al-Siraj al-Wahhaj li-Mahw Abatil al-Shalabi an al-Isra wal-Miraj
- Author died
- 1413 AH
- Editions
- Maktabat al-Ma'arif
al-Siraj al-Wahhaj li-Mahw Abatil al-Shalabi ‘an al-Isra’ wal-Mi‘raj (The Blazing Lamp for Eradicating al-Shalabi's Falsehoods Regarding the Night Journey and Ascension) is a theological treatise written by the Saudi scholar Hammud ibn Abdullah al-Tuwayjiri (d. 1413 AH / 1992 CE) to refute modern rationalist interpretations of the Prophet Muhammad's ﷺ Night Journey and Heavenly Ascension (al-Isra' wal-Mi'raj).
Background and Purpose
The treatise was authored in direct response to a booklet by Dr. Ahmad Shalabi, a professor at Cairo University, published as the third installment in a series titled al-Maktabah al-Islamiyyah al-Musawwarah li-Kull al-A‘mar by Maktabat al-Nahdah in Cairo. In his booklet, Shalabi claimed to offer a corrective study aimed at purging the narrative of the Night Journey and Ascension from what he deemed delusions, myths, and ungrounded imagery. Al-Tuwayjiri wrote al-Siraj al-Wahhaj to defend the traditional Sunni-Salafi understanding, arguing that Shalabi had cast doubt upon authentically transmitted prophetic hadiths, corrupted creedal principles, and endorsed views contrary to established texts.
Content and Theological Arguments
The book is structured into topical sections addressing and refuting specific statements and claims excerpted from Shalabi’s treatise:
- Authentication of the Miraculous Details: Al-Tuwayjiri defends the canonical details of the journey, emphasizing that authentic narrations in Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim affirm the physical journey from Mecca to Jerusalem and the ascension through the seven heavens. These include the riding and tethering of the Buraq, meeting various prophets in the heavens, beholding Sidrat al-Muntaha and al-Bayt al-Ma'mur, seeing Gabriel in his angelic form, witnessing Paradise and Hell, and the prescription of the five daily prayers after the Prophet’s repeated consultations between God and Moses.
- Refutation of Rationalist Reinterpretations of the Buraq: Shalabi had dismissed the riding of the Buraq as a deviation and suggested speculative alternatives, such as God folding the earth in a single step. Al-Tuwayjiri counters that multiple Companions—including Anas ibn Malik, Buraydah al-Aslami, Abu Sa'id al-Khudri, Shaddad ibn Aws, and Ibn Mas'ud—explicitly narrated the riding of the Buraq, making its denial an unwarranted rejection of sound prophetic reports.
- Divine Transcendence (‘Uluww and Istiwa’): A central focus of the work is countering Shalabi's theological assertions regarding divine location. Shalabi argued that ascending towards God implies physical confinement and claimed instead that God is either in every place or transcends location altogether. Al-Tuwayjiri criticizes these views as alignments with Jahmite and pantheistic doctrines, asserting that the Ascension serves as proof for the traditional doctrine of God's transcendence above all creation and His establishment over the Throne (al-Istiwa’ ‘ala al-‘Arsh).
- Critique of Unsound Historical Narratives: Al-Tuwayjiri highlights popular, unverified expressions adopted by Shalabi, such as the claim that the Prophet returned to Mecca "before his bed grew cold" (عاد قبل أن يبرد فراشه), noting that this phrasing lacks any basis in authentic hadiths or classical books of sirah and history.
- Critique of Contemporary Hadith Skepticism: The author refutes Shalabi’s reliance on Sheikh Abd al-Jalil Isa, who claimed that variations among the seven narrations of the Ascension in Sahih al-Bukhari strip them of authentic status. He also accuses Shalabi of misrepresenting classical authorities by attributing fabricated statements to the historian and exegete Ibn Kathir.
Publication History
The work was printed in Riyadh by Maktabat al-Ma‘arif in 1406 AH (132 pages).
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