Encyclopedia of Islam

Further reading: Christopher van der Krogt, “Islam.” 

In Religions of New Zealanders, edited by Peter Dono-

van, 186–205 (Palmerston North, N.Z.: Dunmore 

Press, 1990); William Shepard, “Muslims in New 

Zealand.” In Muslim Minorities in the West, Visible 

and Invisible, edited by Yvonne Haddad and Jane I. 

Smith, 233–254 (Walnut Creek, Calif.: AltaMira Press, 

2002).

Night Journey and Ascent

 

(Arabic:  

al-isra wal-miraj)

The story of m

Uhammad

’

s

 night journey (isra) to 

J

erUsalem

 and eventual meeting with God above 

the seventh heaven is told throughout the Mus-

lim world in many venues: Egyptian street-side 

illustrated pamphlets, Friday 

sermon

s, Persian 

illuminated manuscripts, Pakistani pilgrimage 

busses, Swahili and Hausa poetry. It is based on 

events narrated in the 

hadith

 collections and 

Ibn Ishaq’s eighth-century 

biography

 (sira) of 

Muhammad. Muslims attribute the night jour-

ney to the q

Uran

 (Q 17:1): “Glory to the one 

who took his servant on a night journey from 

the sacred place of prayer to the furthest place 

of prayer upon which we have sent down our 

blessing, that we might show him some of our 

signs. He is the All-Hearing, the All-Seeing.” 

Traditionally an earlier episode in Muhammad’s 

life, the opening of his breast by g

abriel

, who 

cleans his heart of all impurity in preparation for 

his role as messenger of God, is appended to the 

night journey story. Muslims consider as further 

proof texts of the story Quran Sura 94, which 

depicts the opening of Muhammad’s breast, and 

Q 53:1–18, which contains visions associated 

with the heavenly ascent.

According to the most widely known version 

of the story, after being woken from sleep in the 

mosque at m

ecca

, Muhammad rides to Jeru-

salem on the back of the mythical steed called 

b

Uraq

, a creature depicted as a horse with the 

head of a woman. In Jerusalem he prays at the 

furthest (aqsa) 

mosqUe

, sometimes understood 

K  528