Surah Al-Isra 17:1-10 - Quran Translation Commentary

(17:1) Glorified is He³ who carried His slave⁴ by night⁵ from the Sacred Mosque⁶ to the Farthest Mosque,⁷ whose surroundings We have blessed⁸ - in order to show him of Our signs.⁹ He is indeed the Hearing, the Seeing.

(17:2) And We gave Musa the Book and made it a source of guidance for the children of Israel that: ‘take not unto yourselves a trustee besides Me.’¹⁰

(17:3) O¹¹ descendants of those We bore with Nuh. Surely, He was a thankful servant.¹²

(17:4) And We decreed for the Children of Israel in the Book¹³ that twice you will do mischief in the land,¹⁴ and you will rise exceedingly high (in arrogance).

(17:5) So, when the promise of the first of the two came to pass,¹⁵ We sent upon you Our slaves¹⁶ - those of great military might; and they entered the inmost parts of the homes.¹⁷ That was a promise that came to pass.

(17:6) Then We gave back to you the turn to prevail over them,¹⁸ and extended you with wealth and progeny and made you more numerous in manpower (than you ever were).¹⁹

(17:7) If you did well, you did well for your yourselves; and if you did evil, then unto your own souls. Then, when the final promise came to pass .. (we set Our enemies upon you) to disfigure your faces²⁰ and to enter the Mosque as they (their forerunners) entered it the first time,²¹ and to destroy all that they ascended to, in utter destruction.²²

(17:8) It may be that your Lord will yet show you mercy. But if you revert (to sins), We shall revert (to punishment).²³ And We have made Jahannum a prison-bed²⁴ for the unbelievers.

(17:9) Verily this Qur’an guides to that which is most straight²⁵ and gives good tiding to the believers who do deeds of righteousness - that for them is a great reward.

(17:10) And that those who do not believe in the Hereafter, We have prepared for them a painful chastisement.

Commentary

3. “Sub-hana” has its root in “sabaha” which affords several meanings, the primary being,

a) “free and fast movement through water or air, such as, e.g., [21: 33)

كُلٌّ فِي فَلَكٍ يَسْبَحُونَ [الأنبياء : 33]

“Everyone is swimming in its orbit.” A few other connotations are:

(b) “distancing, or separating one (from another)” as in verse (73: 7),

إِنَّ لَكَ فِي النَّهَارِ سَبْحًا طَوِيلًا [المزمل : 7]

“Indeed, by day you have a prolonged occupation (which distances you from your Lord).”

(c) “prayers (and devotional acts)” as in verse (37: 143),

فَلَوْلَا أَنَّهُ كَانَ مِنَ الْمُسَبِّحِينَ [الصافات : 143]

“If only he had been one of those who prayed”;

(d) “exception”, i.e., to say, ‘except that Allah wills’ (in sha Allah), as in verse (68: 28),

قَالَ أَوْسَطُهُمْ أَلَمْ أَقُلْ لَكُمْ لَوْلَا تُسَبِّحُونَ [القلم : 28]

“The moderate one said, ‘Did I not say to you, if only you would (say) ‘If Allah will.’”

(e), “Nur (light)” as in a hadith of Muslim:

حِجَابُهُ النُّورُ، وَلَوْ كَشَفَهُ لأَحْرَقَتْ سُبُحَاتُ وَجْهِهِ كُلَّ شَيْءٍ أَدْرَكَهُ بَصَرُهُ

“..(Light [Nur] is His veil; if He were to remove it, the Light of His Face would burn down everything, to the extent of His Sight” (Razi and Raghib).

At this point, however, the meaning is to declare Allah (swt) free of any error or shortcoming (that humans can think of) - Qurtubi.

4. It is unanimously agreed by the scholars that the highest position one can occupy in the sight of Allah, is to be referred by Him as a slave. Further, add Alusi and Thanwi, to mention the Prophet by this epithet, at this point, when he reached great heights, was perhaps meant to cure the Muslims of their habit of committing excesses in reverence of the Prophet. Finally, the journey helped the Prophet achieve perfect ma`rifah” And someone who achieved “ma`rifah” should better be designated an `abd. This is in view of another verse which says (51: 56),

وَمَا خَلَقْتُ الْجِنَّ وَالْإِنْسَ إِلَّا لِيَعْبُدُونِ [الذاريات : 56]

“We have not created the Jinn and mankind but that they should worship Me,” where the phrase “li-ya`budun” has been explained by Ibn `Abbas as “li-ya`rifun” (i.e., they know Me).

5. The original word “Asra” has its root in “Sara” meaning, “he traveled by night.” Asra therefore would mean, “he made (someone) travel by night.”

“Why did Allah add laylan (a night),” - Zamakhshari raises a question, “when Asra itself means ‘He carried (him) by night?’” and answers that it is to emphasize that the journey, although normally of several months duration, started and ended by the same night, in a part of it.

Majid therefore adds, quoting from Lane Poole’s Lexicon: “Laylan is here used instead of laylatan because they say asra laylatan meaning, he spent the whole night journeying,” (while laylan means a part of the night: Au.).

That is, the journey did not occupy the whole night (Au.).

6. Masjid al-Haram is so named because a few acts that are lawful elsewhere are forbidden (haraam) in this Mosque, such as, e.g., hunting or uprooting grass. A proper rendering in English therefore would be, as done by Marmaduke Pickthal, “The Inviolable House of Worship.” Further, although in a narrow sense the term Masjid al-Haraam is used for the mosque built around the Ka`bah, the term in its true sense, is applicable to the whole of the Haram area, which has been demarcated around the Grand Mosque (Au.).

7. The allusion is to Bayt al-Maqdis in Jerusalem. It has been called the Furthest Mosque because, of the three mosques that the Muslims are allowed to travel to for a visit, this one happens to be the furthest after those of Makkah and Madinah (Ibn Jarir). Moreover, Thanwi points out, by the term “masjid” it is the land that is meant, (i.e., the plot of land), since, properly speaking, when we say masjid, the reference is not to the building but to the piece of land.

