Table of Contents

(Revealed in Mecca)

111 verses in 12 sections

بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمنِ الرَّحِيمِ

In The Name of Allah, The Beneficent, The Merciful

Surah ‘Isra’ contains 111 verses, and it is widely known to be a Meccan Surah. However, some are of the opinion that verses 26, 32, 33, 57, and 58 of it were originally revealed in Medina.

This Surah has been named as ‘Subhan’ for its first word; it has also been named Surah ‘Isra’ for the sake of referring to the adventure of ascension of the Prophet (S), and has also been named ‘Surah Bani ‘Isra’il’ for recounting of the story of Bani-Israel.

As in the case of other ‘Meccan Suras’, this Surah deals with such issues as ‘monotheism’ ‘resurrection’ beneficial pieces of advice, and struggle against all sorts of paganism, injustice and deviation, traditions and rules, whether individual and social in historical perspective, the story of Adam and ’Iblis, the Prophet of Islam (S) and his position in Mecca.

The main point in question in this Holy Surah is the ‘Ascension of the Messenger (S)’.

The Surah starts with ‘Glorification of Allah’ and ends up with Praising and worshipping Him.

The Virtues of the Recitation of the Surah

There are numerous rewards mentioned in various Islamic quotations for those who recite or read this Surah among which one may name the quotation from Imam Sadiq (as) who said:

“Whoever reads Surah Bani Israel on each night preceding Fridays will unequivocally grasp the presence of Hadrat-i-Qa’im (as), before his death and will be included among his companions.”

We have reiterated over and again that such rewards and gains are not to be attained merely just by reading; on the contrary, they will be brought about when the recitation is coupled with and backed up by meditation, reflection and, consequently, by the obtaining of clues for practical purposes.

Section 1: The Apostle Muhammad’s Visit

Surah Isra’ - Verse 1

بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمنِ الرَّحِيمِ‌ سُبْحانَ الَّذِي أَسْری‌ بِعَبْدِهِ لَيْلاً مِنَ الْمَسْجِدِ الْحَرامِ إِلَی الْمَسْجِدِ الْأَقْصَی الَّذِي بارَكْنا حَوْلَهُ لِنُرِيَهُ مِنْ آياتِنا إِنَّهُ هُوَ السَّمِيعُ الْبَصِيرُ (1)

In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful

1. “Glory be to Him Who took his servant by night from Masjid-ul-Har am to Masjid-ul-’Aqsa the precincts of which We have blessed that We show him (some) of Our signs. Verily, He is All-Hearing, All-Seeing.”

The ascension of the Prophet (S) to Heavens is the most sacred of the journeys throughout history.

The first verse of this Surah discusses the issue of the journey by night of the Prophet (S) from Masjid-ul-Haram (The Sacred Mosque) to Masjid-ul-’Aqsa (Bayt-ul-Muqaddas) which has been a precursor for /Mi‘raj/, the most sacred trip.

This trip took place within one night and for a short time. Such a trip could have never been in the least possible given the conditions of the time and through ordinary means which were available in those days, in which case, the miraculous and extraordinary nature of it was obvious.

At first, the verse says:

“Glory be to Him Who took his servant by night from Masjid-ul-Har am to Masjid-ul-’Aqsa the precincts of which We have blessed…”

By using the phrase /masjidul’Aqsa/ here meant Bayt-ul-Muqaddas which is the farthest Mosque, for, at that time, no other mosque existed farther than that. We had blessed its entire surroundings with material, spiritual, worldly, and religious blessings.

For, that was the place of worship of the highly-esteemed prophets as well as the place for the descending of the revelation which was a sacred point, with flowing streams surrounded by fully fruit-bearing trees.

The Holy Qur’an implies that Allah’s objective in this extraordinary night trip was to expose to him His sings of power, and wonders of creation.

His sight-seeing tour from Mecca to Masjid-ul-’Aqsa during a single night, as well as his elevation to the skies and his witnessing of the prophets and, finally, his eventual access to the Bayt-ul-Ma‘mūr, and Sidrat-ul-Muntah a, as well as a host of other things are all the signs of Allah’s Omnipotence.

The Prophet (S) had formerly acquired full knowledge of Allah’s magnitude, yet this tour of the skies tended to widen the scope of his observation as to those explicit signs which, in turn, enabled him further to guide human beings.

The verse says:

“…that We show him (some) of Our signs…”

Definitely, it is widely known in the Islamic circle of scholars that the Prophet (S), while in Mecca, was taken by the power of Allah on a night from Masjid-ul-Har am to Masjid-ul-’Aqsa in Bayt-ul-Muqaddas from where he ascended to the skies to note the signs of the magnitude of Allah in the wide open spaces, and then he returned to Mecca on the same night.

It is also widely believed among the Muslim scholars that he performed such a sightseeing tour of the earth and the skies with both body and soul coupled with each other.

We shall, Allah willing, discuss further the issue of “Mi‘raj” following our discussion of Surah An-Najm.

In the end of the verse, the Qur’an says:

“…Verily, He is All-Hearing, All-Seeing.”

Allusion is here made to the fact that if Allah selected His prophet for such a glorification, it was not undue, for his words and deeds were so decent and deserving that such a mission was well in line with his aptitude. The Almighty had thus seen and heard him and approved him for such an assignment.