Verse 1

Chapter 17: Al-Isrāʾ (The Night Journey) · Printed edition: Volume 25, pp. 1–42

بِسۡمِ ٱللَّهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ

In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful.

Sūrah al-Isrāʾ (The Night Journey) was revealed in Mecca and consists of 111 verses.

The chapter relates to God’s unity and His having no partner whatsoever, with the aspect of glorification (tasbīḥ) outweighing that of praise (taḥmīd). This is seen at the onset of the chapter: Glory be to Him Who made His servant… and is seen time and again later on: Glory be to Him and exalted be He in high exaltation above what they say (); Say: Glory be to my Lord (); And they say: Glory be to our Lord! (). Even the last verse of the chapter praises God while freeing Him from having a partner, guardian or son: And say: (All) praise is due to Allah, Who has not taken a son and Who has not a partner in the kingdom, and Who has not a guardian to save Him from disgrace; and proclaim His greatness magnifying (Him) ().

The chapter is Meccan as the content of the verses show. Rūḥ al-maʿānī says that according to some exegetes, two of its verses are an exception to this: And surely they had purposed to turn you away from… (); And surely they purposed to unsettle you from the land… ().

Others have added two more verses to the exception: And when We said to you: Surely your Lord encompasses men… (); And say: My Lord! make me to enter a goodly entering… ().

According to al-Ḥasan, it is Meccan except for five of its verses: And do not kill any one… (); And go not nigh to adultery… (); Those whom they call upon… (); Keep up prayer… (); And give to the near of kin… ().

On the authority of Muqātil, it is Meccan except for the following five verses: And surely they had purposed to turn you away… (); And surely they purposed to unsettle you from the land… (); And when We said to you:… (); And say: My Lord! make me to enter… (); …surely those who are given the knowledge before it… ().

According to Qatādah and al-Muʿaddil on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās: It is Meccan except for eight verses: And surely they had purposed to turn you away… And say: My Lord! make me to enter a goodly entering… ().

However, the content and themes of the verses themselves bear no indication of the chapter being Medinite, and none of its laws relate to things that were exclusively revealed in Medina. Rather, similar laws were revealed in Meccan chapters such as Chapters 6 and 7 (al-Anʿām and al-Aʿrāf).

The chapter begins with its theme of glorifying God by alluding to the Prophet’s ascension (miʿrāj). It mentions his nocturnal journey (isrāʾ) from the Sacred Mosque to the Farthest Mosque which is Jerusalem (Bayt al-Maqdis). This is the temple that was built by David and Solomon, and which was sanctified by God for the Israelites.

This is then linked to the rise, fall, honor and dishonor decreed by God for the Israelites. Whenever they obeyed, God raised them up, and whenever they disobeyed God put them down. He revealed the Book to them, commanded them to monotheism and prohibited them from polytheism.

He then turns the discourse to the state of this nation and the Book that has been sent to them, which is similar to the case of the Israelites; if the Muslims obey they will be rewarded, and if they disobey they will be punished. It is only a matter of one’s actions, for every individual is treated according to what he does. Thus was the divine tradition with regard to past nations.

It then refers to many truths pertaining to knowledge of the origin, the resurrection, general religious laws including commands and prohibitions, and so on.

Some cardinal verses (ghurar al-āyāt) in this chapter are: Say: Call upon Allah or call upon, the Beneficent God; whichever you call upon, He has the best names (); All do We aid – these as well as those – out of the bounty of your Lord, and the bounty of your Lord is not confined (); And there is not a town but We will destroy it… (), and more.

Commentary

سُبْحَـٰنَ ٱلَّذِىٓ أَسْرَىٰ بِعَبْدِهِۦ لَيْلًا مِّنَ ٱلْمَسْجِدِ ٱلْحَرَامِ إِلَى ٱلْمَسْجِدِ ٱلْأَقْصَا ٱلَّذِى بَـٰرَكْنَا حَوْلَهُۥ لِنُرِيَهُۥ مِنْ ءَايَـٰتِنَآ ۚ إِنَّهُۥ هُوَ ٱلسَّمِيعُ ٱلْبَصِيرُ ١

(17:1) Glory be to Him (subḥān) Who made His servant to go (asrā) on a night (laylan) from the Sacred Mosque to the remote mosque of which We have blessed the precincts, so that We may show to him some of Our signs; surely He is the Hearing, the Seeing.

Subḥān is the verbal noun of tasbīḥ, which means to affirm the transcendence of something (tanzīh). It is used annexed to a noun (muḍāfan) as an absolute object (maf ʿūl muṭlaq) that takes the place of a verb. The implied meaning of subḥān Allāh is: subḥān Allāh is sabbaḥtu Allāha tasbīḥan, meaning “I declare God’s freedom from everything inappropriate to His Holiness.” This phrase is often used as an exclamation. However the context of these verses only fits glorification, because that is the theme of the discourse, even though some exegetes have insisted that it is exclamatory.

Isrāʾ and sary mean travelling at night. Sarā asrā means that he travelled at night. Sarā usriya bihi means that he was taken on a journey at night. Another similar term is sayr (travel), which is used only for daytime and night time.

Laylan is a locative object. It means that this journey took place at night and that the round-trip took place in a single night before dawn broke.

…to the Farthest Mosque (al-Masjid al-Aqṣā) of which We have blessed the precincts…: To the Farthest Mosque means Jerusalem, as indicated by: of which We have blessed the precincts. Qaṣā means remoteness. It is called the Farthest Mosque (al-Masjid al-Aqṣā) because it was the Farthest Mosque from the Sacred Mosque in Mecca, which was the position of the Prophet and the other addressees with him.

…so that We may show to him some of Our signs …: This explains the purpose of the night journey: to show him some of the divine signs— the particle min means “some of.” The context of the verse indicates the greatness of these signs which God showed to the Prophet. This meaning is explicitly stated elsewhere in the Qur’an when discussing the story of the night journey: Certainly he saw of the greatest signs of his Lord ().

…surely He is the Hearing, the Seeing: This explains why He made him journey by night in order to shown him His signs: It was because He hears what His servants say and sees what they do. He heard what His servant said, and He saw that his inner state and condition (ḥāl) called for being distinguished [from others] with the honor of being taken on a nocturnal journey and seeing some of His greatest signs.

…Of which We have blessed the precincts, so that We may show to him some of Our signs: Here we see a grammatical shift for rhetorical purpose from the third person to the first person plural, which is then followed by a returns to the previous third person. The reason for this shift is to indicate that the night journey and what happened there—showing the signs to the Prophet—issued from the courtyard of grandeur and greatness, and the position of might and power. This was an act of God’s greatest authority, where He manifested Himself (tajallā) to him through His greatest signs. If the verse had said, “To show him of His signs” or anything else, this subtle point would not have been made.

The implied meaning is: One must thoroughly clear and glorify the One Who made His servant Muḥammad travel in the middle of a single night from the Sacred Mosque to the Farthest Mosque in Jerusalem— the precincts of which He had blessed—to show him His greatest signs through His greatness and grandeur and by His far-reaching power and authority. He did this because He is the Hearing, the Seeing. He knew that his servant is worthy of being distinguished by this honor based on what He heard of his supplication and of what He saw of his inner condition.

Examining Narrations

(1) Imam al-Ṣādiq said:

Gabriel (Jabraʾīl), Michael (Mīkāʾīl) and Seraphiel (Isrāfīl) brought the burāq to God’s Messenger, one taking the rein, another the stirrups and the other spreading his clothing over it. There the burāq startled, so Gabriel slapped it and said to it, “Calm down, burāq, because no prophet like he has ever ridden you nor will ever ride you.” It then flew him and lifted him up not too high, accompanied by Gabriel who showed him the signs of heaven and the earth. He [the Prophet] said: While I was looking to the left, someone called out from my right: “O Muḥammad!” I did not answer him or turn toward him. Someone then called me from my left: “O Muḥammad!” but I did not answer him or turn toward him. A woman then faced me, her forearms exposed, upon which was all the world’s finery. She said: “O Muḥammad, look at me so that I can speak to you,” but I did not turn toward her. I travelled on and then I heard a voice that frightened me, but I kept going. Thereafter, Gabriel put me down and said: “Pray,” so I prayed. He then asked: “Do you know where you prayed?” I replied: “No.” He said, “You prayed on Mount Sinai where God spoke directly to Moses.”

I mounted and we travelled as far as God willed, then he [Gabriel] said to me: “Dismount and pray,” so I dismounted and prayed. He then asked me, “Do you know where you prayed?” I replied, “No.” He said, “You have prayed in Bethlehem. Bethlehem is in the district of Jerusalem where Jesus son of Mary was born.” I then mounted and we travelled until we reached Jerusalem. There I tied up the burāq to the ring where the prophets used to tie their steeds. Gabriel was by my side. We then found Abraham, Moses and Jesus among a group of Prophets that only God knows their count. They gathered around me and the iqāmah was recited for prayer. I had no doubt that Gabriel would lead us but then when they straightened their lines Gabriel took my arms, led me ahead [of himself], and thus I led their congregation. There is no boast in that.

The treasurer then brought me three cups: there was milk in one, water in another, and wine in the third. I heard someone say: “If he takes water, he and his nation will drown. If he takes wine, he and his nation will go astray. If he takes milk, he and his nation will be guided.” So I took the milk and drank from it. Thereafter, Gabriel said to me: “You have gone aright and your nation will go aright.” He then asked me: “What did you see in your journey?” I replied: “Someone called to me from my right.” He then asked me, “Did you answer him?” I said, “No, nor did I turn toward him.” He said, “That was the Jewish proselytizer. If you had answered him, your nation would have turned Jewish after you.” He then said, “What did you see [then]?” I replied, “Someone called to me from my left.” He asked me, “Did you answer him?” I replied, “No, nor did I turn toward him.” So he replied, “That was the Christian proselytizer. If you had answered him, your nation would have become Christian after you.” He then asked, “What faced you?” I replied, “I met a woman, exposing her forearms which bore all of the world’s finery. She said, ‘O Muḥammad! Look at me so that I can talk to you.’” He asked, “Did you speak to her?” I replied, “I neither spoke to her nor turned toward her.” He said, “That was the world (dunyā). If you had spoken to her, your nation would have chosen this world over the hereafter.” I then heard a voice, which frightened me and so Gabriel, asked me, “Do you hear, Muḥammad?” I replied, “Yes.” He said, “This is a rock that I cast from the edge of hell seventy years ago and now it reached the bottom.”

