Sura Israh – 17

Insights and Lessons from At-Tabari’s Jami’ al-Bayan on Al-Isra Verse 1

This is the foundational tafsir — Imam Abu Ja’far Muhammad ibn Jarir at-Tabari (d. 310 AH / 923 CE), whose Jami’ al-Bayan ‘an Ta’wil Ay al-Qur’an is the bedrock upon which every later commentary stands. His method, as you’ve seen before, is to give the meaning plainly in his own words, then anchor it with chains of narration from the Salaf, then survey the differences of view, and finally render his own preferred judgment with reasons.

Here is the verse:

﴾سُبۡحَـٰنَ ٱلَّذِیۤ أَسۡرَىٰ بِعَبۡدِهِۦ لَيۡلࣰا مِّنَ ٱلۡمَسۡجِدِ ٱلۡحَرَامِ إِلَى ٱلۡمَسۡجِدِ ٱلۡأَقۡصَا ٱلَّذِی بَـٰرَكۡنَا حَوۡلَهُۥ لِنُرِيَهُۥ مِنۡ ءَايَـٰتِنَاۤۚ إِنَّهُۥ هُوَ ٱلسَّمِيعُ ٱلۡبَصِيرُ﴿

“Glory be to the One who took His servant by night from the Sacred Mosque to the Farthest Mosque, the precincts of which We have blessed, so that We might show him some of Our signs. Indeed, He is the All-Hearing, the All-Seeing.”

1. The Meaning of Subhan alladhi Asra bi-‘abdihi Laylan

At-Tabari’s plain explanation: Allah is declaring His own transcendence (tanzih) and clearing Himself (tabri’ah) of what the polytheists ascribe to Him — that He has a partner from His creation, that He has a consort and a child — and He is exalting Himself and magnifying Himself above what they attributed to Him out of their ignorance and the error of their statements.

This is At-Tabari’s foundational reading: Subhan here is not a passing exclamation. It is a deliberate clearance of Allah from all the false claims the Makkan polytheists were making — that the angels are His daughters, that there are partners besides Him, that He has consorts. The Night Journey is mentioned in the context of those false claims, and Subhan sweeps them all aside before the miraculous report is even announced.

KEY LESSON: When you say Subhan Allah, you are not just praising Him — you are actively clearing His name of every false attribution. Every time you utter it, you join the Qur’an’s own work of defending Allah’s transcendence against the inadequate things people imagine about Him. The phrase is a theological correction delivered every time you breathe it out.

2. The Grammar of Subhan — A Noun Standing in for a Verb

At-Tabari’s grammatical note: Subhan is a noun placed in the position of a verbal noun (ism wudi’a mawdi’ al-masdar) — that is why it is in the accusative (nasb), because it stands in the place of an implied verb. Some grammarians said it is in the accusative because it is not described — left bare, without modification.

He doesn’t repeat the long discussion here because he already covered it earlier in his tafsir; he points the reader back to that earlier treatment. This is At-Tabari’s mark of restraint: he doesn’t repeat himself.

KEY LESSON: Even the grammatical structure of Subhan — a noun standing in for an implied verb — teaches you something. The verb is omitted because the declaration is so absolute that it doesn’t need to be specified. “[I declare/we declare/all declare] glory to…” — the doer of the declaration is left open, because the declaration is universal. Every voice that can speak declares it; every reality that exists testifies to it.

3. The Three Qur’anic Meanings of Tasbih

At-Tabari surveys the multiple Qur’anic uses of the tasbih root:

(a) Tasbih meaning salah (prayer). Many of the people of ta’wil interpreted Allah’s saying “Had he not been among the musabbihin” (As-Saffat 37:143) — referring to Yunus عليه السلام — to mean “had he not been among those who pray.“

(b) Tasbih meaning istithna’ (saying “in sha Allah”). Some interpreted “Did I not say to you, why don’t you make tasbih?” (Al-Qalam 68:28) to mean “why don’t you make exception by saying ‘in sha Allah’?” — claiming this is the dialect of some people of Yemen. They cited as evidence the earlier verses: “When they swore that they would surely harvest it in the morning — and they made no exception (la yastathnun)… The most moderate of them said: ‘Did I not say to you, why don’t you make tasbih?'” (Al-Qalam 68:17–18, 28) — reminding them that they had failed to say in sha Allah.

(c) Tasbih meaning nur (light). Some interpreted the hadith “Were it not for that, the subuhat of His Face would burn whatever His sight reaches” — saying subuhat of His Face means the light of His Face.

Two confirming narrations from the Salaf:

From Musa ibn Talhah: the Prophet ﷺ was asked about tasbih — that a person says Subhan Allah. He said: “It is declaring Allah’s transcendence from evil (tanzih Allah ‘ani-s-su’).”
From Mujahid on “Subhan Allah”: “It is humble submission (inkifa’) to Allah.”

KEY LESSON: Tasbih in the Qur’an is a wider word than you might think — it includes prayer, saying “in sha Allah,” and is connected to the light of Allah’s Face. So when you read about tasbih in any verse, hold all these meanings:

To make tasbih = to declare Allah free from evil

To make tasbih = to pray

To make tasbih = to say “in sha Allah” (acknowledging His will over yours)

To make tasbih = to humbly submit to Him (Mujahid’s inkifa’)

Your Subhan Allah is therefore not just words — it is simultaneously a creed (declaring Him pure of evil), a posture (humble submission), an attitude toward the future (“if He wills”), and an act of worship (prayer is itself tasbih).

