The Vertical Escape: A Transit through the Year of Sadness

The Isra’ and Mi’raj did not happen when the world was applauding the Prophet ﷺ. It happened during the "Year of Sadness." It was God’s response to a heart worn down by loss, to a soul that felt the world slowly closing in. We are often so obsessed with "leveling up" in this crowded, material race. But the Buraq—that small, humble creature—teaches us a different lesson. To truly rise, you have to travel light. You have to let go of what keeps you tied down. Perhaps we fail to move forward simply because we are too attached to the noise of the earth.

When the Prophet ﷺ led the prayer at Baitul Maqdis, it wasn’t about authority. It was about connection. It was a moment where history held its breath, showing us that we are part of a long, unbroken chain of light. Gathering in the dust of the earth before ascending to the stars reminds us that our journey isn't about escaping our past, but about carrying its truth into the heavens.

But the part that truly stays with me isn't the ascent. It’s the return. After reaching a proximity to the Divine that words cannot touch, he chose to come back. He came back to the friction, the mess, and the cruelty of this world. He did it out of pure mercy. And he brought back Salah—not as a heavy obligation, but as a daily escape. A place where you can finally turn the world’s volume down. Every time we step onto the mat, we are reenacting that celestial journey. It’s our chance to drop the heavy things and let the heart breathe again.

In the end, this journey isn't about leaving reality behind. It’s about bringing the perspective of the sky back down to the pavement. It’s realizing that while we walk on this earth, we do not belong to it. We have the capacity to survive our own years of sadness every time we pray and remember that the horizon is not the end. We are just travelers in a temporary skin, and we have been given a map so we never forget how to rise.

A distilled reflection from Shaykh Abdal Hakim Murad’s session last night.