The physical aspects of the journey of Isra and Mi‘raj have also been inferred from the reaction of the people. This inference is based on some narratives in the hadith and history of the Prophetic biography. These describe that the day after the event of Isra, when the Prophet (PBUH) informed the people about it, the Quraysh disbelievers denied it, and many Muslims turned apostate. According to scholars, this incident of denial and apostasy is evidence that the journey was incredibly astonishing and seemingly unbelievable. Hence, believing it to be physical is necessary.
The rationale is that if the journey had been merely spiritual, and the Prophet (PBUH) had presented it as something that had happened in a dream, then neither would the disbelievers have rejected it, nor would some Muslims have decided to leave Islam. Everyone would have accepted it as a common human dream. Their denial proves that the event occurred physically while awake. For them, it was intellectually impossible to believe that a journey of two to three months could be completed in one night. In Tafsir Ibn Kathir, it is stated:
(The physical nature of the Isra event is evidenced by the use of the words of tasbih). Declaring the purity and transcendence of Allah necessarily implies that what follows is something immensely grand and significant. However, if this journey is interpreted as a mere dream, it cannot be regarded as a great and extraordinary event (and thus does not align with the use of the words of tasbih). In such a case, neither would the disbelievers of Quraysh have hastened to reject the Prophet (PBUH), nor would a group of those who had embraced Islam have reverted to disbelief. (5/40)
In Tafsir Al-Qurtubi, regarding the phrase Fitnatan lilnās from verse 60 of Surah Al-Isra, it is written:
Fitnah refers to the apostasy of those who had already accepted Islam. This occurred when the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) informed them that he had been taken to (Masjid Al-Aqsa). This event has also been interpreted as a dream seen during sleep. However, this verse refutes the validity of such an interpretation. The reason is that a statement of this nature made in the context of a dream does not become a trial or test (fitnah), nor does anyone deny it upon hearing it. (5/282)
Regardless of the authenticity or inauthenticity of the narratives related to this topic, the aforementioned reasoning and method of reasoning are both unfounded. The underlying assumption, whether consciously or unconsciously held, is that for the audience of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), the decision to embrace Islam, remain steadfast in it, or to opt for disbelief was heavily influenced by supernatural occurrences and sensory miracles. This notion is rebutted by the Noble Qur’an. In the verses of Surah Al-Isra, Allah the Exalted recounts the demands of the disbelievers of Quraysh for miracles beyond the ordinary and has addressed these demands by instructing the Prophet (PBUH) to tell the Quraysh, ‘Am I anything but a man sent as a God’s messenger?’ Javed Ahmed Ghamidi interprets this to mean:
(To those making such demands, say:) ‘When did I claim to be God? When did I ever say that I have power over everything? When did I declare that the heavens and the earth are in my grasp and that I can do with them as I will? From the very beginning, I have only said this much: that I am a human being, and God has sent me as His Messenger. Tell me, what connection does your making such demands have with what I have said? All these are deeds of God, and I have never made any such claim.’ (Al-Bayan 3/109)
The relevant verses are as follow:
وَلَقَدْ صَرَّفْنَا لِلنَّاسِ فِيْ هٰذَا الْقُرْاٰنِ مِنْ كُلِّ مَثَلٍ فَاَبٰ٘ي اَكْثَرُ النَّاسِ اِلَّا كُفُوْرًا . وَقَالُوْا لَنْ نُّؤْمِنَ لَكَ حَتّٰي تَفْجُرَ لَنَا مِنَ الْاَرْضِ يَنْۣبُوْعًا . اَوْ تَكُوْنَ لَكَ جَنَّةٌ مِّنْ نَّخِيْلٍ وَّعِنَبٍ فَتُفَجِّرَ الْاَنْهٰرَ خِلٰلَهَا تَفْجِيْرًا .
اَوْ تُسْقِطَ السَّمَآءَ كَمَا زَعَمْتَ عَلَيْنَا كِسَفًا اَوْ تَاْتِيَ بِاللّٰهِ وَالْمَلٰٓئِكَةِ قَبِيْلًا . اَوْ يَكُوْنَ لَكَ بَيْتٌ مِّنْ زُخْرُفٍ اَوْ تَرْقٰي فِي السَّمَآءِ وَلَنْ نُّؤْمِنَ لِرُقِيِّكَ حَتّٰي تُنَزِّلَ عَلَيْنَا كِتٰبًا نَّقْرَؤُهٗﵧ قُلْ سُبْحَانَ رَبِّيْ هَلْ كُنْتُ اِلَّا بَشَرًا رَّسُوْلًا.
