on the chains of these narrations ): قَالَ الْحَسَنُ: وَأَنْزَلَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى فِيمَنْ ارْتَدَّ عَنْ إسْلَامِهِ لِذَلِكَ: {وَمَا جَعَلْنَا الرُّؤْيا الَّتِي أَرَيْنَاكَ إِلَّا فِتْنَةً لِلنَّاسِ وَالشَّجَرَةَ الْمَلْعُونَةَ فِي الْقُرْآنِ وَنُخَوِّفُهُمْ فَمَا يَزِيدُهُمْ إِلَّا طُغْيَانًا كَبِيرًا} [الإسراء: 60] . فَهَذَا حَدِيثُ الْحَسَنِ عَنْ مَسرَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ، صلى الله عليه وسلم. وَمَا دَخَلَ فِيهِ من حديث قتادة. رواية عائشة: قَالَ ابْنُ إسْحَاقَ: وَحَدَّثَنِي بَعْضُ آلِ أَبِي بَكْرٍ: أَنَّ عَائِشَةَ زَوْجَ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم كَانَتْ تَقُولُ: مَا فُقِدَ جَسَدُ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم وَلَكِنَّ الله أسرى بروحه. رواية معاوية: قَالَ ابْنُ إسْحَاقَ: وَحَدَّثَنِي يَعْقُوبُ بْنُ عُتْبَةَ بْنِ الْمُغِيرَةِ بْنِ الْأَخْنَسِ: أَنَّ مُعَاوِيَةَ بْنَ أَبِي سُفْيَانَ، كَانَ إذَا سُئِلَ عَنْ مَسْرَى رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم قال: كانت رؤيا من الله تعالى صادقة. الْإِسْرَاءُ رُؤْيَا: فَلَمْ يُنْكَرْ ذَلِكَ مِنْ قَوْلِهِمَا، لِقَوْلِ الْحَسَنِ: إنَّ هَذِهِ الْآيَةَ نَزَلَتْ فِي ذَلِكَ، قَوْلُ اللَّهِ تبارك وتعالى: {وَمَا جَعَلْنَا الرُّؤْيا الَّتِي أَرَيْنَاكَ إِلَّا فِتْنَةً لِلنَّاسِ} [الإسراء: 60] ، وَلِقَوْلِ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى فِي الْخَبَرِ عَنْ إبْرَاهِيمَ عليه السلام إذْ قَالَ لِابْنِهِ: {يَا بُنَيَّ إِنِّي أَرَى فِي الْمَنَامِ أَنِّي أَذْبَحُكَ} [الصافات: 102] ثُمَّ مَضَى عَلَى ذَلِكَ. فَعَرَفْتُ أَنَّ الْوَحْيَ مِنْ اللَّهِ يَأْتِي الْأَنْبِيَاءَ أَيْقَاظًا وَنِيَامًا. قَالَ ابْنُ إسْحَاقَ: وَكَانَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم فِيمَا بَلَغَنِي يَقُولُ: تَنَامُ عَيْنَايَ وَقَلْبِي يَقْظَانُ. وَاَللَّهُ أَعْلَمُ أَيَّ ذَلِكَ كَانَ قَدْ جَاءَهُ، وَعَايَنَ فِيهِ مَا عَايَنَ، مِنْ أَمْرِ اللَّهِ، عَلَى أَيِّ حَالَيْهِ كَانَ نَائِمًا، أو يقظان، كل ذلك حق وصدق “ Al-Hasan continued ( after narrating the whole journey of Isra and Meraj ): God sent down concerning those who left Islam for this reason: ‘We made the vision which we showed you only for a test to men and the accursed tree in the Quran. We put them in fear, but it only adds to their heinous error.’ Such is al-Hasan’s story with additions from Qatada. Narration from Aisha : Ibn-e-Ishaq said that one of Abi Bakr’s family told him that Aisha the prophet’s wife used to say: ‘The apostle’s body remained where it was but God removed his spirit by night.’ Narration from Muawiya : Ibn-e-Ishaq said that Yaqub bin Utba bin al-Mughira bin al-Akhnas told him that Muawiya bin Abi Sufyan when he was asked about the apostle’s night journey said, ‘It was a true vision from God.’ Isra was a Vision : What these two latter said does not contradict what al-Hasan said, seeing that God Himself said, ‘We made the vision which we showed you only for a test to men;’ nor does it contradict what God said in the story of Abraham when he said to his son, ‘O my son, verily I saw in a dream that I must sacrifice you’ and he acted accordingly. Thus, as I see it, revelation from God comes to the prophets waking or sleeping. Ibn-e-Ishaq said : I have heard that the apostle used to say, ‘My eyes sleep while my heart is awake.’ Only God knows how revelation came and he saw what he saw. But whether he was asleep or awake, it was all true and actually happened “ (Seerah Ibn-e-Hisham (d:213H), 2/34) (الناشر: شركة الطباعة الفنية المتحدة) View of Hassan Basri is also reported in Tafsir Al-Tabri, 14/642 (الناشر: دار هجر للطباعة والنشر والتوزيع والإعلان): حَدَّثَنِي يَعْقُوبُ، قَالَ: ثنا ابْنُ عُلَيَّةَ، عَنْ أَبِي رَجَاءٍ، عَنِ الْحَسَنِ، قَوْلُهُ {وَمَا جَعَلْنَا الرُّؤْيَا الَّتِي أَرَيْنَاكَ إِلَّا فِتْنَةً لِلنَّاسِ} [الإسراء: 60] قَالَ: أُسْرِيَ بِهِ عِشَاءً إِلَى بَيْتِ الْمَقْدِسِ، فَصَلَّى فِيهِ، وَأَرَاهُ اللَّهُ مَا أَرَاهُ مِنَ الْآيَاتِ، ثُمَّ أَصْبَحَ بِمَكَّةَ، فَأَخْبَرَهُمْ أَنَّهُ أُسْرِيَ بِهِ إِلَى بَيْتِ الْمَقْدِسِ، فَقَالُوا لَهُ: يَا مُحَمَّدُ مَا شَأْنُكَ، أَمْسَيْتَ فِيهِ، ثُمَّ أَصْبَحْتَ فِينَا تُخْبِرُنَا أَنَّكَ أَتَيْتَ بَيْتَ الْمَقْدِسِ، فَعَجِبُوا مِنْ ذَلِكَ حَتَّى ارْتَدَّ بَعْضُهُمْ عَنِ الْإِسْلَامِ “ Yaqub told me, he said: Ibn Aliyya told us, on the authority of Abu Raja, on the authority of Al-Hasan, in the saying “And We did not make the vision