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Isra and Miraj — The Night Journey and Heavenly Ascent: Islam's Most Extraordinary Event

الإِسرَاءُ وَالمِعرَاج — رِحلَةُ اللَّيلِ وَالعُرُوجُ السَّمَاوِيّ: أَبهَجُ أَحدَاثِ الإِسلَام
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Isra (الإِسرَاء — the Night Journey; from *asra* — to travel by night; the miraculous journey of the Prophet Muhammad (SAW) from Mecca to Jerusalem in a single night, on the creature al-Buraq, to Masjid al-Aqsa) and Miraj (المِعرَاج — the Ascent, the Ladder; from *'araja* — to ascend, to climb; the subsequent ascent of the Prophet through the seven heavens to the divine presence) constitute together the most extraordinary event in the prophetic biography — a journey that the Quran opens with the declarative *'Subhana' (Glory be): 'Glory be to the One Who carried His servant by night from al-Masjid al-Haram to al-Masjid al-Aqsa, whose surroundings We have blessed, to show him of Our signs.'* (17:1) The Miraj is described in detail in Surah al-Najm (53:1-18). The journey is dated by historians to approximately 621 CE — the Year of Sorrow (*'Am al-Huzn*), when the Prophet had lost both his wife Khadijah and his uncle Abu Talib. This article covers: the journey in detail (the stations, the prophets encountered, the prescription of the five daily prayers), the theological significance, the scholarly debate on whether it occurred bodily or spiritually, and the Ismaili ta'wil of the Miraj.

The Journey — Stage by Stage

The Night Journey (Isra) — Mecca to Jerusalem

The Prophet (SAW) was in or near the Ka’ba when Jibril (Gabriel) brought al-Buraq — a white animal, larger than a donkey, smaller than a mule, whose each stride covered as far as the eye could see. The Prophet mounted al-Buraq and was carried to Jerusalem.

At Masjid al-Aqsa: The Prophet led the gathered prophets in prayer — Abraham, Moses, Jesus, and others prayed behind him. This prayer established his leadership over all previous prophets, and Jerusalem’s centrality to the prophetic tradition. (This is also why the initial qibla of prayer was toward Jerusalem before the change to Mecca.)

The Heavenly Ascent (Miraj)

From Jerusalem, the Prophet ascended through seven heavens. At each heaven, he encountered a prophet:

Beyond the seven heavens, the Prophet reached Sidrat al-Muntaha (the Lote Tree of the Utmost Boundary) — the limit of creation beyond which no created being passes. Jibril himself could not go further. The Prophet was then brought into the divine presence.

The Prescription of the Five Prayers

One of the most significant events of the Miraj: the prescription of the five daily prayers.

Initially, Allah prescribed 50 daily prayers. As the Prophet descended, Moses (RA) repeatedly urged him to return and ask for a reduction — “I have experience with people; your community cannot bear 50.” The Prophet returned multiple times until the prayers were reduced to five. Allah said: “These are five prayers, but they are fifty in reward.”

The Miraj is thus the origin of the five daily prayers — the central pillar of Islamic practice.

The Debate — Bodily or Spiritual?

The majority of scholars hold that the Night Journey was bodily — the Prophet’s physical body traveled, and this is what makes it a miracle (mu’jiza) rather than merely a dream. Evidence: the Quran says “His servant” (‘abdihi) — a reference to both body and soul; if it were merely a spiritual journey, it would not merit the “Glory be!” (Subhana) that opens the verse.

A minority view: the Miraj was a spiritual vision, citing the phrase “We made the vision We showed you a trial for people” (17:60) and the fact that Quraysh mocked the journey as impossible if it were physical.

The Ismaili ta’wil: the Miraj is simultaneously a real journey and a spiritual journey — its batin is the Prophet’s ascent through the degrees of being, encountering the hadd (level) represented by each prophet, until reaching the divine reality beyond creation.

The Date — 27 Rajab

The traditional date celebrated across the Muslim world is the 27th of Rajab. While the precise date is not definitively established in hadith, this is the date most widely observed. The Bohra community marks this occasion as Laylat al-Miraj with special prayers and remembrance.

See also: Prophet Muhammad, Seerah Mecca, Masjid Al Haram, Understanding Namaz, Prophets In Islam, Jannah Paradise, Barzakh

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