Critical Response to V. The Night Journey and Ascension (Isra and Mi‘raj) – 621 CE 

Critical Response to the Islamic Narrative of al-Isrāʾ wa al-Miʿrāj

The event of al-Isrāʾ wa al-Miʿrāj—the Night Journey and Ascension of Muhammad—is often presented as one of Islam's most spiritually significant and miraculous moments. It is deeply rooted in Muslim belief as a divine consolation, theological affirmation, and foundational justification for the practice of five daily prayers (ṣalāh). However, when examined critically through the lenses of logic, historical methodology, and primary-source scrutiny, the narrative rapidly unravels into a web of unverifiable claims, literary symbolism, and retroactive religious construction.

I. Analyzing the Qur’anic Foundation: Isrāʾ in 17:1

“Exalted is He who took His Servant by night from al-Masjid al-Ḥarām to al-Masjid al-Aqṣā…” — Qur’an 17:1

The entire theological structure of Isra (the night journey) is built on this single vague verse. The text does not mention Muhammad by name, nor does it describe Burāq, Jibrīl, or even the concept of a miraculous flight. The Masjid al-Aqṣā (“the farthest mosque”) mentioned here becomes problematic when placed under historical scrutiny:

  • Anachronism Alert: There was no mosque in Jerusalem in 621 CE. The first structure called Masjid al-Aqṣā was built decades later by the Umayyads, under Caliph ʿAbd al-Malik and completed by al-Walīd I around 705 CE.

  • The term masjid (place of prostration) in the Qur'an was not necessarily a reference to a physical building but possibly a generic spiritual concept, further weakening any claim to a literal event.

Conclusion: The Qur'anic basis is ambiguous at best and anachronistic at worst.

II. Hadith Accounts: Miraculous Claims, Late Sources

The rich narrative—al-Burāq, Muhammad leading earlier prophets in prayer, the ascension through seven heavens, and the divine decree of prayer—comes not from the Qur’an but from hadith literature written well over a century after Muhammad’s death.

  • Sahih al-Bukhari, Sahih Muslim, and other hadith collections that detail this event were compiled between 200–250 AH (over 150 years after the event).

  • These accounts contradict one another in details such as whether Muhammad was asleep or awake, whether the journey was spiritual or bodily, and the sequence of events.

  • The invocation of other prophets like Moses, Jesus, and Abraham functions more as theological symbolism than as historical report.

Conclusion: These are late-stage theological constructions, not eyewitness history.

III. The Miʿrāj as a Copy-Paste of Earlier Religious Ideas

The concept of a prophet ascending through multiple heavenly layers and conversing with God is not unique to Islam:

  • The Book of Enoch (pre-Christian Jewish apocryphal literature) describes Enoch ascending through seven heavens, meeting angels, and witnessing divine mysteries.

  • In Christian apocalyptic tradition, Paul writes of being “caught up to the third heaven” (2 Corinthians 12:2), and Revelation speaks of a heavenly throne room and prophetic visions.

Parallels suggest that the Miʿrāj narrative is part of a broader genre of religious mystical ascent, retooled to elevate Muhammad’s stature in line with or above previous prophets.

Conclusion: This is not a unique historical event, but a familiar mythic motif reused for Islamic theological ends.

IV. The Problem of Empirical Incredibility

According to the traditional narrative, Muhammad:

  • Traveled from Mecca to Jerusalem (~1,200 km),

  • Ascended through seven heavens,

  • Had extended conversations with prophets and God,

  • Was prescribed and negotiated a set of 50 prayers down to five,

  • And returned—all within a single night.

From a rational perspective:

  • No natural or physical mechanism could allow such a journey in that time frame.

  • The claim defies all known laws of physics and biology.

  • No independent historical records mention this supernatural journey—not even from Jerusalem, where the Prophet is said to have visited and led prophets in prayer.

The only “validation” given in the narrative is that Muhammad described Jerusalem and a caravan accurately—claims impossible to verify independently and likely retroactively inserted into the story.

Conclusion: This event is empirically unprovable, violates known natural laws, and lacks any corroborating external evidence.

V. A Theological Convenience: Ṣalāh and Legitimacy

According to the Miʿrāj narrative, the five daily prayers were prescribed during this event—a key religious ritual whose institutional importance in Islam cannot be overstated.

  • Yet the Qur’an nowhere states that prayers were decreed during a heavenly journey.

  • The process of reducing 50 to 5 prayers by haggling with God—mediated by Moses—undermines the Islamic claim of divine omniscience and preordained perfection.

  • Theological implications of God needing to revise commands due to logistical impracticality contradict Qur’anic statements like: “There is no change in the words of Allah” (10:64).

Conclusion: The prayer prescription narrative is theologically awkward and seems like a mythological retrojustification for an already evolving practice.

VI. Abu Bakr and the Test of Blind Faith

The claim that Abu Bakr accepted the story without hesitation—“If he said it, then it is true”—is regularly cited as the epitome of Islamic faith (īmān). Yet:

  • This raises deep concerns: is belief meant to bypass rational scrutiny?

  • The benchmark for truth becomes personality-based, not evidence-based.

  • This “test of faith” approach resembles religious authoritarianism, where critique is framed as disbelief (kufr), and faith is reduced to accepting the incredible on command.

Conclusion: This reinforces Islam’s deeper epistemological dependence on authority and loyalty, not critical investigation.

VII. The Real Message of Isra and Miʿraj: Not a Miracle, But a Myth

What the Isra and Miʿraj really signify is Islam’s mythologizing of Muhammad’s spiritual authority. This myth:

  • Retroactively installs Muhammad as leader over all previous prophets.

  • Connects Mecca and Jerusalem for political and religious positioning.

  • Embeds ritual prayer in a cosmic narrative to grant it theological gravity.

  • Comforts the early Muslims during persecution with divine endorsement.

But what it does not do is provide any verifiable historical reality or compelling logical basis for belief.

Final Verdict: Sacred Narrative or Strategic Fiction?

The Night Journey and Ascension, when stripped of reverence and examined under historical and rational scrutiny, collapses under the weight of its own implausibility.

  • It lacks Qur'anic clarity,

  • Depends on late, contradictory hadiths,

  • Mirrors pre-Islamic mythological motifs,

  • Violates natural law, and

  • Provides no independent historical corroboration.

Like many religious miracle stories, it functions more to solidify spiritual control and establish authority than to recount a genuine event. For critical thinkers, the Isra and Miʿraj must be viewed as a product of evolving religious imagination, not divine intervention.

Note to Readers

If you believe this post misrepresents Islamic teachings, please cite the Qur’an, authentic Hadith, or primary Islamic sources. Emotional appeals or generic assertions will not suffice. This platform seeks to engage critically, not insult blindly, and welcomes sourced responses and thoughtful corrections.

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