The Al-Azhar Global Center for Electronic Fatwas responded on Saturday to controversial remarks by journalist Ibrahim Eissa, who questioned the journey of the Israa and Miraj (The Night Journey) of the Prophet Mohamed.
During his show “Hadith al-Qahera” (Cairo Talk), broadcast on al-Qahera Wal Nas satellite channel, Eissa said that the incident of Miraj is a fictitious story, claiming that sheikhs present half-stories.
He added that the tales about Miraj are propaganda fabricated by sheikhs, who ignore the narrations that deny the reality of Miraj.
Eissa explained that the sheikhs who share these stories are typically Salafi in thought and thus biased in their beliefs.
Al-Azhar Global Center for Electronic Fatwas said in a statement that “The miracle of the Night Journey and the Miraj is one of the uninterrupted miracles of Prophet Mohamed the Messenger of God, may God’s blessings and peace be upon him, which are confirmed by the text of the holy Quran in the two surahs Al-Isra and An-Najm, and by the hadiths of the pure Prophetic Sunnah in all eras, leaving no room for staunch skepticism.”
The center stressed that: “All that is mentioned in the holy Quran and the established Sunnah of the Prophet, may God’s blessings and peace be upon him, are postulates that are absolutely not acceptable to detail its rulings and explain its jurisprudence from non-specialists; especially if they are promoters of extremist ideas and trends that provoke crises, stir up sedition, and lack the most basic standards of science, professionalism and credibility, and invest events and occasions in undermining religious sanctities and systematically challenging Islamic principles.”
For its part, the Supreme Council for Media Regulation said that the council’s monitoring committees are in the process of preparing a report on Eissa’s remarks to take legal action in the event of a violation of the media codes issued by the council.
The council requested to stay away from issues that provoke sedition in society, as the religious content code stipulates respect for the Abrahamic religions and their teachings, and to highlight religious values above all.
