The word Subhān is an expression of glorification and exaltation. When used for Allah Almighty, its purpose is to dispel any misconceptions or misunderstandings about His essence and to highlight His attributes. In this context, it signifies that Allah’s essence is free from every imperfection or flaw and is characterized by the specific attribute concerning which doubt or misgiving has been raised. This meaning is employed in multiple instances throughout the Noble Qur’an.
So, if Allah’s unity is questioned, it would be stated: Subhāna alladhī wa ta‘ala ‘amma yushrikoon (Allah is pure and exalted above what they associate with Him).
If any weakness or inferiority has been attributed to Him, it is said: Subhāna rabbika rabbil-Izzati Ammā Yasifūn (Your Lord, the Lord of honor, is far above what they describe).
If His planning and management of affairs have been questioned, then these supplicatory words have been uttered: Rabbana mā khalaqta hādhā bātilan, subhānaka faqinā adhāba an-nār (Our Lord, You have not created all this without purpose. You are free from any imperfection of creating anything without a purpose).
If there has been any doubt about His knowledge and wisdom, then the saying of the people of truth has been narrated: Subhānaka lā ilma lanā illā mā allamtanā, innaka anta al-Alīmu al-Hakīm (Your being is free from all flaws; we only know as much as You have told us. Indeed, You are the All-Knowing, the Wise).
This is the case with power, lordship, mercy, and His other attributes.
In the verse under discussion, the word Subhāna has not come to highlight the attribute of power, as commonly thought, but it has come from the aspect of Allah being All-Hearing and All-Seeing. The verse begins with Subhāna alladhī asra bi ʿabdihi laylan mina al-masjidi al-harāmi ilā al-masjidi al-aqsā (Glory be to Him who took His servant by night from the Sacred Mosque to the farthest mosque) and ends with the words Innahu huwa al-Samīʿu al-Basīr (Indeed, He is the All-Hearing, the All-Seeing). This means that the aspect from which Subhāna has appeared shall be determined by the words al-Samīʿu al-Basīr, and it will be implied that Allah is free from any suspicion that may arise regarding His attributes of being All-Hearing and All-Seeing.
Accordingly, the subject matter of the verse is how the Creator, who endowed the Israelites with the position to bear witness to the religion and entrusted them with the responsibility to exhibit the true faith within their collective existence and testify before the nations of the world in such a manner that the sovereignty of Allah’s religion is established in this world, could tolerate their persistent shirking of duties and yet allow them to remain in this great position. The fact is, they not only failed to meet the demands of their position but went further and adopted a rebellious and denying attitude towards God. Their disobedience and rebellion eventually escalated to the point where they pursued to murder one of Allah’s prophet. Allah, All-Hearing and All-Seeing, was observing their crimes while granting them respite. Now that respite has ended, and He has decided to depose the Israelites from this esteemed position and bestow the responsibility of testimony upon the Prophet who is unlettered and his nation, Ishmaelites.
Javed Ahmed Ghamidi writes:
The word Subhān at the beginning of the verse comes from a perspective explained by these attributes. It means that it was the responsibility of God to hold those treacherous people accountable, who, in the words of Jesus, peace be upon him, had turned His house into a den of thieves. After hearing and seeing what the Israelites have been saying and doing in this house, it was inevitable. Hence, God has decided that the trust of this house should be handed over to the unlettered prophet. He was brought here from the Sacred Mosque overnight for this purpose. God is free from all imperfection, so He could not possibly tolerate that a nation, despite such a level of defiance on its part, should be left in charge. It was imperative that He arrange for another in view of the intended objective. He has done this and has entrusted the global responsibility of preaching and testimony to the Ishmaelites. (Al-Bayan 3/63)
From this detailed explanation, it is clear that the word Subhān here has not been used to highlight the attribute of divine power but to clarify the attribute of Allah being All-Hearing and All-Seeing. It means that this word serves the purpose of negating or erasing any such suspicion that has or could arise concerning Allah’s attribute of being All-Hearing and All-Seeing.
