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Blogging the Qur’an: Sura 17, “The Night Journey,” verse 1

posted at 8:16 am on February 24, 2008 by Robert Spencer
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Muhammad’s famous Night Journey (Isra and Miraj) is the basis of the Islamic claim to Jerusalem as an Islamic holy city. The only thing the Qur’an has to say about it is this the first verse of sura 17, which says that Allah took Muhammad from “the Sacred Mosque” in Mecca “to the farthest [al-aqsa] Mosque.” There was no mosque in Jerusalem at this time, so the “farthest” mosque probably wasn’t really the one that now bears that name in Jerusalem, but Islamic tradition is firm that this mosque is in Jerusalem.

Muhammad’s vision of this journey was as dramatic as his initial encounter with Gabriel. According to Ibn Ishaq, Muhammad described the vision to one of the Muslims as beginning “while I was lying in Al-Hatim or Al-Hijr,” that is, an area in Mecca opposite the Ka’bah, identified by Islamic tradition as the burial place of Hagar and Ishmael, when “Gabriel came and stirred me with his foot.” Soon after that “someone came to me and cut my body open from here to here” – and he gestured from his throat to his pubic area. The one who had come to him, Muhammad continued, “then took out my heart. Then a golden tray full 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.” This was the Buraq, which Muhammad further described as “an animal white and long, larger than a donkey but smaller than a mule, who would place his hoof a distance equal to the range of vision.” It was, he said, “half mule, half donkey, with wings on its sides with which it propelled its feet.”

“When I came up to mount him,” Muhammad reported according to Ibn Ishaq, “he shied. Gabriel placed his hand on its mane and said, ‘Are you not ashamed, a Buraq, to behave in this way? By God, none more honorable before God than Muhammad has ever ridden you before.’ The animal was so ashamed that he broke out into a sweat and stood still so that I could mount him.”

They went to the Temple Mount, and from there to heaven itself. According to a hadith, Muhammad explained: “I was carried on it, and Gabriel set out with me till we reached the nearest heaven. When he asked for the gate to be opened, it was asked, ‘Who is it?’ Gabriel answered, ‘Gabriel.’ It was asked, ‘Who is accompanying you?’ Gabriel replied, ‘Muhammad.’ It was asked, ‘Has Muhammad been called?’ Gabriel replied in the affirmative. Then it was said, ‘He is welcomed. What an excellent visit his is!’”

Muhammad entered the first heaven, where he encountered Adam. Gabriel prods Muhammad: “This is your father, Adam; pay him your greetings.” The Prophet of Islam duly greets the first man, who responds, “You are welcome, O pious son and pious Prophet.” Gabriel then carries Muhammad to the second heaven, where the scene at the gate is reenacted, and once inside, John the Baptist and Jesus greet him: “You are welcome, O pious brother and pious Prophet.” In the third heaven, Joseph greets him in the same words, and Muhammad and Gabriel go on, greeted by other prophets at other levels of heaven.

In the sixth heaven is Moses, occasioning another dig at the Jews. “When I left him,” Muhammad says, “he wept. Someone asked him, ‘What makes you weep?’ Moses said, ‘I weep because after me there has been sent (Muhammad as a Prophet) a young man, whose followers will enter Paradise in greater numbers than my followers.’”

In the seventh heaven, Muhammad meets Abraham, has further visions, and receives the command that the Muslims pray fifty times daily. But returning, Muhammad passed by Moses, who asked him, “What have you been ordered to do?”

Muhammad replied, “I have been ordered to offer fifty prayers a day.”

Moses offered him some advice: “Your followers cannot bear fifty prayers a day, and by Allah, I have tested people before you, and I have tried my level best with Bani Israel (in vain). Go back to your Lord and ask for reduction to lessen your followers’ burden.”

So Muhammad returned to Allah and got the number of daily prayers reduced to forty, but Moses still thought that was too many. Muhammad kept going between Allah and Moses until the number of daily prayers for the Muslims was only five. At this point Moses still doubted that Muhammad’s followers were up to this challenge: “Your followers cannot bear five prayers a day, and no doubt, I have got an experience of the people before you, and I have tried my level best with Bani Israel, so go back to your Lord and ask for reduction to lessen your follower’s burden.”

But this time Muhammad would not go back. “I have requested so much of my Lord that I feel ashamed, but I am satisfied now and surrender to Allah’s Order.”

The Prophet of Islam also described the other prophets for his followers: “On the night of my Al-Isra (Journey by Night) (to the heavens), I saw (the prophet) Musa (Moses) who was a thin person with lank hair, looking like one of the men of the tribe of Shanu’a; and I saw Isa (Jesus) who was of average height with red face as if he had just come out of a bathroom. And I resemble Prophet Ibrahim (Abraham) more than any of his offspring does. Then I was given two cups, one containing milk and the other wine. Gabriel said, ‘Drink whichever you like.’ I took the milk and drank it. Gabriel said, ‘You have accepted what is natural, (True Religion i.e., Islam) and if you had taken the wine, your followers would have gone astray.’”

When they heard the stories of his Night Journey, the pagan Quraysh scoffed: “By God, this is a plain absurdity! A caravan takes a month to go to Syria and a month to return and can Muhammad do the return journey in one night?” Challenged by some who had been to Jerusalem, Muhammad claimed one further miracle in connection with the Night Journey: “When the people of Quraish did not believe me [i.e. the story of my Al-Isra (Night Journey)], I stood up in Al-Hijr [Rock City] and Allah displayed Jerusalem in front of me, and I began describing it to them while I was looking at it.”

Evidently, however, his descriptions weren’t altogether convincing: some Muslims abandoned their faith and challenged Muhammad’s most faithful follower, Abu Bakr, to do the same. According to Ibn Ishaq, Abu Bakr was contemptuous: “If he says so then it is true. And what is so surprising in that? He tells me that communications from God from heaven to earth come to him in an hour of a day or night and I believe him, and that is more extraordinary than that at which you boggle!”

Later Muhammad seems to have retreated from the claim that this was a bodily journey. His wife Aisha explained: “The apostle’s body remained where it was but God removed his spirit by night.”

Next week: “We put coverings over their hearts (and minds) lest they should understand the Qur’an.”

(Here you can find links to all the earlier “Blogging the Qur’an” segments. Here is a good Arabic/English Qur’an, here are two popular Muslim translations, those of Abdullah Yusuf Ali and Mohammed Marmaduke Pickthall, along with a third by M. H. Shakir. Here is another popular translation, that of Muhammad Asad. And here is an omnibus of ten Qur’an translations.)

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Huh. My first thought is that a prohibition on funky mushrooms is what would be needed before a prohibition on trace amounts of alcohol in Doritos.

TABoLK on February 24, 2008 at 7:53 AM

‘What makes you weep?’ Moses said, ‘I weep because after me there has been sent (Muhammad as a Prophet) a young man, whose followers will enter Paradise in greater numbers than my followers.’”

So what does this mean? Jewish people could go to heaven too? I must be missing something, I thought, according to the koran, they were all cursed and on their way to hell??

4shoes on February 24, 2008 at 8:38 AM

You can find ‘Blogging the Qur’an’ in Danish here:

http://www.islamist.dk/forum/showthread.php?t=654

Danish

Danish on February 24, 2008 at 8:49 AM

My translation, by the way.

Danish

Danish on February 24, 2008 at 8:49 AM

4shoes:

So what does this mean? Jewish people could go to heaven too? I must be missing something, I thought, according to the koran, they were all cursed and on their way to hell??

Jewish people who accept all the prophets — Moses, Jesus, Muhammad and the rest — can go to Paradise. See the material on Qur’an 2:62 here.

Robert Spencer on February 24, 2008 at 8:49 AM

Danish:

Thank you very much. I didn’t know that existed, and much appreciate it. I have just added a link to it at Jihad Watch.

It is also available in German, Italian, and (some segments) in Czech. Links here.

Robert Spencer on February 24, 2008 at 8:53 AM

Dear Robert.

Actually I have informed you before, but you must have overlooked it.

Regards
Danish

Danish on February 24, 2008 at 9:03 AM

Mr Spencer, Muhammad and Gabriel meet Idris at the gate of the 4th Heaven. Can you identify this character, Idris?

HeIsSailing on February 24, 2008 at 9:03 AM

Danish

My apologies. I get 500+ emails daily, and inevitably overlook some.

Robert Spencer on February 24, 2008 at 9:11 AM

HeIsSailing:

Idris is one of the prophets, the Biblical Enoch.

Robert Spencer on February 24, 2008 at 9:12 AM

Gabriel then carries Muhammad to the second heaven, where the scene at the gate is reenacted, and once inside, John the Baptist and Jesus greet him: “You are welcome, O pious brother and pious Prophet.”

Jesus is only a level two prophet, huh? Islam is built upon one of two things, either a total bullsh!t story, or, as TAB says above, a ’shroom induced halucination. Question is, which one is it?

Tony737 on February 24, 2008 at 9:42 AM

Robert, above, they refer to the flying donkey/mule as a male. I thought I read in one of your books that this animal had the face of a human female. Can you clarify please? Thanks.

Tony737 on February 24, 2008 at 9:50 AM

Muhammad’s famous Night Journey (Isra and Miraj) is the basis of the Islamic claim to Jerusalem as an Islamic holy city. The only thing the Qur’an has to say about it is this the first verse of sura 17, which says that Allah took Muhammad from “the Sacred Mosque” in Mecca “to the farthest [al-aqsa] Mosque.” There was no mosque in Jerusalem at this time, so the “farthest” mosque probably wasn’t really the one that now bears that name in Jerusalem, but Islamic tradition is firm that this mosque is in Jerusalem.

How complicated is this? Of course the term “Farthest Mosque,” at the time it was written, meant whichever one happened to be on the piece of territory most recently conquered by Islam. As soon as a new piece of territory was conquered, then it automatically became the most sacred. That’s why pretty much every watering hole in the Middle East was Islam’s holiest shrine at one time or another - as we are reminded by the news every time the dirty infidels “desecrate” an Al Qaeda stronghold.

It’s a built-in way of writing revisionist history; an endless series after-the-fact prophecies. All Mohamed was doing was putting Allah’s stamp of approval on all future Muslim acts of aggression.

Recent “Islamic tradition” has simply equated that term to mean whichever territory is the most contested. So, taa daa: turns out that God always wanted Jeruselem to belong to the Muslim Empire!

It’s like a the Koran was written as a book of magic tricks to use on retarded children.

logis on February 24, 2008 at 9:50 AM

Jesus is only a level two prophet, huh? Islam is built upon one of two things, either a total bullsh!t story, or, as TAB says above, a ’shroom induced halucination. Question is, which one is it?
Tony737 on February 24, 2008 at 9:42 AM

What Jesus “prophesied” was that he was the son of God. Anyone who denies that but then claims to revere Jesus is the worst kind of hypocrite.

logis on February 24, 2008 at 10:04 AM

So it seems Mohammed, as per Moses, did some major haggling with Allah over the number of daily prayers. But as we’ve seen in the past in this series, Allah is not to be questioned. Is this passage meant to elevate Mohammed’s prophet status? I mean, heck…he was able to haggle with Allah and all…and win.

JetBoy on February 24, 2008 at 10:52 AM

I kinda chuckle each time I hear the story of Mohammed dickering with Allah over the daily prayer thing. I can picture that whole scene being done as a skit on SNL.

flipflop on February 24, 2008 at 11:13 AM

JetBoy on February 24, 2008 at 10:52 AM

I had the exact same reaction. I wish Allah had kept it at 50. That would have left little time for anything else.

Seriously though, it seems like an attempt to ingratiate Muhammad to his followers (oh look, he was willing to risk negotiating with Allah to get our burden reduced) and an attempt to make the Jews look bad (they won’t even accept the burden of praying 5 times per day).

TheBigOldDog on February 24, 2008 at 11:16 AM

Just noticed the accompanying graphic to this post on the front page. The language on it appears German, and at the bottom is the word “LIEBIG”.

Heh.

flipflop on February 24, 2008 at 11:18 AM

I pulled this from Wikipeda. I find it fascinating that Paradise (Jannah) is a segregated place:

Islamic tradition recognizes heaven and paradise as separate places. The heavens (as-samawat) are seven levels, the first and lowest level of which is known as Dunyah. Dunyah encompasses the entire universe as we know it, including the Earth, stars, and other planets as described in the Qur’an:

“See you not how Allah has created the seven heavens one above another, and made the moon a light in their midst, and made the sun a Lamp?” (Surat Nuh 71:15–16)

“Blessed is He in Whose Hand is the dominion; and He is able to do all things. Who has created death and life that He may test you which of you is best in deed. And He is the Almighty, the Oft-Forgiving; Who has created the seven heavens one above another; you can see no fault in the creation of the Most Gracious. (Surat Al-Mulk 67:1–3).

As-Samawat (the Heavens) are not the same as Al-Jannah (the Paradise). Jannah is the final place for all of God’s creations who: believed there is only one God, did not associate others with Him, obeyed God’s commandments, followed the Messengers of God, and who did good deeds in their lives. Only these people enter the gates of Jannah with the mercy and forgiveness of Allah (God).

Jannah has seven levels. On Muhammad’s journey to the heavens, known as Isra and Mi’raj, he saw the seven Heavens and met different prophets at different levels.

This belief is further supported by the traditions (hadith) of Muhammad:

“The best of the shuhada’ are those who fight in the first rank and do not turn their faces away until they are killed. They will have the pleasure of occupying the highest dwellings in Paradise. Your Lord will smile at them, and whenever your Lord smiles upon any of His slaves, that person will not be brought to account.” [Musnad Ahmad, Kitab al-zuhd, 2/286, hadith no. 2982]

“The one who sponsors an orphan, whether from his own wealth or from the orphan’s wealth, I and he will be like these two in Paradise.” – and Malik (the narrator) gestured with his forefinger and middle finger.”

“Allah will raise the status of His righteous slave in Paradise, and he will say, ‘O my Lord, how could I deserve this?’ He will say, ‘Because your child sought forgiveness for you.’”

The highest level in Jannah is al-Wasilah. This is also narrated in a hadith narrated by Bukhari from Jabir ibn Abdullah, according to which Muhammad said:

“Whoever says, when he hears the call to prayer: ‘Allahumma Rabba haadhihi’d-da`wati’t-taammah, wa’s-Salati’l-qaa’imah aati Muhammadan al-wasiilah wa’l-faDiilah, wab`athhu maqaaman maHmoodan alladhii wa`adtah (O Allah, Lord of this perfect Call, and the prayer to be offered, grant Muhammad al-Wasilah [the highest position in Paradise], and also the eminence, and resurrect him to the praised position You have promised),’ intercession for him will be granted on the Day of Resurrection.”

