Israʾ and Miʿraj: The Night Journey and Ascension

In the Israʾpart of the journey, Prophet Muhammad is said to have traveled on the back of Al-Buraq to the Al-Aqsa Mosque (i.e. the Temple Mount) where he leads other prophets in prayer. In the next part of the journey, the Mi'raj, he ascends into the seven heavens.

The opening verse of the seventeenth chapter of the Quran praises God who “carried His servant by night from the Holy Mosque to the Further Mosque” to “show him some of Our signs.”

On the night of the 27th of the month of Rajab, in 621 CE, the Prophet Muhammad, along with Archangel Jibra'il (Archangel Gabriel ), miraculously traveled on the winged horse Al-Burāq. In Miʿraj (an Arabic word that literally means "ladder"), Jibra'il took him to the heavens, where he toured the seven stages of heaven, and spoke with the earlier prophets such as Abraham (ʾIbrāhīm), Moses (Musa), John the Baptist (Yaḥyā ibn Zakarīyā), and Jesus (Isa).

From there, the Prophet Muhammad ascended through the seven heavens to stand before God himself. This journey took place not just in a single night, but, some commentators say, entirely outside of time, in a single instant.