The Night Journey
Al-Isrâ'
الاسراء
Surah Al-Isrâ' for kids content
LEARNING POINTS
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The Prophet (ﷺ) is honoured in this life and the Next.
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Allah blessed him in this world through the Night Journey, which took him from Makkah to Jerusalem then to the heavens and back to Makkah—all in one night.
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He will also be honoured on Judgment Day through the Station of Praise, where he will pray to Allah for judgment to begin.
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The Quran has been revealed by Allah to guide humanity.
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The people of Musa (A.S.) are warned against corruption.
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People cry to Allah for help in difficult times, but they quickly become ungrateful when things get better for them.
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The Devil is an enemy to humanity.
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The Makkans are criticized for denying life after death, worshipping useless idols, and for demanding ridiculous things.
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Allah provides a set of rules to help people succeed in this life and enter Jannah in the Next.
BACKGROUND STORY
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Al-Isra' refers to the Prophet's Night Journey from Makkah to Jerusalem, which happened about a year before moving from Makkah to Madinah (known as Hijrah). This surah was revealed to comfort the Prophet (ﷺ) after several years of abuse, which included 3 years of starvation. The Makkan idol-worshippers drove the early Muslims to an isolated place outside Makkah and banned everyone from trading with, feeding, or even marrying them. This was followed by the 'Year of Sadness' in which the Prophet's (ﷺ) two main defenders passed away: his wife Khadijah (R.A.) and his uncle Abu Talib.
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During the Night Journey, the Prophet (ﷺ) was carried overnight by the Buraq (a mighty horse-like creature) from Makkah to Jerusalem, where he met earlier prophets and led them in salah. He was later carried to the heavens (in a journey called Al-Mi'raj) where he received direct orders from Allah to pray 5 times a day. This journey is referred to in 53:13-18.
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Ibn 'Abbas (R.A.) said that the Prophet (ﷺ) received three gifts directly from Allah during Al-Mi'raj: 1. The 5 daily prayers. 2. The last 2 verses of Surah Al-Baqarah. 3. The promise that Allah will forgive Muslims who never make anyone equal to Him and die upon Islam. {Imam Muslim}
JOURNEY FROM MAKKAH TO JERUSALEM
THE TWO CORRUPTIONS
THE MESSAGE OF THE QURAN
PRAYERS IN ANGER
THE DAY & NIGHT
SIDE STORY
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Many centuries ago, a man was arrested for going against the government. Then they handed him a big record of all the bad things that he had done. He told them that this record was scarier than the book of deeds he would receive on Judgment Day. When they asked why, he replied, "On Judgment Day, my book will have both my good and bad deeds. But your record shows only my bad deeds, as if I've never done anything good in my life."
THE BOOK OF DEEDS
PUNISHMENT OF THE WICKED
WORDS OF WISDOM
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Verses 18-21 explain the difference between those who care only about this life and those who care about the Next Life. The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "Those who make the Next Life their goal, Allah enriches their hearts, organizes all their matters, and the world will definitely come to them. As for those who make this life their goal, Allah puts poverty in front of their eyes, disorganizes all their matters, and nothing will come to them from this world, except what has been written for them." {Imam At-Tirmizi}
THIS LIFE OR THE NEXT?
WORDS OF WISDOM
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The Quran always reminds us of the rights of Allah and the rights of the people upon us. Verses 22-37 teach us that:
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• We should worship Allah alone, making none equal to Him.
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• We should take good care of our parents, especially in their old age.
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• We should be nice to people, even if we can't help them with money.
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• We should stay away from illegal relations, stealing, and cheating.
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• We should honour our promises.
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• We shouldn't harm others physically, financially, or emotionally.
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• We shouldn't spend too much or too little.
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• We shouldn't act ignorantly.
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• We shouldn't be arrogant.
SIDE STORY
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This is a story of a very old man who was sitting with his son in the backyard. His son was on his phone the whole time. Suddenly, a little bird landed on a branch in front of them. The old man asked his son, "What is this?" His son took a quick look at it and replied, "A bird," with his eyes fixed on his phone. A few seconds later, the father asked the same question. His son answered, "It's a bird." It was clear from the son's voice that he was getting annoyed. A minute later, when the father repeated the same question for the 3rd time, his son exploded, "I told you it's a bird. Why do you keep asking me the same question?"
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The father stood up and went inside the house. A few minutes later, he came back with an old diary. He opened it and pointed to a section from 1975 and told his son to read it out loud. His son put his phone down and started to read: "Today is my son's 3rd birthday. We spent time playing in the backyard. When he saw a little bird, he asked me 20 times what it was and all 20 times I answered that it was a bird. I hugged him every single time he asked, never getting annoyed. I hope he will treat me the same way when I'm older." His son became emotional and realized his mistake. He hugged his dad and apologized for his ungrateful attitude.
RULES SET BY ALLAH
BACKGROUND STORY
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Many idol-worshippers valued sons more than daughters. Some even killed their daughters at a young age. Yet, according to verse 40, some of them claimed that the angels were the daughters of Allah. Even though males and females are equal in the eyes of Allah, this claim is offensive because 1) Allah does not have children in the first place, and 2) because the idol-worshippers made up daughters for Allah when they wanted sons for themselves. {Imam Ibn Kathir}