Isra' and Mi'raj

The Israʾ and Miʿraj (Arabic: الإسراء والمعراج, romanized: al-’Isrā’ wal-Miʿrāj, lit.'The Night Travel and Ascension') or Ascension of Muhammad refer to an evolving body of Islamic narratives concerning the night journey, during which the Islamic prophet Muhammad ascends to the heavens, witnesses the afterlife, and returns. The subject holds a pivotal position in shaping many religious-political stances, even today. However, the basis for the issue in the Quran—an indisputable point of reference in the Islamic world—consists solely of two statements with unspecified subjects and addressees; verses 1-18 of Surāh an-Najm and some verses of the 17th chapter of the Quran, later commonly called Surāh al-’Isrā’. The framework and the details are elaborated and developed in various miraculous accounts, some of which are based on hadith —reports of the teachings, deeds, and sayings of Muhammad— compiled centuries after his lifetime.

Approximately two centuries after Muhammad's time, Ibn Sa'd partly assembled the earliest written stories—which had previously been transmitted independently—into a cohesive narrative. This editing process continued in subsequent centuries, evolving into the comprehensive story whose various versions are embraced by different sects today; According to his accounts, the angels Gabriel and Michael accompany Muhammad to a place in the sacred precinct of the Kaaba, between the well of Zamzam and Maqam Ibrahim. There, a ladder (miʿrāj lit means ladder) is set up, with whose help they ascend to heaven. When he reaches the top, Muhammad meets the previous prophets. According to one version of the tradition, Gabriel holds Muhammad's hand tightly and ascends with him to heaven. When he reaches the Sidrat al-Muntaha mentioned in Sura 53:14, Muhammad sees heaven and hell. There, he is required to perform fifty daily prayers, but negotiates with God to reduce them to five, and is granted the last two verses of Al-Baqarah, known as the treasure from God's throne.

The 27th night of the month of Rajab, is one of the most celebrated holy days and nights in the Islamic calendar. The literature continued to evolve through the incorporation of various narrations that supported the perspectives of different schools of thought. In addition, verses and hadiths concerning the Ascension can also be viewed as a reflection of the Islamic cosmological view in ancient world. While classical commentaries interpret the journey as a miraculous voyage undertaken in the unity of body and soul —a view that also gives rise to theological debates— Sufism generally regards it as a spiritual ascension, remaining apart from such controversies.