Al-Isra' and al-Mi'raj: The Night Journey

When it happened

The journey took place during the Makkan period, before the Prophet migrated to Madinah. Many scholars place it in the later Makkan years, after a time of great hardship, though they hold different views on the exact year and month.

In many Muslim communities, the night of 27 Rajab, the seventh month of the Islamic calendar, is widely commemorated as the night of the journey. It is often called Laylat al-Mi'raj, or Shab-e-Mi'raj in parts of South Asia. Scholars note that this date is a widely held tradition rather than a fact agreed by all, and they also differ on whether any special acts of worship should be set aside for that night.

What is clear is the background. The Prophet had recently lost his wife Khadijah and his uncle Abu Talib, his two greatest sources of support. He had also been turned away harshly when he sought help in the town of Ta'if. Many writers see the journey as coming at a moment when he most needed comfort.

From Makkah to Jerusalem

According to the hadith, the angel Jibril (Gabriel) came to the Prophet at night in Makkah. The Prophet was carried on a heavenly mount called al-Buraq, described as a white animal so swift that each stride reached as far as the eye could see.

He was brought to Jerusalem, to the site of al-Masjid al-Aqsa. Reports describe the Prophet leading earlier prophets in prayer there. Muslims see in this a powerful picture of the unity of God's messengers: the final prophet standing together with those who came before him, all calling to the same faith in the One God.

This part of the journey is one reason Jerusalem holds such deep meaning for Muslims. Al-Aqsa was also the first direction of prayer for the early Muslims before the direction was changed to the Kaaba in Makkah.

The ascent through the heavens

From Jerusalem the Prophet was taken up through the heavens, accompanied by Jibril. The hadith describe him being greeted at each level by earlier prophets, among them Adam, 'Isa (Jesus), Musa (Moses) and Ibrahim (Abraham), each of whom welcomed him warmly.

He was shown signs of God's greatness and reached the Lote Tree of the Utmost Boundary, Sidrat al-Muntaha, mentioned in the Quran. Muslim tradition understands this as a limit beyond which no created being normally passes. The accounts describe what the Prophet saw there with great reverence and restraint, and scholars caution against adding details that are not reliably reported.

The gift of prayer

The best-known outcome of the journey is the salah, the formal prayer. According to the hadith, God first commanded fifty prayers each day. On his way back, the Prophet met Musa, who urged him to return and ask for the number to be reduced, saying people would not be able to bear it.

The Prophet returned several times until the number became five. The reports add that those who keep the five prayers will receive the reward of fifty. For Muslims this is a beautiful sign of God's mercy: a duty made light, but a reward kept generous.

Many scholars point out that while most commands came to the Prophet on earth through Jibril, the prayer was given during this meeting in the heavens. This is often taken as a sign of how central prayer is to a Muslim's life. Some Muslims describe each daily prayer as a small ascent of their own.

Body and spirit, and the lessons it holds

Scholars have discussed the nature of the journey. The majority view, held widely by both Sunni and Shi'a scholars, is that the Prophet travelled in body and spirit together while awake. A smaller number of early voices understood it as a true vision of the soul. Both views treat the event as real and from God, and the discussion has been carried out with respect.

When the Prophet told the people of Makkah what had happened, many mocked him. Reports say his close friend Abu Bakr replied that if the Prophet had said it, then it was true, and he became known as as-Siddiq, the one who affirms the truth.

For believers today, the Night Journey carries lasting lessons:

• Hardship is not the end of the story; relief and honour may follow grief.
• The five daily prayers are a gift and a meeting with God, not merely a duty.
• All the prophets share one message, and Muslims honour them together.
• Jerusalem and al-Aqsa hold a special place in Muslim hearts.