4. Asra and Sara — Two Forms, One Meaning

At-Tabari’s lexical note: Al-isra’ and as-sura both mean traveling by night. Whoever uses asra says yusri isra’an; whoever uses sara says yasri sura. He cites the verse of the poet:

And many a night, with deep darkness, I traveled (sarabtu) — and no obstacle turned me away from anything else than it.

(With the variant: “a night of dew” / “I traveled”.)

KEY LESSON: Two valid forms exist for the same meaning — and the Qur’an chose asra with the ba’ of accompaniment (“with His servant”). When two ways exist to say the same thing, the choice itself becomes meaningful. Allah did not just travel His servant; He took him with Himself. The word selected is rarely accidental in the Qur’an — small grammatical choices carry theological weight.

5. Laylan — “From Part of the Night”

At-Tabari’s gloss: “And by His saying ‘laylan’ He means ‘from the night’. (min al-layl — i.e., a portion of it, not the whole night.) And that is how Hudhayfa ibn al-Yaman recited it.

The narration: From Abu Kurayb: he heard Abu Bakr ibn ‘Ayyash, while a man was narrating beside him a hadith about the Night Journey, say to him: “Don’t bring me a chain like ‘Asim’s or Zirr’s” — and then he said: Hudhayfa recited: Subhan alladhi asra bi-‘abdihi min al-layl mina-l-masjidi-l-haram ila-l-masjidi-l-aqsa (using min al-layl — “from the night”) — and so did ‘Abdullah [ibn Mas’ud] recite.

This is significant: At-Tabari records that two of the great Companions — Hudhayfa and ‘Abdullah ibn Mas’ud — read the verse with explicit min al-layl, making partition (ba’diyyah) absolutely clear. This is one of the qira’at shadhah (uncommon recitations) preserved in the early generations, and it confirms that laylan in the standard recitation carries the same partitive meaning.

KEY LESSON: The journey covered a month’s distance in only a portion of one night. The early Companions read it this way — they understood that the miraculous compression of time was the whole point of mentioning the night. Allah’s relationship with time is unlike yours. A small portion of time, when Allah wills it, can hold what no quantity of hours could otherwise contain. Don’t measure your work for Allah by clock-time; measure it by barakah.

6. Min al-Masjid al-Haram — From Which Place Exactly?

At-Tabari surveys the disagreement among the Salaf: Some said min al-masjid al-haram means “from the Haram [precinct]” — because the whole Haram is a masjid. This is At-Tabari’s own settled view in earlier sections of his tafsir.

Two competing reports about where the Prophet ﷺ was that night:

Report A: He was at the house of Umm Hani’ bint Abi Talib

From Umm Hani’ bint Abi Talib herself, regarding the Prophet’s ﷺ night journey, she used to say:

“The Messenger of Allah ﷺ was not taken on the Night Journey except while he was in my house, sleeping with me that night. He prayed Isha, then he slept and we slept. When it was shortly before Fajr, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ woke us. When he had prayed Subh and we prayed with him, he said: “O Umm Hani’, I prayed with you the last Isha as you saw, in this valley. Then I came to Bayt al-Maqdis and prayed in it. Then I prayed the morning prayer with you all now, as you see.”

Report B: He was at the Sacred Mosque itself when he was taken

The famous narration of Anas ibn Malik from Malik ibn Sa’sa’ah (with chains through Ibn al-Muthanna and Ibn Abi ‘Adi):

“While I was at the House, between sleeping and waking, I heard a speaker saying, ‘one of the three.’ Then I was brought a basin of gold filled with Zamzam water. My chest was split open from here to here” — Qatadah said: “I asked what he meant; he said: ‘to the lower part of his belly'” — “my heart was taken out and washed with Zamzam water, then returned to its place; then it was filled with faith and wisdom. Then I was brought a white animal” — and in another version: “a white beast called Al-Buraq, larger than a donkey and smaller than a mule, whose stride falls at the limit of its sight. I was mounted on it, and we set off until we reached Bayt al-Maqdis, where I led the prophets and messengers in prayer. Then I was ascended through to the lowest heaven…” and the hadith continues.

Variant narration through Al-Hasan al-Basri:

“While I was sleeping in the Hijr, Jibril came to me and prodded me with his foot. I sat up but saw nothing, so I lay down again. He came a second time and prodded me with his foot. I sat up but saw nothing, so I lay down again. He came a third time and prodded me with his foot. I sat up, and he took me by the upper arm and I stood with him. He brought me out to the door of the Masjid. There was a white beast, between a donkey and a mule, with two wings in its thighs that propelled its legs, and it placed its hoof at the limit of its sight. He mounted me on it and then walked beside me — neither leaving me behind nor I leaving him.”

KEY LESSONS:

The Companions did not always agree on every detail of the events of the Prophet’s ﷺ life — and that is acceptable. Umm Hani’ reports the journey began from her home; the Sahih narrations from Anas describe it beginning at the Masjid. Both are preserved with respect, neither is dismissed, and the reader is shown the variation honestly. Reverence for the tradition does not require manufactured uniformity.

The chest-opening before the journey teaches the principle of preparation before elevation. Before the Prophet ﷺ was taken to the heavens, his heart was opened, washed, and filled with faith and wisdom. Before Allah elevates a servant, He prepares the heart for what is coming. Whatever difficulty you are experiencing now may be an opening of the chest — Allah making space for a station you have not yet seen.

