“Are you then disputing with him about what he saw?” (al-Najm 53:12) (12)

“And indeed he saw him on another descent,” (al-Najm 53:13) (13)

“by the Lote-tree of the furthest limit,” (al-Najm 53:14) (14)

“near which lies the Garden of Refuge,” (al-Najm 53:15) (15)

“when the Lote-tree was veiled by that which veiled it,” (al-Najm 53:16) (16)

“The eye neither swerved nor overstepped the mark,” (al-Najm 53:17) (17)

“Indeed, he saw some of the greatest signs of his Lord.” (al-Najm 53:18)

In the two Ṣaḥīḥ collections it is reported from Ibn ʿAbbās, concerning the Most High’s words, “And We made the vision which We showed you only as a trial for the people” (al-Isrāʾ 17:60), that he said: “It was a waking vision which the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—was shown on the night he was taken on the Night Journey.”

Thus, His statement about the Night Journey—“so that We might show him some of Our signs”—makes clear that the Prophet beheld of Allah’s signs what people in general had not seen. This is further clarified in the other surah, for he saw Gabriel by the Lote-tree of the furthest limit:

“near which lies the Garden of Refuge,” (al-Najm 53:15) (15)

“when the Lote-tree was veiled by that which veiled it.” (al-Najm 53:16)