وَمَا مَنَعَ النَّاسَ اَنْ يُّؤْمِنُوْ٘ا اِذْ جَآءَهُمُ الْهُدٰ٘ي اِلَّا٘ اَنْ قَالُوْ٘ا اَبَعَثَ اللّٰهُ بَشَرًا رَّسُوْلًا. قُلْ لَّوْ كَانَ فِي الْاَرْضِ مَلٰٓئِكَةٌ يَّمْشُوْنَ مُطْمَئِنِّيْنَ لَنَزَّلْنَا عَلَيْهِمْ مِّنَ السَّمَآءِ مَلَكًا رَّسُوْلًا. قُلْ كَفٰي بِاللّٰهِ شَهِيْدًاۣ بَيْنِيْ وَبَيْنَكُمْ اِنَّهٗ كَانَ بِعِبَادِهٖ خَبِيْرًاۣ بَصِيْرًا .
We have mentioned in this Qur’an various words of wisdom for people in different ways. Even then most people are adamant on denying. They have said: ‘We shall not believe in you unless you make a spring gush from the earth or an orchard of dates or grapes is produced for you; then unless you make many canals run through it. Or unless, as you say, you make the sky fall upon us in pieces or unless you bring God and His angels to stand before us, or you not have a house of gold or you not climb to the sky [right before our eyes]. And We shall not even believe in your climbing unless you reveal a book to us [from there] that we can read’ – Tell them: Exalted is my Lord. Am I someone else besides a human being whom the Almighty has sent as a messenger? When guidance came to them, the only thing that stopped these people from accepting faith was that they said: ‘Has God sent a human being as a messenger?’ Tell them: Had there been angels on the earth walking about calmly, We would have sent down from the heavens an angel as a messenger to them.
Say: Sufficient is God between you and me as a witness. Undoubtedly, He knows His servants; He is watching them. (17:89-96)
The relevant verses clearly convey that the disbelievers of Quraysh demanded the following types of miracles from the Prophet (PBUH):
Allah could have undoubtedly realized these demands as they were posed and could have shown them through His messenger (PBUH). But rather, He directed His prophet to inform them that he is simply a human who lacks the capabilities to perform such marvels. Imam Amin Ahsan Islahi comments:
In answer to all such demands was the command: Qul subhāna rabbī hal kuntu illā basharan rasūlā, ‘Say, My Lord is glorified and free from imperfection; am I anything but a human messenger?’ It means that I have not claimed to be God or to share in God’s sovereignty for you to make such considerations of me. My Lord is exalted and free from such affiliations. I am nothing but a man and a messenger of God. My role as a messenger is to deliver God’s revelation to you. It is not within my power to perform even one of these feats. (Tadabbur-e-Qur’an 4/542)
Additionally, verse 60 of Surah Al-Isra indicates that Allah did not intend in the final prophecy to use miracles and extraordinary signs as a means of warning and instilling fear as was done with certain previous prophets. This is elaborated upon in the following verse from Surah Al-Isra:
وَمَا مَنَعَنَا٘ اَنْ نُّرْسِلَ بِالْاٰيٰتِ اِلَّا٘ اَنْ كَذَّبَ بِهَا الْاَوَّلُوْنَﵧ وَاٰتَيْنَا ثَمُوْدَ النَّاقَةَ مُبْصِرَةً فَظَلَمُوْا بِهَا وَمَا نُرْسِلُ بِالْاٰيٰتِ اِلَّا تَخْوِيْفًا .
What has stopped Us from sending signs of punishment is that the earlier generations had denied them. We had given the Thamūd a she-camel [in a similar way] as an eye-opening sign but they were unjust to themselves and denied it. [What then is the use to send signs?] We only send signs to frighten [people before punishing them]. (17:59)
The interpretation provided in Al-Bayan states:
It means that when people do not regard (God’s signs) with awe but grow even more obstinate and dismiss them, what purpose do these signs serve in being sent? Experience has shown that to warn or to intimidate such obstinate individuals is futile. They are only liable to be influenced by the actual infliction of punishment. (3/94)
This explanation makes it entirely clear that the Qur’an’s stance is that the nature of miracles, their occurrence, and the reactions or demands of the direct recipients of prophethood have no intrinsic connection with one another. Therefore, relating these aspects to one another or attempting to understand them in interrelation is incorrect.
Following this, let us now examine the accounts provided in the relevant narrations. As for what has been recorded in the Sahihain (Bukhari and Sahih Muslim), there is no ambiguity in those reports.
The narration in Bukhari is:
قال ابو سلمة: سمعت جابر بن عبد اللّٰه رضي اللّٰه عنهما، قال: سمعت النبي صلى اللّٰه عليه وسلم يقول: لما كذبتني قريش قمت في الحجر، فجلى اللّٰه لي بيت المقدس، فطفقت اخبرهم عن آياته وانا انظر إليه.
Abu Salamah narrates that he heard from Jabir bin Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him), who reported from the Prophet (PBUH), that he said: ‘When the Quraysh rejected me regarding the matter of Isra, I was standing at the Hijr (the area near the Kaaba). Allah brought Bayt al-Maqdis before me, and I began describing its signs to them as I looked at it.’ (No. 4710)
And in Muslim:
عن ابي هريرة، قال: قال رسول اللّٰه صلى اللّٰه عليه وسلم: لقد رايتني في الحجر، وقريش تسالني عن مسراي، فسالتني عن اشياء من بيت المقدس لم اثبتها. فكربت كربةً ما كربت مثله قط، قال: فرفعه اللّٰه لي انظر إليه ما يسالوني عن شيء، إلا انباتهم به.
