Al-Jawāb as-Sahīh li-man baddala dīn al-Masīh - Ibn Taimiya - (6/165)

by al-Tirmidhi. Likewise, his ascent on the night of the Miʿrāj to what lies above the heavens is affirmed by mass-transmitted hadiths and attested to by the Quran. The Book relates his night journey from the Sacred Mosque to the Farthest Mosque—namely, Bayt al-Maqdis—and in another passage speaks of his ascent to the heavens.

The Exalted says:

“Glory be to Him who took His servant by night from the Sacred Mosque to the Farthest Mosque, whose surroundings We have blessed, in order to show him some of Our signs. Indeed, He alone is the All-Hearing, the All-Seeing.” (al-Isrāʾ 17:1)

Here He informs us of the Prophet’s night journey between the two mosques and explains that the purpose was to show him His signs. It is obvious that the signs found on earth are already visible to everyone; therefore the journey was meant to show him signs that the generality of humankind had never seen—just as He says in another surah:

التِّرْمِذِيُّ. وَكَذَلِكَ صُعُودُهُ لَيْلَةَ الْمِعْرَاجِ إِلَى مَا فَوْقَ السَّمَاوَاتِ، وَهَذَا مِمَّا تَوَاتَرَتْ بِهِ الْأَحَادِيثُ، وَأَخْبَرَ بِهِ الْقُرْآنُ، أَخْبَرَ بِمَسْرَاهُ لَيْلًا مِنَ الْمَسْجِدِ الْحَرَامِ إِلَى الْمَسْجِدِ الْأَقْصَى، وَهُوَ بَيْتُ الْمَقْدِسِ، وَفِي مَوْضِعٍ آخَرَ بِصُعُودِهِ إِلَى السَّمَاوَاتِ، فَقَالَ تَعَالَى: {سُبْحَانَ الَّذِي أَسْرَى بِعَبْدِهِ لَيْلًا مِنَ الْمَسْجِدِ الْحَرَامِ إِلَى الْمَسْجِدِ الْأَقْصَى الَّذِي بَارَكْنَا حَوْلَهُ لِنُرِيَهُ مِنْ آيَاتِنَا إِنَّه هُوَ السَّمِيعُ الْبَصِيرُ} [الإسراء: ١] . فَأَخْبَرَ هُنَا بِمَسْرَاهُ لَيْلًا بَيْنَ الْمَسْجِدَيْنِ، وَأَخْبَرَ أَنَّهُ فَعَلَ ذَلِكَ لِيُرِيَهُ مِنْ آيَاتِهِ. وَمَعْلُومٌ أَنَّ الْأَرْضَ قَدْ رَأَى سَائِرُ النَّاسِ مَا فِيهَا مِنَ الْآيَاتِ، فَعُلِمَ أَنَّ ذَلِكَ لِيُرِيَهُ آيَاتٍ لَمْ يَرَهَا عُمُومُ النَّاسِ، كَمَا قَالَ فِي السُّورَةِ الْأُخْرَى: