Al-Isra' Verse
 | |
| Verse's Information | |
|---|---|
| Sura | al-Isra' |
| Verse | 1 |
| Juz' | 15 |
| Content Information | |
| Cause of Revelation | Mi'raj |
| Place of Revelation | Mecca |
| Topic | Theological |
| Related Verses | Qur'an 53:8-18 |
Al-Isrāʾ Verse is the first verse of Sura al-Isra', which was revealed about the Prophet's Ascension (Mi'raj). According to this verse, the Prophet (s) was taken by night from al-Masjid al-Haram to al-Masjid al-Aqsa. The purpose of the Ascension was to show the Prophet (s) the greatness of God's signs. From this verse, it is understood that the Prophet's Ascension was physical and miraculous.
Introduction
The first verse of Sura al-Isra', which refers to the event of the Prophet's journey from al-Masjid al-Haram to al-Masjid al-Aqsa, is called al-Isra' Verse.[1]
| “ |
سُبْحَانَ الَّذِي أَسْرَى بِعَبْدِهِ لَيْلًا مِنَ الْمَسْجِدِ الْحَرَامِ إِلَى الْمَسْجِدِ الْأَقْصَى الَّذِي بَارَكْنَا حَوْلَهُ لِنُرِيَهُ مِنْ آيَاتِنَا إِنَّهُ هُوَ السَّمِيعُ الْبَصِيرُ
"Immaculate is He who carried His servant on a journey by night from the Sacred Mosque to the Farthest Mosque whose environs We have blessed, that We might show him some of Our signs. Indeed, He is the All-hearing, the All-seeing." |
” |
| — Qur'an 17:1 | ||
Occasion of Revelation
This verse was revealed about the Prophet’s journey from Mecca to al-Masjid al-Aqsa in Bayt al-Maqdis.[2] According to al-Shaykh al-Tabrisi, a sixth/twelfth century exegete of the Quran, after the Prophet (s) performed the Maghrib and Isha' prayers at al-Masjid al-Haram, his Mi'raj began, and he returned the same night to perform the Fajr prayer at al-Masjid al-Haram. This is agreed upon by all Muslims, and it has been narrated by some companions of the Prophet, such as Ibn 'Abbas, Ibn Mas'ud, Jabir b. 'Abd Allah, and Hudhayfa.[3]
Exegetes have discussed the details of the Prophet's Mi'raj under this verse, including its time, place, and manner.[4]
The Verse’s Indication of the Miraculous Nature of the Mi'raj
Some Quranic exegetes have referred to the al-Isra' Verse as one of the Prophet's (s) miracles.[5] Ja'far Subhani, in his exegesis, Manshur-i jawid, states that the Prophet's nocturnal journey from al-Masjid al-Haram to al-Masjid al-Aqsa is one of his miracles, as it was extraordinary and beyond human capability without modern means.[6] According to Morteza Motahhari (d. 1979), a Shiite scholar, this verse explicitly narrates an unusual physical journey for the Prophet (s), as such a journey in one night, at a time when camels were the mode of travel, could only be a miracle.[7] However, Ayatollah Makarim Shirazi argues that the verse alone does not explicitly indicate a miracle but, when considered alongside hadiths and the context provided in its interpretation, it is classified as one of the Prophet's miracles.[8]
The Verse's Indication of the Physical Nature of the Mi'raj
Quranic exegetes have discussed whether the Mi'raj was physical or spiritual under this verse. According to 'Allama Tabataba'i (d. 1981), most believe that the Mi'raj was physical.[9] However, he himself holds that the Prophet's journey from al-Masjid al-Haram to al-Masjid al-Aqsa was physical, while his ascension from al-Masjid al-Aqsa to the heavens was spiritual.[10] Ayatollah Makarim Shirazi argues that the term "His servant" indicates that the Mi'raj was physical, as it shows that the Prophet’s body accompanied him on this journey.[11] Similarly, Ja'far Subhani has stated that if the journey were spiritual, the term "His servant" would have been replaced with "His servant's soul."[12]
Stating the Goal of the Prophet’s Mi'raj
According to Quranic exegetes, the phrase "to show him some of Our signs" points to the purpose of the Mi'raj.[13] The aim was to show the Prophet (s) the greatness of God’s signs, so his spirit would be elevated and he would be better prepared to guide humanity.[14] Al-Tabrisi, in Majma' al-bayan, identifies the Prophet’s nocturnal journey from Mecca to Bayt al-Maqdis, his ascension to the heavens, and his meeting with the prophets as among these signs.[15] Additionally, the use of the word "some of" in the verse suggests that the Prophet (s) witnessed a portion of God’s great signs during this journey, not all of them.[16]
Notes
- ↑ Shāhrūdī, Farhang-i fiqh muṭābiq bā madhhab-i Ahl al-Bayt, vol. 1, p. 179.
- ↑ Ṭabrisī, Majmaʿ al-bayān, vol. 6, p. 215.
- ↑ Ṭabrisī, Majmaʿ al-bayān, vol. 6, p. 215.
- ↑ See: Ṭabāṭabāʾī, al-Mīzān, vol. 13, p. 7-35.
- ↑ Subḥānī, Manshūr-i jāwīd, vol. 7, p. 216-217.
- ↑ Subḥānī, Manshūr-i jāwīd, vol. 7, p. 216.
- ↑ Muṭahharī, Majmūʿa-yi āthār, vol. 26, p. 200.
- ↑ Makārim Shīrāzī, Payām-i Qurʾān, vol. 8, p. 343-344.
- ↑ Ṭabāṭabāʾī, al-Mīzān, vol. 13, p. 32.
- ↑ Ṭabāṭabāʾī, al-Mīzān, vol. 13, p. 32.
- ↑ Makārim Shīrāzī, Tafsīr-i nimūna, vol. 12, p. 9.
- ↑ Subḥānī, Furūgh-i abadīyyat, p. 370.
- ↑ Ṭabāṭabāʾī, al-Mīzān, vol. 13, p. 7.
- ↑ Makārim Shīrāzī, Tafsīr-i nimūna, vol. 12, p. 9-11.
- ↑ Ṭabrisī, Majmaʿ al-bayān, vol. 6, p. 218.
- ↑ Ṭabāṭabāʾī, al-Mīzān, vol. 13, p. 7; Makārim Shīrāzī, Tafsīr-i nimūna, vol. 12, p. 9-11.
References
- Makārim Shīrāzī, Nāṣir. Payām-i Qurʾān; rawish-i tāza-ī dar tafsīr muḍuʿī-yi Qurʾān. Tehran: Dār al-Kutub al-Islāmiyya, 1386 Sh.
- Makārim Shīrāzī, Nāṣir. Tafsīr-i nimūna. Tehran: Dār al-Kutub al-Islāmiyya, 1374 Sh.
- Muṭahharī, Murtaḍā. Majmūʿa-yi āthār. Tehran: Intishārāt-i Ṣadrā, 1384 Sh.
- Shāhrūdī, Sayyid Maḥmūd. Farhang-i fiqh muṭābiq bā madhhab-i Ahl al-Bayt. Qom: Muʾassisat Dāʾirat al-Maʿārif al-Fiqh al-Islāmī, 1385 Sh.
- Subḥānī, Jaʿfar. Furūgh-i abadīyyat. Qom: Būstān-i Kitāb, 1385 Sh.
- Subḥānī, Jaʿfar. Manshūr-i jāwīd. 4th edition. Qom: Muʾassisat Imām al-Ṣādiq, 1390 Sh.
- Ṭabāṭabāʾī, Sayyid Muḥammad Ḥusayn al-. Al-Mīzān fī tafsīr al-Qurʾān. Qom: Ismāʿīlīyān, [n.d].
- Ṭabrisī, Faḍl b. al-Ḥasan al-. Majmaʿ al-bayān fī tafsīr al-Qurʾān. Beirut: Muʾassisat al-Aʿlamī li-l-Maṭbūʿāt, 1415 AH.