Jibril prodded the Prophet ﷺ three times before he stood up. The third prodding worked — but the first two did not. Even the Prophet ﷺ, in some narrations, had to be “called” multiple times before he was ready. If you feel a divine prompting and miss it once or twice, do not despair — the call may come again. Be alert to the third prod.

7. The Detailed Narration of Shareek ibn Abi Numayr from Anas

At-Tabari records the longer narration through Shareek ibn Abi Numayr from Anas — and the editor in the footnote carefully notes that this version was criticized by the hadith scholars: Al-Hafiz ‘Abd al-Haqq said “Shareek added unknown additions and brought wordings that are not recognized; the major reliable hadith scholars who narrated the Night Journey from Anas — like Ibn Shihab, Thabit al-Bunani, and Qatadah — did not bring what Shareek brought, and Shareek is not considered a hafiz by the people of hadith.”

But At-Tabari faithfully records what Shareek narrated, including:

The Prophet ﷺ was sleeping in the Masjid al-Haram before revelation came to him, when three men came. The first said: ‘Which of them is he?’ Another said: ‘The middle one — he is the best of them.’ A third said: ‘Take the best of them.’ That was that night, and the Prophet ﷺ did not see them again until they came another night, in what his heart perceived — for the Prophet’s ﷺ eyes would sleep but his heart would not sleep, and likewise the prophets — their eyes sleep but their hearts do not.

They did not speak to him until they carried him and placed him near the well of Zamzam. Jibril took charge of him, split him open from his upper chest to his lower neck until he had cleared his chest and belly. He washed him with Zamzam water until his belly was clean. Then he was brought a basin of gold containing a vessel filled with faith and wisdom, and Jibril stuffed his belly and chest and the veins of his throat with it. Then he closed him up.

Then he mounted Al-Buraq, and they traveled until they reached Bayt al-Maqdis. There he led the prophets and messengers in prayer. Then he was ascended to the lowest heaven… [the narration continues through the seven heavens, the meeting with each prophet, Sidrat al-Muntaha, the divine address, and the obligation of fifty prayers]…

Then it was reduced to forty, then thirty, then twenty, then ten, then five — through Musa’s repeated counsel to return and ask for reduction. When the prayers became five, Musa said: ‘Go back to your Lord and ask for a reduction.’ The Prophet ﷺ said: ‘I have returned to my Lord until I became ashamed.’

Then a voice said: ‘I have decreed the obligation and lightened it for My servants — and I will recompense each good deed with ten of its kind.’

The negotiation over the fifty prayers and the reduction to five — through Musa’s repeated counsel — is one of the most powerful narratives in the entire Mi’raj account. The Prophet ﷺ kept returning to Allah at Musa’s urging, until five prayers remained — yet Allah declared, “Each good deed counts as ten” — so five become fifty in reward.

KEY LESSONS:

Even the Prophet ﷺ, the highest of creation, had a heart that could be “filled” with faith and wisdom. Faith is not just an idea you accept; it is a substance Allah places in the heart. If you feel your faith is weak, ask Allah to fill your heart — He filled His Prophet’s heart with faith and wisdom, and He gives liberally.

A prophet’s eyes can sleep while his heart remains awake — and your heart, too, can stay alert to Allah even in rest. The Prophet ﷺ taught that the believer’s heart should never fully sleep to remembrance of Allah. Train your heart to remain in dhikr even when your body rests.

The reduction from fifty prayers to five was Musa’s intercession for our ummah. This means Musa عليه السلام is, in a real sense, the reason you pray only five times a day. Every prayer you offer carries within it the trace of his concern for the weakness of those who would come after Muhammad ﷺ.

The Prophet ﷺ was ashamed to return to Allah a sixth time — even though Musa told him to. There is a station at which the servant cannot ask for more reduction, because the King’s generosity has already been so vast. Know when to stop asking and start being grateful. The Prophet ﷺ modeled this precisely.

Five prayers count as fifty in reward — because every good deed is multiplied by ten. Allah did not actually reduce the reward; He only reduced the burden. Your daily prayers are still fifty in Allah’s records. Do not think of them as small.

Even the Prophet ﷺ kept consulting Jibril during the negotiations — “he turned to Jibril as if seeking his counsel, and Jibril nodded yes.” Wisdom is not pride; even the greatest of creation consulted his closest advisor. Bring a trusted advisor into your important decisions.

8. The Parables Shown to the Prophet ﷺ on the Way

From the narration through Abu al-‘Aliyah from Abu Hurayrah (or another), the Prophet ﷺ was shown a series of vivid visions on his journey — each representing a category of people of his ummah:

Vision 1: The Endless Harvest

He passed by people planting in one day and harvesting in one day — every time they harvested, [the crops] grew back as they were.

Jibril said: “These are the strivers (mujahidin) in the path of Allah — their good deeds are multiplied seven hundredfold, and whatever they spend, He replaces it — and He is the best of providers.”

KEY LESSON: Striving in Allah’s path is the most reliably renewable investment in existence. Whatever you give in Allah’s path is harvested again and again — it never runs out. The image of crops endlessly returning is Allah’s promise that you can never become poor by giving in His way.

Vision 2: The Skulls Crushed by Stones

He passed by people whose heads were being smashed with rocks — every time they were smashed, they grew back as they were, and that punishment never let up.

Jibril said: “These are those whose heads were too heavy for them to perform the obligatory prayer.”