Was there a mosque when the Prophet visited the site? Ibn Jarir Tabari’s “History” tells us that although the site had been converted into a garbage dumping area by the Romans, a part of the ruins of the original construction was still standing (Thanwi).

Asad adds: “The juxtaposition of the two sacred temples is meant to show that the Qur’an does not inaugurate a ‘new’ religion but represents a continuation and the ultimate development of the same divine message which was preached by prophets of old.”

Ahadith tell us that it was built forty years after the construction of the Ka`bah. As stated above, it is one of those three mosques to which one could journey, specifically, for Prayers. The other two, according to a hadith in Muwatta’, are the Prophet’s own mosque and the Masjid al-Haram. In view of this hadith, scholars have ruled that if someone vows to Pray in a particular mosque, but that requires him to journey to it, then he might not take up the journey, rather, Pray in any mosque. However, if he vows that he will pray in one of these three mosques, he must travel to them to fulfill his vow (Qurtubi).

A Prayer in this mosque is equal to a thousand Prayers in other mosques. The report to this effect is in Ahmad, Abu Da’ud and Ibn Majah (Alusi).

Yusuf Ali gives us a short history: “.. the Temple of Solomon (was) on the hill of Moriah. The chief dates in connection with the Temple are: it was finished by (started by David) Solomon about B.C. 1004; destroyed by the Babylonians under Nebuchadnezzar about 586 B.C.; rebuilt under Ezra and Nehemiah about 515 B.C.; turned into a heathen idol-temple by one of Alexander’s successors Antiochus Epiphanes, 167 B.C.; restored by Herod, B.C. 17 to A.D. 29; and completely razed to the ground by the Emperor Titus in A.D. 70.”

(Presently there is no trace of the Temple. It was perhaps completely wiped out of existence by Titus. According to Tabari the present Masjid al-‘Umar is the original site of the Temple. Near this Masjid al-‘Umar stands the Dome of the Rock: - presently, the building with the yellow dome. It is so named because directly under the Dome is the rock from where, according to common belief, the Prophet took off for the heavens during his Nocturnal Journey: Au.).

Accurately speaking, Masjid Al-Aqsa refers neither to the Dome of the Rock, nor to the Masjid al-‘Umar (the latter completed by `Abdul Malik in A.H. 68). It is the name of a plot of land, several acres in area, over which stand the Masjid al-‘Umar, and, facing it, the Dome of the Rock. On one of the peripheries is a wall, known as the Wailing Wall, because the Jews come here to weep for the lost Temple. However, contrary to some people’s belief, there is no proof that this wall is a part of the defunct Solomon Temple. All the diggings around and under Masjid al-Aqsa have not given the Jews any clue about where the former Temple stood. And, tragically, without being certain of the site, their Temple cannot be built. Perhaps Divine Hand prevents Jews from re-building the Temple, destroyed when they rejected their Final Prophet - Jesus Christ - signifying that the spiritual leadership of the world is lost to them forever (Au.).

Al-Isra’ wa al-Mi`raj (The Nocturnal Journey and Ascension)

Ibn Kathir takes the pain to collect together all the ahadith that are found, anywhere in Hadith literature on this topic. Running into 35 pages, he presents, long and short, some forty reports, of various grades, trustworthy as well as otherwise. Shawkani is at the other extreme. He expresses his unhappiness over the method adopted by Ibn Kathir, and himself does not narrate any of them, advising the reader to go to biography works. Now, since every narration has some features that are not found in others, we shall, as usual, present a single, combined report relying on trustworthy narrations. Biographical works, such as that of Dr. Mahdi Rizqallah, have also been used as source.

The word mi`raj is constructed on the same pattern as mif`al, and yields the meaning of a “device for ascending.” Functionally, it is similar to a ladder. But it is not clear what exactly the mi`raj of the Prophet was.

Most narrations lead us to believe that the event took place after the tenth year of the Prophet’s commissioning. Musa b. `Uqbah has narrated on the authority of Zuhri and `Urwah ibn Zubayr, that the journey took place a year before the Prophet’s migration to Madinah.

This event followed the death of the Prophet’s uncle (who had all along protected him from his enemies), the death of his wife (who gave him tremendous moral support), and after he had received in Makkah and Ta’if tortures and afflictions of the worst kind ever.

It was in Allah’s mercy to show a sign to the unbelievers before they could be condemned and punished. For Allah’s message is not such that when it is sent through a prophet, it may or may not be accepted by the people without serious consequences arising from the responses. When it is sent, it must be taken seriously. Therefore, before the condemnation and punishment of those who cried lies, Allah showed a very convincing sign. It was by way of the Prophet’s journey from Makkah to Jerusalem, from there to the Heavens and then back to Makkah, all within one night and with sufficient proofs for the most skeptic.

The journey started from Umm Hani’s house where the Prophet (saws) was sleeping that night. Umm Hani was Abu Talib’s daughter, his cousin. (Her real name was Fakhita: Alusi). She narrates: “The Prophet wasn’t taken into his nocturnal journey but from my house. He did his night-prayers and then everyone went to bed. The next day we did the morning Prayer behind him. When it was over he said, “O Umm Hani. I did my night Prayer with you, as you saw me. Then I went up to Bayt al-Maqdis and Prayed in it. And then I did my morning Prayer along with you as you can see me now” (Ibn Jarir).