Abu Huraira (RA) narrated that the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said: ‘I saw that I was in the Hijr (the area near the Kaaba), and the Quraysh were questioning me about my journey. They asked me about various things concerning Bayt al-Maqdis, but I was unable to answer them. This caused me such distress as I had never experienced before. Then Allah lifted Bayt al-Maqdis before me, and I began to look at it. I described to them whatever they asked about.’ (No. 448)
The narrations only describe the reaction of the disbelievers from Quraysh; there is no record of Muslims turning apostate. The reports that do speak of apostasy do not fulfill the criteria for authenticity as per scholars and specialists in hadith. Hence, the majority of the knowledgeable companions rejected these accounts. Maulana Syed Sulaiman Nadvi has thoroughly and respectfully analyzed these issues in Seerat-un-Nabi. He suggests that certain narratives lack proper chains of transmission (isnad), and among the narrators are those known for storytelling and dishonesty. After discussing the incident cited in the collections of Bukhari and Muslim, he comments:
The story has been documented to this point in the Sahihain (Bukhari and Muslim). However, relating to this event, narrators like Waqidi, Ibn Ishaq, Ibn Jarir Tabari, Ibn Abi Hatim, Bayhaqi, and Hakim, who are not considered authoritative in the tradition literature, have added peculiar annotations. A report from Umm Hani indicates that in the morning, after telling his family about the night’s experience, the Prophet planned to share it with others, but she grabbed his clothing and said, ‘Do not pursue this, for the disbelievers will categorically deny it.’ Another account states when the Prophet wasn’t found in his bed at night, his family worried the Quraysh might have hurt him and searched for him in mountains and caves. There is also an account of the Prophet, during his return from the Mi‘raj, encountering a Quraysh caravan and subsequent interactions. When the event was denied by the people, the Prophet remarked, ‘Alright, your caravan will arrive the day after tomorrow; you can ask them.’ Accordingly, when the caravan arrived, they confirmed the Prophet’s words. Among these accounts, one states that some disbelievers approached Abu Bakr Siddiq, informing him that Muhammad was proclaiming in the Kaaba about his night journey to Jerusalem and back. Abu Bakr Siddiq inquired if Muhammad had indeed stated this, and upon confirmation, he stated, ‘Then I deem him truthful; I believe in it.’ The disbelievers questioned, ‘How do you believe such an improbable tale?’ He responded, ‘I believe in things more extraordinary than this - that he receives revelations from angels every day.’ Following this, Abu Bakr was known by the title as-Siddiq (The Truthful).
Nevertheless, all these anecdotes are considered utterly frivolous and baseless. Ibn Ishaq and Ibn Saad didn’t provide any chains of narration for these events. In contrast, narrators like Ibn Jarir Tabari, Bayhaqi, Ibn Abi Hatim, Abu Ya‘la, Ibn Asakir, and Hakim did provide chains for their stories. Among their narrators are individuals such as Abu Ja‘far al-Razi, Abu Harun al-‘Abdi, and Khalid ibn Yazid ibn Abi Malik. The first, despite being considered reliable, has a reputation for reporting unfounded hadiths, while the others are notorious for their deception and storytelling.
The final strand of these dubious narratives is the claim that many Muslims had their faith shattered and apostatized upon hearing the Prophet’s description of the Mi‘raj incident. ‘Many who had embraced faith turned away’ (Seerat Ibn Hisham 1/241). This narrative likely sprang from a misguided interpretation of the Qur’anic verse: Wa mā Ja‘alnā al-ru’yā allatī araynāka illā Fitnatan lilnās (Al-Isra 60), which implies, ‘The vision We showed you was only a test for the people.’
Ibn Sa‘d and Waqidi have narrated this account without any chain of transmission. Historians such as Tabari, Ibn Abi Hatim, Bayhaqi, and others have cited it referencing the same three associates whose virtues we have recounted earlier. In his commentary on this particular verse, Ibn Jarir has relayed anecdotes from Hasan, Qatada, and Ibn Zaid concerning the defection, but these accounts don’t trace back beyond these individuals. The compelling argument against the occurrence of this event lies in the fact that at that time in Mecca, there were only a limited number of companions who had embraced Islam, each known by name. Not one of them has the stain of renouncing Islam. It is possible that among those who previously did not exhibit intense hostility towards the Prophet—even if they did not acknowledge him as the Messenger, they did not accuse him of being untruthful or fabricating lies. However, following the event of the Isra and Mi‘raj, they could have forsaken even their favorable inclination and trust towards him. The Holy Qur’an refers to this as ‘Fitnatan lilnās’ (a trial for mankind), not ‘Fitnatan lilmu’mineen’ (a trial for the believers or Muslims). Moreover, even if it was a test for the faithful, nothing within this verse indicates that they failed to endure it.