الْإِسْرَاءُ وَالْمِعْرَاجُ
Al-Israa' and Al-Me'raj
The Night Journey and Ascension—ultimate belief in the unseen
"Glorified be He Who carried His servant by night from the Inviolable Place of Worship to the Far Distant Place of Worship, the neighborhood whereof We have blessed, that We might show him of Our tokens!" — Al-Israa' 17:1
Belief in the Unseen
Belief in the unseen is a major and essential part of Islam. When we review the key principles of our faith—belief in Allah, the Hereafter, Paradise and Hell, the angels and jinn, and the previous prophets and books—we find that all of them are ghayb (unseen) and that they require unshakable conviction in the truthfulness of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
The Night Journey and Ascension (Al-Israa' wal-Me'raj) was a crucial test of this belief for the early Muslims. It brought to light the unshakeable, firmly rooted faith of Abu Bakr as-Siddiq (RA), and also the weak faith of some others, who rejected Islam altogether once they heard the story.
The Night Journey
The event of Al-Israa' and Al-Me'raj is recorded in the Qur'an and Hadith. It was the miraculous night journey of the Prophet ﷺ, and it had two phases. The first was his journey from Makkah to Jerusalem, known as Al-Israa'. The second was his ascent from Jerusalem into the heavens, known as Al-Me'raj. Some historians are of the opinion that it took place on the night of 27 Rajab, the seventh month of the Islamic calendar.
🌙 The Year of Grief
Some authors refer to the year of this event as the Year of Grief. In it, the Prophet ﷺ lost his beloved wife Khadijah (RA) and his dear uncle Abu Talib, who had nurtured him as a child and protected him after he was proclaimed a Prophet. In the same year he travelled to the city of Ta'if to invite its people to Islam, but he was stoned and driven out of the city. He ﷺ is reported to have said that the day at Ta'if was the most difficult day of his life.
Because of these three events, the Prophet ﷺ was deeply saddened. But Allah, the Almighty, had a superb plan to relieve His chosen Messenger of his distress — and the Qur'an speaks of it:
📖 The Verse of Al-Israa'
“Glorified be He Who carried His servant by night from the Inviolable Place of Worship to the Far Distant Place of Worship, the neighbourhood whereof We have blessed, that We might show him of Our tokens! Lo! He, only He, is the Hearer, the Seer.” (Al-Israa' 17:1)
This verse refers to Al-Israa', the journey from Makkah to Jerusalem.
🌿 The Ascension Through the Heavens
In Sahih al-Bukhari, Abu Dhar (RA) narrated the event of Al-Me'raj as described by the Prophet ﷺ. He said that the Prophet ﷺ was in Makkah when the angel Jibreel descended through the roof of the house, opened his chest, washed it with Zamzam water, filled it with wisdom and faith, and closed it again.
Jibreel then took him to the nearest heaven, where the gatekeeper asked, “Is anyone with you?” Jibreel answered that Muhammad ﷺ was with him. The gatekeeper asked, “Has he been called?” Jibreel answered that he had. The gate was opened and they entered the nearest heaven, where they saw a man sitting with a large number of people on his right and on his left. When he looked to his right he laughed, and when he looked to his left he wept. Then he said, “Welcome, O pious Prophet and pious son!”
The Prophet ﷺ asked Jibreel who the man was. Jibreel told him that he was Adam (AS), and that the people around him were his offspring: those on his right were the people of Paradise, and those on his left the people of the Fire.
They then travelled to the second heaven, where Jibreel was asked the same questions and gave the same answers, and the gate was opened. Anas (RA) reported that Abu Dhar (RA) added that the Prophet ﷺ met Adam, Idris, Musa, Isa and Ibrahim (peace be upon them all). Abu Dhar did not say in which heaven each of them was, except that Adam was in the first and Ibrahim in the sixth. Each of them welcomed the Prophet ﷺ, and Jibreel identified each of them for him.
Ibn Abbas (RA) and Abu Habba al-Ansari (RA) reported that the Prophet ﷺ also said that Jibreel ascended with him to a place where he heard the creaking of the pens. And there, Allah prescribed fifty prayers upon his followers.
The Gift of Prayer
🕋 From Fifty to Five
When the Prophet ﷺ returned with this command, he passed by Musa (AS), who asked, “What has Allah enjoined on your followers?” He replied, “He has enjoined fifty prayers upon them.” Musa advised him to go back and ask for a reduction, because his followers would not be able to bear it. So he went back to Allah, several times, and asked for a reduction, until it was reduced to five prayers a day. And Allah said: “These are five prayers, and they are equal to fifty in reward, for My word does not change.”
Musa (AS) advised him to ask for a further reduction, but the Prophet ﷺ said that he felt too shy to ask again.
Sidrat al-Muntaha and Paradise
After this, Jibreel took the Prophet ﷺ to Sidrat al-Muntaha, the Lote Tree of the Utmost Boundary, which was shrouded in colours that cannot be described. He was then admitted into Paradise, where he saw that its walls were made of pearls and its soil was musk.
The Wisdom Behind the Journey
As we reflect on the events of this remarkable night, we can say that Allah had a very good reason for carrying the Prophet ﷺ from Makkah to Jerusalem, and from there through the seven heavens. Jerusalem was the first Qiblah, the direction in which the Prophet ﷺ turned in prayer, and it had long been the seat of learning for the previously revealed scriptures.
This unique event also shows Allah's infinite mercy towards the believers. His gift of prayer gives every believer the privilege of gaining countless blessings, and of seeking forgiveness for his shortcomings.
🕌 Don't Confuse: Masjid al-Aqsa and the Dome of the Rock
Many people mix up the two. Masjid al-Aqsa is the blessed mosque, the third holiest site in Islam, and the whole compound is also known as Al-Haram ash-Sharif. It is the mosque with the silver-grey dome at the southern end of the compound. The Dome of the Rock (Qubbat as-Sakhrah) is the shrine with the famous golden dome, a separate building within the same compound.