Other reports lead us to believe that he was not taken to the journey directly from Umm Hani’s house. He was first taken to the Grand Mosque. Anas b. Malik narrates a report preserved by Bukhari. It says, “One night three angels came down to him while he was sleeping in the Mosque. (That was before he was commissioned). The first of the three asked, ‘Which one is he?’ The middle one replied, ‘He is the best of them.’ And the last one said, ‘Take the best one.’ The Prophet next saw them only when they came to him that night (the night of the mi`raj journey). He was in a state in which the heart sees while the eyes sleep. That is how the Prophets are: their eyes sleep but their hearts are awake. They did not speak to him. They carried him to the Zamzam well where Jibril took over.

According to another report in Bukhari, the Prophet said, “The roof of my house was opened while I was in Makkah. Jibril came down ... I was in the Hatim" - or he said: “while I was in Hijr, lying down, when someone appeared and slit open (the breast: Au.).” He (Qatadah, the narrator) said, ‘I heard him say,’ “he cut open from here to here;” I (Qatadah) asked Jarud (a listener) who happened to be by my side, ‘What does he mean?’ He said, ‘From the cavity in the neck down until the navel.’ I also heard him say, ‘From the breastbone up to the navel’ - “He removed my heart. Then a golden tray filled with faith was produced. My heart was washed and filled with the contents of the tray. (Other reports say the breast was filled with faith and wisdom). Then a beast was brought: bigger than a mule, smaller than a horse - white.” Jarud asked, `Was that Buraq, O Abu Hamzah?’ Anas replied, ‘Yes.’ It placed its (one foot on the ground, and another) foot where the sight ended (at the horizon). (It was saddled). According to a report in Bayhaqi, the Prophet said, “Prophets before me had also used it.” I was asked to mount it. Jibril started off with me until we reached Bayt al-Maqdis (in Jerusalem). [The Prophet rode upon it with Jibril holding the stirrup and Mika’il the reins: Alusi].

Bayhaqi’s report adds: “As I was traveling, a man called me from the right side, ‘Here, Muhammad, I want to talk to you.’ I did not answer. Then (a little further) another man called me from the left side, ‘Here , Muhammad, I want to talk to you.’ I paid no attention to him. And, as I traveled further up, I saw a woman, well dressed and with all kinds of jewelry on. She said, ‘Here, Muhammad, I wish to speak to you.’ But I paid no attention.” It was later explained by Jibril that the first was a Jew and the second a Christian. They both wished to distract him. As for the woman, she was the world. If the Prophet had paid any attention to her, his ummah would have fallen for the world preferring it over the Hereafter.

“I tied it by the ring used by earlier Prophets. Then I entered the Mosque and offered two cycles of Prayer. As I came out Jibril brought me two bowls: one filled with wine and the other with milk. I chose milk. Jibril told me: ‘Your choice fell on nature.’ Then he took me up to the heavens.” Other reports suggest that he Prayed with the previous Prophets before he ascended. Adam (asws) and all those Prophets who came after him had assembled for him to lead in the Prayers.

Then he ascended together with Jibril until they reached the heaven nearest to this world. (An angel called Isma`il is its keeper: Bayhaqi). Jibril asked to be let in. It was inquired: ‘Who is it?’

He replied: ‘Jibril.’

It was asked: ‘Who is with you?’

He replied: ‘Muhammad.’

It was asked: ‘Has he been invited?’

He replied: ‘Yes.’

It was said: ‘Welcome to him. The best one ever to be invited has arrived.’

So it was opened. As I entered I came across Adam. Jibril told me: ‘This is your father. Greet him.’ So I greeted him. He returned the greetings and said: ‘Welcome to a righteous son and a righteous Prophet.’"

According to other reports, he saw Adam with a multitude on his right and a multitude on his left. When he looked at those at his right he smiled; and when he looked at those at his left, he wept. Jibril explained that the multitudes on his right and left were the souls of his progeny. Those at the right were the people of Paradise and those at the left the people of Hell.

“Then he ascended,” (continues the transmitter), “until he reached the second heaven and sought it to be opened. It was inquired: ‘Who is it?’

He replied: ‘Jibril.’

It was asked: ‘Who is with you?’

He replied: ‘Muhammad.’

It was asked: ‘Has he been invited?’

He replied: ‘Yes.’

It was said: ‘Welcome to him. The best one ever to be invited has arrived.’

As I entered, I encountered Yahya and `Isa. They were cousins. (Other reports add: “`Urwah ibn Mas`ud is closest to `Isa in appearance. He was middle-sized, fair complexioned, with curly hair and of a sharp gaze).

Jibril said: ‘These are Yahya and `Isa. Greet them.’ I greeted them and they returned the greetings. They said: ‘Welcome to a righteous brother and a righteous Prophet.’"

“Then he ascended,” (continues the transmitter), “until he reached the third heaven and sought it to be opened. It was inquired: ‘Who is it?’

He replied: ‘Jibril.’

It was asked: ‘Who is with you?’

He replied: ‘Muhammad.’

It was asked: ‘Has he been invited?’

He replied: ‘Yes.’

It was said: ‘Welcome to him. The best one ever to be invited has arrived.’

As I entered, I met Yusuf.

Jibril said: ‘This is Yusuf. Greet him.’ I greeted him. He returned the greetings and said: ‘Welcome to a righteous brother and a righteous Prophet.’"

“Then he ascended,” (continues the transmitter), “until he reached the fourth heaven and Jibril sought it to be opened. It was inquired: ‘Who is it?’

He replied: ‘Jibril.’

It was asked: ‘Who is with you?’

He replied: ‘Muhammad.’

It was asked: ‘Has he been invited?’

He replied: ‘Yes.’

It was said: ‘Welcome to him. The best one ever to be invited has arrived.’

As I entered, I met Idris.

Jibril said: ‘This is Idris. Greet him.’ I greeted him. He returned the greetings and said: ‘Welcome to a righteous brother and a righteous Prophet.’"

“Then he ascended,” (continues the transmitter), “until he reached the fifth heaven and Jibril sought it to be opened. It was inquired: ‘Who is it?’