KEY LESSON: Missing the obligatory prayer is not a small matter. The vivid image of heads crushed by rocks corresponds to the weight of heads that were too heavy to lift for salah. If your prayer is becoming heavy to perform, recognize that your head is starting to take on this very weight. Lighten it now, while you still can.

Vision 3: The Rag-Clothed Grazers

He passed by people with patches on their fronts and patches on their backs, grazing like camels and sheep, eating dari’ and zaqqum and the burning stones of Hell.

Jibril said: “These are those who do not pay the zakah on their wealth — Allah did not wrong them; Allah is not unjust to His servants.”

KEY LESSON: Withholding zakah turns you, in the unseen reality, into something less than human — grazing like cattle, eating thorny food and stones of Hell. The dignity of being human is preserved through fulfilling Allah’s right in your wealth. Hoarded wealth without zakah reduces the soul to an animal that grazes. Pay it, and remain dignified.

Vision 4: The Spoiled-Meat Eaters

He passed by people who had cooked, savory meat in pots in front of them, and other meat that was raw, foul, and rotten — and they were eating the raw, rotten meat and leaving the cooked, savory meat.

Jibril said: “This is the man from your ummah who has a lawful, pure wife with him, but goes to a corrupt woman and spends the night with her until morning — and the woman who leaves her lawful, pure husband and goes to a corrupt man and spends the night with him.”

KEY LESSON: Adultery is not just a moral failing — it is an act of inverted taste. Allah has given you the cooked, savory, lawful meat, and you choose the rotten, raw, foul meat. The visual is meant to disgust you so you see the truth of the act. What looks attractive in adultery is, in the unseen, rotting flesh — and what looks ordinary in your lawful spouse is, in the unseen, the finest cooked meal. Reform your taste.

Vision 5: The Wood-Cutting Highway Robbers

He came upon a plank in the road that would not let any cloth pass without tearing it, or anything else without shredding it.

Jibril said: “This is a parable of groups from your ummah who sit on the road and obstruct it” — then he recited: “And do not sit on every road, threatening and turning people away…” (Al-A’raf 7:86)

KEY LESSON: Obstructing people from the path of Allah — whether literally on a road, or metaphorically by interfering with someone’s faith, marriage, or righteous work — turns you into a wooden plank in the road that tears at everyone passing by. Don’t be that obstruction. Be a help for people on their way, not an impediment.

Vision 6: The Bundle of Firewood

He came upon a man who had gathered a huge bundle of firewood — he could not carry it, and yet he was adding more to it.

Jibril said: “This is a man from your ummah who has trusts (amanat) of people upon him — he is incapable of fulfilling them, yet he is adding more to them and wanting to carry them, but he is unable.”

KEY LESSON: Do not take on responsibilities you cannot fulfill — especially trusts (amanat) involving other people’s affairs, money, or secrets. The image is haunting: a man piling more firewood on a load he already cannot lift. Examine the responsibilities you are accumulating. Some you must put down before you take on more. Honor what you cannot honor by declining it, not by adding to your collapse.

Vision 7: The Iron-Sheared Tongues

He came upon people whose tongues and lips were being cut with iron scissors — every time they were cut, they grew back as they were. The punishment never let up.

Jibril said: “These are the speakers from your ummah — speakers of fitnah — who say what they do not do.”

KEY LESSON: Speaking what you do not do — preaching what you do not practice, urging others to virtue you yourself abandon — is among the most severely depicted sins in the Mi’raj narrations. The scissors that cut the tongues are made of iron because the offense is severe and the punishment unrelenting. Practice before you preach. Live what you say. A small amount of practiced wisdom outweighs mountains of preached words.

Vision 8: The Bull from a Hole

He came upon a small hole from which a huge bull emerged — and the bull tried to return to where he came from, but could not.

Jibril said: “This is the man who speaks the great (and harmful) word and then regrets it — and he cannot take it back.”

KEY LESSON: Once a word leaves your mouth, it cannot be returned — just as a bull, once out of its hole, cannot fit back in. Speak with awareness of irreversibility. Pause before the harmful word. Once said, it lives a life of its own, beyond your ability to retrieve.

Vision 9: The Fragrant Valley

He came upon a valley and found a fragrant, cool wind in it — with the scent of musk — and heard a voice.

He asked: “What is this beautiful cool wind, this musk fragrance, and this voice?”

Jibril said: “This is the voice of Paradise, saying: ‘O my Lord, give me what You promised me. My chambers have multiplied, my brocades and silks and istabrak and ‘abqari, my pearls and corals, my silver and gold, my goblets and dishes and ewers, my fruits and palms and pomegranates, my milk and honey-drink — so give me what You promised me.’

Allah said: ‘Yours is every Muslim man and Muslim woman, every believer man and believer woman, and whoever believed in Me and My messengers and did righteous deeds and did not associate anything with Me, and did not take rivals besides Me. Whoever feared Me is safe; whoever asks of Me, I give him; whoever lends to Me, I requite him; whoever relies upon Me, I suffice him. I am Allah, there is no god but I; I do not break a promise. The believers have succeeded, and blessed is Allah, the best of creators.’

Paradise said: ‘I am content.’

KEY LESSONS:

Paradise is alive and speaks. It longs for its inhabitants and pleads to Allah to send them. The Mi’raj reveals that the next world is not inert architecture — it is a living place that yearns for the righteous.

The criteria for entering Paradise are listed precisely: (1) Islam, (2) Iman, (3) belief in Allah’s messengers, (4) righteous deeds, (5) not associating partners with Allah, (6) not taking rivals besides Him. This is the complete list — memorize it as your checklist.

Allah’s promises to His servants are recorded: “Whoever feared Me is safe; whoever asks Me, I give him; whoever lends Me, I repay him; whoever relies on Me, I suffice him.” These are direct guarantees from Allah, declared to Paradise itself.

Vision 10: The Foul Valley

He came upon another valley and heard a terrible voice and smelled a foul stench.

Jibril said: “This is the voice of Hell, saying: ‘O my Lord, give me what You promised me. My chains and shackles have multiplied, my Sa’ir and Jahim, my dari’ and ghassaq, my torments and punishments — and my depth has grown far and my heat severe — so give me what You promised me.’

Allah said: ‘Yours is every polytheist man and woman, every disbeliever man and woman, every corrupt man and woman, and every tyrant who does not believe in the Day of Reckoning.’

Hell said: ‘I am content.’

KEY LESSONS:

Hell, too, is alive — and it longs for those destined for it. Just as Paradise yearns for the believers, Hell yearns for the disbelievers and tyrants. The contrast in the Mi’raj is deliberate: the same Mercy that fills Paradise also satisfies Hell, because both serve Allah’s justice.

The criteria for Hell are listed precisely: (1) shirk (associating partners with Allah), (2) kufr (disbelief), (3) moral corruption (khabath), (4) tyranny combined with denial of the Day of Reckoning. Memorize this list too — as a warning, not as a curse.

9. The Prayer with the Prophets and Their Speeches of Praise

At-Tabari narrates a remarkable account: at Bayt al-Maqdis, after the Prophet ﷺ tied his mount to a rock and entered, he prayed with the angels. When the prayer ended, he met the souls of the previous prophets, each of whom praised Allah for what was special to him:

Ibrahim عليه السلام said:

“Praise be to Allah who took me as a close friend (khalil), gave me a great kingdom, made me a nation devoted to Allah followed by others, rescued me from the fire, and made it for me cool and safe.”

Musa عليه السلام said:

“Praise be to Allah who spoke to me directly (kallamani taklima), who made the destruction of Pharaoh’s people and the deliverance of Bani Isra’il through my hand, and who made from my ummah a people who guide by the truth and judge by it.”

Dawud عليه السلام said:

“Praise be to Allah who gave me a great kingdom, taught me the Zabur, softened iron for me, made the mountains praise Him with me and the birds, and gave me wisdom and decisive speech.”

Sulayman عليه السلام said:

“Praise be to Allah who subjected the wind for me, subjected the shayatin for me to do for me what I willed — prayer-niches and statues and large bowls and stationary cauldrons; taught me the speech of birds; gave me of every thing in abundance; subjected the armies of jinn and humans and birds for me; preferred me over many of His believing servants; gave me a great kingdom that none after me should have; and made my kingship a good kingship in which I have no reckoning.”

‘Isa عليه السلام said:

“Praise be to Allah who made me His Word (kalimatuhu) and made my likeness like the likeness of Adam — He created him from dust, then said to him ‘Be!’ and he was — and taught me the Book and Wisdom, the Torah and the Gospel, and made me create from clay the form of a bird, then breathe into it so that it became a bird by Allah’s permission; and made me heal the blind and the leper and revive the dead by Allah’s permission; and raised me and purified me, and protected me and my mother from the cursed Satan — so Satan had no path over us.”

Then Muhammad ﷺ said:

“All of you have praised your Lord, and I shall praise my Lord — Praise be to Allah who sent me as a mercy to the worlds and a comprehensive bringer of glad tidings and warning to all people, and sent down upon me the Furqan in which is a clarification of everything, and made my ummah the best ummah brought forth for humanity, made my ummah a middle nation, made my ummah both the first and the last [in resurrection], expanded my chest, removed my burden from me, raised my mention, and made me the opener and the seal.”

Ibrahim said: “It is by this that Muhammad has been preferred over you.”

KEY LESSONS:

Each prophet praised Allah for what was unique to him — not by comparing himself to others, but by gratefully naming what Allah had specifically given him. Praise Allah for what is specifically yours — your unique blessings, your unique trials, your unique opportunities. Don’t compare your favors to others’; enumerate your own.

Muhammad ﷺ praised Allah last and said the most — yet without boasting. He listed: being a mercy to the worlds, comprehensive message, the Furqan, the best ummah, the middle nation, first and last on Judgment Day, expanded chest, removed burden, raised mention, opener and seal. This is the model for narrating Allah’s favors upon you — comprehensive enumeration without false modesty and without arrogance. “All of you have praised your Lord — and I shall praise my Lord.”

*The Qur’an is “a clarification of everything” (tibyan kulli shay’). The Prophet ﷺ himself, on this most sacred night, summarized the Qur’an in this phrase. When you face confusion in any area of life, the Qur’an clarifies. Make it your first reference, not your last.

10. The Three Cups — The Test on the Journey

In the narration through Abu Sa’id al-Khudri, the Prophet ﷺ was tested with three cups on the journey:

Three covered vessels were brought to him. From one he took water and drank a little; from another he took milk and drank till he was satisfied; the third was wine, and when he was offered it he said: “I do not want it — I am already satisfied.”

Jibril said: “This (wine) will be forbidden to your ummah. Had you drunk from it, only a few of your ummah would have followed you.”

And in the variant through Abu Sa’id al-Khudri:

He was offered milk and wine. He chose the milk. Jibril said: “You have attained the fitrah. Had you drunk water, you and your ummah would have drowned. Had you drunk wine, you and your ummah would have gone astray.”