It has been said that after this incident the Messenger of God did not laugh until he passed away.

He [the Prophet] said: Gabriel ascended and I ascended with him to the lowest heaven, which is guarded by an angel called Ismāʿīl. He fends off the snatchers as mentioned in the verse: Except him who snatches off but once, then there follows him a brightly shining flame (). There are seventy thousand angels under him and under every angel there are another seventy thousand angels. He [Ismāʿīl] asked, “O Gabriel! Who is this who is with you?” Gabriel replied: “It is Muḥammad, the Messenger of God.” He asked: “Has he been sent [to his people] yet?” He replied: “Yes.” He then opened the door, I greeted him and he greeted me. I sought forgiveness for him and he sought forgiveness for me. He said: “Welcome to the righteous brother and prophet.”

The angels kept coming to meet me until I entered the lowest heaven. They all received me while smiling with delight until I was received by an angel that was greater than anything that I had ever seen, with an unpleasant countenance, and visibly angry. He said the same prayer for me as the others angels, except that he did not smile and I did not see the delight of the other angels in him. I asked: “Who is this, Gabriel? Indeed I am terrified of him.” He replied: “It makes sense to be terrified of him—we are all terrified of him—because this is Mālik, the custodian of hell. He has never laughed and has remained so ever since God put him in charge of hell. He gets angrier and more infuriated every day at God’s enemies and the people of disobedience, for God takes revenge on them through him. If he were to smile at anyone ever, it would have been you.” I then greeted him. He greeted me back and gave me glad tidings of heaven. Since God has described Gabriel’s position as: One (to be) obeyed, and faithful in trust () I asked him [Gabriel]: “Will you not tell him to show me hell?” So Gabriel said to him: “O Mālik! Show Muḥammad hell.” He uncovered it to me and opened one of its gates. A flame blazed out in the sky from it, flared up and rose until I thought that it is going to catch me. I said: “Gabriel! Tell him to cover it up again.” He told him and he said to the fire: “Go back!” It then returned to its place from which it had come.

I then passed onwards and saw a large bodied swarthy man (rajulan ādaman). I asked: “Who is this, Gabriel?” He said: “This is your forefather Adam, where he is shown his offsprings and he says: Good spirit and good fragrance from a good body.”

God’s Messenger then recited Chapter 83 (Sūrah al-Muṭaffīn) from after verse 17: Nay! Most surely the record of the righteous shall be in the Iliyin. And what will make you know what the highest Iliyin is? It is a written book, those who are drawn near (to Allah) shall witness it () to the end of the chapter.

He [the Prophet] said: I greeted my forefather Adam and he greeted me. I sought forgiveness for him and he sought forgiveness for me. He said: “Greetings to the righteous son and the righteous prophet sent in the righteous time.”

He said: I then passed by one of the angels sitting on a seat (majlis). The whole of the world was between his knees a tablet of light with some writing was in his hand. He was looking at the tablet with fixed eyes, without turning to the right or the left, and his face looked like an aggrieved person. I asked: “Who is this, Gabriel?” He said: “This is the angel of death, who is relentless in capturing the souls.” I said: “Gabriel, take me close to him so that I can speak to him.” He took me close to him, I greeted him and Gabriel said to him: “This is Muḥammad, the Prophet of Mercy whom God has sent to His servants.” He welcomed me, prayed for my longevity in peace, and said: “Rejoice, O Muḥammad, for indeed I see that all good is in your nation.” I said: “Praise be to God, the Benefactor, Who has blessed His servants with bounties. This is of my Lord’s blessing and mercy upon me.” Gabriel then said: “He is the most hardworking angel.” I asked him [the Angel of Death]: “Are you the one who has taken the life of everyone who has ever died or will ever die from now on?” He replied: “Yes.” I asked: “Do you see them wherever they are and witness them by yourself?” He replied: “Yes.” The angel of death then added: “God has placed the entire universe under my authority and power just like a dirham in the hand of a person, where he can flip it as he pleases. There is not a single home which I do not peruse five times every day. I say when the family of a deceased weeps over the deceased: Do not cry for him because I will keep visiting you over and over again until none of you shall remain.” God’s Messenger then said: “Death is enough of an overwhelming catastrophe (ṭāmmah), O Gabriel.” Gabriel replied: “And what comes after death is a much greater catastrophe than death.” He [the Prophet] said: I then passed onwards, and lo, I reached a group of people in front of whom were tables spread with good meat and bad meat. They were eating from the bad meat and leaving the good meat untouched. I asked: “Who are these, Gabriel?” He replied: “They are those who eat what is unlawful instead of what is lawful. They are from your nation, O Muḥammad.” God’s Messenger continued: I then saw an angel whom God had created in an astonishing fashion: half of his body was fire and the other half was ice. The fire did not melt the ice and the ice did not extinguish the fire. He was calling out in a loud voice, saying: “Praise be to Him Who has stopped the heat of this fire from melting the ice, and has stopped the cold of this ice from extinguishing the heat of this fire. O God, binder of fire to ice, bind together the hearts of your believing servants.” I asked: “Who is this, Gabriel?” He replied: “This is an angel whom God has put in charge of the sides (aknāf) of heaven[s] and the edges of the earths. He is the sincerest adviser of God’s angels for His believing servants among the people of the earth. He has been praying for them as you heard since he was created.”

I saw two angels calling out in heaven; one of them was saying: “O God, compensate anyone who gives charity”; and the other one was saying: “O God, bring loss to anyone who withholds [from donation].”

I then passed onwards, and lo, I reached a group of people who had lips like that of camels. Their flesh was being cut from their sides and cast into their mouths. I asked: “Who are these, Gabriel?” He replied: “They are those who slander and backbite others.”

I then passed onwards, and lo, I reached a group of people smashing their heads with rocks. I asked: “Who are they, Gabriel?” He replied: “They are those who sleep without performing the Evening Prayer (ṣalāt al-ʿishāʾ).”

I then passed onwards, and lo, I reached a group of people where fire was being cast in their mouths and was exiting through their bottoms. I asked: “Who are they, Gabriel?” He replied: “They are those who eat what belongs to the orphans unjustly. Surely they only swallow fire into their bellies and soon they shall enter burning fire [].”

I then passed onwards, and lo, I reached a group of people that wanted to stand up but could not because their stomachs were too big. I asked: “Who are they, Gabriel?” He replied: “They are: Those who swallow down usury cannot arise except as one whom Satan has prostrated by (his) touch does rise ().” They were treated as Pharaoh’s family, exposed to the fire (every) morning and evening [], saying: Lord, when will the hour come?

I then passed onwards and lo, I was beside women hung by their breasts. I asked: “Who are these, Gabriel?” He replied: “They are those who pass on their husbands’ inheritance to children who are not their husbands’.”

The Messenger of God said: “God’s wrath is severe at a woman who introduces an outsider to a family’s lineage, that he may discover their flaws and weak spots and consume their treasures.” He then said: We passed by some of God’s angels whom God had created as He pleased and had set their faces as He pleased. There was no spot on their bodies that was not praising and glorifying God from every side in various voices. Their voices rose in praise and weeping in awe of God. I asked Gabriel about them, and he replied: “They were created as you can see. Surely every angel out of them does not speak a word to his counterpart next to him, nor do they raise their heads to what is above them or lower [their heads] to what is beneath them out of fear of God and humility [toward Him].” I then greeted them and they signaled a greeting back to me by nodding their heads and without looking at me, out of humility [toward God]. Gabriel then said to them: “This is Muḥammad, the prophet of Mercy, sent by God to His servants as a messenger and prophet. He is the last of the prophets and their master. Are you not going to speak to him?” When they heard this from Gabriel, they faced me, greeted me with honor, and gave me glad tidings of goodness for me and my nation.

We then ascended to the second heaven, and lo, there were two men there who looked like each other. I asked: “Who are they, Gabriel?” He replied to me: “Maternal cousins John [the Baptist] and Jesus.” I greeted them and they greeted me. I sought forgiveness for them and they sought forgiveness for me. They said: “Greetings to the righteous brother and prophet.”

There [in the second heaven] I also saw angels who had [signs of] humility upon them. God had fashioned their faces as He pleased. There was no angel among them except that it was glorifying and praising God in different voices.

We then ascended to the third heaven, and lo, there was a man who exceeded the rest of creation in beauty, the way the full moon exceeds the rest of the stars [in brightness]. I asked: “Who is this, Gabriel?” He replied: “This is your brother Joseph.” I greeted him and he greeted me. I sought forgiveness for him and he sought forgiveness for me. He said: “Welcome to the righteous prophet and the righteous brother sent in the righteous time.” There [in the third heaven] I also saw angels who had [signs of] humility upon them like the ones I described in the first and second heavens. Gabriel told them about me what he had said to the others and they did as the others had done.

We then ascended to the fourth heaven, and lo, there was a man there. I asked: “Who is this, Gabriel?” He replied: “This is Enoch (Idrīs), whom God has raised to a high station.” I greeted him and he greeted me. I sought forgiveness for him and he sought forgiveness for me. There [in the fourth heaven] I also saw angels who had [signs of] humility upon them like in the heavens I had passed through. They gave me glad tidings for me and for my nation. I then saw an angel sitting on a couch. He had seventy thousand angels under him, and there were another seventy thousand angels under each of them.

It occurred to God’s Messenger that he was it. Gabriel called out to him, saying: “Get up! And thus he will [remain] standing until the Day of Resurrection.”

[The Prophet continued:] We then ascended to the fifth heaven, and lo, there was a middle-aged man with large eyes. I had not seen a middle-aged man greater than him. Around him was a group of his nation. Their multitude impressed me, so I asked: “Who is this, Gabriel?” He replied: “This is the beloved of his people, Aaron son of Amram (ʿImrān).” I greeted him and he greeted me. I sought forgiveness for him and he sought forgiveness for me. I also saw angels there with [signs of] humility upon them as I had seen in the [other] heavens.