He replied: ‘Jibril.’

It was asked: ‘Who is with you?’

He replied: ‘Muhammad.’

It was asked: ‘Has he been invited?’

He replied: ‘Yes.’

It was said: ‘Welcome to him. The best one ever to be invited has arrived.’

As I entered, I came upon Harun. He had a long beard almost extending up to his navel.

Jibril said: ‘This is Harun. Greet him.’ I greeted him. He returned the greetings and said: ‘Welcome to a righteous brother and a righteous Prophet.’"

“Then he ascended,” (continues the transmitter), “until he reached the sixth heaven and Jibril sought it to be opened. It was inquired: ‘Who is it?’

He replied: ‘Jibril.’

It was inquired: ‘Who is with you?’

He replied: ‘Muhammad.’

It was asked: ‘Has he been invited?’

He replied: ‘Yes.’

It was said: ‘Welcome to him. The best one ever to be invited has arrived.’

As I entered, I came across Musa. He was a huge dark man. His body thickly covered with hair.

Jibril said: ‘This is Musa. Greet him.’ I greeted him. He returned the greetings and said: ‘Welcome to a righteous brother and a righteous Prophet.’"

As I left him behind he began to weep. He was asked: ‘What makes you cry?’ He replied: ‘I cry because a young man sent after me will have greater number of followers entering Paradise than from my followers.’

“Then he ascended,” (continues the transmitter), “until he reached the seventh heaven and Jibril sought it to be opened. It was inquired: ‘Who is it?’

He replied: ‘Jibril.’

It was asked: ‘Who is with you?’

He replied: ‘Muhammad.’

It was asked: ‘Has he been invited?’

He replied: ‘Yes.’

It was said: ‘Welcome to him. The best one ever to be invited has arrived.’

As I entered, I came upon Ibrahim. (Another report adds, “He was closest to me in appearance).” Jibril said: ‘This is your father. Greet him.’ I greeted him. He returned the greetings and said: ‘Welcome to a righteous son and a righteous Prophet.’"

(According to another report, Ibrahim was found resting against the Bayt al-Ma’mur (the Much-frequented House). Everyday 70,000 angels enter into it, and never have the chance to come back to it.

Then I was taken up further until I reached the Lote Tree at the farthest end (Sidratu al-Muntaha). I found its fruit (as large as) that of Hijr (a place in the north of Hijaz); and its leaves as large as the ears of an elephant. He told me: ‘This is the Lote Tree at the Farthest End.’ I found four rivers (springing out from) there: two internal and two external. I asked: ‘What are these Jibril?’ He replied: ‘The internal ones are the rivers of Paradise, and the external ones are Nile and Euphrates.’

Then I was taken up to the Bayt al-Ma`mur. There I was presented with a cup of wine, a cup of milk and a cup of honey. I chose milk. Jibril remarked: ‘That’s the natural thing (you did). You and your followers shall follow it.’

Then fifty Prayers a day were declared obligatory for me. I returned and came across Musa. He asked: ‘What have you been ordered?’ I replied: ‘I have been ordered fifty Prayers a day.’ He said: ‘Your followers will not be able to do fifty Prayers a day. By Allah, I tested the people before you, and bore great pains with the Children of Isra’il. Return to your Lord and seek concession for your followers.’

I returned. Allah took off ten of them from me. I returned to Musa. He repeated what he had said earlier. So I returned. Allah took off ten more of them from me. I returned to Musa and he told me what he had told me earlier. So I returned and Allah took off another ten from me. I returned to Musa and he repeated what he had said earlier. So I returned and I was ordered ten Prayers a day. I returned but Musa said the same thing. So I went back and Allah ordered me five Prayers a day. I returned to Musa and he asked: ‘What have you been ordered?’ I said: ‘I have been ordered five Prayers a day.’ He said: ‘Your followers will not be able to do five Prayers a day. I have tested the people before you, and bore great pains with the Children of Isra’il. Return to you Lord and seek further concession.’

“The Prophet replied to him,” (continues the narrator): ‘I have made requests to my Lord to the point of being reduced to shame. I would rather be satisfied and submit.’

(According to the version in Bukhari, he was told at one point, “O Muhammad. My Words do not change. That is how it has been written for you in the Umm al-Kitab (Mother of the Book): Every good deed will be rewarded with ten of its like. These are fifty in the Umm al-Kitab, and they are five for you.”

“The Prophet continued,” says the narrator, “When I crossed (the heaven) a caller called out: ‘I have kept my Word and have granted a decrease to My slaves.’”

Other reports offer us some more details. Such as, the Prophet’s words, “On the night that I was taken on to my Night Journey, I passed by Musa. He stood in Prayer in his grave (Muslim).” Another narration reports the Prophet’s words that when he ascended to the seventh heaven, he was taken up to a point from where he could hear the movement of the Pens. He also saw four rivers there: two hidden and two visible. He was told by Jibril, “The two hidden rivers are those of Paradise, while the two visible ones are Nile and Euphrates.” Thereafter he spoke about the Prayers being made obligatory. “Then,” he continued, “He took me further up until we reached the end of the Lote Tree. It was engulfed in indescribable colors. After that I entered into Paradise and lo, it was all domes and the ground all musk.”

According to reports in Abu Da’ud and Ahmad, the Prophet passed by a people who had nails of copper with which they were scratching (their flesh out) from their faces and breasts. He asked who they were. Jibril told him, “These are those who ate the flesh of the people (i.e., committed back-biting) and slandered their honor.” He also passed by a people who had before them good meat. But they chose to eat from the most foul-smelling, putrid, rotten meat. On enquiry he was told that those were a people who used to prefer the unlawful over the lawful in the life of the world. He also passed by a people who were eating red hot coals that they put in their mouths which came out through their anuses. He was told that these were people who devoured the wealth of the orphans. Allah said about them in the Qur’an (4: 10), “Surely, those who devour the property of the orphans, are filling their bellies with nothing but fire.” He also came across women hung by their breasts. They were the adulterers. And, he came across men who had huge bellies, so huge that they were hampered in their movements. A horde of the Fir`awn’s folk trampled them morning and evening (as they were driven to the Fire, morning and evening). The people with big bellies were those who devoured usury.

