Last night I attended a lecture by Shaykh Amin in which he delivered a fresh perspective on the Israa wal Mi’raaj, one through the lens of constant companionship.
What made him to say what he said
When the news of the journey by night
Celebrated on tongues, danced in hearts that were dead
To the songs of rejection and spite;
But what made him do what he did
(This companion we call Al-Siddeeq)
Is a knowledge so subtle, entirely hid
Except to the one bent to seek.
Destined to be standing by our
Most beloved Rasul and Nabi
In a dark little cave in a difficult hour
As hard as an hour could be,
To join him to Yathrib, and there
Through the battles and stretches of peace,
To remain his companion beyond all compare,
With a love never knowing decrease.
And so on the night when the Lord
Took his slave on a mount that was bound
Past the waters the reaches of time cannot ford
Where all matter and space run aground;
It is true that Jibreel could not walk
Past the Lote, that magnificent tree,
It is where none of angel or human may flock
But for our beloved Nabi;
Above, the Nabi with his Lord,
While below was his friend rapt in prayer:
Did The Lord to his worshipping slave so afford
This companion in every affair.
The observation regarding Abu Bakr’s (RA) engagement in worship during the course of the prophetic journey is attributed to Shaykh al-Akbar, Muhyiddin ibn ‘Arabi.