Citadel Foundation

The Prophet of Islam (Peace be upon Him) began his historical night journey, along with the trusted protector of the revelation, the Angel Jibra'il from the house of Umm al ­Hani, the daughter of his uncle and sister of Amir alMo'minin 'Ali  in the blessed city of Makkah. With the aide of his steed alBuraq, he traveled to Bait alMuqaddas, which (at that time) was located in the country of Jordan and is also known as Masjid alAqsa (the Furthest Masjid). He disembarked at this place and in a very short period of time, visited various places inside the Masjid  including Bait alLaham, the birthplace of `Isa alMasih  , in addition to the houses and other important places of the various Prophets. In some of these places, he even recited a two Rak`at Salat.

In the next stage (of his journey) he traveled from this spot to the heavens, where he was witness to the celestial bodies and the entire universe. He spoke with the spirits of the (previous) Prophets and the Angels; he saw from very close both Paradise and Hell; and the various stages and levels of the people of Paradise and those in Hell. It was these unknowns of the creation, the secrets of the origin of the Universe, the expanse of the world of creation, and the unlimited power of Allah the Highest, that he was given complete knowledge of.

Subsequently, he continued on with his journey until he reached to the region known as Sidratul ' Muntaha, a place that was covered in grandeur and magnificence. It was from this same path that he traversed that he returned, and upon coming back, once again visited to Bait alMuqaddas, proceeded on to Makkah and then to his home. On the return trip, he came across a trade caravan from the tribe of the Quraish who during their journey had lost one of their camels which they were searching for. The Prophet (Peace be upon Him) drank from the water that the people of the caravan had with them and by the rising of the morning sun, reached back to the house of Umm alHani.

Upon his return, the Prophet (Peace be upon Him) told Umm alHani of the secrets (that he saw) and that evening, in a gathering of the people of the Quraish, lifted all the curtains of the secrets of the Me'raj and his journey and opened their minds to this event. The word of his travels spread from mouth to mouth amongst all the groups, and now more than ever, the Quraish were upset (with him).

The Quraish, as was their oldtime habit, belied the Prophet (Peace be upon Him) and in the gathering, a man stood up and asked if there was anyone in Makkah who has seen Bait alMuqaddas so that he could ask the Prophet(Peace be upon Him) in regards to the physical building. Not only did the Prophet(Peace be upon Him) describe the physical particularities of Bait al ­Muqaddas, rather, he even informed them of the event that took place between Makkah and Bait alMuqaddas  and it was not long after that the travelers (of that caravan) reported the exact events (as had occurred).