It is also reported that the Prophet heard some noise. He asked what it was. Jibril replied, “This is Bilal’s footsteps.” He also noticed a very tall, red blue man. On inquiry he was told that he was the man who had slaughtered Salih’s camel. He also saw Dajjal. He was very tall, broad, with a fair complexion. One of his eyes stood out like a shining star. The hair on his head looked like branches of a tree.

Reports give us to believe that the return journey was also via Bayt al-Maqdis. Tirmidhi recorded on the authority of Shaddad b. Aws, “... Then we moved on and passed by a Quraysh camel in such and such a place. Their camel had strayed away. So and so was in charge of them. I greeted them. Some of them remarked, ‘This is Muhammad’s voice.’ Then I returned to my homefolk before dawn.”

Buraq was the means of travel for the journey from Makkah to Bayt al-Maqdis and then back to Makkah. Whereas, for the journey up, to the heavens, the Prophet always used the words, “I was raised up” (`urija bi) without mentioning the means. Some reports say, “A ladder was set up” which he used for ascension. For sure, Buraq was not used for going up.

As it should happen, as the Prophet went out, he met Abu Jahl. He asked him mockingly, “Any news?” The Prophet told him about his journey. Abu Jahl did not wish to express his disbelief in fear of the Prophet retracting his story. So he asked him, “Supposing I gathered the people, will you repeat the story before them?” When the Prophet said yes, he hurried away to gather the people. When they came and the Prophet told them all that had happened, they greeted him with skepticism. Someone who had been to Jerusalem (while it was known that the Prophet had never been there) asked him to describe what Bayt al-Maqdis looked like. Allah brought it before his eyes so that he was able to see and describe the details they wanted. They said, “So far as the description goes, he is right.” Nevertheless, they refused to believe on grounds that he could not go to Syria and come back within a single night when they took two months to do it. In fact, many Muslims also apostatized on that ground.

When Abu Bakr was told of the story, he said, “By Allah, if he claims that, it must be true. Why should you be in doubt about it? Does he not say that he receives news from the heavens at any time of the night or day? Is that not more miraculous?” Then he went up to the Prophet and asked him to describe the places. When he had done that, he said, “I testify that you are Allah’s Messenger.” The Prophet told him, “You are Siddiq.” And from that day Abu Bakr came to be known as the Siddiq.

Nature of the Journey

Qadi `Ayad has written: “Scholars have differed between themselves over the Prophet’s Nocturnal Journey and Ascension. It has been said that all of it took place in sleep. (‘A’isha, Hasan al-Busri and Mu`awiyyah are said to have held this opinion: Au.). But the truth on which the people are, along with most of the earliest scholars, most of those who followed them, jurists, traditionists and scholastics, is that it was a physical journey. Most narratives point to this. Varied opinions require evidence..”

Ibn Hajr said, “The Nocturnal Journey and Ascension took place in the state of wakefulness, with the body and soul, after the Prophet had been commissioned. This is the opinion of the great majority of scholars, traditionists, jurists and scholastics. All evidences point to this. It is not right to differ from this opinion. Reason plays no role in it for one to resort to interpretations.”

`Urjun has said, “This ummah is one in this - except for a few varied opinions which in fact have not come to us through trustworthy reports such as those of `A’isha, Mu`awiyyah and Hasan al-Busri. Allah opened the chapter (Al-Isra’) with the words of glorification to symbolically express His Powers and to emphasize that nothing is greater than His Power .. Any opening with the mention of the words of glorification is not employed (in the Qur’an) except for events extraordinary, such as those that the reason does not easily accept...” Then he added, “The word `Abd in the starting verse is not used in the Arabic language but for body and soul together. So also, the words, ‘The eye did not deviate nor did it transcend’ also speak of someone with body and soul. Now, Hasan al-Busri’s narration was unknown during the time of the Companions. It is an entirely new opinion. As for `A’isha, she was not yet the Prophet’s wife, (Qurtubi wrote: Au.), she was too young at the time of the event. (At least less than 9 years old: Au.). She does not quote other people’s opinion on which her own opinion rests. In other words, this is not a hadith. Moreover, Khifaji has shown that the chain of narrators has Muhammad ibn Is-haq in it who was treated as a weak narrator by scholars like Imam Malik and others. In contrast, the narrations to the opposite view are stronger...” Zarqani has said, “A careful study of her words shows that she too was inclined to believe that the Ascension was with body and soul. For, she denied that Muhammad saw his Lord with his eyes. If she had been of the opinion that the Prophet was in his sleep, she would not have had to deny the Vision. (What she would have said is, “there is no point in discussing the Beatific Vision, since, to begin with, it was the soul that had ascended: Au.). As regards Mu`awiyyah’s opinion, it was expressed after the opinion had been reached by consensus that the Journey was with the body and soul. (Therefore, attention cannot be paid to it: Au.). It is another thing that Mu`awiyyah’s opinion lacks a strong chain of narration, coming down as it does, through Ibn Is-haq. Even if it is demonstrated that it was truly his opinion, it would not be of much weight since it is a personal opinion formed after the consensus of the Companions had already been reached. And, such an opinion cannot cancel out the consensus. (In fact, he was an unbeliever at the time the event took place: Qurtubi). As for Hasan, two opinions have been reported as his. One of them says the Prophet was then awake.”