After this explanation, it should also be understood that the journey mentioned in asra bi abdihi laylan mina al-masjidi al-harāmi ilā al-masjidi al-aqsa — meaning the journey of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) from the Sacred Mosque to the Farthest Mosque — was not intended to present a miraculous phenomenon to the Quraysh or to prove the truth of his prophethood through it. The context of the verse, its style of expression, and its underlying message all clarify this point. Allah the Almighty has described this journey as a favor upon the Prophet (PBUH) and has clearly indicated its purpose: linuriyahu min āyātinā — ‘so that We might show him some of Our signs.’ Imam Amin Ahsan Islahi explains in his commentary:
... It is said that this journey was made to show His servant some of the signs. What these signs were is not mentioned here. However, the context provides evidence that these imply the traces and observations, and the lights and blessings, with which both of these houses [the Sacred Mosque and the Farthest Mosque] were endowed. It seems clear that the purpose of showing these signs was to make evident to the Prophet (PBUH) Allah’s intent that now this trust would be taken away from those unworthy and treacherous and placed in his care. In other words, during this extremely challenging period of his mission, this journey of the Ascension was further confirmation of the glad tidings of Allah’s support and victory, and what was to happen was also shown to him. (Tadabbur-e-Qur’an 4/475)
It becomes clear that this event was a great glad tiding for the Prophet (PBUH) and a herald of the Lord's selection and favor for the people of faith. It was not directly related to the disbelievers of Quraysh. It was their misfortune that, due to their obstinacy and enmity, they turned this into a trial for themselves. If this argument is clear, then scholars’ reasoning around Subhān and the entire discussion on physical and spiritual vision becomes irrelevant to the verse of Isra.
Here we conclude our discussion. However, there are two additional points to note below. The aim of discussing these points is that if someone insists on the association of the word Subhān with God’s attribute of power, it should become clear to them that there is no room for such interpretation in the examples of the Qur’an, nor does the narration of the event accept it.
The first point is that even if Subhān relates to the attribute of God's power, it is not necessary to tie it to an event or matter that is supernatural or peculiar and alien. From this perspective, it also appears to direct attention to the truths of God's power. The following verses indicate the same:
سُبْحٰنَ الَّذِيْ خَلَقَ الْاَزْوَاجَ كُلَّهَا مِمَّا تُنْبِتُ الْاَرْضُ وَمِنْ اَنْفُسِهِمْ وَمِمَّا لَا يَعْلَمُوْنَ.
Glorious is the Being Who made all the pairs of things which the earth sprouts and from among these people themselves too and also of things which they do not know. (36:36)
...وَتَقُوْلُوْا سُبْحٰنَ الَّذِيْ سَخَّرَ لَنَا هٰذَا وَمَا كُنَّا لَهٗ مُقْرِنِيْنَ.
and say: “Exalted is the being who has put them to our service. We were not capable of bringing them into our control. (43:13)
The second point to consider is that even if the term Subhān, which signifies glorification, necessarily indicated something extraordinary or miraculous, it would still not require physical travel as a prerequisite. The reason being, the miraculous nature of physical travel would have only been evident if people had witnessed the ascension and descent of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) in their own eyes, which was not the case. Rather, the Prophet (PBUH) simply relayed the events of his journey afterward. Regardless of whether the journey was physical or spiritual, it was effectively a report from the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). It was akin to his daily expressions of eloquence, where he would inform people of the unseen and unknown matters of the past, present, and future. Thus, for his audience, the primary concern was not the physical or spiritual nature of the journey. Due to the absence of direct observation, both scenarios were equivalent to them. Their true challenge related to the claim presented by the Holy Qur’an and the narrative that the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) shared the following morning. Their concern was not about the content of the message, but rather the trustworthiness of the messenger. That is why their questions revolved not around the soul or body, but rather around the features and specifics of the mosque. Even when detailed descriptions were provided, they did not inquire whether the Prophet (PBUH) ascended alone, used a mount, or whether the event occurred in a spiritual or physical state. Considering they attributed even more miraculous acts to their idols, sorcerers, and the jinn with whom they interacted, the idea of such an event was not utterly implausible to them.