Could Not Answer

there would be no reason to deny it. For the soul travels between
the east and the west in an instant when asleep. If a person’s dream
takes place in exactly the same way, it may be admitted as true; it
cannot be denied.
Mi’râj happened both spiritually and physically. Allâhu ta’âlâ is
capable to speedily move anything He wishes. For this reason,
those wise people who believe in Mi’râj and those who narrate it
can by no means be censured. Yes, Mi’râj is incompatible with the
normal course of events. But all miracles are incomptatible with
the normal course of events. Ibn Sînâ, [1]
a notable philosopher,
proves by reasonable evidences the possibility of this miracle,
which is contrary to the normal course of events, and describes its
occurrence in his book Shifâ. Those who have doubts may consult
to the book. [Principles of (Islamic) belief should be learned not
from philosophy books, but from the books of the ’ulamâ of Ahl
as-sunna.]
Furthermore, bodily ascent to heaven is not impossible
according to the people of the book, either. For it is written in the
twenty-fourth verse of the fifth chapter of Genesis and in the first
verse of the second chapter of the second book of Kings of the
Holy Bible that Ehnûh (E’noch), Elia and Elijah (E-li’jah and E-
li’sha) ‘alaihimus-salâm’ physically ascended to heaven. And it is
written in the nineteenth verse of the sixteenth chapter of the
Gospel of Mark: “So then after the Lord had spoken unto them,
he was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God.”
(Mark: 16-19) It is written in the second verse of the twelfth
chapter of the epistle written to Corinthians by Paul: “I knew a
man in Christ above fourteen years ago, (whether in the body, I
cannot tell; or whether out of the body, I cannot tell: God
knoweth;) such an one caught up to the third heaven.” (I
Corinthians: 12-2) As is seen, Îsâ ‘alaihis-salâm’ also was taken up
to heaven (mi’râj).
2 — The miracle of Shaqq-i-qamer, the splitting of the moon,
which is related in Qur’ân al-kerîm. In this respect, the objections
of the deniers, i.e. the Christian priests, are written at length in the
books of Iz-hâr-ul-haqq and As’ila-i-hikamiyya.
3 — The miracle of Remy-i-turâb. In the Holy War of Bedr,
the number of the As-hâb-i-kirâm ‘alaihimur-ridwan’ was onefourth
that of the polytheists. At a vehement time of the combat,
[1] Ibn Sînâ (Avicenna) Husayn passed away in Hemedân in 428 [A.D.
1037].
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