Again, if the Nocturnal Journey and Ascension took place during his sleep, there was no reason for the Quraysh to deny, nor would have some of the Muslims apostatized. What was the problem in accepting that the Prophet’s soul ascended? Finally, the manner and presentation of the incident in the chapter Al-Isra’ is strongly suggestive of the Journey in wakefulness, in body and soul as `Urjun and others have maintained” (Dr. Mahdi Rizqallah).

Moreover, “the act of seeing” or “transgression” alluded to in verse 17 of Surah Al-Najm: “And the sight did not err, nor did it transgress,” are not applicable to souls (Qurtubi).

Further, some reports say that the Prophet’s bed was still warm. Why did they have to say that it was still warm if the body never left the bed? (Au.)

Finally, some people are misled by the words of a hadith in which Shurayk ended the narration by reporting the Prophet’s words, “then I woke up.” This has led some people to think that perhaps the journey took place during his sleep. But there are several other narrations, passed on to us by more reliable narrators who emphasized the opposite. One way perhaps, of reconciling the two opinions, concerning the body and soul could be as follows: the journey took place several times, or, at least, more than once. Many scholars have expressed this opinion. Variant reports also suggest this. Therefore, we can say that it is possible that Allah first took his soul alone to the heavens, in order for him to be mentally prepared for the next journey with body and soul together (Thanwi).

The words, “Then I woke up” could also refer to the sleep after the journey had ended (Au.).

To continue: The next morning when the Prophet spoke of his journey to his aunt, she, although a believer, strongly urged him not to announce this to the Quraysh, to whom, she feared, this might become another point of ridicule. But the Prophet pulled his shirt off her clutching hands and left saying, “By God, I shall tell them.”

Umm Hani’s fears were true. The Quraysh had a good laugh. In fact even some Muslims, weak in faith, turned apostate. The strong in faith were led by Abu Bakr who, when questioned if he still believed in the Prophet, said, “Why not! I believe in greater wonders. I believe that an angel comes down to him revealing the Qur’an.” Wary of him and the likes of him, the Quraysh turned to the Prophet. They asked him both serious as well as absurd questions to which he replied in his usual calm manner. Finally they said: “Alright. You say you have been to Jerusalem. Agreed. Tell us what Jerusalem looks like.” Now all the journeys that the Prophet had made to Syria prior to his prophethood were in the company of Quraysh. They were aware that he had never been into Jerusalem. So they thought that at last they had caught him on the wrong foot. But to their surprise he described the city in such detail as if it was before his eyes. In fact, it was then before his eyes, as he himself explained later. For, when they asked details, which only a person who had visited the city several times could answer, Allah brought the city before his eyes, so that he looked into it and answered them to their satisfaction.

He also told them that while on his way back from Jerusalem a camel belonging to a caravan, passing through such and such a glen, had bolted away “and I showed them where it stood.” Also, on the way back to Makkah, he passed by a caravan that had kept some water in a pitcher during the night halt. He had drunk out of it and replaced the lid. The caravan was advancing towards Makkah and was headed by a camel loaded with such and such goods. To the amazement of the Quraysh the caravan did arrive headed by the same kind of camel as described by the Prophet, and its people admitted that the water pitcher was found empty despite the lid. Later, when the other caravan was also back they inquired about the camel that had bolted away, and they said, “Quite right. A camel had bolted away and we heard a man calling us to it so that we were able to recover it!”

In the other chapter, Al-Najm, Allah spoke of the Ascension to the heavens and the benefits thereof. He said (v. 13-18),

وَلَقَدْ رَآهُ نَزْلَةً أُخْرَى (13) عِنْدَ سِدْرَةِ الْمُنْتَهَى (14) عِنْدَهَا جَنَّةُ الْمَأْوَى (15) إِذْ يَغْشَى السِّدْرَةَ مَا يَغْشَى (16) مَا زَاغَ الْبَصَرُ وَمَا طَغَى (17) لَقَدْ رَأَى مِنْ آيَاتِ رَبِّهِ الْكُبْرَى [النجم : 13 - 18]

“Surely he saw him (Arch-angel Jibril) a second time (in his original form), near the Farthest Lote Tree. Thereat is the Garden of Abode. When the Lote was covering what was covering. The eye did not deviate, nor did it transcend. Surely, he saw great signs of his Lord.”

Differences have also prevailed between the Companions over whether the Prophet saw Allah with his physical eyes. The opinion of the majority is that he saw Him with his inner vision and not with the physical eyes. As for Allah’s words (53: 11-13),

مَا كَذَبَ الْفُؤَادُ مَا رَأَى (11) أَفَتُمَارُونَهُ عَلَى مَا يَرَى (12) وَلَقَدْ رَآهُ نَزْلَةً أُخْرَى [النجم : 11 - 13]

“The heart did not falsify what he saw. Will you then dispute what he saw? Indeed, he saw him at a second descent” - trustworthy reports coming from the Prophet tell us that the allusion here is to Jibril. The Prophet saw him twice in the form and shape in which he (Jibril) has been created. As for Allah’s words in verse 8 of chapter al-Najm:

ثُمَّ دَنَا فَتَدَلَّى [النجم : 8]

“Then he came near and hung suspended,” the words “near” and “hung suspended” are not related to the night journey at all. Also, they are speaking of Jibril who “neared” and who “hung suspended” as `A’isha and Ibn Mas`ud (maintained). Allah said (Al-Najm, 5-8):

عَلَّمَهُ شَدِيدُ الْقُوَى (5) ذُو مِرَّةٍ فَاسْتَوَى (6) وَهُوَ بِالْأُفُقِ الْأَعْلَى (7) ثُمَّ دَنَا فَتَدَلَّى [النجم : 5 - 8]

“He was taught by one mighty in power (i.e. Jibril), very strong, who stood poised, being on the upper horizon. Then he came near and hung suspended.”

