Al-Israa' wa al-Mi'raj

The Context: The Year of Sorrow

Al-Israa’ wa al-Mi’raj occurred during the most difficult period of the Prophet’s (SAW) life — the ‘Am al-Huzn (Year of Sorrow), approximately the 10th year of prophethood. In that year:

Khadija (RA), his beloved wife of 25 years and first believer, died
Abu Talib, his uncle and protector, died — removing the tribal protection that kept the Quraysh from openly harming him
The Prophet (SAW) traveled to Ta’if seeking support and was driven out with stones, bleeding

It was in this context of intense grief and vulnerability that Allah gifted the Prophet (SAW) the Israa’ and Mi’raj. The timing is theologically significant: the journey came not at the peak of success but at the nadir of suffering — a divine affirmation that the Prophet was not abandoned.

Al-Israa’: The Night Journey (Mecca to Jerusalem)

The Buraq: The Prophet (SAW) was taken from his home to Masjid al-Haram, where Jibreel (AS) brought the Buraq — described as a white animal larger than a donkey and smaller than a mule, that could place its hooves at the furthest point of its sight. The Buraq carried the Prophet at a speed beyond physical comprehension from Mecca to Jerusalem.

Masjid al-Aqsa: The Prophet (SAW) arrived at the Temple Mount in Jerusalem — the site of the Al-Aqsa Mosque — and prayed two rak’at. There, he was met by a gathering of prophets — Adam, Ibrahim, Musa, Isa, and others — and led them in prayer. This is why Masjid al-Aqsa is the third holiest site in Islam: it was the Prophet’s (SAW) prayer station at the beginning of the ascension.

Al-Mi’raj: The Ascension Through the Seven Heavens

The ascension: From Jerusalem, Jibreel (AS) and the Prophet (SAW) ascended through the seven heavens — each heaven guarded and opened:

First heaven: The Prophet (SAW) met Adam (AS) — who greeted him and wept with joy. Adam saw the souls of his descendants — on his right, souls of paradise; on his left, souls of hellfire. He laughed at those on his right and wept at those on his left.

Second heaven: Yahya (John the Baptist) and Isa (Jesus) — described as cousins, resembling each other in spiritual station.

Third heaven: Yusuf (Joseph) — described as having been given half of all beauty. “When I saw him, his face shone like the full moon.” (Bukhari)

Fourth heaven: Idris (Enoch) — “We raised him to a high station.” (19:57)

Fifth heaven: Harun (Aaron) — beloved by his people, surrounded by them in greeting.

Sixth heaven: Musa (Moses) — who wept when the Prophet (SAW) left. Asked why, he said: “I weep because a young man, commissioned after me, will have more followers enter Paradise than my followers.”

Seventh heaven: Ibrahim (Abraham) — the Prophet (SAW) found him reclining against Bayt al-Ma’mur — the House of the Frequented, the heavenly counterpart of the Ka’ba, circled by 70,000 angels daily, none returning twice.

Sidrat al-Muntaha (The Lote Tree of the Utmost Boundary): Beyond the seven heavens, the Prophet (SAW) reached the Sidrat al-Muntaha — the boundary of creation, where Jibreel (AS) could go no further. The Prophet (SAW) alone was taken beyond, into the divine presence.

The Gift: Five Prayers

In the divine presence, Allah prescribed fifty prayers daily for the Muslim community. On the Prophet’s descent, Musa (AS) advised him to return and ask for reduction — the Muslim community would not be able to bear fifty. The Prophet (SAW) returned and asked, and the number was reduced in stages — each time Musa (AS) urged him to ask again — until it reached five daily prayers. Musa (AS) still urged him to ask for fewer, but the Prophet (SAW) said he was too shy to return again.

Allah declared: “These five prayers are [recorded as] fifty with Me.” (Bukhari) The five daily prayers are the most direct divine gift to the Muslim community — prescribed not through a revealed text but through a personal encounter between the Prophet (SAW) and Allah, in a meeting beyond the reach of creation.

This is why the daily prayer is the pillar of Islam — it was the specific divine gift of the night the Prophet was closest to Allah.

The Test of Belief

When the Prophet (SAW) returned and told the Quraysh of his journey, they mocked him — some Muslims even wavered. Abu Bakr (RA) was told about the Prophet’s claim while Abu Bakr had not heard it firsthand. He said: “If Muhammad said it, then it is true.” This response earned him the title al-Siddiq — the Great Affirmer of Truth — which the Prophet confirmed.

The Mi’raj was a test of faith: those who believed the Prophet unconditionally affirmed a miracle beyond their comprehension; those who disbelieved revealed the limits of their trust.

Israa’ wa Mi’raj in the Bohra Tradition

The 27th of Rajab is observed as one of the sacred nights of the Islamic year in the Bohra community. Specific practices:

Night prayer (tahajjud) with extended du’a
Specific adhkar and salawat on the Prophet (SAW)
In some communities, a communal gathering with a bayaan on the significance of the Mi’raj
The night is treated similarly to other sacred nights (Laylat al-Qadr, the night of 15 Sha’ban) — as an opportunity for heightened worship and seeking forgiveness

In the Ismaili ta’wil tradition, the Mi’raj has a rich esoteric interpretation — the seven heavens as the seven ranks of the da’wa hierarchy, the prophets encountered as representing the speaking prophets (nutaqa’), and the ascension as the soul’s journey through levels of spiritual enlightenment under the Imam’s guidance.

Al-Israa' wa al-Mi'raj — The Night Journey and the Ascension to the Divine Presence