KEY LESSONS:

The Prophet’s ﷺ choice on the journey determined the fate of his ummah. He chose milk — and his ummah was guided to the fitrah. He left wine — and his ummah was protected from intoxication. Leaders choose for those who follow them. If you are a parent, a teacher, an imam, a manager — your choices echo in those who come behind you. Choose accordingly.

The middle option (milk) was the fitrah. Not the obvious choice (water) — which would have drowned them. Not the harmful choice (wine) — which would have led astray. The middle, lawful, wholesome path is the true fitrah. Islam is the middle nation not by accident but by deep nature.

11. The Three Calls on the Road — The Tests Avoided

In the same narration of Abu Sa’id, the Prophet ﷺ was called three times on his journey:

I heard a voice from my right: “O Muhammad, take it easy, I want to ask you.” I went on and did not turn to him.

Then I heard a voice from my left: “O Muhammad, take it easy, I want to ask you.” I went on and did not turn to him.

Then a woman came to me on the road, bearing every adornment of the adornments of this world, raising her hand, saying: “O Muhammad, take it easy, I want to ask you.” I went on and did not turn to her.

When I reached Bayt al-Maqdis, Jibril asked: “What did you encounter on your face?” I told him. He said:

“That [first voice] was the caller of the Jews. Had you stopped for him, your ummah would have become Jews.”

“That [second voice] was the caller of the Christians. Had you stopped for him, your ummah would have become Christians.”

“That [adorned woman] was the Dunya (this world) adorning itself for you. Had you stopped for her, your ummah would have chosen the dunya over the akhirah.”

KEY LESSONS:

The Prophet’s ﷺ steadfastness in not turning aside protected his entire ummah from three deviations: Judaism, Christianity, and worldliness. What you fix your eyes on becomes what you give your heart to. When voices call you — from the right, from the left, from the path of the dunya — keep moving forward toward Allah. Do not even turn your face to look.

The three temptations of religion — to go right (excessive law), left (excessive softness), or center-but-worldly (the dunya adorned). Islam stays on the path between them all. Stay on the road. Don’t be pulled into the trees by any of the three callers.

12. The Buraq’s Refusal and the Prophet’s ﷺ Honor

A short but striking narration:

When Jibril brought Al-Buraq to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, she seemed to whip with her tail [as if uncomfortable].

Jibril said to her: “Stop, O Buraq. By Allah, no one has ever ridden you who is more honored before Allah than him.”

Then she sweated [from awe/shame].

KEY LESSON: The honor of the Prophet ﷺ before Allah is so great that even the mount sweated when reminded of who was about to ride. The mount that carried previous prophets recognized the elevation of this rider above all. Love the Prophet ﷺ. Honor him. Send abundant salawat upon him. Even the animals of Paradise revered him.

13. The Old Woman and Iblis on the Road

Another vision from the narration through Anas:

On the way, he saw an old woman on the side of the road [in a state of decay]. He asked: “What is this, Jibril?” Jibril said: “Travel on, O Muhammad.” When he had traveled what Allah willed, he encountered something calling him from off the road, saying: ‘Come this way, O Muhammad.'” Jibril said: “Travel on, O Muhammad.”

…When the Prophet ﷺ asked, Jibril explained: — “As for the old woman you saw on the side of the road — there remains of the world only as much as remains of the lifespan of that old woman.” — “As for the one who wanted you to incline toward him — that was the enemy of Allah, Iblis, who wanted you to incline toward him.”

KEY LESSONS:

The dunya (this world) is an old woman near the end of her life. This is one of the most powerful images in the Mi’raj narrations. The world looks vital and alluring, but in reality it is aged, fading, and near its end. Set your eyes on her rightly — as the elderly figure she truly is, not as the seductive figure she appears to be.

Iblis calls from the side of the road. He does not block the path — he stands beside it, inviting you off. The Prophet ﷺ neither argued with him nor entertained the call. He kept walking. When the whispers come, do not engage. Do not argue. Do not turn your head. Keep walking.

14. The Greeting of the Three Patriarchs

Continuing the same narration:

Then he met some of the creation — one of them said: “Peace be upon you, O First — peace be upon you, O Last — peace be upon you, O Gatherer.” Jibril said: “Return the greeting, O Muhammad.” He returned the greeting. Then a second met him and said the same. Then a third — until he reached Bayt al-Maqdis.

…As for those who greeted you — that was Ibrahim, Musa, and ‘Isa, peace be upon them all.

KEY LESSON: The previous prophets called Muhammad ﷺ the First, the Last, and the Gatherer:

The First — in honor and in his coming forth on the Day of Resurrection

The Last — as the seal of the prophetic line

The Gatherer — at whose hand humanity will be gathered for judgment

The previous prophets recognized his station before the world did. Honor him with the same recognition.

15. Alladhi Barakna Hawlahu — The Blessing of the Surroundings

At-Tabari’s plain interpretation: Allah is saying: “the One who made blessing around [the masjid] for its inhabitants — in their livelihoods, their provisions, their crops, and their plantings.”

KEY LESSON: The blessing of Al-Aqsa is described concretely — not as abstract holiness, but as flowing into the daily lives of those who live around it: their food, their work, their crops, their plantings. True barakah shows up in the concrete particulars of life — in your work, your provisions, the things you grow. Pray for barakah in these specific areas, and you are praying as Allah blessed the land of Al-Aqsa.