Furthermore, just as any other human being, a “slave” is composed of two elements: the body and the soul. This is common knowledge. The journey then had to be with the combination. Nor is it an impossible feat for the intellect. If it is impossible to think of a human being ascending to the heavens, it is impossible for the angels to descend down from there. Such an assumption will lead to the denial of Prophethood itself.

Reports concerning the Prophet’s Nocturnal Journey and Ascension, reach tawatur status. They were narrated by several Companions including such figures as `Umar ibn al-Khattab, `Ali ibn Abi Talib, Ibn Mas`ud, Ibn `Abbas, Malik b. Sa`sa`, Abu Dharr, Abu Hurayrah, Abu Sa`id, Shaddad b. Aws, Ubay b. Ka`b, Jabir, Hudhayfah, Buraydah, Abu Ayyub, Samurah b. Jundab, Umm Hani’, `A’isha, Asma’, and several others (Ibn Kathir and others).

A mutawatir report reaches the status of a Qur’anic verse in terms of belief requirement. In other words, it is as necessary to believe in a mutawatir report as in a Qur’anic verse.

Nonetheless, it might also be noted, says Alusi, that the Qur’an only mentions “Isra” (the Nocturnal Journey). It does not mention “Mi`raj” (except by implication in Surah Al-Najm), perhaps out of Allah’s mercy since the denial of an explicit statement entails disbelief (Thanwi).

Majid writes: “Asin, the Madrid professor of Arabic, has traced the great influence this Islamic literature had on Dante and other Christians of the Middle Ages. ‘Embellished by later accretions, this miraculous trip still forms a favorite theme in mystic circles in Persia and Turkey, and a Spanish scholar considers it the original source of Dante’s Divine Comedy’ (Hitti, p. 114).”

8. The allusion is both to material, such as fruits and vegetation, as well as spiritual blessings, viz. the place is the burial ground of several Prophets and Messengers (Razi). A hadith of the Prophet reports that Allah said,

يا شام يدي عليك يا شام أنت صفوتي من بلادي أدخل فيك خيرتي من عبادي

“O Syria. My hand is on you. You are the best of My lands and I shall drive the best of My slaves to you” (Qurtubi).

Haythami remarked about the above report that it is fairly trustworthy (Au.).

9. The exact implication of the words “min ayatina” is: “some of my signs,” or, in other words, “a few of my signs.” For example, the Prophet said that when he was there above the seventh heaven, he heard the sounds of Pens, which implies that he did not see the Pens themselves. Thus, he was shown “some signs.”

10. Asad explains the term wakil:: “The term ‘wakil’ denotes ‘one who is entrusted with the management of [another person’s] affairs’, or ‘is responsible for [another person’s] conduct.’ When applied to God, it is sometimes used in the sense of ‘guardian’ (e.g., in 3: 173), or ‘defender’ (e.g., in 4: 109), or - in combination with the phrase `ala kulli shay’in (as, e.g., in 6: 102 or 11: 12) - in the sense of ‘the one who has everything in His care.”

11. The addition of “O” follows the understanding of many of the Salaf such as Mujahid (Qurtubi and others).

12. That is, ‘O the descendants of those whom We saved and carried in the ship with Nuh, follow the footsteps of your forefather and thank Allah for the blessing as he thanked.’ Indeed, a hadith of the Prophet in Muslim says,

إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَيَرْضَى عَنِ الْعَبْدِ أَنْ يَأْكُلَ الأَكْلَةَ فَيَحْمَدَهُ عَلَيْهَا أَوْ يَشْرَبَ الشَّرْبَةَ فَيَحْمَدَهُ عَلَيْهَا

“Allah is pleased with a servant who, when he eats or drinks something, thanks Allah for it” (Ibn Kathir).

13. That is, it was revealed and written in the Scriptures given to the Israelites that twice they will spread great corruption in the land (Ibn Kathir), “.. probably applying to predictions contained in the Torah (Leviticus xxvi, 14-39 and Deuteronomy xxviii, 15-68) as well as prophesies of Isiah, Jeremiah, John and Jesus” (Asad).

14. Since we know from the Qur’an itself that the Israelites had rebelled not twice but many times in the land, the allusion here therefore can only be to major rebellious acts, or, alternatively, as Asad put it, “to two distinct, extended periods of their history.”

15. The earlier and the later scholars could not come to any agreement over the identification of the first or second group which prevailed over the Israelites (Ibn Kathir). Ibn `Abbas, (in one of his two opinions), as well as Sa`id b. Jubayr, Hasan and Qatadah have identified Nebuchadnezzar as the one who led the first destructive assault. He destroyed Jerusalem and its Temple, burned down every copy of the Torah, leaving not one word in writing, killed seventy thousand Israelites, and led away as prisoner-slaves a hundred thousand of them including such prominent personalities as Daniel, Ezra, and others (Ibn Jarir).

The Israelites remained in slavery in Babylon for seventy years. It was a Persian attack on Babylon that freed them. They then returned to Jerusalem. And, apart from the general corruption among the Israelites, the Divine anger was provoked by the following incident. The Israeli ruler wished (Herodotus: Ibn Jarir’s history), to marry his niece which Yahya, the son of Zakariyyah, declared unlawful. Enraged, the niece got her paramour drunk and demanded that he order Yahya’s head be brought on a tray. He complied, which signaled the beginning of the assault (Ibn Jarir, Ibn Kathir).

Yusuf Ali writes: “... it may be that the two occasions refer to (1) the destruction of the Temple by the Babylonean Nebuchadnezzar in 586 B.C., when the Jews were carried off into captivity, and (2) the destruction of Jerusalem by Titus in A.D. 70, after which the Temple was never rebuilt.”

