QASEEDAH ME’RAAJIYAH
By the beloved of Rasoolu-Allah, the Nightingale of Medinah & Reviver of Islam:
A’ala Hadhrat Imam Ahmed Raza Khan alQadri.
(May Allah be pleased with him)
THE ODE OF THE PROPHET’S ASCENSION
Translation & Commentary:
Aqib Farid alQadri
(May he be forgiven)
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The Isra and Me’raaj – the Journey and the Ascension – occurred on the 27th Night of Rajab in the 12th year of the proclamation of Hadhrat Mohammed’s Prophet-hood (Allah’s blessings and peace be upon him); it is truly a magnificent, unique miracle and honour – that none was bestowed with before this and none shall ever be bestowed with until the Last Day; the Holy Prophet was taken from the Holy Mosque in Makkah to the Masjid alAqsa in Jerusalem; and he was showed some of the signs there – this is called “Isra”; anyone who denies this is out of the pale of Islam, for it is a denial of the explicit verses of the Holy Qur’an; the Holy Prophet was then taken to the seven skies and beyond the Great Throne and the Chair, finally to be blessed with the vision of Allah the Supreme. This is called the “Me’raaj” or the Ascension; those who deny the “Me’raaj” or claim that it occurred only in a dream, are deemed heretics, and out of Ahle-Sunnah, for they are denying several authentic prophetic narrations.
This magnificent ode by A’ala Hadhrat details the beauty and splendor of the unique journey that took place in a small part of the night; this ode itself is also a wonder – for this ode consisting of 67 extremely beautiful verses was written in a short time of about 2 hours only.
A famous poet named Mohsin Kakorwi had come to the court of A’ala Hadhrat and wanted to present his poem on the Me’raaj. He had hardly recited two verses, when it was time for the mid-day (Zohr) prayer; A’ala Hadhrat advised him to meet after the evening (Asr) prayer; during this short period, A’ala Hadhrat wrote this masterpiece which is considered his best poem in his entire collection called Hadaaeq e Bakhshish (The Gardens of Salvation); he read it out to the guest, who was so impressed that he decided not to present his own poem.
The great Muhaddith of India, Hadhrat Maulana Syed Mohammed Ashraf Kachhochwi once recited this ode in the presence of literary giants in Lucknow, the city of poets. He then asked their opinion about it; the poets proclaimed that its language (the beauty of its words) is as if it has been washed in the rivers of paradise. A similar incident occurred in Delhi, in which the audience said, “If you recite it over and over again, we will listen to it all our lives”.
The ode captures the atmosphere and the grandeur of the journey, whilst conveying some of the beliefs of the Ahle-Sunnah that are proven through verses of the Holy Qur’an and Prophetic narrations. A’ala Hadhrat describes the entire miracle in the form of a wedding celebration – for indeed the meeting of Allah’s Noble Messenger, with his Lord Allah, is the cause of infinite joy.
None can ever truly describe the grandeur of the blessed miracle; this humble attempt cannot even truly capture the mastery and poetic excellence inherent in each word chosen by A’ala Hadhrat; I have tried my level best to convey the meanings in the translation, whilst keeping the original words of the ode; however, this was not entirely possible, as A’ala Hadhrat has used several metaphors, which cannot be translated literally – only the meaning can be conveyed. A brief commentary was added, at the behest of my good friends.
DEDICATION:
I pray that my Lord Allah accepts the miniscule effort by this humble slave. O Allah, grant the reward of this work to your beloved prophet, all your beloved bondmen, my parents and my teachers.
Infinite blessings of Allah and salutations be upon our Master, the Holy Prophet Mohammed, his pure wives, his noble progeny, his virtuous companions and all those who rightly follow him until the Last Day. Infinite blessings and peace be upon all the prophets.
Aqib Farid alQadri
12th Rajab, 1439
(Friday, 30th March 2018)
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