We then ascended to the sixth heaven, and lo, there was a tall, dark-complexioned man, as if he was from Shanuwwah [an Arab tribe]. If he were to wear two shirts his hair would have passed through both. I heard him say: “The Israelites claim that I am the dearest son of Adam to God, but this man is dearer to God than I.” I asked: “Who is this, Gabriel?” He replied: “This is your brother Moses son of Amram (ʿImrān).” I greeted him and he greeted me. I sought forgiveness for him and he sought forgiveness for me. I also saw angels there with [signs of] humility upon them like in the [other] heavens.

We then ascended to the seventh heaven and I did not pass a single angel who did not say: “O Muḥammad! Cup and tell your nation to cup (ḥijāmah).” And lo, there was a grey haired and grey bearded man (ashmaṭ) sitting on a throne there. I asked: “Gabriel, who is this that is in the seventh heaven at the door of al-Bayt al-Maʿmūr (the Frequented House) near to God?” He replied: “This, Muḥammad, is your forefather Abraham, and this is your place and the place of the Godwary in your nation.”

God’s Messenger then recited: “Most surely the nearest of people to Ibrahim are those who followed him and this prophet and those who believe and Allah is the guardian of the believers ().” [The Prophet continued]: I greeted him and he greeted me and said: “Welcome to the righteous prophet and the righteous son, sent in the righteous time.” I also saw angels there with [signs of] humility upon them like in the [other] heavens. They gave me glad tidings for me and for my nation.

God’s Messenger said: I saw in the seventh heaven seas of shining bright light, with such glitter that could snatch away one’s sight. There were [also] seas of darkness there and seas of snow that were thundering. Whenever I was appalled and saw something frightening I inquired Gabriel [about it] and he would tell me: “Rejoice, O Muḥammad! Give thanks for your Lord’s blessing upon you, and thank God for what he Has made for you.”

He [the Prophet] said: Thereafter, God made me firm with His strength and help. After speaking much with Gabriel and expressing my astonishment, Gabriel said: “O Muḥammad! Do you think what you see is great? This is but one creations of of your Lord’s creations. What about the Creator Who has created what you see? And what you do not see of your Lord’s creation is greater than this. There are seventy thousand veils between God and His creation. I and Seraphiel are the closest creatures to God. Between us and Him are four veils: a veil of light, a veil of darkness, a veil of cloud and a veil of water.”

He [the Prophet] said: Among the wondrous things that God had created and was under His command I saw a rooster whose feet were on the [lowest] limits of the seventh earths and whose head was at the throne. He was one of God’s angels whom God had created as He had willed, with its two feet positioned on the [lowest] limits of the seventh earths. He then started ascending into the air toward the seventh heaven, and continued to ascend to the point that his crown ended up near the throne. He says: “I glorify my Lord wherever I am. Your Lord is of such grand status that you do not know where He is.” He has two wings on his shoulders. When he spreads them they go past the east and the west. At dawn time, he spreads his wings, flaps them and cries out the following praise: “Glory be to God, the King, the Holy. Glory be to God, the Great, the Transcendent. There is no god but God, the All-Living, the Upright.” When he says this, all the roosters of the earth flap their wings and start glorifying God. When that rooster in heaven falls silent, all the roosters in earth fall silent. That rooster had green feathers (zaghab) under his white plumages. The whiteness of the plumage was the brightest white that I had ever seen, and the green of the underlying feathers was the most intense green that I had ever seen.

I then passed onwards with Gabriel and entered al-Bayt al-Maʿmūr, where I prayed two units (rakʿah) of prayer. With me were some of my companions wearing new clothes, and others wearing ragged clothes. Those wearing new clothes entered, and those wearing ragged clothes sat down [outside].

I then went out and found two rivers flowing before me, one called al-Kawthar (lit. “Abundance of Good”) and another called al-Raḥmah (lit. “Mercy”). I drank from al-Kawthar and washed up from al-Raḥmah. They both opened up the way for me so I entered al-jannah (the Garden, Paradise). Its earth was like musk, and lo, on its two sides were the houses of me and my household (ahlī). There I saw a servant-girl dipping in the Garden’s rivers. I asked her: “To whom do you belong, O servant-girl?” She replied: “To Zayd b. Ḥārithah”—I gave him the glad tidings of her when I woke up in the morning.

Its birds were like Bactrian camels (al-bakht), and its pomegranates were like great buckets (duliyy). There was a tree there that if a bird were released at its base it could not go round it in seven hundred years. There is not a single home in the Garden which does not have one of its branches in it. I asked: “What is this, Gabriel?” He replied: “This is the Ṭūbā Tree.”

God says: Tuba shall be theirs and a goodly return ().

God’s Messenger said: When I entered the garden I thought with myself and asked Gabriel about the seas there, their terror and their wonders. He replied: “They are the canopies of veils with which God veils Himself. Were it not for those veils, the light of the Throne would burn everything in it.”

I finally reached the farthest lote-tree (sidrat al-muntahā), and lo, there was a leaf on it which shaded one of the nations. I was as near to it as God says: The measure of two bows or closer still (). He [God] then called out to me: “The Messenger believes in what has been revealed to him from his Lord [].” So I said, responding on behalf of myself and my nation: “and (so do) the believers; they all believe in Allah and His angels and His books and His messengers; We make no difference between any of His messengers; and they say: We hear and obey, our Lord! Thy forgiveness (do we beseech), and to Thee is the eventual course [].” God then said: “Allah does not impose upon any soul a duty but to the extent of its ability; for it is (the benefit of) what it has earned and upon it (the evil of) what it has wrought [].” I said: “Our Lord! take us not to task if we forget or make a mistake [].” So God said: I will not take you to task. I then said: “Our Lord! do not lay on us a burden as You didst lay on those before us [].” So God said: “I will not overburden you.” I said: “Our Lord do not impose upon us that which we have not the strength to bear; and pardon us and grant us protection and have mercy on us, You are our Patron, so help us against the unbelieving people [].” So God said: “I grant you that for you and your nation.”

Imam al-Ṣādiq said: The Messenger of God asked these things for his nation while he was the noblest of God’s visitors.

God’s Messenger then said: “My Lord! You bestowed blessings upon Your prophets, so bestow upon me [as well]!” God replied: “Among what I shall give you are two statements from under My Throne: ‘There is no movement and no power save in God (lā ḥawla wa lā quwwata illā bi-Allāh),’ and ‘There is no refuge from You except toward You (lā manjā minka illā ilayka).’

He [the Prophet] said: The angels taught me something to say every morning and evening: “O, God, my wrongdoing seeks refuge in Thy pardon; my sin seeks refuge in Thy forgiveness; my lowliness seeks refuge in Thy might; my destitution seeks refuge in Thy opulence; and my perishing face seeks refuge in Thy Eternal Face that never perishes.” I also say this at evening time.

I then heard the call to prayer (adhān). It was by an angel that had not been seen in heaven before that night. He said: “God is the greatest! God is the greatest (Allāhu Akbar)!” God then said: “My servant has spoken the truth. I am greater than everything.” He then said: “I testify that there is no god but God! I testify that there is no god but God!” God said: “My servant has spoken the truth. I am God; there is no god but I; there is no god other than Me.” He then said: “I testify that Muḥammad is the Messenger of God! I testify that Muḥammad is the Messenger of God!” God said: “My servant has spoken the truth, that Muḥammad is my servant and messenger; I have sent him and chosen him.” He then said: “Hasten to prayer! Hasten to prayer!” God said: “My servant has spoken the truth. He has called to the obligation owed to Me. Whoever walks toward it with willingness and hope [for reward] will be forgiven of his past sins.” He then said: “Hasten to salvation! Hasten to salvation!” God said: “It [prayer] is goodness, success and salvation.”

I led the angels in heaven [in prayer] as I had led the prophets in Jerusalem.

Then a fog (ḍabābah) overwhelmed me and so I prostrated myself. My Lord then called me: “I have made fifty prayers obligatory for every prophet before you and I have made them obligatory for you and your nation. You and your nation should maintain them.” God’s Messenger said: Then I descended until I passed by Abraham and he did not ask me anything. I continued until I got to Moses. He asked me: “What did you do, Muḥammad?” I replied: “My Lord said: ‘I have made fifty prayers obligatory for every prophet before you and I have made them obligatory for you and your nation.’” Moses said: “O Muḥammad! Your nation is the last and the weakest of nations. These prayers will not add anything to Your Lord, but verily your nation will not be able to perform them. Go back to your Lord and ask Him to reduce them for your nation.”

So I went back to my Lord until I reached the Lote-tree of the Ultimate Boundary (sidrat al-muntahā). I prostrated myself and then said: “You have made fifty prayers obligatory for me and my nation. Neither I nor my nation can bear that, so reduce my load.” So He discounted ten units from my load.

I went back to Moses and told him about it. He said: “Go back again, for indeed you cannot bear this.” So I went back to my Lord and He reduced another ten prayers for me. Every time I went back I would prostrate myself. This continued until the obligatory prayers were reduced to ten. I then went back to Moses and told him about it. He said: “You cannot bear this!” So I went back again to my Lord and He relieved me of five.

I returned to Moses and told him about it. He said: “You cannot bear this.” I replied: “I am embarrassed before my Lord [to ask for further reduction], so I will forbear them.” Someone then called out to me: “Since you have decided to forbear, these five shall be equivalent to fifty. Every prayer is equivalent to ten. Whoever from your nation is about to do a good deed and does so, I will record it ten-fold for him. If he does not do so, I will record one for him. Whoever from your nation is about to do an evil deed and does so, I will record one for him. If he does not do so, I will not record [it] against him.”

Imam al-Ṣādiq then said: May God give a good reward to Moses on behalf of this nation. The above was the exegesis of God’s words: Glory be to Him Who made His servant to go on a night from the Sacred Mosque to the Farthest Mosque of which We have blessed the precincts, so that We may show to him some of Our signs; surely He is the Hearing, the Seeing ().

Author’s comment: Similar stories to the above are found in very many Shia and Sunni narrations. The phrase rajulan ādaman in the above narration means a colored man. Ṭāmmah is an intense happening that overwhelms everything else. That is why the resurrection is called al-ṭāmmah []. Aktāf is the plural of katif, meaning shoulder. In the above hadith it means edges or sides. The words: “It occurred to God’s Messenger that he was it,” means that he was the angel who regulates the world’s affair and to whom every affair goes back. The word Shanuwwah or Shanūʾah is the name of a tribe whose people were known for their height. The word ashmaṭ is from shamaṭ, meaning white hair mixed with black. Zaghab refers to the first small hairs and feathers that appear [on an animals’ body]. Bakht (Bactrian) is a Khurāsānian camel. Duliyy is the plural of dalw (bucket), in the form of fuʿūl. Ṣabābah is tender longing or love. Ḍabābah means delicate cloud.

