Isra and Mi‘raj: The Night Journey and Ascension of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ

Muslims believe Allah took Prophet Muhammad ﷺ on this journey in a single night. During it, he met earlier prophets, was shown great signs, and received the command of the five daily prayers.

This article keeps three kinds of sources apart: the Quran, authentic Hadith (mainly Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim), and later scholarly explanation. Where scholars disagree, it says so.

Isra (الإسراء) means “a journey by night.” It is the first part of the event. Prophet Muhammad ﷺ was taken at night from Al-Masjid Al-Haram (the Sacred Mosque) in Makkah to Al-Masjid Al-Aqsa (the Farthest Mosque) in Jerusalem.

Mi‘raj (المعراج) means “a ladder” or “a way of going up.” It is the second part. The Prophet ﷺ was taken up from Jerusalem through the heavens.

The Isra is a journey on earth. The Mi‘raj is a journey upward. The authentic Hadith place both in the same night, which is why Muslims usually name them together. Most scholars understand it this way, though a few have said they were separate events.

The Quran clearly names only the Isra. Most details of the Mi‘raj come from Hadith.

The main verse is in Surah Al-Isra (“The Night Journey”).

Meaning of the verse in simple English

• Allah did it. The verse begins with “Glory be to Him.” The journey happened by Allah’s power, not by the Prophet’s own ability.
• “His servant.” This is Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, as Muslims understand from the Hadith.
• By night, from Al-Masjid Al-Haram to Al-Masjid Al-Aqsa. The Quran names the two places. Scholars understand Al-Masjid Al-Aqsa to be in Jerusalem.
• A blessed place. Allah says He has blessed the area around Al-Masjid Al-Aqsa.
• The purpose. To show the Prophet ﷺ some of Allah’s signs.

What the verse does not say

This verse does not mention Al-Buraq, the heavens, the prophets he met, the five prayers or the date. Those details come from Hadith.

Other verses linked to the event

• Quran 17:60. Allah says He made “the vision” He showed the Prophet ﷺ a test for people. Ibn ‘Abbas explained that this means what he was shown on the Night Journey, and that it was a real sight with the eyes (Sahih al-Bukhari 3888).
• Quran 53:13–18. Surah An-Najm describes a sight at the Lote Tree of the Utmost Boundary, near the Garden of Refuge. Scholars connect these verses to the Mi‘raj because the Hadith mention the same tree. The verses themselves do not use the word Mi‘raj.

How it began (authentic Hadith)

In Sahih al-Bukhari (3207), Prophet Muhammad ﷺ says he was lying near the Ka‘bah, in the area called Al-Hatim (or Al-Hijr), when an angel came. His chest was opened, his heart was washed with Zamzam water, and it was filled with faith and wisdom.

Scholarly note: Some later biographies place the start of the journey at the house of Umm Hani. Scholars have discussed how the accounts fit together. The Bukhari report places him near the Ka‘bah.

The angel Jibril

Jibril (Gabriel) is the angel who brought the Quran to the Prophet ﷺ. In the Hadith he travels with him through the night, guides him, and asks for each gate of the heavens to be opened.

Al-Buraq

Sahih al-Bukhari (3207) and Sahih Muslim (162) say the Prophet ﷺ rode an animal called Al-Buraq. The reports describe it simply:

• It was a white animal.
• It was bigger than a donkey and smaller than a mule.
• Each step reached as far as its eyes could see.

Sahih Muslim (162) adds that he tied it at the ring used by earlier prophets. Popular pictures often give Al-Buraq wings or a human face. These details are not in the Bukhari and Muslim reports and should not be presented as established facts.

At Al-Masjid Al-Aqsa

Sahih Muslim (162) says the Prophet ﷺ entered the mosque and prayed two units of prayer. Another report (Sahih Muslim 172) says he saw several prophets and led them in prayer. Scholars have discussed whether this prayer came before the ascent or after the return, and the Hadith do not settle it.

Reports also say he was offered milk and wine. He chose milk, and Jibril called this the natural way (fitrah). The reports place this at different points in the night.

Why Al-Masjid Al-Aqsa matters

• The Quran calls its surroundings blessed (17:1).
• It was the first direction of prayer. The Prophet ﷺ and the early Muslims faced it for about sixteen or seventeen months after reaching Madinah (Sahih al-Bukhari 399).
• Abu Dharr asked which mosque was built first. The Prophet ﷺ said Al-Masjid Al-Haram, then Al-Masjid Al-Aqsa, forty years apart (Sahih al-Bukhari 3366; Sahih Muslim 520). The Hadith do not say who built them.
• The Prophet ﷺ said a special journey should be made only to three mosques: Al-Masjid Al-Haram, his mosque in Madinah, and Al-Masjid Al-Aqsa (Sahih al-Bukhari 1189; Sahih Muslim 1397).

Scholarly view: Many scholars say that meeting earlier prophets there links Prophet Muhammad ﷺ to the line of prophets before him. The Quran itself says only that the purpose was to show him signs.

