Updated 28 June 2006

Feature: al-Isra wal-Miraj (The Night of Ascension)

There is no doubt that Isra' (the night journey) followed by Mi`raj (the heavenly ascension) was one of
the miracles in the life of our Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him). It is said to have occurred
on the 27th of Rajab, the seventh month of the Hijri calendar, in the tenth year of Muhammad
(PBUH)’s Prophethood.

It is reported in Hadith literature that the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) was carried from the Sacred
Mosque in Makkah to the "Farthest Mosque" in Jerusalem on a creature called Al-Buraq in the
company of the archangel Gabriel (PBUH). There he led a congregational prayer of the prophets of
God. Then Gabriel (PBUH) took him to the heavens where he met the prophets Adam, John, Jesus,
Idris, Aaron and Moses (Peace Be Upon Them All). In the seventh heaven, he met Abraham (PBUH).

He was then brought to the Divine Presence of Allah. The details of this encounter are beautifully
detailed in the beginning of Surat An-Najm (Ayah 52). During this time, Allah ordered for his nation
fifty daily Prayers. But on the Prophet (PBUH)'s return, he was told by the Prophet Moses (PBUH)
that his followers could not perform fifty Prayers. Thus, he went back and eventually it was reduced
to five daily Prayers. After this, the Prophet (PBUH) returned to Makkah on the same night itself.

Significance of Al-Isra wal Mi‘raj

About this great event the Qur’an says:

“Glory be to the one who took His Servant by night from Masjid Al-Haram to Masjid
Al-Aqsa, the precincts of which We have blessed, so that We might show him some
of Our Signs. Surely He is the All-Hearing, the All-Seeing”

(Surah Isra “The Night of Ascension Journey”, verse 17)

The event took place in two parts; Al-Isra refers to the horizontal night journey from Makkah to
Jerusalem and Al-Mi‘raj refers to the subsequent vertical Ascent to the Heavens. Detailed descriptions
of Al-Isra wal Mi‘raj are contained in the books of Hadith and Sirah and Ibn Kathir reports the incident
from no less than twenty five of the Prophet’s Companions.

The event of Al-Isra wal Mi‘raj took place while the Prophet (PBUH) was physically awake. That is why
the Prophet (PBUH) is described as ‘Abd (servant) which refers to a person with both body and soul
in accordance with Qur’anic usage. According to Ibn Abbas, the reference to the Vision (ru’ya) in
Surah Isra (Ayah 60) as a “trial for mankind” alludes to the Mi‘raj and the word is used for seeing
things with the eyes. If the event was a mere dream, then there was no reason for the unbelievers to
reject the Prophet (PBUH)’s account and to make mockery of him. People nowadays can go to space
and travel at great speed. So there is no reason to doubt that Almighty Allah could take His Prophet
(PBUH) to the Heavens during the period of one night. It is interesting to note that ‘Al-Buraq’, the
name of the animal which transported the Prophet (PBUH), signifies travel beyond the speed of light.

The exact date of Al-Isra wal Mi‘raj is a matter of dispute amongst historians and Ibn Hajar mentions
ten different views in his Fath Al-Bari. However, it is generally accepted that the event took place in
the eleventh year of Prophethood and around three years before the Hijrah (c.620 CE) when the
Prophet (PBUH) was about fifty years old. Following the two-fold tragic events of the death of
Khadijah and Abu Talib and the consequences of the journey to Ta’if, the Prophet (PBUH) greatly
needed Divine consolation to boost his morale. The experience of Al-Isra wal Mi‘raj served to fulfill
this need.

The Prophet (PBUH) was awakened one night by Angel Gabriel (PBUH) while he was sleeping close
to the Ka‘bah in Makkah. The angel brought him Al-Buraq, which was larger than a donkey but smaller
than a mule, to transport him on his special journey. They travelled at great speed and reached
Masjid Al-Aqsa where arrangements were made for him to lead the earlier Prophets in prayer. This
not only confirmed the similarity of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH)’s teachings with the mission of
earlier Prophets but also demonstrated that he was the last and greatest Prophet of Allah.
 Updated 28 June 2006