(2) Imam al-Ṣādiq said:

When God’s Messenger was taken on the night journey to Bayt al-Maqdis (the House of Holiness, in Jerusalem), Gabriel carried him on the burāq. They arrived at Bayt al-Maqdis and Gabriel showed him the prayer niches (sing. miḥrāb) of the [previous] prophets, and he prayed in them. Gabriel then took him back, and on his way back the Messenger of God passed by a caravan belonging to Quraysh. One of their camels was lost and they were looking for it, while they also had some water in a vessel. The Messenger of God drank from that water and poured the rest on the ground.

When he woke up in the morning, the Messenger of God said to Quraysh: “Surely God took me on a night journey to Bayt al- Maqdis and showed me the traces and stations of the [previous] prophets. I also passed by a caravan belonging to Quraysh in such and such a place. They had lost one of their camels. I drank from their water and poured the rest away.”

Abū Jahl said [to Quraysh]: “Now he is in your hands and you can ask him about the number of pillars and lamps there [in Bayt al-Maqdis].” They said: “O Muḥammad! There are some people here who have entered Bayt al-Maqdis, so describe to us how many pillars, lamps and prayer niches there are.” Gabriel then came and portrayed a picture of Bayt al-Maqdis in front of him. So the Prophet began answering them. When he told them that they said: “[We shall wait] until the caravan arrives and we will ask them about what you said.” God’s Messenger told them: “A confirmation for that [which I said] is that the caravan will show up upon sunrise, being led by a dusky white camel.”

The next morning they came out looking at the pass [at the entrance of Mecca] and saying: “The sun is just about to rise.” Just as the sun rose above the horizon they saw the caravan, headed by a dusky white camel. They asked them about what the Messenger of God had said, and they replied: “This is what [happened]. One of our camels got lost in such and such a place. We put our water down. Then, when we woke up in the morning, our water had been poured out.” Yet, this [confirmation] only made them more defiant.

Author’s comment: There are other narrations to the same effect reported by both sects.

(3) ʿAbd Allāh b. ʿAbbās said:

When the Messenger of God was taken on the night journey to heaven, Gabriel took him to a river called al-Nūr (Light). God has referred to this in the verse: And [He] made the darkness and the light (). When He took him there, Gabriel said to him: “O Muḥammad! Cross it by God’s blessing, for He has illuminated your sight and opened the way before you. This river has not been crossed by anyone—neither an intimate angel nor a messenger prophet. Only I dip in it once a day and then come out and flap my wings. There is not a single drop that falls from my wings except that it is turned by God to an intimate angel that has twenty thousand faces and forty thousand tongues, each tongue speaking a language not understood by the other tongues.”

God’s Messenger crossed [it] until he arrived at the veils. There were five hundred veils, and from one veil to another was a journey of five hundred years. He [Gabriel] said: “Advance, O Muḥammad.” He asked: “Gabriel, why are you not coming with me?” He replied: “I am not allowed to pass beyond this point.” So God’s Messenger advanced as much as God wanted him to advance, until he heard the Lord say: “I am al-Maḥmūd (the Praised) and you are Muḥammad (lit. “very praised”). I derived your name from My Name . I will maintain good relations with whoever maintains good relations with you. I will cut from whoever cuts from you. Descend to My servants and tell them about how I have honored you. I have never sent a prophet without appointing a vizier for him. Indeed you are My messenger and indeed ʿAlī is your vizier.”

(4) Ibn ʿAbbās said:

He—that is, the Messenger of God—heard a voice saying: “We believe in the Lord of all the Worlds.” He—that is, Gabriel—said: “These are Pharaoh’s magicians.” He [the Prophet] heard: “Here I come, O God, here I come (labbayka Allāhumma labbayka). He [Gabriel] said: “These are the pilgrims.” He [the Prophet] heard an exclamation of “God is greater” (takbīr). He [Gabriel] said: “These are the soldiers.” He [the Prophet] heard an exclamation of “Glory be to God” (tasbīḥ). He [Gabriel] said: “These are the prophets.” Then, when he reached the farthest lote-tree and arrived at the veils, Gabriel said: “Proceed, O Messenger of God. I am not allowed to pass beyond this point. Should I approach by a fingertip, I will surely burn.”

(5) Ibn ʿAbbās said:

Part of the Prophet’s argument against the Jews was: I was carried on Gabriel’s wings until I ended up in the seventh heaven. I then passed the farthest lote-tree, where there is the Garden of Abode (jannat al-maʾwā), until I clung to the leg of the throne. I was called from the leg of the throne: “Verily I am God. There is no god but I. I am the Giver of peace, the Granter of security, Guardian over all, the Mighty, the Supreme, the Possessor of every greatness, the Affectionate, the All-Merciful.” I then saw Him with my heart but I did not see Him with my eye…

(6) Abū al-Rabīʿ said:

We went on pilgrimage with Imam al-Bāqir in the year when Hishām b. ʿAbd al-Malik went on pilgrimage. Nāfiʿ—Mawlā (client, freedman) of ʿUmar b. al-Khaṭṭāb—was with him. Nāfiʿ looked at Imam al-Bāqir at the corner of the House while people had gathered round him, and said: “O Commander of the Faithful! Who is this whom the people have crowded around?” He replied: “This is the prophet of the people of Kūfah. It is Muḥammad b. ʿAlī.” He [Nāfiʿ] said: “Watch what I will do! I shall ask him some questions that only a prophet, a prophet’s successor or a prophet’s son will [be able to] answer. He said: “Go ahead and ask him; perhaps you can embarrass him!”

So Nāfiʿ came along, leaned over until his shadow was cast upon the Imam. He said: “O Muḥammad b. ʿAlī! Verily I have read the Torah, the Gospel, the Psalms and the Qur’an (Furqān) and I have learnt what is lawful and unlawful in them. I have come to ask you questions which only a prophet, a prophet’s successor or a prophet’s son can answer.” Imam al-Bāqir raised his head and said: “Go ahead! Ask whatever is on your mind.”

He [Nāfiʿ] said: “Tell me how many years there were between Jesus and Muḥammad?” He replied: “Shall I tell you this according to my view or your view?” He replied: “According to both views.” He said: “According to my view, five hundred years. According to your view, six hundred years.” He [Nāfiʿ] said: “Then tell me about God’s words: And ask those of Our messengers whom We sent before you: Did We ever appoint gods to be worshiped besides the Beneficent? (). Whom did Muḥammad ask given that there were five hundred years between him and Jesus?”

The Imam then recited this verse: “Glory be to Him Who made His servant to go on a night from the Sacred Mosque to the Farthest Mosque of which We have blessed the precincts, so that We may show to him some of Our signs ()” and said: “One of the signs that God showed Muḥammad when He took him on the night journey to Bayt al-Maqdis was that He gathered all of the prophets and messengers, from the first to the last. On His command Gabriel called the adhān and recited the iqāmah, repeating each part of both twice. In his call to prayer he said: ‘Hasten to the best of deeds.’ Muḥammad then stepped forward and led their prayer. When he finished, he asked them: ‘What is your testimony? And whom did you serve?’ They replied: ‘We testify that there is no god but God alone; He has no partner; and verily you are God’s messenger. Our covenants and oaths were taken on this.’”

Nāfiʿ then said: “You have spoken the truth, O Abū Jaʿfar.”

(7) Thābit b. Dīnār said:

I asked Zayn al-ʿĀbidīn ʿAlī b. al-Ḥusayn about God: “Can He be described in terms of location?” He replied: “Far be God from that!” I asked: “Then why did He take His Prophet Muḥammad to heaven on the night journey?” He replied: “To show him the Dominion of heavens, the wonders that He has fashioned therein, and the marvels of His creation.” I then asked: “What about God’s words: Then he drew near and suspended hung so he was the measure of two bows or closer still ()?” He replied: “That [means] God’s Messenger drew near to the veils of light and saw the Dominion of heavens. Then he suspended hung and looked beneath, at the Dominion of Earth, until he thought that he was near to the Earth, like the measure of two bows or closer still.

(8) Ismāʿīl al-Juʿfī said:

I was sitting in the Sacred Mosque and Imam al-Bāqir was also there. He lifted his head and looked once to heaven and once at the Kaʿbah. He then recited: Glory be to Him Who made His servant to go on a night from the Sacred Mosque to the Farthest Mosque () and repeated it three times. He then turned to me and asked: “What do the people of Iraq say about this verse, O Iraqi?” I replied: “They say that he was taken on a night journey from the Sacred Mosque to Bayt al-Maqdis.” So he said: “It is not as they say. Rather, he was taken on a night journey from this to this,” pointing to heaven with his hand, “and the distance between them is a sacred sanctuary (ḥaram).”

The Imam continued: “Then when he ended up at the farthest lote-tree, Gabriel stayed behind him. God’s Messenger asked him: ‘Gabriel, will you desert me in a place like this?’ He replied: ‘Proceed ahead. I swear by God, you have reached a place where none of God’s creatures have reached before you.’ [The Prophet said:] ‘I then saw my Lord while the sabḥah blocked between us.’” I [Ismāʿīl al-Juʿfī] asked: “What is the sabḥah, may I be ransomed for you?” He [Imam al-Bāqir] signaled with his face to the earth and pointed to heaven with his hand, saying thrice: “The majesty of my Lord, the majesty of my Lord.”

