The Nighty Journey (Isra wal Mi'raaj) in the Qur'an

Where is the the Nighty Journey (Isra wal Mi'raaj) mentioned in the Qur’an?

Answer By Sheikh `Abd al-Hakîm al-Qâsim, Professor at the Riyadh Teachers College:

The Nighty Journey to Jerusalem is mentioned in the Qur’an in the opening verse of the chapter entitled Sûrah al-Isrâ’:

Glory to (Allah) who did take His servant for a journey by night from the Sacred Mosque to the farthest Mosque, whose precincts We did bless,- in order that We might show him some of Our Signs: for Allah is the One who hears and sees all things.

The ascension of Prophet Muhammad (S) into Heaven (the Mi`râj) is referred to in the the chapter of the Qur’an entitled Sûrah al-Najm while discussing the two times that Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) saw the angel Gabriel in his true form. The second time the Prophet saw Gabriel in his true form was In Heaven during the ascension, which is discussed in verses13-18 of Sûrah al-Najm:

***And verily he saw him (Gabriel) yet another time, near the lote-tree beyond which none may pass, nigh unto which is the Garden of Abode. Behold, the Lote-tree was shrouded (in mystery unspeakable!) His sight never swerved, nor did it go wrong! For certainly he saw of the greatest signs of his Lord.***

The first time he saw the angel Gabriel in his true form was when he began receiving prophecy.Sûrah al-Najm refers to the first meeting with Gabriel in verses immediately preceding these, verses 5-10:

One of mighty powers has taught him, endued with wisdom: for he appeared (in stately form), while he was in the highest part of the horizon. Then he approached and came closer, till he was distant but two bows’ length or even nearer. Thus did (Allah) convey of inspiration to His Servant what He meant to convey.

The Qur’ân also mentions this first meeting between Prophet Muhammad and the angel Gabriel in verse 23 of Sûrah al-Takwîr: 

“And of a truth he saw him on the clear horizon.”

The scholar al-Qubbâ’î gives us his thoughts as to why the night journey is described more explicitly in the Qur’an than the ascension. He writes in Nazam al-Durar (5/17):

The lack of an explicit description in the Qur’an of the ascension into Heaven may be in deference to the poor understanding of some people at that time, which might have led them to misconstrue or even deny some verses of the Qur’an. This is different than the night journey to Jerusalem, which was corroborated with the Prophet’s description of certain things he saw on the way.

Ibn `Âshûr says the following in his commentary of the Qur’ân [al-Tahrîr wa al-Tanwîr (8/178)]:

The Prophet (peace be upon him) experienced two miracles together: the first being the night journey to Jerusalem described in Sûrah al-Isrâ’, and the second being the ascension into Heaven the account of which can be found in the Sunnah in Sahîh al-Bukhârî and Sahîh Muslim, and which is referred to in the Qur’an in Sûrah al-Najm.

And Allah knows best.

Source: Islam Today