- The israa’ and miraaj are two important events that occurred in the life of the Prophet ﷺ . Israa’ means ‘the night journey.’ It is mentioned in the Qur’aan in the following verse:
Allah says in the Qur’aan,
Ulama Institute #1
Looking to learn Arabic or memorize the Quran?
Check our Trusted Teachers
“Exalted is He who took His Servant [i.e. Prophet Muhammad] by night from Al-Masjid ul-Haraam to Al-Masjid ul-Aqsaa, whose surroundings we have blessed, to show him of our signs. Indeed He is the Hearing, the Seeing.” (Soorat al-Israa’: 1)
- Mi’raaj refers to the Prophet’s ﷺ ascension to the seven heavens. Scholars have different views concerning the exact date on which the night journey and ascension occurred. Some scholars say that it happened in the tenth year of Prophethood on the 27th of Rajab.
- The Night Journey: While Prophet Muhammad ﷺ was sleeping, the angel Jibreel came down from the heavens with Buraaq. Buraaq is an animal bigger than a donkey and smaller than a horse. Buraaq is so fast that it can travel to the farthest horizon in one stride.
- The Prophet ﷺ and Jibreel rode on Buraaq to Bayt al-Maqdis in Jerusalem. On arrival there, Allah’s Messenger and Jibreel tied Buraaq to a ring in the masjid’s gate. They entered the masjid and found all the previous Prophets gathered inside. Prophet Muhammad ﷺ was chosen to lead the prayer.
- Prophet Muhammad ﷺ , along with Jibreel went up to the lowest heaven. Jibreel asked for permission to enter, then the door of that heaven opened and they entered. In the first heaven, they met Aadam. They greeted Aadam and he welcomed them. The Prophet ﷺ saw people on both sides of Aadam. On his right side were the martyrs, and on the left side the people who are going to enter the fire of Hell.
- Allah’s Messenger and Jibreel then went up to the second heaven. There they met the Prophets ‘Eesaa and Yahyaa In the third heaven, they met Yoosuf and in the fourth heaven, they met Idrees.
Ulama Institute #1
Looking to learn Arabic or memorize the Quran.
Check our Trusted Teachers
The Night Journey and the Ascenstion (Part 2)
- Prophet Muhammad ﷺ and Jibreel continued their journey through the heavens. They reached the fifth heaven where they met the Prophet Haaroon
- In the sixth heaven, they met Moosaa. The Messenger of Allah saw Moosaa crying and asked him about the reason for his sadness. Moosaa replied that he was sad because Muhammad ﷺ managed to call more people to Paradise than he could.
- In the seventh heaven, the Prophet ﷺ met the Prophet Ibraaheem. Here, the Prophet saw Bayt ul-Ma’moor.
- Bayt ul-Ma’moor is a house of worship similar to the Ka’bah. Seventy thousand angels go around it every day. Each day a different group of angels go around Bayt ul-Ma’moor. The angels that go around it once, never get a chance to do it again. Jibreel led the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ to a tree called Sidrat ul-Muntahaa. Allah ﷻ refers to this tree in the Qur’aan, when He says,
“At the Lote Tree of the Utmost Boundary near it is the Garden of Refuge.” (Soorat an-Najm: 15)
It is a beautiful tree of Paradise. It has leaves like the ears of an elephant.
- Allah revealed to Prophet Muhammad ﷺ that fifty daily prayers are compulsory on Muslims from then onward. The Prophet accepted it and returned. On his way back, Moosaa told him that fifty prayers were too much. He told the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ to ask Allah ﷻ to decrease the number of prayers. Allah ﷻ decreased the number of prayers to ten. Moosaa told Prophet Muhammad to ask Allah ﷻ to reduce the number of prayers again. The Prophet went back and Allah reduced the number of prayers to five times a day.
- The next morning when the disbelievers heard of the Night Journey and the Ascension, they mocked Prophet Muhammad ﷺ . Jibreel returned the same morning and taught the Prophet how to perform the prayer. After that, the Muslims prayed five times a day.
Discussion questions for comment
What is israa’?
What is mi’raaj?
What did Muslims gain from israa’ and mi’raaj?