The Sahabah asked Muhammad, “What is al-Wasilah?” He said, “It is the highest level of Paradise, which only one man will reach, and I hope that I will be the one.” This was reported by Ahmad from Abu Hurayrah; Ahmad also reported from Abu Sa`id that Muhammad said:

“Al-Wasilah is a rank above which there is no other in the sight of Allah. Ask Allah to grant me Al-Wasilah.” [See Ibn Kathir, Al-Nihayah, 2/2332]

“When you pray ask for Firdaws, for it is in the middle of jannah and is higher in grade than the Jannah and above Firdaws is Allah’s throne, moreover the rivers of jannah flow from Firdaws.” (Bukhari)

TheBigOldDog on February 24, 2008 at 11:21 AM

Thanks, Mr. Spencer.

Spirit of 1776 on February 24, 2008 at 11:49 AM

This sounds more like an acid trip than something that was divinely inspired.

mram on February 24, 2008 at 11:57 AM

The only thing the Qur’an has to say about it is this the first verse of sura 17, which says that Allah took Muhammad from “the Sacred Mosque” in Mecca “to the farthest [al-aqsa] Mosque.” There was no mosque in Jerusalem at this time, so the “farthest” mosque probably wasn’t really the one that now bears that name in Jerusalem, but Islamic tradition is firm that this mosque is in Jerusalem.

Honestly, I’d like to know more as to why Islamic tradition is so firm on this…seems like a claim on a Jewish/Christian holy city.

JetBoy on February 24, 2008 at 12:30 PM

…seems like a claim on a Jewish/Christian holy city.

JetBoy on February 24, 2008 at 12:30 PM

Exactly. It’s a convenient point for Islam to make an historical claim to a location held by their traditional enemies.

flipflop on February 24, 2008 at 12:52 PM

if you had taken the wine, your followers would have gone astray

One of the reasons for prohibiting alcohol, maybe?

half mule, half donkey

Since a mule is half donkey and half horse, that would make the Buraq 3/4 donkey and 1/4 horse (which is not possible naturally, since mules are sterile). Apparently, Mohammed and his followers were content to let Allah do his own genetic engineering.

There was no mosque in Jerusalem at this time, so the “farthest” mosque probably wasn’t really the one that now bears that name in Jerusalem, but Islamic tradition is firm that this mosque is in Jerusalem.

I think that the word “mosque” has also been translated as “temple”. I had the idea that Mohammed claimed to have visited the Jewish temple in Jerusalem, even though it had been destroyed 500 years before he was born. Or was the Temple Mount, where the temple had previously been, good enough to qualify as being the Al Aqsa Mosque of Mohammed’s time?

Bigfoot on February 24, 2008 at 1:06 PM

Exactly. It’s a convenient point for Islam to make an historical claim to a location held by their traditional enemies.
flipflop on February 24, 2008 at 12:52 PM

As I said, that’s what the term “Farthest Mosque” originally referred to: whichever one was at edge of the Islamic Empire; i.e., the most recently conquered territory.

Then, when their military conquests bogged down, Muslim ~~propagandists~~ theologians simply re-wrote the prophesies to reflect their later-adopted “tradition” of coveting whatever was most sacred to other peoples’ religions.

Remember, Islam calls itself “The Religion of Submission.” The Temple of Jerusalem; Jesus; Buddha; you name it… Muslims absolutely reject all the core tenets of every other religion. They have absolutely no tolerance- let alone respect - for anyone else’s beliefs. Yet Muslims actually profess to venerate all other religion’s icons. Why?

Because Muslims believe it is their sacred duty to make everything on earth - including all those other religious icons and prophets - subservient to Islam.

logis on February 24, 2008 at 2:32 PM

Ali Sina too had that experience ;-)

Incidentally, Mohammed must have had great negotiating skills. If only he were a GOP senator in place of John McCain ;-)

infidelpride on February 24, 2008 at 3:15 PM

I saw Isa (Jesus) who was of average height with red face as if he had just come out of a bathroom.

This seems to be a rather snarky way of describing a person the Muslims claim to revere as one of God’s holy “prophets.” Somehow I have trouble imagining the angel Gabriel describing Christ in such an insulting manner.

