Egypt’s Supreme Council for Media Regulation announced that the council’s monitoring committees are preparing a report on the controversial statements made on the ‘Cairo Talk’ programme that is presented by Ibrahim Eissa in order to take legal actions if necessary.
This came after an outpour of public outrage due to Eissa’s statements about the Isra and Mi’raj, which is also called ‘the Night Journey’ in Islam, and his assertion that it was a fantasy of Salafi sheikhs.
The council requested to stay away from issues that provoke sedition in society, as the religious content code stipulates that Abrahamic religions should be respected and that their values should be highlighted above all others.
The Isra and Mi’raj was a journey that Prophet Muhammad took during a single night. It was a miraculous night in which he rode from Mecca to Jerusalem and then ascended to heaven to converse with God.
Eissa said during his programme that many stories told by the sheikhs are false, pointing out that they present half-stories, and therefore are untrue.
He also attacked Salafi sheikhs, accusing them of being one voice, saying that they only present their point of view and do not consider other opinions and narratives.
Meanwhile, the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, Ahmed Al-Tayeb, confirmed that the Isra and Mi’raj are a divine miracle that the human mind is unable to even imagine, stressing that God granted this miracle for Prophet Muhammad. The five daily prayers that Muslims practice were ordained after that fateful night.
The Egyptian Dar Al-Iftaa, which is considered among the pioneering foundations for fatwa in the Islamic world, said that the Night Journey is a miracle that God granted to the prophet to honour him. It added that the majority of Islamic scholars agreed that the Night Journey occurred with both the soul and the body.