[The Imam continued, narrating from the Prophet:] He [God] said, “O Muḥammad!” I said: “I am here, my Lord.” He asked: “What is the dispute in the Highest Council (al-malaʾ al-aʿlā) about?” I replied: “Glory be to You. I have no knowledge apart from what You have taught me.” God then placed His hand on my breast and I felt the coldness of it between my shoulders. Thereafter He did not ask me about anything of the past or the future except that I knew it. He then asked: “O Muḥammad! What is the dispute in the Highest Council about?” I replied: “It is about the ranks [of individuals], the expiations [of sins], and the rewards [of good deeds].” He said: “O Muḥammad, your term is [almost] over and you have consumed your ordained sustenance. So who is going to be your successor?” I replied: “My Lord, surely I have tested Your creatures but I have not seen anyone among them who is more obedient to me than ʿAlī.” He [God] added: “And [the most obedient] to Me as well, O Muḥammad.” I continued: “My Lord, I have tested Your creatures but I have not seen anyone among them who loves me more intensely than ʿAlī b. Abī Ṭālib.” He [God] added: “And [loves] Me [more than others] as well, O Muḥammad. Give him the glad tidings that he is the sign of guidance, the leader of My friends, a light for whoever obeys Me, and the lasting word that I have made inseparable from the God-fearing. Whoever loves him loves Me, and whoever hates him hates Me. Moreover, I have favored him by what I have not favored anyone [else].” I said: “My Lord, [he is] my brother, my companion, my vizier and my heir.” He said: “Verily it is predestined that he shall be tested [by tribulations] and others shall be tested by him. This is while I have gifted him, gifted him, gifted him and gifted him—four gifts, the tie of which are in his hand, but he does not divulge their ties.”

Author’s comment: When the Imam’s says, “Rather, he was taken on a night journey from this to this,” it means from the Kaʿbah to al-Bayt al-Maʿmūr. This, however, does not deny the night journey to Bayt al- Maqdis. Neither does it mean that “the Farthest Mosque” in the verse is interpreted as al-Bayt al-Maʿmūr. Rather what is meant is to deny that the night journey ended at Bayt al-Maqdis without going beyond it. There are extensive traditions explaining the Farthest Mosque as Bayt al-Maqdis.

When the Prophet says, “I then saw my Lord,” it means: “I saw Him with the eye of my heart,” as we saw in some narrations before. There are also other narrations that have interpreted “seeing” as such. “The sabḥah blocked between us” means: I reached such station and level of nearness that there was nothing left between me and Him except His majesty. “He then placed His hand on my breast…” is an allusion to divine mercy. It is essentially the revelatory descent of knowledge directly from Him (min ladunhū) to the Prophet’s heart in a way that dispelled all uncertainty or doubt.

(9) The Messenger of God said:

I was brought the burāq, which is a long white beast that is taller than a donkey but shorter than a mule. It steps as far as it can see. I rode it until I reached Bayt al-Maqdis, I tied it to a ring where the prophets used to tie [their mounts], then I entered the mosque and prayed two units (sing. rakʿah) of prayer inside.

I then left and Gabriel brought me a cup of wine and a cup of milk. I chose the milk. Gabriel said: “You have chosen the fiṭrah (primordial nature).”

We [I and Gabriel] were then up to the lowest heaven and Gabriel asked for it to be opened. He was asked [by the guardian angel there]: “Who are you?” He replied: “Gabriel.” He was asked: “And who is with you?” He replied: “Muḥammad.” He was asked: “Has he been sent [to his people] yet?” He replied: “He has been sent.” He then opened up for us, and there I saw Adam. He welcomed me and prayed for my good.

We were then taken up to the second heaven. Gabriel asked for it to be opened. He was asked: “Who are you?” He replied: “Gabriel.” He was asked: “And who is with you?” He replied: “Muḥammad.” He was asked: “Has he been sent [to his people] yet?” He replied: “He has been sent.” He then opened up for us, and there I saw the two maternal cousins, Jesus son of Mary and John son of Zechariah. They welcomed me and prayed for my good.

We were then taken up to the third heaven. Gabriel asked for it to be opened. He was asked: “Who are you?” He replied: “Gabriel.” He was asked: “And who is with you?” He replied: “Muḥammad.” He was asked: “Has he been sent [to his people] yet?” He replied: “He has been sent.” He then opened up for us, and there I saw Joseph, who has been given a fair share of beauty. He welcomed me and prayed for my good.

We were then taken up to the fourth heaven. Gabriel asked for it to be opened. He was asked: “Who are you?” He replied: “Gabriel.” He was asked: “And who is with you?” He replied: “Muḥammad.” He was asked: “Has he been sent [to his people] yet?” He replied: “He has been sent.” He then opened up for us, and there I saw Enoch (Idrīs). He welcomed me and prayed for my good.

We were then taken up to the fifth heaven. Gabriel asked for it to be opened. He was asked: “Who are you?” He replied: “Gabriel.” He was asked: “And who is with you?” He replied: “Muḥammad.” He was asked: “Has he been sent [to his people] yet?” He replied: “He has been sent.” He then opened up for us, and there I saw Aaron. He welcomed me and prayed for my good.

We were then taken up to the sixth heaven. Gabriel asked for it to be opened. He was asked: “Who are you?” He replied: “Gabriel.” He was asked: “And who is with you?” He replied: “Muḥammad.” He was asked: “Has he been sent [to his people] yet?” He replied: “He has been sent.” He then opened up for us, and there I saw Moses. He welcomed me and prayed for my good.

We were then taken up to the seventh heaven. Gabriel asked for it to be opened. He was asked: “Who are you?” He replied: “Gabriel.” He was asked: “And who is with you?” He replied: “Muḥammad.” He was asked: “Has he been sent [to his people] yet?” He replied: “He has been sent.” He then opened up for us, and there I saw Abraham, leaning his back against al-Bayt al-Maʿmūr . It is visited by seventy thousand angels every day who do not visit it again ever after.

I was then taken to the farthest lote-tree. Its leaves were like elephant ears and its fruits were like large earthenware jars. When it was covered with what covered it according to God’s command, its appearance changed such that none of God’s creatures could describe its beauty. What was revealed to me was revealed and fifty daily prayers were imposed upon me.

Then I descended until I reached Moses. He asked me: “What has your Lord imposed upon your nation?” I replied: “Fifty prayers.” He said: “Go back to your Lord and ask Him to reduce it, because your nation will not have the strength to bear it. Indeed I have tried and tested the Israelites.” I went back to my Lord and said: “Lord, lighten my nation’s load.” He reduced five [of them] for me. I went back to Moses and said: “He reduced five for me.” He replied: “Verily your nation will not have the strength to bear that, so go back to your Lord and ask him for a reduction.”

I kept going back and forth between my Lord and Moses until He said: “O Muḥammad! There shall be five prayers in a day and night. Every prayer is worth ten, making fifty prayers. I will record one good deed for whoever intends to do a good deed but then does not do it. If he does it, I will record ten. I will not record a bad deed for whoever intends to do a bad deed but then does not do it. If he does it, I will record [just] one bad deed.”

I descended until I reached Moses and told him about it. He said: “Go back to your Lord and ask him for a discount.” I said: “I have gone back to my Lord to the point that I am embarrassed of Him.”

Author’s comment: This narration is reported on the authority of Anas by various chains. One of these accounts is the next hadith:

(10) Anas said:

Three individuals came to the Messenger of God while he was sleeping in the Sacred Mosque, while he had not yet received revelation . The first of them asked: “Which of them is he?” The middle one replied: “He is [or must be] the best of them.” One of them said: “Take the best one.” This is how that night ended, and he did not see them until they came to him another night, when his heart could see and was not asleep even though his eyes were asleep. Thus are all prophets: their eyes sleep but not their hearts. [When they came the second time] they did not speak to him, but they carried him and placed him at the well of Zamzam. Gabriel took over from them and cleft open between his neck and his upper chest. He [Gabriel] emptied out his chest and heart, and washed it by hand with water from Zamzam, to the point that he had purified his heart. He then brought a golden bowl replete with belief and wisdom, filled his chest and the viens of his throat (laghādīd) with it, then closed them up. Thereafter, he took him up to the lowest heaven… (The rest of the hadith is more or less the same as the previous one.)

Key Debate: The Night Journey: Body and Spirit →

Author’s comment: What this hadith says—about cleaving open, washing and purifying the Prophet’s inside, and then filling it with belief and wisdom—describes the Prophet’s spiritual state where he observed this imaginal illustration. It was not a physical operation as some may have thought. This is shown by the idea that he was filled with belief and wisdom [which are not material]. The narrations on the Prophet’s ascension (miʿrāj) are full of imaginal illustrations and spiritual metaphors. This idea is seen in a number of narrations on the ascension reported in Sunni sources, and obviously there is no problem with this.

The above narration suggests that his ascension was before his prophetic mission started, and that it was in a dream. As for its being before the start of his mission, it is refuted by most narrations about the night journey (isrāʾ), which are too numerous to mention. This is agreed upon by the scholars of this subject.

Furthermore, the narration itself refutes the idea that the night journey took place before the start of the Prophet’s mission. This is because it contains the imposition of prayer, initially being fifty, followed by [the Prophet’s] request for reduction as per Moses’ suggestion. It does not make sense to impose the prayer before the prophetic mission. Therefore, we should perhaps interpret the beginning of the hadith as follows: The angels initially came to him before he received revelation, then they left him, and then they returned to him another night after he was chosen as a prophet. Some narrations say that those who were sleeping next to him in the Mosque on the night he was taken on the night journey were Ḥamzah b. ʿAbd al-Muṭṭalib, and Abū Ṭālib’s sons Jaʿfar and ʿAlī.

As for what it says about its happening in a dream, it might refer— although it is unlikely—only to the story of cleaving open and washing [the heart]. However, the narration apparently suggests that the entire night journey took place in a dream, as also suggested in some narrations below.

(11) Whenever Muʿāwiya b. Abī Sufyān was asked about the Prophet’s night journey, he would say: It was a true dream from God.

Author’s comment: The apparent meaning of the noble verse: Glory be to Him Who made His servant to go on a night… so that We may show to him some of Our signs () refutes this, as do the verses at the beginning of Chapter 53. For example: The eye did not turn aside, nor did it exceed the limit. Certainly he saw of the greatest signs of his Lord (). Furthermore, the verses involve a context of describing God’s blessing upon His prophet. They entail God’s praise by referring to His amazing mercy and astonishing power. This does not comply with a dream by the Prophet, for all good and evil people have dreams. In fact, a wicked sinner may have a more amazing dream than a God-fearing believer. A dream is deemed by most people as a matter of imagination that is no proof for one’s power or authority. A dream is at most a good omen that can create positive hopes, or a bad sign that can cause fear.