The most detailed reports are Sahih al-Bukhari 3207 and Sahih Muslim 162. Sahih al-Bukhari 349 gives parts of the same story.

At each heaven, Jibril asks for the gate to be opened. A voice asks who is there, and then who is with him. Jibril says “Muhammad” and answers that he was sent for. The gate opens and the Prophet ﷺ is welcomed.

The prophets he met

Each prophet welcomed him and prayed for good for him.

A note on differences: The report in Sahih al-Bukhari 349 names several prophets but is less exact about their places, and puts Ibrahim in the sixth heaven. Scholars generally follow the more detailed reports above.

Al-Bayt Al-Ma‘mur, Sidrat Al-Muntaha and the rivers

• Al-Bayt Al-Ma‘mur (“the much-visited House”): 70,000 angels enter it every day and do not return to it (Sahih al-Bukhari 3207).
• Sidrat Al-Muntaha (“the Lote Tree of the Utmost Boundary”): mentioned in the Quran (53:14). The Hadith say its fruits were as large as clay jars and its leaves like the ears of elephants (Sahih al-Bukhari 3207).
• Four rivers: two hidden, in Paradise, and two visible, which Jibril said were the Nile and the Euphrates (Sahih al-Bukhari 3207).
• The sound of pens: Sahih al-Bukhari 349 says he heard the sound of pens writing. The Hadith do not explain it further, so it is best not to add to it.

This part needs the most care.

What the sources clearly say

• The Quran says Allah revealed to His servant what He revealed (53:10) and does not say what it was.
• The Hadith say the command of prayer was given on this night. A voice called at the end, in meaning: “I have fixed My command and lightened the burden for My servants” (Sahih al-Bukhari 3207).
• The Quran teaches that there is nothing like Allah (42:11). Muslims do not describe Allah beyond what the Quran and authentic Hadith say.

Where scholars differ: did the Prophet ﷺ see Allah?

Early Muslims gave different answers. The reports are recorded in Sahih Muslim (176–178):

• Aisha denied that he saw his Lord. She said what he saw was Jibril in his true form.
• Ibn ‘Abbas is reported to have said he saw Allah with his heart. Scholars discuss what this means.
• Abu Dharr asked the Prophet ﷺ directly. He replied that there was light, and asked how he could have seen Him. Many scholars understand this to mean he did not see Allah with his eyes.

This article does not choose between these views. All Muslims agree that Allah is unlike His creation.

Was it body or spirit?

Most scholars say it was a physical journey while he was awake. Their reasons include the word “servant” in 17:1, which usually means the whole person, and the fact that the Quraysh found it hard to believe. A smaller group of early scholars said it was a vision or a journey of the spirit. The question is discussed in Ibn Hajar’s Fath al-Bari and Ibn Kathir’s Tafsir.

What the Hadith report

According to Sahih al-Bukhari (3207 and 349) and Sahih Muslim (162):

• Fifty prayers a day were first prescribed.
• On his way back, the Prophet ﷺ passed Musa. Musa asked what had been commanded. When he heard “fifty,” he said the people could not bear it. He said he had hard experience with the Children of Israel, and advised him to ask for a reduction.
• The Prophet ﷺ returned to Allah and asked for less. The number was reduced. This happened several times.
• When it reached five, Musa advised him to ask again. The Prophet ﷺ said he felt too shy to ask again, and accepted it (Sahih Muslim 162).
• A voice then said these are five prayers, but they carry the reward of fifty, and that Allah’s word is not changed (Sahih Muslim 162; Jami‘ al-Tirmidhi 213).

A note on details: The versions differ on how much was removed each time. Some say five prayers each time, and some describe bigger steps. All agree on the result: five prayers a day, with the reward of fifty.

Scholarly reflection: Scholars often see this as a sign of Allah’s mercy. They also note that the command was given during the Ascension itself, not delivered by Jibril on earth. This is an observation by scholars, not a statement in the Hadith.

Why the five prayers are so important

• ۞The second pillar of IslamPrayer comes right after the declaration of faith (Sahih al-Bukhari 8; Sahih Muslim 16).
• ۞Repeated in the QuranGuard your prayers (2:238). Prayer is prescribed at fixed times (4:103). Establish prayer to remember Allah (20:14).
• ۞Regular remembranceFive prayers give a Muslim set moments of remembering Allah through the day.
• ۞Reward of fifty for fiveAccording to the report, the reduction in number did not reduce the reward.

What authentic Hadith say

The Hadith indicate that the Prophet ﷺ was back in Makkah the same night. When he told the Quraysh, they did not believe him. Jabir ibn ‘Abdullah reports that when the Quraysh rejected him, he stood in Al-Hijr and Allah displayed Jerusalem before him, so he described it to them while looking at it (Sahih al-Bukhari 3886; Sahih Muslim 170).

Abu Hurairah adds that they asked questions about the mosque that he could not remember well. This troubled him, until Allah brought the mosque before his eyes and he could answer (Sahih Muslim 172).

