Was the Miʿrāj of the Prophet ﷺ in a Wakeful State?
Taken from Fatāwā Amunpūrī by Shaykh Ghulam Mustafa Zaheer Amunpuri
Question:
Was the Miʿrāj of the Prophet ﷺ in a state of wakefulness?
Answer:
Yes, the Miʿrāj of the Prophet ﷺ took place in a wakeful state with his blessed body. This was his miracle, and it could only be considered a miracle if it occurred in wakefulness. Qur’ānic verses and aḥādīth indicate this clearly, and there is ijmāʿ of Ahl al-Sunnah wa al-Jamāʿah upon it.
Statement of Imām Abū Bakr al-Ājurrī (رحمه الله, d. 360 AH):
Whoever carefully considers what I have mentioned will know that Allah عز وجل carried His Prophet ﷺ with his body and intellect, not in a dream. If someone in the East says, “Last night I saw in a dream that I was in the West,” nobody will reject his claim. But if he says, “I was in the West last night (while awake),” his claim will be a lie unless such a journey is possible within the night.
Thus, had the Prophet ﷺ told Abū Jahl and others that he saw himself in Bayt al-Maqdis in a dream, they would have accepted his statement without astonishment, for people do indeed see distant places in their dreams. But when the Prophet ﷺ told them, “I was taken to Bayt al-Maqdis last night,” they were astonished, because it was in reality and in a wakeful state with his body. They said, “How could you go to Shām in one night and return by morning?”
Furthermore, when they told Abū Bakr (رضي الله عنه), “Your companion claims he was taken to Bayt al-Maqdis last night and returned the same night,” Abū Bakr confirmed it without hesitation.
All this proves to people of intellect that Allah عز وجل uniquely honored His Prophet ﷺ with the Miʿrāj in a wakeful state with his body and mind. He witnessed all that was in the heavens, entered Paradise, saw the great signs of his Lord, and had the obligation of prayer revealed to him. None of this can be called a dream — it was a real journey with his body in wakefulness.
Whoever claims it was a dream has erred, diminished the rank of the Prophet ﷺ, denied Qur’ān and Sunnah, and committed a grave offense.
[Al-Sharīʿah by al-Ājurrī: 3/1538]
Conclusion:The Miʿrāj was a real, physical journey in wakefulness, a great miracle and distinction granted exclusively to the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ.