(12) ʿĀʾishah said:

I did not miss the body of God’s Messenger’s. Rather, God took [only] his spirit on a night journey.

Author’s comment: This is refuted by what refuted the previous narration. Furthermore, the narration is discredited by the consensus of transmitters of hadith and the biographers of the Prophet that the night journey took place a while before the migration, while ʿĀʾishah was conducted to him as his wife some time after the migration. This is unanimously agreed upon. The verse also explicitly refers to his being sent on a night journey from the Sacred Mosque [which is in Mecca].

(13) The Messenger of God said:

I met Abraham on the night I was sent on the night journey and he said: pass on my greeting of peace (salām) to your nation and tell them that the soil of Paradise is good and its water is sweet. Its land is wide and level, and its seedlings are “Glory be to God,” “Praise be to God,” “There is no god but God,” “God is greater” and “There is no movement or might save by God.”

(14) The Messenger of God said:

When I was sent on the night journey to heaven, I entered heaven and came across one of the trees of heaven. I did not see any tree in heaven that was more beautiful, had whiter leaves, or bore more delicious fruits than that. I picked one of its fruits and ate it. That became a seed in my loins. Then, when I descended to earth, I came to Khadīja and she conceived Fāṭimah. So whenever I long for the smell of heaven, I breathe in Fāṭimah’s fragrance.

(15) Imam al-Ṣādiq said:

God’s Messenger would kiss Fāṭima frequently, and ʿĀʾishah disapproved of that to him. God’s Messenger told her: O ʿĀʾishah, when I was taken on the night journey to heaven, I entered heaven and Gabriel drew me close to the tree of Ṭūbā and offered me some of its fruit to eat. So I ate it and God turned that into water in my back. Then when I descended to earth, I came to Khadīja and she conceived Fāṭima. I have not kissed her once without sensing of Ṭūbā tree from her.

(16) Ibn ʿUmar said:

When the Prophet was taken on the night journey to heaven, the call to prayer was revealed to him; Gabriel brought it down and taught it to him.

(17) It is narrated from ʿAlī:

The Prophet was taught the call to prayer and prayer was imposed on him the night he was taken on the journey.

(18) Isḥāq b. ʿAmmār says:

I asked Abū al-Ḥasan Mūsā b. Jaʿfar: “How did prayer become one bow and two prostrations? How come there are not two bows as there are two prostrations?”

He replied: “Now that you have asked something, clear out your heart to understand. Verily the first prayer prayed by God’s Messenger was in heaven before God, before His Throne, Majestic is His Majesty. That is because when he was taken on the night journey and he came before God’s Throne, He said: ‘O Muḥammad, approach [the fountain of] Ṣād and wash and cleanse the parts on which you prostrate.’ God’s Messenger approached where God had commanded him and performed ablution, performing it perfectly. He then stood facing the Almighty. He [God] ordered him to commence the prayer, and so he did.

He then said: ‘O Muḥammad, recite: In the Name of God, the Beneficent, the Merciful. All praise is due to God, Lord of the Worlds ()…’ to the end of the chapter. Thus he did. He then told him to recite the pedigree of his Lord: ‘In the Name of Allāh, the Merciful, the Compassionate. Say: He, Allah, is One. Allah is He on Whom all depend ().’ Then God paused. So the Messenger of God said: [In the Name of Allāh, the Merciful, the Compassionate.] Say: He, Allah, is One. Allah is He on Whom all depend. He then said: ‘Say: He begets not, nor is He begotten. And none is like Him ().’ Then God paused. So the Messenger of God said: ‘Thus is God, my Lord. Thus is God, my Lord.’ When he said that, God said: ‘Bow to your Lord, O Muḥammad.’ So God’s Messenger bowed. He told him while he was bowing: ‘Say: Glorify and praise be to my Lord, the Magnificent (al-ʿAẓīm).’ He said this thrice. He then said: ‘Lift your head, O Muḥammad.’ God’s Messenger did so and stood up straight before God. He then said: ‘Prostrate, O Muḥammad, to your Lord.’ So God’s Messenger prostrated himself. He then said: ‘Say: Glorify and praise be to my Lord, the Highest (al-Aʿlā).’ God’s Messenger did so thrice. He then said: ‘Sit up straight, O Muḥammad.’ So he did. When he sat up straight, he he noticed the Majesty of his Lord, Majestic is His Majesty. So God’s Messenger prostrated himself of his own accord, not following a command from his Lord.

He glorified Him again thrice. Then God said: ‘Stand up straight.’ He did so, but this time he did not see what he had seen the first time of the greatness of his Lord. God said: ‘Recite, O Muḥammad, and do what you did in the first unit (rakʿah).’ God’s Messenger did so. When he made the first prostration and lifted his head up, he noticed the Majesty of his Lord. So the Messenger of God prostrated himself of his own accord, not following a command from his Lord, and glorified Him like before. God then said to him: ‘Lift your head up—may God make you steadfast. Testify as follows: ‘There is no god but God, that Muḥammad is God’s messenger, that the hour is coming—there is no doubt about it—and that God resurrects those in the graves. O, God, send peace upon Muḥammad and Muḥammad’s family as You sent peace, blessing and mercy upon Abraham and Abraham’s family. Verily You are Praiseworthy, Glorious. O God, accept his intercession on behalf of his nation and raise his rank.’ He [the Messenger of God] did so.

God then said: ‘O Muḥammad!’ The Messenger of God faced his Lord with his head lowered [in humility], and said: ‘Peace be upon You.’ The Almighty, Majestic is His Majesty, replied: ‘And upon you be peace, O Muḥammad! I have given you strength by My bounty to be obedient to Me, and I have appointed you as a prophet and beloved by My protection.’”

Imam al-Kāẓim then said: “The prayer he was commanded [to perform] was only two bows and two prostrations [in total], but he prostrated twice in every rakʿah, as I told you, because of his remembrance of the greatness of his Lord. Thereafter, God imposed it as a duty.”

I [Isḥāq b. ʿAmmār] said: “May I be made your sacrifice! What is Ṣād, from [the water of] which he was commanded to bathe?” He replied: “It is a spring which gushes from one of the pillars of the Throne. It is said to be the water of life. It is what God has said: Ṣād, I swear by the Qur’an, full of admonition (). He commanded him to perform [minor] ablution, recite [the Qur’an], and pray.

Author’s comment: There are other narrations to the same effect.

(19) Abū Baṣīr asked Imam al-Ṣādiq:

“May I be made your sacrifice! How many times was God’s Messenger taken on a night journey?” He replied: “Twice. Gabriel made him stand in a place and told him: ‘[Behold] your place, O Muḥammad! Indeed you have stood in a place where no angel or prophet has ever stood. Verily your Lord is [ever] praying.’ He asked: ‘O Gabriel, how does He pray?’ He replied: ‘He says: All Glory and Sanctity is due to Me, the Lord of the angels and the Spirit. My mercy has taken precedence to My wrath.’ He [the Messenger of God] then said: ‘O, God! [I beg] Your pardon, [I beg] Your pardon!’ ” The Imam continued: “He [the Prophet] was, as God has said, at the measure of two bows or closer still ().” Abū Baṣīr asked: “May I be made your sacrifice! What is the measure of two bows or closer still?” He said: “[The distance between] the grip and the head of a bow.” The Imam then continued: “There was a gleaming veil between them, and all I know is that he [the Prophet] said: ‘It was of chrysolite.’ He then looked through something like the eye of a needle at what God willed of the light of His greatness…”

Author’s comment: The verses at the beginning of Chapter 53 support what the above narration says about the night journey taking place twice. The reliability of this narration is furthered increased by what it says about His ṣalāh (prayer), because the root meaning of ṣalāh is inclination and disposition. God’s “prayer”—that is, inclination—would be His mercy, and a servant’s inclination would be duʿāʾ (prayer, supplication), as it has been said. This is confirmed by Gabriel’s description of His ṣalāh as: “My mercy has taken precedence to My wrath.”

That is also why Gabriel made him stand where he did, and told him that it was where no one before him had trodden. The implication of this statement is that the place was the border between the creation and the Creator. Meanwhile, the pinnacle of perfection to be reached by a human is the border at which divine mercy appears and is effused upon everything else. That is why he made him stand [there] to witness it.

(20) Majmaʿ al-bayān has summarized some narrations as follows: The Prophet said: Gabriel came to me while I was in Mecca [that is, the Sacred Mosque] and said, “Stand up [and let us go], O Muḥammad!” I stood up and headed for the door with him. There I saw that he had come with Michael and Seraphiel (Isrāfīl). Gabriel then brought the burāq. It was taller than a donkey but shorter than a mule. Its cheek was like a person’s cheek and its tail was like a cow’s tail. Its mane was like a horse’s mane and its legs were like a camel’s legs. A saddle from heaven was upon it and it had two wings from its two thighs. Its step reached the farthest point within its sight. Gabriel told me: “Mount!” I mounted and set out until I arrived at Bayt al-Maqdis…

The hadith carries on until where he [the Prophet] says: When I arrived at Bayt al-Maqdis, I saw angels descending from heaven with glad tidings and honor from the Lord of Might. I prayed in Bayt al-Maqdis.

Some narrations say: Abraham gave me glad tidings while he was among a group of prophets.

The Prophet then describes Moses and Jesus, and continues: Then Gabriel took my hand to the rock and sat me on it. All of a sudden I saw a ladder (miʿrāj) to heaven. I had never seen the like of it in beauty and excellence. I ascended to the lowest heaven and saw its wonders, dominion and angels that greeted me. Gabriel then took me up to the second heaven, where I saw Jesus son of Mary and John son of Zechariah. He then took me up to the third heaven, where I saw Joseph. He then took me up to the fourth heaven, where I saw Enoch (Idrīs). He then took me up to the fifth heaven, where I saw Aaron. He then took me up to the sixth heaven, where I saw many creatures surging on one another. There were also cherubs there . He then took me up to the seventh heaven, where I saw some creatures and angels. According to Abū Hurayrah’s narration: I saw Moses in the sixth heaven and saw Abraham in the seventh heaven.

We then passed it rising to the Loftiest Heights (aʿlā ʿilliyyīn). The Prophet describes that place until he says:

My Lord then spoke to me and I spoke to Him. I saw heaven and hell. I saw the Throne and the farthest lote-tree and then I returned to Mecca. The next morning when I told the people about it, Abū Jahl and the polytheists called me a liar, and Muṭʿim b. ʿAdiyy told me: “Do you suppose that you traveled a two-month journey in an hour? I testify that you are a liar.”