AZCoyote on February 24, 2008 at 3:36 PM

Tony737:

Buraq is often portrayed with the face of a woman, but as far as I know it’s just the face.

Robert Spencer on February 24, 2008 at 4:23 PM

JetBoy:

Is this passage meant to elevate Mohammed’s prophet status?

Yep.

Robert Spencer on February 24, 2008 at 4:24 PM

sweaty donkey, ha ha

RushBaby on February 24, 2008 at 5:22 PM

This would make one hell of a Claymation movie.

Something like “Chicken Run“, but with jackasses.

profitsbeard on February 24, 2008 at 8:55 PM

Muhammad was one helluva snake-oil salesman, I must say.

hillbillyjim on February 25, 2008 at 3:53 AM

Love the part about the big M. mounting that sweating little donkey… Cartoonists?

max1 on February 25, 2008 at 12:55 PM

Mohammed would have made a great used car salesman. “No, really Allah, he only drove it to mosque on Fridays. Never 50 times in a day, at the most, 5. I swear.”

sixpickr on February 25, 2008 at 1:38 PM

What kind of hallucinatory drugs did he have?

desertdweller on February 25, 2008 at 3:06 PM

I must say, for remarkable yarns, Joseph Smith was a piker compared to Mohammed.

etaoinshrdlu on February 25, 2008 at 3:41 PM

And we thought the 60’s were fraught w/ hallucinogens!
.
The audacity and deceit that has gained a following of nearly a billion yet alive today is truly astounding and shows the vulnerability of man with evil.
I can’t imagine being brainwashed to believe this satanic crap.
.
Thank you God for sending your Son, Jesus Christ as our real and ONLY True Savior.
The King of Kings, Jesus Christ.

shooter on February 25, 2008 at 8:43 PM

There was no mosque in Jerusalem at this time, so the “farthest” mosque probably wasn’t really the one that now bears that name in Jerusalem, but Islamic ~~tradition~~ propaganda is firm that this mosque is in Jerusalem.

labrat on February 25, 2008 at 11:03 PM

Muhammed was a plagiarist, and a poor one at that.

labrat on February 25, 2008 at 11:09 PM

Thank you God for sending your Son, Jesus Christ as our real and ONLY True Savior.
The King of Kings, Jesus Christ.

shooter on February 25, 2008 at 8:43 PM

Amen!!

labrat on February 25, 2008 at 11:10 PM

Nice to know they have bathrooms in paradise. Are they reserved for prophets, or can anyone use them? If they’re pay toilets, I suppose you cold haggle with allah to get the price down.

Cicero43 on February 25, 2008 at 11:26 PM

Moses said, ‘I weep…

Weeping in heaven? Wow.

labrat on February 25, 2008 at 11:39 PM

Thank you Robert.

4shoes on February 26, 2008 at 1:18 PM

Cicero43 says:

If they’re pay toilets, I suppose you cold haggle with allah to get the price down.

I think the idea of a bathroom in this legend is more like a luxerious sauna or steamhouse, not a toilet. Someone correct me if I am wrong, but I think that fits the context.

HeIsSailing on February 26, 2008 at 6:48 PM

I’ve heard this story before…it was Alladin in 1001 Arabian Nights, or was it Ali Babba…..?

jimbo2008 on February 26, 2008 at 7:13 PM

I always get to the Koran posts so late in the game…

Is there any significant division in Islam that resulted from the followers that thought Mohammed was crazy when he described Jerusalem? It seems like it would have been a pretty big deal given the feelings towards apostates in Islam.

…some Muslims abandoned their faith and challenged Muhammad’s most faithful follower, Abu Bakr, to do the same. According to Ibn Ishaq, Abu Bakr was contemptuous: “If he says so then it is true. And what is so surprising in that? He tells me that communications from God from heaven to earth come to him in an hour of a day or night and I believe him, and that is more extraordinary than that at which you boggle!”

blankminde on February 26, 2008 at 9:49 PM

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