Seerah / Persecution
The Night Journey and Ascension
- Date
- Before the Hijrah · disputed
- Location
- Makkah to Jerusalem and the heavens
- People
- Jibril (AS), Musa (AS)
The Night Journey is affirmed in Surat al-Isra (17:1). Malik ibn Sa'sa'a (RA) relates the Prophet's ﷺ own description of the Ascension in Sahih al-Bukhari, including how the daily prayers were set at five.
As it was narrated
The story, in the words of those who were there
Read slowly. These are the Companions' own words, from the verified hadith collections.
حَدَّثَنَا هُدْبَةُ بْنُ خَالِدٍ، حَدَّثَنَا هَمَّامُ بْنُ يَحْيَى، حَدَّثَنَا قَتَادَةُ، عَنْ أَنَسِ بْنِ مَالِكٍ، عَنْ مَالِكِ بْنِ صَعْصَعَةَ ـ رضى الله عنهما ـ أَنَّ نَبِيَّ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم حَدَّثَهُمْ عَنْ لَيْلَةَ أُسْرِيَ بِهِ " بَيْنَمَا أَنَا فِي الْحَطِيمِ ـ وَرُبَّمَا قَالَ فِي الْحِجْرِ ـ مُضْطَجِعًا، إِذْ أَتَانِي آتٍ فَقَدَّ ـ قَالَ وَسَمِعْتُهُ يَقُولُ فَشَقَّ ـ مَا بَيْنَ هَذِهِ إِلَى هَذ…
Narrated Anas bin Malik:Malik bin Sasaa said that Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) described to them his Night Journey saying, "While I was lying in Al-Hatim or Al-Hijr, suddenly someone came to me and cut my body open from here to here." I asked Al-Jarud who was by my side, "What does he mean?" He said, "It means from his throat to his pubic area," or said, "From the top of the chest." The Prophet (ﷺ) further said, "He then took out my heart. Then a gold tray of Belief was brought to me and my heart was washed and was filled (with Belief) and then returned to its original place. Then a white animal which was smaller than a mule and bigger than a donkey was brought to me." (On this Al-Jarud asked, "Was…
What Allah revealed
سُبۡحَٰنَ ٱلَّذِيٓ أَسۡرَىٰ بِعَبۡدِهِۦ لَيۡلٗا مِّنَ ٱلۡمَسۡجِدِ ٱلۡحَرَامِ إِلَى ٱلۡمَسۡجِدِ ٱلۡأَقۡصَا ٱلَّذِي بَٰرَكۡنَا حَوۡلَهُۥ لِنُرِيَهُۥ مِنۡ ءَايَٰتِنَآۚ إِنَّهُۥ هُوَ ٱلسَّمِيعُ ٱلۡبَصِيرُ
Exalted is He who took His Servant by night from al-Masjid al-Haram to al-Masjid al-Aqsa, whose surroundings We have blessed, to show him of Our signs. Indeed, He is the Hearing, the Seeing
Lessons
- Salah was given as a gift from above, after a year of hardship.
Lessons are editorial reflections drawn from the event and its sources.
Pause for a moment
Which moment of your own life does this remind you of? Sit with it for a minute, then send salawat on the one who lived it ﷺ.
Send salawat ﷺBibliography
- Sahih al-Bukhari 3887 (Malik ibn Sa'sa'a) · primary source
- Ibn Hisham, al-Sirah al-Nabawiyyah (further reading)
- Ibn Kathir, al-Sirah al-Nabawiyyah (further reading)
- Safiur Rahman Mubarakpuri, Ar-Raheeq al-Makhtum (further reading)