The narrators have said: Quraysh then said, “Tell us what you saw.” So the Prophet replied: “I passed by the caravan of tribe so-and-so [specifying its name]. They had lost one of their camels and were looking for it. In their luggage there was a huge jar full of water. I drank the water and then covered the jar. Ask them if they found the water in the cup [that is, the jar].” They replied: “This is one sign.” He said: “I passed by the caravan of tribe so-and-so [specifying its name]. The young she-camel of so-and-so had run away and broken its hand. Ask them about that.” They replied: “This is another sign.” They said: “Tell us about our caravan.” He replied: “I passed by it at al-Tanʿīm.” He gave them a detailed account of them and their load, and said: “It is headed by a dusky white camel that is carrying two loads. They will arrive at sunrise.” They said: “This is another sign.”

They then set off travelling toward the desert saying, “Muḥammad has indeed set a clear judgment between us and him..”

They sat down, waiting for the sun to rise to prove him wrong. Someone then said: “By God, the sun has risen.” Another said: “By God, here are the camels, led by a dusky white one.” They were astonished, yet they did not believe [in the Prophet].

(21) Imam al-Ṣādiq said:

God’s Messenger prayed the Evening Prayer (ʿishāʾ) and the Dawn Prayer (fajr) in Mecca on the night he was taken on the night journey.

Author’s comment: Some narrations say that he prayed the Sunset Prayer (maghrib) in the Sacred Mosque, then he was taken on the night journey. There is no contradiction between the two narrations. Similarly there is no contradiction between his having prayed the Sunset, Evening and Morning Prayers in Mecca and the five prayers being imposed upon him in heaven on the night of the journey. This is because prayer per se had been legislated before that, but we do not know how many units (sing. rakʿah) there were at that time. We know from the Qur’an and hadith that he used to pray from the time he was chosen as a prophet. In Chapter 96, it says: Have you seen him who forbids a servant when he prays? (). It is narrated that he used to lead ʿAlī and Khadījah in prayer in the Sacred Mosque some time before openly proclaiming his mission.

(22) Imam al-Bāqir said:

When God’s Messenger was taken on ascension, he came down with ten rakʿahs of prayer, divided in [five] two-unit payers. When Ḥasan and Ḥusayn were born, God’s Messenger added seven rakʿahs in thanks to God, and God allowed him to do so. He left the Morning Prayer alone and did not add to it because it is attended by both the angels of the night and the angels of the day. When God commanded him to reduce the prayer on journeys he relieved his nation of six rakʿahs and left the Sunset Prayer without any reduction. The rules of inadvertence and doubt in prayer only apply to the part added by God’s Messenger, but if one falls in doubt in the [original] prescribed part, they have to start the prayer all over again.

(23) Saʿīd b. al-Musayyab asked ʿAlī b. al-Ḥusayn:

“When was the prayer as it is today imposed upon the Muslims?” He replied: “In Medina when the call [to religion] had gained strength, Islam had become powerful, and God decreed jihad upon the Muslims. God’s Messenger added seven rakʿahs to prayer: two rakʿas to the Noon Prayer, two rakʿahs to the Afternoon Prayer, one rakʿa to the Sunset Prayer and two rakʿahs to the Evening Prayer. He left the Dawn Prayer as it had been imposed in Mecca…”

(24) Ibn ʿAbbās has narrated from the Messenger of God:

When I was taken on the night journey, a fragrant aroma passed me. I asked: “What is this fragrant aroma, O Gabriel?” He replied: “That is the hairdresser of Pharaoh’s court along with her children. Once when she was combing [the hair of Pharaoh’s daughter] the comb fell from her hand. She said [as she was picking it up], ‘In the Name of God.’ Pharaoh’s daughter asked: ‘[Do you mean] my father?’ She replied: ‘Nay, but my Lord, your Lord and your father’s Lord.’ She asked: ‘Are you saying that you have a Lord other than my father?’ She replied: ‘Yes.’ She said [with an intimidating tone]: ‘Should I tell my father about this?’ She said: ‘Go ahead!’

So she told her father about it and he summoned her. He asked: ‘Do you have a Lord other than me?’ She replied: ‘Yes. My Lord and your Lord is God Who is in heaven.’ He then called for a very large cauldron of copper to be heated up. Then he commanded to drop her and her children in it. She said: ‘I have a request from you.’ ‘What is it?’ he asked. She said: ‘Collect my bones and the bones of my children [after our death] and bury them all.’ He replied: ‘That is granted to you for the service that you have done for us.’ They then threw them one by one until it was the turn of her suckling infant, who [miraculously] said to his mom, ‘Lament, mummy, but do not waver, for indeed you are upon the truth.’ Then she and her infant were thrown in.”

Ibn ʿAbbās added: There are four babies who spoke when they were little: This one, Joseph’s witness, Jurayḥ’s witness, and Jesus son of Mary.

Author’s comment: This is also narrated in a different way on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās, on the authority of Ubayy b. Kaʿb, from the Prophet.

(25) The Prophet said:

On the night when I was taken on the night journey I passed by some people whose lips were being cut off by scissors of fire. Every time their lips were cut off, they would grow back again as they were. I asked: “Who are these, O Gabriel?” He replied: “These are the preachers in your nation who used to preach what they did not practice.”

Author’s comment: Such imaginal representations (al-tamaththulāt al-barzakhiyyah) which depict deeds according to their results and their prepared punishments often appear in narrations on the night journey. We already saw some of them in the above narrations.

A Summary of the Narrations

The reader should know that the narrations mentioned above are just a small sample of the narrations on this topic. They are indeed numerous, reaching the level of tawātur. They are broadly transmitted by a very large number of Companions such as Anas b. Mālik, Shaddād b. al-Aws, ʿAlī b. Abī Ṭālib, Abū Saʿīd al-Khudrī, Abū Hurayrah, ʿAbd-Allāh b. Masʿūd, ʿUmar b. al-Khaṭṭāb, ʿAbd-Allāh b. ʿUmar, ʿAbd-Allāh b. ʿAbbās, Ubayy b. Kaʿb, Samurah b. Jundab, Buraydah [b. al-Ḥaṣīb], Ṣuhayb b. Sinān, Ḥudhayfah b. al-Yamān, Sahl b. Saʿd, Abū Ayyūb al-Anṣārī, Jābir b. ʿAbd- Allāh, Abū al-Ḥamrāʾ, Abū al-Dardāʾ, ʿUrwah [b. al-Zubayr], Umm Hānī, Umm Salamah, ʿĀʾishah and Asmāʾ b. Abī Bakr, all from the Messenger of God. It has also been narrated by a large number of Shia narrators on the authority of the Imams.

The scholars of Islam—whose word carries weight—agree that the night journey took place in Mecca before the migration, as can be inferred from His words: Glory be to Him Who made His servant to go on a night from the Sacred Mosque… (). This is also confirmed by many narrations that talk about the Prophet telling Quraysh [a Meccan tribe] about it the morning after that night, their denial of this report, and the Prophet informing them about the pillars of the Farthest Mosque and what he had encountered on the way like the caravans and so on.

But they disagree over the year in which he was taken on the night journey. The following years have been claimed:

(i) the second year of the mission, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās;

(ii) the third year, according to al-Kharāʾij [by al-Rāwandī], on the authority of ʿAlī;

(iii) the fifth or sixth year;

(iv) ten years and three months after his appointment [as prophet];

(v) the twelfth year of the mission;

(vi) one year and five months before the migration;

(vii) one year and three months before it;

(viii) six months before it.

Here we are not concerned with discussing the year, month or date of the night journey, and there is no reliable evidence for it either. However, it should be noted that some of the narrations on the authority of the Imams of Ahl al-Bayt explicitly state that there were two night journeys. This can be inferred from the verses in Chapter 53 because He says: And certainly he saw him in another descent (). You will see this when we get there, God-willing.

Based on this, it is possible that some of the marvels that he described in some of the narrations refer to what he witnessed on the first night journey, some others refer to the second night journey, and some refer to what he witnessed on both night journeys.

The exegetes have also disagreed over the place from which he was taken on the night journey. The following origins have been claimed:

(i) From the shiʿb (mountain pass) of Abū Ṭālib.

(ii) From Umm Hānī’s house, and there are some narrations that confirm this.

[Concerning these two views] some exegetes have interpreted “the Sacred Mosque” in verse (…made His servant to go on a night from the Sacred Mosque) as referring to the entire ḥaram area (the holy precinct) by extension, which would include all of Mecca.

(iii) From the Sacred Mosque itself, as this is the literal meaning of the verse, and there is no evidence to support an extension or figurative interpretation (taʾwīl) of it.

Based on what we said above—that there were two night journeys—it is possible that one of the night journeys was from the Sacred Mosque and the other was from Umm Hānī’s house. As for its happening from the mountain pass [of Abū Ṭalib], it does not comply with the rest of what is said in these accounts, as they say that Abū Ṭālib was looking for the Prophet all night, he and the Hāshimites (Banū Hāshim) gathered together in the Sacred Mosque, and he drew his sword and threatened Quraysh about not finding the Prophet, until he descended from heaven, went to them and told Quraysh what he had seen. None of these fit the hardship and suffering he and the Hāshimites all underwent while they were on the mountain pass.

In any event, the night journey discussed in the verse: Glory be to Him Who made His servant to go on a night from the Sacred Mosque to the Farthest Mosque () was a night journey to Bayt al-Maqdis, and this started at the Sacred Mosque because that is perfectly apparent from the verse, and there is no need to interpret it figuratively.

The exegetes also disagree over how the nocturnal journey took place. The majority believe that his body and spirit were taken on the night journey from the Sacred Mosque to Bayt al-Maqdis, then from there to the heavens. A number of them believe that his body and soul were taken from Mecca to Bayt al-Maqdis, then his spirit was taken from Bayt al-Maqdis to the heavens. It is attributed to some exegetes that only his spirit was taken on the journey, meaning that it was a true dream that God showed His prophet.

