The Night Journey and Ascension

1. The truth of the Night Journey and Ascension

وَالْمِعْرَاجُ حَقٌّ
The Ascension is true.

Allah granted the Messenger ﷺ an extraordinary journey. Isrāʾ is the journey from the Sacred Mosque to al-Aqṣā, while Miʿrāj is ascent to the heavens and witnessing their wonders.

Both manifest divine power and honor granted to the Prophet ﷺ.

2. From al-Masjid al-Ḥarām to al-Aqṣā

سُبْحَانَ الَّذِي أَسْرَىٰ بِعَبْدِهِ لَيْلًا مِنَ الْمَسْجِدِ الْحَرَامِ إِلَى الْمَسْجِدِ الْأَقْصَى
Glory be to Him who took His servant by night from the Sacred Mosque to the Farthest Mosque. (17:1)

The verse presents the journey as a special demonstration of Allah’s power.

3. A bodily journey while awake

The Ascension is not treated merely as a dream or private imagined experience. The Messenger ﷺ was taken awake, body and soul.

Ordinary constraints of travel do not limit divine power. The extraordinary nature of the event does not make it impossible for Allah.

4. The honor bestowed upon Allah’s servant

The Qur’anic expression bi-ʿabdihi — His servant highlights the honor of servanthood. The Prophet ﷺ remains Allah’s servant and Messenger, and Allah granted the miracle by His own power.

The event magnifies prophetic honor without sharing divine lordship with any creature.

5. The historical setting of the Ascension

The Ascension took place in the Makkan period before the Hijrah. The conventional account mentioned here associates the night with 27 Rajab and treats the journey as miraculous.

Its purpose was not ordinary travel but witnessing divine signs and receiving extraordinary gifts and obligations.

6. Jibrīl and the Burāq

Jibrīl accompanied the Prophet ﷺ during this journey. The Burāq is described as the mount provided for the night journey.

All of this occurred by Allah’s command. The miraculous means need not be confined to the ordinary mechanics of earthly transport.

7. Leading the Prophets at al-Aqṣā

At al-Aqṣā the Messenger ﷺ led the Prophets in prayer. This manifests his leadership and honor among the Messengers.

The Prophets share the fundamental call to Allah’s oneness and obedience; their gathering also signifies continuity of the prophetic mission.

8. Ascending through the seven heavens

The heavenly ascent began after the visit to al-Aqṣā. The Prophet ﷺ passed through the heavens and met earlier Messengers.

These welcomes demonstrate prophetic honor; the account does not assign a created spatial enclosure to Allah’s essence.

9. The first and second heavens

On the first heaven the Prophet ﷺ met Ādam. On the second heaven he met ʿĪsā and Yaḥyā.

These meetings show the brotherhood of the Prophets and the welcome given to the Messenger ﷺ during the extraordinary journey.

10. The third and fourth heavens

On the third heaven the Prophet ﷺ met Yūsuf, and on the fourth he met Idrīs.

The sequence of encounters marks stages of the Ascension and the distinct honors Allah bestowed upon His Messengers.

11. The fifth, sixth, and seventh heavens

On the fifth heaven the Prophet ﷺ met Hārūn, on the sixth Mūsā, and on the seventh Ibrāhīm.

Their greetings and encounters belong to the successive higher stages of the Ascension.

12. At Sidrat al-Muntahā

The Prophet ﷺ reached Sidrat al-Muntahā, associated with extraordinary signs and visions. The account also mentions seeing Jibrīl in his true form.

The unseen reality of this station cannot be reduced to descriptions based solely on ordinary earthly things.

13. Divine vision and the honor of the Ascension

The account of the Ascension includes special divine nearness, extraordinary witnessing, and references to the vision granted to the Prophet ﷺ.

Vision and nearness do not require restricting Allah’s essence to body, direction, or place. Divine incomparability remains affirmed.

14. The obligation of prayer as a great gift

During the Ascension prayer was prescribed for the Prophet’s community. The initial prescription of fifty prayers was reduced to five daily prayers.

The reward remained great despite the reduction. Prayer is a central expression of worship and obedience.

15. Moses and the reduction of the prayers

Moses advised the Prophet ﷺ about the burden on the community, and the Prophet sought a reduction in the daily prayers.

The change from fifty to five illustrates prophetic concern, consideration for the community, and divine mercy.

16. Further gifts granted during the Ascension

Alongside the five daily prayers, the account mentions the closing verses of Sūrat al-Baqarah and glad tidings of divine forgiveness.

These gifts join worship, faith, and hope in Allah’s mercy to the experience of the Ascension.

17. The return and Abū Bakr’s affirmation

The Messenger ﷺ returned from the journey within the night. People questioned the extraordinary account and demanded explanations.

Abū Bakr al-Ṣiddīq affirmed the Prophet’s truthfulness, illustrating trust in reliable prophetic testimony about miraculous events.