The Angel then proceeded with the Prophet (PBUH) to the heavens. As he ascended the different
level of the heavens, the Prophet (PBUH) greeted and talked with Prophets Adam, Jesus and John,
Joseph, Enoch, Aaron, Moses and Abraham (PBUT). At the summation of the ascent was the Lote
Tree (Sidrat al-Muntaha) where the angel bid the Prophet (PBUH) farewell to continue his ongoing
journey as no creature was allowed to go beyond that point. This demonstrates the superiority of
the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) above all creation. The Prophet (PBUH) continued travelling until
he came very close to the Divine Throne and he could hear the “creaking of the pens” (sarif al-
aqlam). Almighty Allah spoke to His Prophet (PBUH) directly and during the course of this the daily
prayers (Salah) were ordained for the Muslims. It was originally ordained as fifty and then eventually
reduced to five in number with the promise that whoever performs the five daily prayers will get the
reward of the original fifty prayers since in Islam the reward of each good deed is multiplied by ten 1 .
During the Mi‘raj the Prophet (PBUH) “saw some of the greatest signs of his Lord”2 which included,
among others, scenes from Paradise and Hell.

The Prophet (PBUH)’s bed was still warm when he came back to Makkah which shows that the event
took place in a very short time span. The next morning the Prophet (PBUH) told the people about
his experience during the night. On hearing this, the unbelievers found it a great opportunity to
ridicule the Prophet (BUH)’s message and it even caused the faith of some Muslims to waver. But the
Prophet’s Companion Abu Bakr (May Allah Be Please With Him) accepted the event with full
conviction when the unbelievers told him about it. He accepted it without hesitation once it was
established that it was the Prophet (PBUH) himself who had reported the event. Hence the Prophet
(PBUH) gave him the title Al-Siddiq (Verifier of Truth).

Lessons from Al-Isra wal Mi‘raj

There are many lessons for Muslims to draw from Al-Isra wal Mi‘raj. Most importantly it demonstrates
the centrality of prayer in Islam which was uniquely prescribed in the heavens directly to the Prophet
(PBUH) without the medium of Gabriel (PBUH). Performing the five daily prayers connects a servant
with his Lord and most clearly and effectively distinguishes a Muslim from a non-Muslim.

The use of the epithet ‘Abdihi (His Servant) for the Prophet (PBUH), at the time when he was given
the greatest eminence a creature can ever have, should remind Muslims of the humanness of the
Prophet (PBUH). It also demonstrates that the highest achievement and nearness to God is attained
through Divine Worship (‘ubudiyyah) which has to be both sincere (khalis) and sound (sahih).

The event of al-Isra and Mi‘raj also demonstrates the importance of Masjid Al-Aqsa, Jerusalem and
Palestine for Muslims. During the Night Journey the Prophet (PBUH) was taken to Masjid Al-Aqsa,
whose precincts are blessed3. This was the centre of activity for many of the earlier Prophets such as
Solomon, Zachariah and Jesus (PBUT). It was the first Qiblah (direction of prayer) for Muslims. It is
also the third holiest mosque in Islam and one of three places to which the Prophet (PBUH) gave
specific permission to travel, for the purpose of worship. This site came under Muslim control after
Jerusalem was opened by Caliph Umar in 16 AH/ 637 CE. Bilal, the Prophet (PBUH)’s Muadhdhin
from Ethiopia, proclaimed the Adhan in Masjid Al-Aqsa for the first time after he had discontinued it
following the Prophet (PBUH)’s death, out of respect for his beloved.

Around a hundred Companions of the Prophet (PBUH) are buried in Jerusalem, the most notable
among whom are Ubadah b. Samit and Shaddad b. Aws. The famous Dome of the Rock (Al-Qubbat Al-
Sakhra) was built around 72 AH/ 691 CE by the Umayyad Caliph Abdul Malik b. Marwan. This site has
been visited by many great scholars and Al-Ghazzali (d.505 AH/ 1111 CE) wrote his magnum opus
Ihya Ulum Al-Din (Revival of Religious Sciences) within Masjid Al-Aqsa. Jerusalem was conquered by
the Crusaders in 493 AH/ 1099 CE until it was liberated by Salahuddin Al-Ayyubi ninety years later in
583 AH/ 1187 CE. From 637 CE to 1917, Jerusalem was under Darul Islam. However, from 1917-
1948 it became a British Mandated territory.

1 Surah An’am, Ayah 160

2 Surah Najm, Ayah 18
3 Surah Isra, Ayah 17
 Updated 28 June 2006

By Hafiz Abdullah Muhammad

The author writes for Islamonline