﴿ بِسْمِ ٱللَّهِ ٱلرَّحْمَٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ سُبْحَٰنَ ٱلَّذِىٓ أَسْرَىٰ بِعَبْدِهِۦ لَيْلًۭا مِّنَ ٱلْمَسْجِدِ ٱلْحَرَامِ إِلَى ٱلْمَسْجِدِ ٱلْأَقْصَا ٱلَّذِى بَٰرَكْنَا حَوْلَهُۥ لِنُرِيَهُۥ مِنْ ءَايَٰتِنَآ ۚ إِنَّهُۥ هُوَ ٱلسَّمِيعُ ٱلْبَصِيرُ ﴾

“LIMITLESS in His glory is He who transported His servant by night from the Inviolable House of Worship [at Mecca] to the Remote House of Worship [, at Jerusalem] - the environs of which We had blessed -so that We might show him some of Our symbols: for, verily, He alone is all-hearing, all-seeing.”

One year before the migration (hijrah) of the Prophet Muhammad to Madinah, the conditions at Makkah were extremely adverse. It looked as if the history of Islam might come to an end even before it could take any definite shape. At that very juncture, God arranged to show the Prophet a very great sign—a demonstration, in fact, that Islamic history would not only run its due course, but that certain conditions would also be created to ensure that what it brought to the world would be preserved and thus remain eternally alive. This was because it had to become the authentic source of God’s religion for all nations till the Day of Judgement. God so willed that the Prophet Muhammad be taken from Makkah to al-Masjid al-Aqsa in Palestine (Jerusalem). This was the first stage of a journey (mi‘raj), which was spiritual rather than physical, in nature. Here, at al-Masjid al-Aqsa, God had also gathered all the previous prophets. Together, they engaged in congregational prayer, with the Prophet Muhammad leading them. This instance of the Prophet Muhammad leading the prayer symbolized God’s decision that the shariah of the previous prophets were no longer an authentic source of divine guidance. Now, all the nations should have to draw upon the religion presented by the Prophet Muhammad in order to have the authentic knowledge of God’ religion. For this important happening, which came to be known as The Night Journey, or isra’, Palestine was the most suitable place, its having been the centre from which the majority of the previous prophets had issued their call of Truth. Hence God’s selection of this particular area to announce His decision.