What is the meaning of the saying of Allah the Exalted: "Glory be to Him who took His servant by night from al-Masjid al-Haram to al-Masjid al-Aqsa, whose surroundings We blessed"?

The questioner : What is the meaning of the saying of Allah the Exalted: the verse, and what was the nature of the Night Journey of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) from Makkah to Bayt al-Maqdis?

The Shaykh : The meaning of this noble verse is that Allah the Exalted glorifies Himself from every deficiency and flaw. Indeed, is a verbal noun derived from *subh* (to glorify), and *tasbih* is the act of declaring God free of imperfection. Allah, Mighty and Majestic, is free from every deficiency and flaw, free from being like the created beings, and free from having equals. Allah the Exalted said: And He said: . And Allah the Exalted took His servant Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) by night from al-Masjid al-Haram, the mosque of the Ka'bah in the blessed Makkah, to al-Masjid al-Aqsa, which is in Palestine in al-Quds. The manner of the Night Journey was that Jibril (peace be upon him) came to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) with a mount called al-Buraq, which was lower than a mule and higher than a donkey. It placed its step at the limit of sight, meaning that its stride was very long, reaching as far as the eye could see. So the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) reached Bayt al-Maqdis. Then he was raised from there to the lowest heaven in the company of Jibril. When they reached the heaven, Jibril knocked, and it was said to him: "Who is this?" He said: "Jibril." It was said: "And who is with you?" He said: "Muhammad." It was said: "Has he been sent to you?" He said: "Yes." It was said: "Welcome to him; what a good arrival he has made." Then Jibril continued to raise him from heaven to heaven until he reached the seventh heaven, where he found Ibrahim al-Khalil (peace be upon him). There, Allah raised Him, meaning Allah raised His Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), until he reached the Lote Tree of the Utmost Boundary. Allah obligated upon him fifty prayers every day and night. He accepted and submitted, peace and blessings be upon him, until he descended returning and passed by Musa, informing him of what Allah had obligated upon him and his community regarding prayers. Musa said: "Your community cannot bear that. Return to your Lord and ask Him for relief." So the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) kept returning to Allah, Mighty and Majestic, and asking for relief until the fifty prayers became five prayers in practice, but they are fifty in the scale. Then the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) returned from that night to Makkah. The narrations differ on whether he prayed Fajr in Makkah or in Bayt al-Maqdis. And the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) began to tell the people about it, so the Quraysh took that as an opportunity to expose the alleged lie of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), and they said: "How is that possible?" But the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) silenced them when they said: "If you are truthful, describe Bayt al-Maqdis to us." So Jibril showed him Bayt al-Maqdis until the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) could see it, and he described it to the Quraysh, so they were silenced by their denial of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), and the truthfulness of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) became clear thereby.
And as for His saying: , this is an explanation of the wisdom behind the Night Journey of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), that Allah shows him of His great signs indicating His power, wisdom, and complete dominion. And he saw of the great signs of his Lord what serves as a lesson for those who take heed.
And His saying: means that Allah the Exalted is the All-Hearing, the All-Seeing, whose hearing encompasses every sound. Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) said when Allah the Exalted revealed: , she said (may Allah be pleased with her): "Blessed is He whose hearing encompasses all sounds. By Allah, I was in the corner of the room, and some of her conversation was hidden from me". And the Lord, Mighty and Majestic, is on His Throne above the seven heavens, hearing the speech of this woman who was arguing with the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) about her husband and complaining to Allah. So He, Mighty and Majestic, hears every sound, even if it is faint. Allah the Exalted said: . And if a person believes in this great attribute, the attribute of hearing, then his belief in it necessitates that he not let Allah the Exalted hear what is a cause of His anger upon His servant.
And as for His saying: , *al-Basir* means the One whose sight encompasses everything. And He, Glorified and Exalted is He, has combined these two attributes: hearing and sight, and they are part of the perfection of His attributes, Glory and Majesty be to Him. There is nothing but that Allah, Mighty and Majestic, sees it, even if it is fine and hidden.