16. Li-Nuriyahu min Ayatina — The Wonders Shown on the Road

At-Tabari’s gloss: Allah is saying: “so that We might show Our servant Muhammad some of Our signs — that is, of Our lessons, evidences, and proofs.” He says this is what was reported in the narrations he just gave — the wonders of lessons and exhortations the Prophet ﷺ was shown on his way to Bayt al-Maqdis and after reaching it.

He cites Qatadah’s gloss: “It is what Allah showed him of signs and lessons on the road to Bayt al-Maqdis.”

KEY LESSON: Allah’s ayat (signs) are not only metaphysical — they are lessons (‘ibar), evidences (adillah), and proofs (hujaj). The Prophet ﷺ was shown signs that taught lessons about his ummah, that proved divine reality, and that served as exhortations. Pray to be shown signs that teach and change you — not just to witness spectacles, but to see lessons you needed to learn.

17. Innahu Huwa as-Samee’ al-Basir — The Closing Warning to the Deniers

At-Tabari’s reading: Allah is saying — about the One who took His servant on the Night Journey — “He is the Hearer of what these polytheists of Makkah are saying about Muhammad’s journey from Makkah to Bayt al-Maqdis, and of all their other speech and the speech of others; the Seer of the deeds they do — nothing of that is hidden from Him, nothing of it escapes Him. Rather, He encompasses all of it in knowledge and counts it in number, and He is lying in wait for them, to recompense each one of them with what he deserves.“

A grammatical observation: One of the scholars of Basra noted that “inna” was given the kasrah (instead of fathah) because the meaning is: “Say, O Muhammad: ‘Subhan alladhi asra bi-‘abdihi’ — and say: ‘innahu huwa as-samee’ al-basir.'” That is, the verse has an implied “say” — making it the Prophet’s ﷺ direct declaration about Allah.

KEY LESSONS:

The closing of the verse is, on At-Tabari’s reading, a warning to the deniers — not only an affirmation of Allah’s attributes. “He is lying in wait for them, to recompense each one with what he deserves.” The verse promises that the mocking of the Night Journey will not be forgotten by Allah. Those who scoff at the signs of Allah will be met with the very hearing and seeing they pretended did not apply to them.

The Basran reading reveals that the verse contains an implied command to the Prophet ﷺ: “Say.” That is — the Prophet ﷺ himself is commanded to declare these truths. You, too, when you declare Subhan Allah and innahu huwa as-samee’ al-basir, are following a direct command of Allah to His Prophet. It is not optional praise; it is commanded confession.

18. The Three Major Positions on the Reality of the Journey

After surveying narrations, At-Tabari faithfully records the three positions held by the early generations:

Position A: Body and Soul, Awake — the majority view. The Prophet ﷺ was taken bodily on Al-Buraq, prayed at Bayt al-Maqdis, ascended through the heavens, and returned the same night.

Position B: Bodily, But Did Not Enter the Masjid — held by Hudhayfa ibn al-Yaman, who insisted: “He did not pray in Bayt al-Maqdis — for had he prayed there, Allah would have made prayer in it obligatory upon you, just as He made prayer at the Ka’bah obligatory.” On Hudhayfa’s view, the Prophet ﷺ never dismounted from Al-Buraq until he returned to Makkah — though he did see Paradise and Hell and all that Allah prepared for the Hereafter.

Position C: Spirit Only — narrated from ‘A’ishah (who said: “The body of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ was not absent — but Allah took his soul on a journey”), from Mu’awiyah (“It was a true vision from Allah”), from al-Hasan al-Basri, and others. Their evidence: the verse “And We made the vision (ru’ya) We showed you only a trial for the people” (Al-Isra 17:60), and the Prophet’s ﷺ saying “My eyes sleep but my heart does not.” The implication: revelation comes to prophets while awake or asleep — both states are true.

KEY LESSON: Honor the disagreement of the Companions and Successors. Even on matters as foundational as the Night Journey, the early generations differed. At-Tabari doesn’t suppress this — he records every position with its evidence, and then renders his own judgment. Mature scholarship makes room for legitimate difference. Mature faith holds firm to the strongest evidence while respecting those who differed.

19. At-Tabari’s Final Verdict and Its Reasons

At-Tabari’s decisive ruling:

“The correct view, according to us, is that Allah took His servant Muhammad ﷺ from Al-Masjid al-Haram to Al-Masjid al-Aqsa — just as Allah informed His servants, and as the reports about the Messenger of Allah ﷺ established widely — and that Allah carried him on Al-Buraq when it was brought to him, that he prayed there with those of the prophets and messengers who prayed, and that Allah showed him of His signs what He showed him.”

He then gives three powerful arguments against the spirit-only view:

Argument 1 — A spirit-journey is not a miracle. If the journey were only with the spirit, then it would not be a proof of his prophethood or evidence for his message — because there is nothing miraculous in a person dreaming of distant places. Anyone with sound nature can see a year’s distance in sleep, let alone a month’s. The polytheists denied the journey precisely because the Prophet ﷺ claimed bodily travel — they would have had no reason to deny a dream.

Argument 2 — Allah said His servant, not the soul of His servant. Allah’s wording was “asra bi-‘abdihi” — and “servant” in the Arabic language refers to the whole human being, body and soul together. No one has the right to add a word Allah did not say (“His servant’s soul”) without evidence.

