WHEN A MIRAGE IS BELIEVED TO BE A MIRAJ
A Theological Examination of Muhammad's Alleged Ascension and the Origin of the Five Daily Prayers
By Dr. Maxwell Shimba
Shimba Theological Institute
One of the foundational practices of Islam is the performance of five daily prayers (salat). According to mainstream Islamic tradition, this obligation was not established directly in the Qur'an but through the famous Isra and Mi'raj narrative preserved primarily in the Hadith literature, especially Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim.
This raises an important theological question:
If the story of the Mi'raj is the basis for the five daily prayers, how should we evaluate the narrative itself?
The Story
According to Sahih al-Bukhari, Muhammad claimed that the angel Gabriel opened his chest, purified him with Zamzam water, and took him through the seven heavens.
There he met Adam, John the Baptist, Jesus, Idris, Aaron, Moses, and Abraham before standing in God's presence.
At that point, God allegedly commanded 50 prayers every day.
As Muhammad descended, Moses questioned him.
"What has your Lord commanded your followers?"
Muhammad answered:
"Fifty prayers."
Moses replied:
"Go back to your Lord, for your followers will not be able to bear it."
Muhammad repeatedly returned to God, and after several negotiations, the requirement was reduced from fifty to five daily prayers while retaining the reward of fifty.
A Theological Question
The narrative raises several questions.
If God is all-knowing, why would He first command fifty daily prayers only to reduce them after repeated advice from Moses?
Did God not already know what humanity could bear?
The Bible repeatedly presents God as perfect in wisdom and knowledge.
"Known unto God are all His works from the beginning of the world." (Acts 15:18)
God does not discover new information through negotiation.
Does Moses Know Better Than God?
In the Mi'raj account, Moses repeatedly tells Muhammad:
"Your followers will not be able to bear it."
Each time, Muhammad returns to God for another reduction.
This creates an appearance that Moses correctly understands human limitations while God repeatedly revises His command.
From a biblical theological perspective, this portrayal raises questions about the consistency of God's omniscience and immutability.
Is Prayer Presented as a Blessing or a Burden?
The repeated statement,
"Your followers will not be able to bear it,"
appears several times throughout the narrative.
This naturally invites another question:
If prayer is a joyful privilege of fellowship with God, why is it repeatedly described in terms of an unbearable burden?
By contrast, Scripture presents communion with God as life-giving.
Jesus taught His disciples:
"When ye pray..."
Prayer is presented as a relationship between Father and child—not as an unbearable weight.
Jesus also declared:
"My yoke is easy, and my burden is light." (Matthew 11:30)
The Practical Question
Consider the original command of fifty daily prayers.
Assuming a person sleeps approximately eight hours, only sixteen waking hours remain.
Fifty prayer sessions would require praying roughly every nineteen minutes throughout the day.
This would leave little opportunity for ordinary responsibilities such as work, caring for family, study, or rest.
The narrative itself suggests that this requirement was impractical, which is precisely why Moses repeatedly urged Muhammad to seek reductions.
The Bible's Pattern
Throughout Scripture, God gives commandments with wisdom and purpose.
He never needs repeated corrections from human beings.
James 1:17 declares:
"With whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning."
God's perfect knowledge does not require revision.
The Christian Perspective
Christian faith is not founded upon a solitary heavenly journey reported centuries ago through later traditions.
The gospel rests upon the historical life, death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, witnessed by many eyewitnesses (1 Corinthians 15:3–8).
Jesus did not return from heaven with revised prayer schedules.
Instead, He taught His followers to pray:
"Our Father which art in heaven..."
Prayer in Christianity flows from grace, faith, and relationship with God through Christ.
Final Reflection
The Mi'raj narrative remains an important part of Islamic tradition, but thoughtful readers may ask whether its theological implications are consistent with the character of an all-knowing and unchanging God. Christians and Muslims answer that question differently.
For Christians, God's revelation reaches its fullness in Jesus Christ. Prayer is not portrayed as an unbearable burden negotiated downward through repeated appeals, but as a gracious invitation to draw near to God through Christ.
"Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace..."
— Hebrews 4:16 (KJV)
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