that we showed you anything but a trial for the people” [Al-Isra: 60] He said: He took the night journey to Jerusalem, and prayed there, and God showed him from the signs. Then in the morning he was in Mecca, and he informed them that he had been taken on the journey to Jerusalem. They said to him: O Muhammad, what is your matter? You spent the evening there, and then you became among us telling us that you had come to Jerusalem. They were astonished at that, until some of them abandoned Islam “. AND حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ بَشَّارٍ، قَالَ: ثنا هَوْذَةُ، قَالَ: ثنا عَوْفٌ، عَنِ الْحَسَنِ، فِي قَوْلِهِ {وَمَا جَعَلْنَا الرُّؤْيَا الَّتِي أَرَيْنَاكَ إِلَّا فِتْنَةً لِلنَّاسِ} [الإسراء: 60] قَالَ: قَالَ كُفَّارُ أَهْلِ مَكَّةَ: أَلَيْسَ مِنْ كِذْبِ ابْنِ أَبِي كَبْشَةَ أَنَّهُ يَزْعُمُ أَنَّهُ سَارَ مَسِيرَةَ شَهْرَيْنِ فِي لَيْلَةٍ “ Muhammad bin Bashar told us, he said: Hudha told us, he said: Awf told us, on the authority of Al-Hasan, in the saying “ And We did not make the vision that we showed you anything but a trial for the people” [Al-Isra: 60] He said: The kuffar from the people of Mecca said: Isn’t it a lie from Ibn Abi Kabsha that he claims He walked for two months in one night .” However, Ibn Qaiyyam (d:751H) writes: وقد نقل ابن إسحاق عن عائشة ومعاوية أنهما قالا: إنما كان الإسراء بروحه ولم يفقد جسده، ونقل عن الحسن البصري نحو ذلك، ولكن ينبغي أن يعلم الفرق بين أن يقال: كان الإسراء منامًا وبين أن يقال: كان بروحه دون جسده، وبينهما فرق عظيم، وعائشة ومعاوية لم يقولا: كان منامًا، وإنما قالا: أُسرِي بروحه ولم يفقد جسده، وفرق بين الأمرين، فإن ما يراه النائم قد يكون أمثالًا مضروبةً للمعلوم في الصور المحسوسة، فيرى كأنه قد عُرِج به إلى السماء أو ذهب به إلى مكة أو أقطار الأرض وروحُه لم تصعد ولم تذهب، وإنما مَلَكُ الرؤيا ضرب له المثال. والذين قالوا: عُرِج برسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم طائفتان: طائفة قالت: عرج بروحه وبدنه، وطائفة قالت: عرج بروحه ولم يفقد بدنه، وهؤلاء لم يريدوا أن المعراج كان منامًا، وإنما أرادوا أن الروح ذاتَها أسري بها وعرج بها حقيقةً، وباشرت من جنس ما تباشر بعد المفارقة، وكان حالها في ذلك كحالها بعد المفارقة في صعودها إلى السماوات سماءً سماءً حتى يُنتهى بها إلى السماء السابعة فتقف بين يدي الله عز وجل فيأمر فيها بما يشاء ثم تنزل إلى الأرض، والذي كان لرسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم ليلة الإسراء أكمل مما يحصل للروح عند المفارقة. “ Ibn-e-Ishaq reports say that both Aisha and Muawiya were reported to have said that he (the Prophet) was taken to the Night Journey by his soul, while his body did not leave. A similar view was also reported by Hasan Al-Basri ; however, it is important to take note of the differences between in saying that the Night Journey was in sleep and it was by soul without the body accompanying it. There is a great difference between the two views; Aisha and Muawiya did not say that it was in sleep, what they said was that it was by soul without body leaving; the difference between the two: what the dreamer sees are nothing but already known images in special forms. For example, he sees that he ascends into heaven or is making a trip to Mecca or to the different regions of the world, however, in reality his spirit neither ascends nor is transported. Those who have reported to us the Ascension of the Apostle of God can be divided into two groups – one group maintaining that the Ascension was in spirit and in body, and the other group maintaining that it was performed by his spirit, while his body did not leave its place. But these latter [also] do not mean to say that the Ascension took place in a dream: they merely mean that it was his soul itself which actually went on the Night Journey and ascended to heaven, and that the soul witnessed things which it [otherwise] witnesses after death. Its condition in that regard was the same as its condition after the departure, in that it ascended to the heavens, sky by sky, until it ended up in the seventh heaven, where it stood before God Almighty, and He commanded in it whatever He wished, then it descended to the earth. What was for the Messenger of God, may God bless him and grant him peace, on the night of the Isra, was superior to the [ordinary] experiences of the soul after death “. (Zaad Al-Maad, 3/48-49) (الناشر: دار عطاءات العلم (الرياض) – دار ابن حزم (بيروت))