16. Majid writes: “In the Bible also the epithet ‘my servant’ is applied to Nebuchadnezzar (Je 25: 9).” It is also possible, writes Thanwi, that since Allah’s punishment was delivered at their hands, for a good purpose - removal of the corrupt from the lands - the attackers and destroyers were referred to as “Our slaves.” Nevertheless, note that as against `abdihi (His slave), Allah (swt) did not say ‘ibadina, rather, ‘ibadan-lana which gives a sort of a generic sense (Shafi`).

Yusuf Ali further clarifies the surprise usage of the honorable term `ibad: “They were servants of Allah in the sense that they were instruments through which the wrath of Allah was poured out on the Jews..”

17. “Jasu” affords several connotations. To go in and out of houses with the intention of destruction; to search; to go about looking if someone is left alive, etc., are the possible meanings, and, as Wahidi has said, the word could have been brought here to carry all these connotations (Razi).

18. Asad comments, “.. apparently a reference to the return of the Jews from the Babylonian captivity in the last quarter of the sixth century B.C., the partial re-establishment of their state, and the building of a new temple in place of the one that had been destroyed.”

19. These words draw special significance when we keep the fact before us that a large number of the Israelites were killed during the first major assault on them, greatly reducing their population (Au.).

20. That is because the effects of the pain on the body and mind disfigure the faces (Au.: with a point from Alusi). In Asad’s words, “Inasmuch as the face is the most prominent and expressive part of the human body, it is often used as a metonym for one’s whole being; hence ‘the evil done to one’s face’ is synonymous with ‘utter disgrace.’

21. Thanwi notes from Tafsir Haqqani that history records several major episodes of the Israelites when they rebelled and received Divine punishment. The following six are outstanding ones that we reproduce more to demonstrate that our commentators were not unaware of history, rather than because they are accurate descriptions of the past events, if any such accurate description is possible:

i) When the Israelite rulers as well as their subjects adopted irreligious attitudes after Sulayman (asws), an Egyptian ruler raided Jerusalem, pillaged the city, carrying away its gold and silver, but did not destroy the Temple or the city.

ii) When, some four hundred years after that, the Jews began to worship idols, once again an Egyptian king descended, and destroyed part of the Temple and razed some buildings to the ground before retreating with the booty.

iii) A few years after that, Nebuchadnezzar attacked the city and partially destroyed it. He installed a new ruler, from among the Israelites before leaving.

iv) He came back when the new ruler rebelled against his authority. He killed a large number of the inhabitants of Jerusalem and took away as prisoner-slaves the rest of them. They remained in Babylonian captivity for 70 years. They were released when the Persians attacked the Assyrians and overcame them. The new rulers allowed the Israelites to return to Palestine and, in fact, returned them much of their looted wealth.

v) This happened when, after a while of righteous living, the Jews once again spread corruption in the land - some 170 years before the appearance of Jesus Christ. The king who had laid the foundations of Antioch, raided Jerusalem, caused wide scale destruction, killed some 40,000 Jews and enslaved as many. The newly built Temple was spared. However, the descendants of that king destroyed that Temple also while they attempted to wipe out the town. Finally, the city fell to the Romans who allowed the Jews to rebuild the Temple. Jesus Christ was born eight years after that.

vi) This happened when the Jews rebelled against the Roman authority. Titus destroyed the town completely, and demolished the Temple.

The question remains, adds Shafi`, as to which of the above six major events is the Qur’an referring to as the two very significant ones. It looks like the reference is to the fourth (involving Nebuchadnezzar) and sixth (involving Titus) incidents. The main point however is that the narration warns the Muslims that they would be treated in no better manner if they spread the kind of corruption the Israelites spread, for, Allah’s Sunnah does not change. A good case in point is the loss of Bayt al-Maqdis to an enemy hardly one tenth the Muslims in numbers and equipments. They will never get it back unless they return to Islam whole-heartedly.

Quotation from Shafi` ends here.

Majid quotes: “The raging flames, the infuriated soldiers, the groans of the wounded and the dying, all spoke with another voice. It was the judgment. The words of John the Baptist and of Jesus of Nazareth had come true. Thousands perished in the temple flames .. Then the wall fell their pride turned into helplessness and cowardice, and they sought to hide themselves in the subterranean passage. On the same day the Roman soldiers made their way through the Upper City, burning, plundering, and massacring’ (Ebi. C. 2285). ‘The slaughter within was even more dreadful than the spectacle from without. Men and women, old and young, insurgents and priests, those who fought and those who entreated mercy, were hewn down in indiscriminate carnage. The number of the slain exceeded those of the slayers. The legionaries had to clamber over heaps of dead to carry on the work of extermination.’ (Milman, History of Jews, II. P. 93). ‘Titus crucified so many Jewish captives and fugitives during the siege of Jerusalem, that there was not sufficient room for the crosses nor sufficient crosses for the condemned’ (Klausner, Jesus of Nazareth, p. 349).”

22. So, it is obvious that increase in wealth and progeny was neither appreciated and thanked for by the Israelites, nor did these favors serve them in any way when faced with Allah’s wrath (with a point from Alusi).

23. According to Ibn `Abbas and Qatadah the Israelites indeed returned with sins (by rejecting the Final Prophet: Alusi), and, in consequence, Allah put them to defeat and banishment from Arabia at the hands of the Muslims. (They had already been banned from setting their feet into Palestine by the Romans, some 500 years before Islam: Au.).

24. The translation of the word “hasir” as prison-bed follows the understanding of the Salaf, some of whom said that the word stands for a place where one is confined, while to a few others it means a thing to rest on. Ibn Jarir preferred the second meaning.

25. Yusuf Ali connects the theme: “The instability and crookedness of the Jewish soul having been mentioned, the healing balm which should have cured it is now pointed out. The Message of the Qur’an is for all. Those who have Faith and show that Faith in their conduct must reap their spiritual reward. But those who reject Faith cannot escape punishment. Apart from what is past, apart from the question of national or racial history, there is a Hope, - and a Danger - for every soul.”