Sūrat al-Isrāʾ

Classification: Meccan, except for verses 26, 32, 33, 57, and verses 73 through 80, which are Medinan. Verse Count: 111 verses (revealed after Sūrat al-Qaṣaṣ).

{ Exalted is He who took His servant by night from the Sacred Mosque to the Furthest Mosque, whose surroundings We have blessed, to show him of Our signs. Indeed, He is the Hearing, the Seeing. }

{Subḥāna} is a proper noun for glorification (tasbīḥ), like ‘Uthmān for a man. Its accusative case is due to an implied verb that is omitted; its estimation is: usabbiḥu Allāha subḥānan (I glorify Allah with a glorification). Then, subḥāna was placed in the position of the verb, acting in its stead. It signifies profound transcendence from all the abominations attributed to Him by the enemies of Allah.

{Asrā} and sarā are two linguistic variants.

{Laylan} is in the accusative as an adverb of time. If you ask: "The isrā’ (night journey) only occurs at night, so what is the meaning of mentioning 'night'?" I say: By using the indefinite form laylan, He intended to signify the brevity of the duration of the journey—that He took him by night, in a portion of the night, from Mecca to Syria, a journey of forty nights. The indefiniteness indicates "a portion of." This is supported by the recitation of ‘Abd Allāh and Ḥudhayfah: "min al-layl" (from the night), meaning a part of the night, just as in His saying: {And from the night, pray with it as an additional [worship] for you} (Al-Isra: 79), meaning the command to stand for a portion of the night.

There is disagreement regarding the place from which he was taken. It is said: It is the Sacred Mosque (al-Masjid al-Ḥarām) itself, which is the apparent meaning. It is narrated from the Prophet (ﷺ): "While I was in the Sacred Mosque, in the Ḥijr by the House, between sleep and wakefulness, Gabriel (peace be upon him) came to me with the Buraq." It is also said: He was taken from the house of Umm Hāni’ bint Abī Ṭālib. The intent by "Sacred Mosque" is the Sanctuary (al-Ḥaram), due to its encompassing the mosque and its connection to it. Ibn ‘Abbās said: The entire Sanctuary is a mosque.

It is narrated that he was sleeping in the house of Umm Hāni’ after the night prayer when he was taken. He returned that same night and recounted the story to her. He said: "The prophets were presented to me, and I led them in prayer." When he stood to leave for the mosque, Umm Hāni’ clung to his garment. He asked: "What is the matter?" She said: "I fear your people will call you a liar if you tell them." He replied: "Even if they call me a liar." He went out, and Abū Jahl sat with him. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) told him of the Isrā’. Abū Jahl said: "O assembly of Banū Ka‘b ibn Lu’ayy, come here!" He told them, and they began clapping and placing their hands on their heads in astonishment and denial. Some who had believed in him apostatized. Men went to Abū Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) and said: "If he said that, he has spoken the truth." They asked: "Do you believe him regarding that?" He replied: "I believe him in matters even further than that," and thus he was named al-Ṣiddīq (The Truthful).

Some traveled to that place and asked him to describe the mosque. It was made visible to him, and he began looking at it and describing it to them. They said: "As for the description, he has hit the mark." They then said: "Tell us about our caravan." He informed them of the number of their camels and their conditions, saying: "It will arrive on such-and-such a day at sunrise, led by a grey camel." They went out that day, rushing toward the mountain pass. One said: "By Allah, the sun has risen." Another said: "By Allah, the caravan has arrived, led by a grey camel just as Muhammad said."

Yet they did not believe and said: "This is nothing but clear magic." He was also ascended to heaven that night from Jerusalem. He informed Quraysh of the wonders he saw in heaven, that he met the prophets, and reached the Frequented House (al-Bayt al-Ma‘mūr) and the Lote Tree of the Utmost Boundary (Sidrat al-Muntahā).

There is disagreement regarding the time of the Isrā’; it is said to have been one year before the Migration (Hijrah). Anas and al-Ḥasan said it was before the Call (Bi‘thah). There is also disagreement as to whether it was in wakefulness or in a dream. ‘Ā’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) said: "By Allah, the body of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) was not missing, but he was ascended with his soul." Mu‘āwiyah and al-Ḥasan also held that it was a vision he saw in a dream. However, the majority of reports state otherwise.

{Al-Masjid al-Aqṣā} is Jerusalem, for there was no mosque beyond it at that time.

{Whose surroundings We have blessed} refers to the blessings of religion and the world, for it was the place of worship for the prophets since the time of Moses and the place where revelation descended; it is surrounded by flowing rivers and fruitful trees.

Al-Ḥasan recited: li-yuriyahu (to show him) with a yā’. The discourse shifts between the third person and the first person: "He took him," then "We blessed," then "to show him" (according to al-Ḥasan's reading), then "of Our signs," then "He is." This is the method of iltifāt (shifting), which is one of the methods of rhetoric.

{Indeed, He is the Hearing} of Muhammad’s words, {the Seeing} of his actions, the Knower of their refinement and sincerity, so He honors and draws him near accordingly.