Al-Manāqib says:

People disagree over the ascension (miʿrāj). The Khārijites deny it. The Jahmiyyah say: His spirit but not his body was taken up by way of a dream. The Imamiyyah, Zaydiyyah and Muʿtazilah say on the contrary: His spirit and body were both taken to Bayt al-Maqdis because of His words: to the Farthest Mosque… (). Others say: Rather, his spirit and body were both taken to the heavens. This [last view] is narrated on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās, Ibn Masʿūd, Jābir, Ḥudhayfah, Anas, ʿĀʾishah and Umm Hānī. We do not deny this, if there is evidence to prove it. God made Moses’ ascension to the Mount [Sinai]: And you were not on this side of the mountain… (); Abraham’s to the lowest heaven: And thus did We show Ibrahim… (); Jesus’ to the fourth: Nay! Allāh took him up to Himself… (); Idrīs’ (Enoch’s) to heaven: And We raised him high [in Heaven] (); and Muḥammad’s to the measure of two bows or closer still (). This shows his [Muḥammad’s] lofty purpose and will.

What should be said is that there is no way to deny the actual occurrence of the night journey because the Qur’an refers to it explicitly and there are repeatedly narrated traditions about it by the Prophet and the Imams of Ahl al-Bayt.

As for the quality of the night journey (isrāʾ), the verse, the narrations and their contextual and circumstantial indications are a clear evidence that both his spirit and his body were taken from the Sacred Mosque to the Farthest Mosque. Concerning his ascension (miʿrāj) to the heaven, this is also evident based on the verses in Chapter 53—the exegesis of which is to come, God-willing—and the explicit text of numerous narrations. However, one may say that this ascension [to the heaven, after the physical night journey to Bayt al-Maqdis] was a spiritual ascension, but not in the sense suggested by those who have deemed to be as a form of dreams or visions that one sees in sleep. If that were the case, it would neither justify the ascension being a sign of God’s power and esteem [of His prophet], as stated in the verses, nor would it justify Quraysh’s strong denial when he told them the story. In addition, what he told them of the events along the way would have no conceivable meaning. Rather, a correct interpretation of a spiritual ascension is that his noble spirit was taken to a realm beyond the material world, inhabited by honored angels, where deeds end up and from which God’s decrees issue. He then saw some of his Lords greatest signs () and the manifestation of the realities of things and the consequences of deeds. He saw the spirits of the greatest prophets and spoke with them, and he met the noble angels and conversed with them. He also saw divine signs that are only metaphorically describable such as the Throne, the veil (al-ḥujub) and the pavilions (al-surādiqāt).

Since most scholars hold that immaterial existence is restricted to God, and that others are subject to the primacy of material existence, when they find the Qur’an and Sunnah describe immaterial matters in terms of specific tangible bodies or entities—such as the noble angels, the Throne, the Chair, the Tablet, the Pen, the veils and the pavilions—they have construed them as being material bodies that are imperceptible to the senses and free from the laws of matter. They have also interpreted what is said about the representations of the stations of the pious, the degrees of proximity, the hidden forms of sins, the consequences of deeds and so on as allegorical and metaphorical expressions. Thus they have fallen into sophistry by invalidating sensory perception, confirming arbitrary links between deeds and their consequences, and other pitfalls.

It is for the same reason that those scholars who have denied his material ascension to the heavens are forced to say that his ascension occurred in a dream, which, according to them, is a material property of the spirit— because they deem the spirit to also be material. Thus they have been led to reinterpret the verses and narrations as what is not appropriate to even a single one of them.

Discourse

The discussion “Another Discussion” appears here in the printed volume. Read it in the Al-Mizan App.

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1. This is because “Our” is a majestic plural or the royal “We.” (Trans.) ↩︎

2. This is a heavenly mount that carried the Prophet on his night journey. (Trans.) ↩︎

3. This is an aside statement by Imam al-Ṣādiq—or one of the transmitters of the hadith—in his narration of the Prophet’s night journey. (Trans.) ↩︎

4. The Arabic terms in brackets are what the author has discussed and defined after the tradition. (Trans.) ↩︎

5. Based on the Arabic text of the hadith, apparently this is an aside statement that the Prophet made when narrating his night journey, not something that he said during the journey. (Trans.) ↩︎

6. The author has described what is meant by this after the hadith. This sentence again is a statement by Imam al-Ṣādiq. (Trans.) ↩︎

7. Shanūʾah, also written as Shanuwwah, is the name of an Arab tribe. Some narrations say Shabwah, which is the name of another Arab tribe. Either way, the man is likened to the people of an Arab tribe for his color. Majlisī, Biḥār al-anwār, 18:332. See the author’s comments after the hadith. (Trans.) ↩︎

8. Al-Bayt al-Maʿmūr (the Frequented House, the Inhabited House) is not a terrestrial place of worship, but a heavenly one. See narration 9 under Discussion of the Narrations below. (Trans.) ↩︎

9. Again, this is Imam al-Ṣādiq’s narration. Perhaps the Prophet added this verse when he was recounting the story of his ascension afterwards. (Trans.) ↩︎

10. Again, this is apparently an addition by Imam al-Ṣādiq’s, although it could also be either a continuation of Gabriel’s answer or part of the Prophet’s narration. (Trans.) ↩︎

11. Other narrations and scholars have specified that the Arabic expression in the evenings should say amsā instead of aṣbaḥa (lit. “My wrongdoing starts the night while seeking refuge…” vs. “…starts the day while…”). The two terms could not be translated eloquently. (Trans.) ↩︎

12. Tafsīr al-Qummī, on the authority of the author’s father, on the authority of Ibn ʿUmayr, on the authority of Hishām b. Sālim. ↩︎

13. The hadith says aknāf, which differs from aktāf by only one dot. Aknāf is the plural of kanaf, which means side or zone, so the meaning is direct and clear. Apparently there was a mistake in either typing the author’s correct writing, or perhaps a mistake by the author in recording the word here. (Trans.) ↩︎

14. This shows that, according to the author, both words are possible in the above narration, although the latter has been recorded. (Trans.) ↩︎

15. Ṣadūq’s Amālī, on the authority of his father, on the authority of ʿAlī [b. Ibrāhīm], on the authority of his father, on the authority of Ibn Abī ʿUmayr, on the authority of Abān b. ʿUthmān. ↩︎

16. Ṣadūq’s Amālī, via its chain of narration. ↩︎

17. Al-Manāqib ↩︎

18. Al-Iḥtijāj. ↩︎

19. Al-Kāfī, via its chain of narration. ↩︎

20. ʿIlal al-sharāʾiʿ, via its chain of narration. ↩︎

21. That is, the Prophet was taken from the Sacred Mosque to the heaven, as the author has clarified in his comments below. (Trans.) ↩︎

22. See verse . (Trans.) ↩︎

23. The “lasting word” (kalimatan bāqiyah) is mentioned in verse . The word that is bound to the God-fearing is mentioned in verse . (Trans.) ↩︎

24. Tafsīr al-Qummī, via its chain of narration. ↩︎

25. See narration 5 above. (Trans.) ↩︎

26. See verse . (Trans.) ↩︎

27. See verse . (Trans.) ↩︎

28. Al-Durr al-manthūr, on the authority Ibn Abī Shaybah, Muslim and Ibn Mardawayh, on the authority Thābit, on the authority of Anas. ↩︎

29. Reported by Bukhārī, Muslim, Ibn Jarīr and Ibn Mardawayh, on the authority of Sharīk b. ʿAbd-Allāh b. Abū Namir, concerning the night when the Messenger of God was taken on a journey from the mosque where Kaʿbah is. ↩︎

30. What is meant here is “imaginal” in a metaphysical sense, not something imaginary and illusory. An imaginal illustration (mithāl or tamaththulāt) is a reality that is immaterial but not formless. It pertains to the imaginal world (ʿālam al-mithāl), which is an intermediate realm between the natural world— where there is both form and matter—and the transcendental or intellectual world—where there is neither form nor matter. (Trans.) ↩︎

31. Al-Durr al-manthūr, on the authority of Ibn Isḥāq and Ibn Jarīr. ↩︎

32. Al-Durr al-manthūr, on the authority of Ibn Isḥāq and Ibn Jarīr, on the authority of ʿĀʾishah. ↩︎

33. Al-Durr al-manthūr, on the authority of Tirmidhī—who has authenticated it, al-Ṭabarānī and Ibn Mardawayh, on the authority of Ibn Masʿūd. ↩︎

34. Al-Durr al-manthūr, on the authority of al-Ṭabarānī, on the authority of ʿĀʾishah. ↩︎

35. Tafsīr al-Qummī, on the authority of his father, on the authority of Ibn Maḥbūb, on the authority of Ibn Riʾāb, on the authority of Abū ʿUbaydah. ↩︎

36. Al-Durr al-manthūr, on the authority of al-Ṭabarānī’s al-Muʿjam al-awsaṭ . ↩︎

37. Al-Durr al-manthūr, on the authority of Ibn Mardawayh. ↩︎

38. ʿIlal al-sharāʾiʿ, via its chain of narration. ↩︎

39. Al-Kāfī, via its chain of narration, on the authority of ʿAlī b. Abī Ḥamzah who was present during the conversation. ↩︎

40. Tafsīr al-ʿAyyāshī, on the authority of Hishām b. al-Ḥakam. ↩︎

41. Al-Kāfī, on the authority of al-ʿĀmirī. ↩︎

42. Al-Ṣadūq’s Man lā yaḥḍuruhu al-faqīh, via his chain of narration. ↩︎

43. Al-Durr al-manthūr, on the authority of Aḥmad, al-Nasāʾī, al-Bazzāz, al-Ṭabarānī, Ibn al-Mardawayh and al-Bayhaqī’s al-Dalāʾil, via an authentic chain of narration. ↩︎

44. Al-Durr al-manthūr, on the authority of Ibn Mardawayh, on the authority of Anas. ↩︎

45. A hadith is mutawātir (that is, characterized by tawātur) if it has been masstransmitted through numerous chains of narration, such that its recurrence leaves no doubt about its authenticity. (Trans.) ↩︎

46. These are the followers of Jahm b. Ṣafwān, who believe in determinism (jabr) and that faith is only an inner belief, without any verbal or practical component. Note 2 on Kulaynī, al-Kāfī (Qum: Dār al-Ḥadīth, 1429), 2:340. (Trans.) ↩︎