Isra refers to the Night Journey; Miʿraj refers to the Ascension. Qur’an 17:1 names al-Masjid al-Aqsa as the destination of the night journey from al-Masjid al-Haram. Hadith accounts, including Sahih Muslim 162a, describe Al-Quds, prayer and the ascent through the heavens.[1][2]
In this guide
What Qur’an 17:1 supplies
The verse describes the night journey and the blessed surroundings of al-Masjid al-Aqsa. It does not name the Dome of the Rock, give a construction history, or lay out a visitor’s route through the present compound. A direct citation of the verse should support what the verse says, while further details are connected to the particular traditions or interpretations in which they occur.[3]
The fuller account in hadith
Sahih Muslim 162a recounts travel on al-Buraq to Bayt al-Maqdis, tethering the animal, entering the mosque and praying, followed by the ascent with Gabriel. The report supplies narrative detail beyond the brief Qur’anic verse. Those details should be attributed to the hadith rather than introduced as though all were stated explicitly in the same verse.[4]
Association with the rock
The Dome of the Rock is strongly associated in Muslim tradition with the Ascension. The custodial guide nevertheless cautions that identifying the exact rock as the departure point is not confirmed by a specific prophetic tradition it cites. A source can describe a deeply meaningful association and still acknowledge the limits of evidence for its precise physical localization.[5][6]
Commemoration is not contemporary construction
The Dome of the Ascension and the Dome of the Prophet are later monuments whose names and associations recall elements of sacred history. Their Ayyubid and Ottoman architectural phases do not date the events commemorated. This is a general principle for reading sacred sites: a monument can keep a tradition visible without having been built at the time of the event.[7][8][9]
What this introduction does not establish
The cited texts are used here to explain the relationship among the narrative, the sanctuary and the later monuments. They are not used to assign a precise modern calendar anniversary or to map every moment to a surveyed coordinate. Where a question requires interpretation or the comparison of additional reports, a fuller scholarly treatment is necessary. The source links let readers begin with the actual passages rather than an unattributed retelling.[1][2][10]
Sources & references
References are attached to the passages they support. Dates below record source consultation.
- Qur’an 17:1 · The Night Journey
Quran.com · Arabic text and attributed translations · Consulted 2026-09-14
- Sahih Muslim 162a · Night Journey and Ascension
Sunnah.com · Sahih Muslim · Consulted 2026-09-14
- Qur’an 17:1 · The Night Journey
17:1
Quran.com · Arabic text and attributed translations · Consulted 2026-09-14
- A Guide to Al-Aqsa Mosque / Al-Haram Ash-Sharif (2015)
pp. 12–13, notes
PASSIA · Jerusalem Awqaf · Hashemite Fund · Consulted 2026-09-14
- The Dome of the Rock · Ana Botchkareva
The Metropolitan Museum of Art · Consulted 2026-09-14
- A Guide to Al-Aqsa Mosque / Al-Haram Ash-Sharif (2015)
pp. 24–25
PASSIA · Jerusalem Awqaf · Hashemite Fund · Consulted 2026-09-14
- Dome of the Ascension
Madain Project · Consulted 2026-09-14
- Dome of the Prophet
Madain Project · Consulted 2026-09-14
- A Guide to Al-Aqsa Mosque / Al-Haram Ash-Sharif (2015)
pp. 12–13
PASSIA · Jerusalem Awqaf · Hashemite Fund · Consulted 2026-09-14