Isra' and Mi'raj

"Glorified is He who took 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. Indeed, He is the All-Hearing, the All-Seeing." (Quran 17:1).

"And he certainly saw him in another descent, at the Lote Tree of the Utmost Boundary - near it is the Garden of Refuge - when there covered the Lote Tree that which covered [it]." (Quran 53:13-16).

The journey occurred about a year before the Hijrah, in the period after the deaths of Khadijah (ra) and Abu Talib, when the Prophet (saw) had borne intense persecution. The classical biographers (Ibn Ishaq, Ibn Hisham) place it in this period; the exact night is not established with certainty.

When Quraysh heard the Prophet (saw) describing Bayt al-Maqdis, some left Islam, while Abu Bakr (ra) said: "If he said it, he is truthful," and was named al-Siddiq. (Reported by Ibn Ishaq; the core meaning is preserved across multiple chains.)

The popular date of 27 Rajab is widely held but not established by an authentic, explicit hadith. Imam Ibn Taymiyyah, Ibn Rajab, and many later scholars noted that no specific night is fixed in the Sahihain. Other reports place it in Rabi' al-Awwal or Ramadan. The event is certain; the precise date is not.

It occurred during the Makkan period, before the Hijrah. The five daily prayers were ordained on this night, before the Hijrah of 622 CE.

There is no narration from the Prophet (saw) or the Companions establishing a special act of worship on the 27th of Rajab. Many scholars, including Ibn Taymiyyah and Ibn al-Qayyim, considered specific celebrations of this night an innovation. The widespread practice in some lands of fasting and night prayer specifically on 27 Rajab does not have an authentic basis.

The Prophet (saw) was taken in body and soul from the Sacred Mosque in Makkah to al-Masjid al-Aqsa in Jerusalem on a riding-beast called Buraq. (Sahih Muslim 162). The riding-beast was described as smaller than a mule and bigger than a donkey, placing each step at the furthest point of its sight.

In Bayt al-Maqdis, the Prophet (saw) led the prophets in prayer. (Sahih Muslim 172). This is the basis for the title "Imam al-Anbiya".

The Prophet (saw) ascended through the seven heavens. At each heaven he met a prophet: Adam, Yahya and Isa, Yusuf, Idris, Harun, Musa, and Ibrahim (peace be upon them all). (Sahih Bukhari 3887, Sahih Muslim 164).

He was taken to Sidrat al-Muntaha (the Lote-Tree of the Utmost Boundary), which marks the limit beyond which no creature passes. (Sahih Muslim 173, Quran 53:13-16).

He saw the Bayt al-Ma'mur, the heavenly counterpart of the Ka'bah, where seventy thousand angels enter every day, never to return until the Day of Resurrection. (Sahih Bukhari 3207).

Allah ordained fifty prayers a day. On the way back, Musa (as) advised the Prophet (saw) to ask his Lord for a reduction, knowing the weakness of his ummah. The Prophet (saw) returned several times, and each time the number was reduced. (Sahih Bukhari 3887, Sahih Muslim 162).

It was finally settled at five prayers a day, with the reward of fifty: "These are five [prayers], and they are [equal to] fifty [in reward], for the word with Me is unchanged." (Sahih Bukhari 3887, Sahih Muslim 162). This is why the five daily prayers were instituted on this night.

There is no special prayer prescribed for the anniversary of Isra and Mi'raj. The lasting act of worship that the Prophet (saw) brought back from this night is the five daily prayers themselves. Praying them on time is the truest commemoration.

No authentic hadith ordains a specific prayer or fast on the anniversary night. Inventing acts of worship for an unspecified night is contrary to the practice of the Salaf. The five daily prayers, in their proper time, are the legacy of this night.

Reading Surah al-Isra (17), Surah an-Najm (53:1-18), and the relevant authentic hadith of Sahih Muslim is a sound way to reflect on what occurred.

If you struggle with prayer, this is a good moment to recommit. Salah was given directly by Allah to His Messenger above the seven heavens; everything else came down through Jibril.

Send blessings upon the Prophet (saw), as is recommended at all times: "O Allah, send blessings upon Muhammad and upon the family of Muhammad..." (the durood ibrahimiyyah, Sahih Bukhari 3370).

The position of Ahl al-Sunnah is that the Isra and Mi'raj happened in body and soul while awake, not in a dream. This is the position of the majority of the Companions and the four schools. Aisha's reported view that it was a vision is interpreted variously by classical scholars; the dominant view holds it to be physical.

It is the mosque compound in Jerusalem, also called Bayt al-Maqdis. The Prophet (saw) said it was the second mosque ever built on earth, forty years after the Ka'bah. (Sahih Bukhari 3366). When the Prophet (saw) made the Isra, al-Aqsa was the qibla; the qibla was changed to the Ka'bah a few months after the Hijrah (Quran 2:144).

Aisha (ra) firmly denied that the Prophet (saw) saw his Lord with his eyes (Sahih Muslim 177). Ibn Abbas (ra) is reported to have said he saw Him with his heart, or in some narrations with his eyes. The position of the majority, including Aisha, is that he did not see Allah with his eyes in this world.

Quraysh demanded he describe Bayt al-Maqdis; Allah caused it to appear before him and he described it accurately, and he also gave them news of a caravan they had sent which arrived as he described. (Reports in Ibn Ishaq's Sirah; the core is reported in Sahih Bukhari 3886).

اللَّهُمَّ صَلِّ عَلَى مُحَمَّدٍ وَعَلَى آلِ مُحَمَّدٍ كَمَا صَلَّيْتَ عَلَى إِبْرَاهِيمَ وَعَلَى آلِ إِبْرَاهِيمَ إِنَّكَ حَمِيدٌ مَجِيدٌ

Allāhumma ṣalli 'alā Muḥammadin wa 'alā āli Muḥammadin kamā ṣallayta 'alā Ibrāhīma wa 'alā āli Ibrāhīma innaka Ḥamīdun Majīd

O Allah, send blessings upon Muhammad and upon the family of Muhammad, as You sent blessings upon Ibrahim and upon the family of Ibrahim. Indeed You are Praiseworthy, Most Glorious.

رَبِّ اجْعَلْنِي مُقِيمَ الصَّلَاةِ وَمِن ذُرِّيَّتِي ۚ رَبَّنَا وَتَقَبَّلْ دُعَاءِ

Rabbi ij'alnī muqīma aṣ-ṣalāti wa min dhurriyyatī rabbanā wa taqabbal du'ā'

My Lord, make me an establisher of prayer, and from my descendants. Our Lord, and accept my supplication.