Abu Bakr’s response

A report says that when people told Abu Bakr what the Prophet ﷺ had said, he replied that if Muhammad ﷺ said it, then it is true. For this he became known as As-Siddiq (“the one who believes fully”).

This report is not in Sahih al-Bukhari or Sahih Muslim. It is found in al-Hakim’s al-Mustadrak (from Aisha), and some Hadith scholars have graded it sound. It is a well-known part of the story, but it comes from a different level of source than the reports above.

Details from later biography books

Some later books on the Prophet’s life (sirah) add more. They say that some people who had believed left Islam after hearing the story, and that the Quraysh also asked about a caravan. These details are not in Bukhari or Muslim. Treat them as later historical reports, not as established Hadith.

The short answer: the exact date is not known.

• What scholars agree on: It happened in Makkah, before the migration (Hijrah) to Madinah.
• What they do not agree on: The year and the month. Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani listed about ten opinions. The months named include Rabi‘ al-Awwal, Rajab, Ramadan, Shawwal and Dhul-Qa‘dah.

What about 27 Rajab?

This is the date many Muslims know. But:

• Neither the Quran nor Sahih al-Bukhari or Sahih Muslim gives this date.
• Ibn Rajab wrote that the report of 27 Rajab comes through a chain of narrators that is not sound, and that early scholars such as Ibrahim al-Harbi rejected it.
• Ibn al-Qayyim, in Zad al-Ma‘ad, wrote that there is no clear evidence for the exact month or day.
• Other dates were also reported, including 27 Rabi‘ al-Awwal.

So 27 Rajab is a widely held tradition, but not a firmly proven fact. Muslims also differ on whether to mark this night in a special way. This article takes no side. It notes only that no authentic Hadith gives a special fast or night prayer for this date.

• ۞The importance of prayerThe five daily prayers are linked to this event in the authentic Hadith. It shows how much Allah values prayer.
• ۞Allah’s powerThe Quran begins the account with “Glory be to Him.” The journey was by Allah’s power, not the Prophet’s.
• ۞The honor of Prophet Muhammad ﷺHe was chosen to be shown signs of Allah, to meet earlier prophets and to receive the command of prayer.
• ۞Makkah and Al-Masjid Al-AqsaThe journey joined two holy places. Al-Masjid Al-Aqsa was also the first direction of prayer for Muslims.
• ۞Patience and faith in hardshipMany scholars and biographers link the event to the late Makkan period, when the Prophet ﷺ faced heavy opposition, and see it as a sign of Allah’s care for him. The exact order of events is debated, so this is a scholarly reflection, not a statement in the Hadith.
• ۞Trusting AllahThe story asks believers to accept what Allah tells us, even when it goes beyond what we normally see. Abu Bakr’s response is often given as an example.

• ۞Keep your prayersThe five prayers are a gift and a mercy. Pray them regularly and on time.
• ۞Trust Allah’s wordWhen something is clearly reported in the Quran or authentic Hadith, believers accept it, even if they do not understand how it happened.
• ۞One message of all prophetsThe Prophet ﷺ met earlier prophets with respect, and they welcomed him as a brother.
• ۞Be patient in difficultyAllah’s help may come in ways people do not expect.
• ۞Hold to what is authenticThe Quran and authentic Hadith are the foundation. Be careful with popular stories and unsupported dates.
• ۞Honor Al-Masjid Al-AqsaIt holds a special place in the Quran and in the history of prayer.

Isra and Mi‘raj is a night of journey and honor. In summary:

• ۞The QuranAllah took His servant by night from Al-Masjid Al-Haram to Al-Masjid Al-Aqsa to show him signs (17:1).
• ۞Authentic HadithThey add the ascension, the meetings with earlier prophets and the command of the five daily prayers.
• ۞Where scholars differWhether the Prophet ﷺ saw Allah, whether the journey was of body or spirit, and the exact date.
• ۞The date27 Rajab is a popular tradition, but it is not firmly established.

A careful reader can respect both sides of this: what is clear should be stated clearly, and what is uncertain should be left as uncertain.

The Holy Quran

Surah Al-Isra (17:1, 17:60); Surah An-Najm (53:1–18); 42:11; 2:238; 4:103; 20:14.

Sahih al-Bukhari

Hadith 8, 349, 399, 1189, 3207, 3366, 3886 and 3888.

Sahih Muslim

Hadith 16, 162, 170, 172, 176–178, 520 and 1397.

Jami‘ al-Tirmidhi

Hadith 213 (the five prayers carry the reward of fifty).

Al-Mustadrak

Al-Hakim, for the report about Abu Bakr.

Fath al-Bari

Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani, on the opinions about the date and on body or spirit.

Tafsir Ibn Kathir

Commentary on Surah Al-Isra.

Zad al-Ma‘ad

Ibn al-Qayyim, on the date of the Isra and Mi‘raj.