The year of sorrow, Ṭaa'if and the Night Journey

The year of sorrow Shortly after the end of the boycott, around the tenth year of prophethood, the Prophet ﷺ lost his two supports one after the other: his uncle Abu Ṭaalib, who protected him before Quraysh, then his wife Khadiija, who supported him at home [À VÉRIFIER : ordre et intervalle]. The biographers called this year "the year of sorrow". Abu Ṭaalib died without having pronounced the testimony of faith, despite the Prophet's ﷺ insistence at his bedside (Bukhari 3884, Muslim 24); it was about this that the verse was revealed: "You do not guide whom you love, but Allah guides whom He wills" (meaning of verse 28:56).

Ṭaa'if Left without protection, the Prophet ﷺ set out on foot for Ṭaa'if, a town about ninety kilometres from Makkah, with Zayd ibn Ḥaaritha, to call the tribe of Thaqiif. The leaders refused and set the children and slaves on him, who threw stones at him until his feet bled (Ibn Hishaam) [À VÉRIFIER : détails]. 'Aa'isha once asked him whether he had known a harder day than the day of Uḥud. He replied that the hardest was that day at Ṭaa'if. On the way back, Jibriil came with the angel of the mountains, who offered to crush the town between the two mountains. The Prophet ﷺ replied: "Rather, I hope that Allah will bring forth from their descendants people who will worship Allah alone, associating nothing with Him" (Bukhari 3231, Muslim 1795).

The Night Journey and the Ascension After these trials, Allah honoured His Messenger. One night he was taken from the Sacred Mosque of Makkah to the Al-Aqṣaa Mosque in Jerusalem (al-israa', verse 17:1 below), on Al-Buraaq, a white mount. There he led the prophets in prayer. Then he ascended through the heavens (al-mi'raaj), where he met prophets: Aadam, 'Iisaa and Yaḥyaa, Yuusuf, Idriis, Haaruun, Muusaa, Ibraahiim. Allah prescribed fifty prayers; on Muusaa's advice, the Prophet ﷺ asked for a reduction down to five prayers, which carry the reward of fifty (Bukhari 349, Muslim 162 and 163). The date of this journey is disputed: most place it one to three years before the Hijra [À VÉRIFIER : date].

The morning The next day Quraysh mocked: a month's journey in one night! Some came to tell Abu Bakr: "Your friend claims to have gone to Jerusalem last night." He replied: "If he said it, then it is true"; that is why he is called Aṣ-Ṣiddiiq, "the truthful one" [À VÉRIFIER : référence]. The Prophet ﷺ described Jerusalem to those who knew it, and Allah made it appear before him so that he could answer their questions (Bukhari 3886, Muslim 170).

Exercise: prayer was given to the Prophet ﷺ above the heavens, after the hardest year of his life. The next time you pray, remember that it is a gift given in sorrow, and pray it as a moment of consolation.

The text: Surah Al-Israa' (17), verse 1 بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ سُبْحَانَ الَّذِي أَسْرَىٰ بِعَبْدِهِ لَيْلًا مِنَ الْمَسْجِدِ الْحَرَامِ إِلَى الْمَسْجِدِ الْأَقْصَى الَّذِي بَارَكْنَا حَوْلَهُ لِنُرِيَهُ مِنْ آيَاتِنَا ۚ إِنَّهُ هُوَ السَّمِيعُ الْبَصِيرُ ﴿١﴾

Meaning: "Glory be to the One who took His servant by night from the Sacred Mosque to the Farthest Mosque, whose surroundings We have blessed, to show him some of Our signs. He is the All-Hearing, the All-Seeing." Allah calls him "His servant": the Prophet's ﷺ greatest honour is to be the servant of Allah.

Arabic text: Tanzil Quran Text (Simple, version 1.0.2), © 2008-2010 Tanzil.net, Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 licence, reproduced without any change (http://tanzil.net). Each verse is on its own line, followed by its number; the basmala, which the Tanzil file places at the start of the first verse, is written on its own line.

Understanding the lesson

Explanation The year of sorrow shows that the Prophet ﷺ went through grief like every human being. He loved his uncle and wished for his guidance until his last breath; but verse 28:56 reminds us that guidance belongs to Allah. Our duty is to call and to love; the result does not belong to us. At Ṭaa'if, the Prophet ﷺ had the power to take revenge: the angel of the mountains was waiting for his command. He chose hope for the generations to come. Ibn Ḥajar and other scholars stress the greatness of this mercy [À VÉRIFIER : référence]. And his hope came true: Thaqiif entered Islam after the conquest of Makkah. The Night Journey comes after the trial: when the doors of the earth close, Allah opens those of heaven. Prayer, received that night, becomes the believer's daily link with his Lord. Finally, Abu Bakr's reaction teaches trusting faith: when information certainly comes from the Prophet ﷺ, the believer accepts it, even if it goes beyond what he can imagine.

Lessons to draw from it • Live through grief with patience, knowing that sadness is not a lack of faith. • Keep calling others, without being discouraged by refusals. • Choose forgiveness and hope when one could take revenge. • Know that after hardship, Allah can grant a great honour. • Take care of the five prayers, the gift of the Night Journey.

Key points to remember • Death of Abu Ṭaalib and Khadiija: the year of sorrow (around the 10th year). • 28:56: guidance belongs to Allah (Bukhari 3884, Muslim 24). • Ṭaa'if: forgiveness (Bukhari 3231, Muslim 1795). • 17:1: the Night Journey; the five prayers (Bukhari 349, Muslim 162 and 163). • Abu Bakr Aṣ-Ṣiddiiq.

The main message When everything seems closed on earth, Allah opens heaven: answer harm with hope, and make prayer your consolation.