Ascensions To Heavens |
At this time God the Most High in the most beneficent and glorious manner honored the Holy Messenger. God showed him all that was in heaven and the universe in a vision. He met all the earlier Messengers and led them in prayer. He saw the Glory and the Light of God. This was the greatest favor that God could bestow upon any human being. The Messenger received forgiveness for sinners if they repent and do good. This most radiant vision, physical, as well as spiritual, is known as the Ascension, which means 'having reached the highest point', or as the 'Vision of ascension'. It gave strength to the Messenger at the darkest moment of his mission when he most needed it. For five years the
sufferings of the believers multiplied day by day. In spite of these
trials, however, more persons joined them each day. Abu Talib, the
Messenger's uncle, and Khadijah, his beloved wife, his two greatest
supporters, died. The Quraish, now finding Muhammad left without this
support, increased their persecutions. By this time the people of the city
of Medina, who used to visit Mecca each year, had heard of the Messenger's
message. Many of them embraced his teachings and they urged the Messenger
to come to Medina, sincerely pledging to stand by him at the cost of their
lives if necessary. It was in the thirteenth year after the Messenger
received the message that the Quraish became desperate enough to decide to
assassinate him and end his mission permanently. But God revealed their
evil design to the Messenger, and he was able to escape unharmed. When the
Messenger and Abu Bakr arrived in Medina, they were welcomed with great
joy by the believers, both the Medinites and the many emigrants from
Mecca, who, prior to the Messenger's departure, had slipped away to
Medina. In Medina the mission of the Messenger entered into its second and
final phase, that of an organizer of a community based on the Divine law.
While the revelations he received in Mecca were primarily concerned with
the matters of faith, the revelations which were given to the Messenger at
Medina cover a broad range dealing with all aspects of human conduct,
pertaining to food and drink, marriage and family life, morals and
manners, trade and commerce, peace and war, crime and punishment. The
religion was a way of life for the individual and for the community, and
every aspect of life is bound by its laws and practices.
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