Is there any harm in this, or not?
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The questioner : He says: O esteemed Shaykh, many of the preachers in the congregational mosques during this month deliver sermons about the Night Journey and the Ascension. Is there any harm in this, or not?
The Shaykh : Yes. I see that it is not appropriate, because a sermon about the Night Journey and the Ascension in this month implies affirming that the Ascension took place in this month, and that is an error. The closest of the opinions regarding the Ascension is that it occurred in Rabi' al-Awwal, because Rabi' al-Awwal is the beginning of revelation to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). He was first initiated with revelation in Rabi' al-Awwal, and he used to see true dreams that were as clear as the break of dawn. Then, in Ramadan, the Qur'an was revealed to him. So the closest thing that can be said, although there is no explicit, authentic text, is that it was in Rabi' al-Awwal and not in Rajab. Therefore, preachers should not recite about the Ascension in their sermons in this month, because that means establishing it. And if it becomes established in the hearts of the common people, what will it become? It will become a belief. Yes.
The Shaykh : Yes. I see that it is not appropriate, because a sermon about the Night Journey and the Ascension in this month implies affirming that the Ascension took place in this month, and that is an error. The closest of the opinions regarding the Ascension is that it occurred in Rabi' al-Awwal, because Rabi' al-Awwal is the beginning of revelation to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). He was first initiated with revelation in Rabi' al-Awwal, and he used to see true dreams that were as clear as the break of dawn. Then, in Ramadan, the Qur'an was revealed to him. So the closest thing that can be said, although there is no explicit, authentic text, is that it was in Rabi' al-Awwal and not in Rajab. Therefore, preachers should not recite about the Ascension in their sermons in this month, because that means establishing it. And if it becomes established in the hearts of the common people, what will it become? It will become a belief. Yes.