Argument 3 — The mount carries bodies, not spirits. The reports confirmed widely that Allah carried him on Al-Buraq. Mounts only carry bodies — a spirit is not carried on a beast. If you say the meaning is “he saw in a dream that he rode Al-Buraq,” then you have rejected the plain wording of the narrations that Jibril carried him on Al-Buraq, and made the whole event one of the dreams of sleepers — “which is a rejection of the apparent meaning of the revelation and what was established by widespread narrations from the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, and the reports from the Companions and Successors.”

At-Tabari’s elegant rebuttal of the Arabic-poetry defense: Some claimed Allah’s wording “asra bi-‘abdihi” could mean “His servant’s spirit” because the Arabs sometimes omit a modifier. He cites the poet:

I thought the bleating of my she-camel was a young she-goat — But it was not, woe to other than you, [the bleating of] a young she-goat.

(Meaning: “I thought the bleating of my she-camel was the sound of a young she-goat” — the word “sound” being omitted because context makes it clear.)

At-Tabari’s response: The Arabs only omit when context makes the meaning entirely clear. They do not omit a word that is only knowable through its explicit statement. There is no contextual indicator in the verse that Allah meant “the soul of His servant” rather than “His servant”. Therefore the principle does not apply.

KEY LESSONS:

At-Tabari’s argument-from-skepticism is brilliant: if the journey were a dream, the polytheists would have had no grounds for denying it. Their denial itself is evidence that the Prophet ﷺ claimed bodily travel. Sometimes the strongest proof of a claim is the kind of opposition it generates. False denial is evidence of true claim.

Never add a word to the Qur’an that Allah did not say. At-Tabari’s principle: “It is not permissible for anyone to go beyond what Allah said to something else.” This applies broadly. When Allah says “His servant,” do not paraphrase Him as “His servant’s soul” — even with the best of intentions. Be faithful to the exact wording of revelation.

The plain meaning of revelation, supported by tradition, outweighs sophisticated reinterpretation. Many later commentators tried to reinterpret the Night Journey allegorically — out of philosophical scruples about bodily ascension. At-Tabari refused. When the zahir (apparent meaning) is supported by tawatur (widespread transmission), it is not to be set aside for theological convenience.

What Makes At-Tabari’s Treatment Unique

Across all this material, you see At-Tabari’s distinctive method:

📜 Foundational meaning given plainly before anything else — Subhan is a declaration of transcendence; asra is night-travel; laylan means “from the night.”

📜 Multiple meanings honored — tasbih as prayer, istithna’, and light — each documented from the early commentators and Companions.

📜 Every position represented faithfully — Umm Hani’s report and the Anas-Malik ibn Sa’sa’ah report are both preserved; the body/spirit debate is laid out fully with named transmitters.

📜 The Mi’raj narrations transmitted in full — At-Tabari does not edit or sanitize them. He reports the visions of the harvesters, the heads crushed by rocks, the wine, the milk, the three voices, the old woman, the meeting of the prophets, the dialogue with Musa over the prayers, the descriptions of Ibrahim/Musa/’Isa, the angel Isma’il and his hosts — every detail preserved with chains.

📜 A decisive ruling at the end — supported by three independent arguments and a rebuttal of the strongest contrary view.

📜 Editorial honesty — the footnotes record exactly which narrations were criticized by later scholars (like Shareek ibn Abi Numayr), so the reader can weigh the evidence.

The Master Lesson from At-Tabari

If Ar-Razi taught you that faith can be defended with reason, Al-Alusi that faith is encyclopedic, Ibn Ashur that faith is rhetorically precise, and Al-Baydawi that faith can be compressed with depth — then At-Tabari teaches you that faith is transmitted.

He receives, he records, he weighs, he rules. He does not invent. He stands at the foot of the great chain of transmission from the Companions through the Successors through the early hadith collectors, and his job is to faithfully convey what they conveyed — and only then to render a careful judgment.

The Night Journey, on At-Tabari’s reading, is not just a miraculous event from the past. It is:

🌙 A real, bodily journey — confirmed by widespread transmission, defended against allegorization.

🌙 A complete revelation about the future ummah — every category of person was shown in advance, with the consequence of their state vividly depicted.

🌙 A model of prophetic conduct — the Prophet ﷺ refused the three calls, drank the milk, was ashamed to ask for less than five prayers, consulted Jibril, and prayed with all the prophets.

🌙 A demonstration that Allah controls time — a month’s distance covered in part of a single night.

🌙 A confirmation of Paradise and Hell — both alive, both yearning for their inhabitants, both responding to Allah’s promise.

🌙 A warning to the deniers — Allah is as-Samee’ al-Basir, hearing every mocking word, lying in wait to recompense.

Subhan alladhi asra bi-‘abdihi laylan mina-l-masjidi-l-haram ila-l-masjidi-l-aqsa-lladhi barakna hawlahu li-nuriyahu min ayatina — innahu huwa as-Samee’ al-Basir.

Glory be to the One who took His servant by night from the Sacred Mosque to the Farthest Mosque, the precincts of which We have blessed, to show him some of Our signs — indeed, He is the All-Hearing, the All-Seeing.

Receive this verse as At-Tabari received it: faithfully, on the authority of those who saw and those who heard. Live by what it teaches — purify your prayer, pay your zakah, speak only what you live, choose the lawful over the alluring, do not turn aside for the three callers, and be grateful that Musa’s intercession reduced your prayers to five (which still count as fifty). The God who took His servant by night sees you, hears you, and is preparing the same Paradise that yearned for the believers — for those who walk the straight road without turning.