We request a response to what some skeptics have claimed regarding the Isra` and Miʿraj, namely that the Quran mentions the journey of Isra` at the beginning of Surah al-Isra`, but does not mention the Miʿraj.

Allah Almighty says, “Glory be to Him Who took His servant by night from al-Masjid al-Haram to al-Masjid al-Aqsa, whose surroundings We have blessed, to show him some of Our signs. Indeed, He alone is the All-Hearing, the All-Seeing” (Quran, 17:1). The term Isra` (the Night Journey) refers to this entire event from beginning to end, while the Miʿraj (the Ascension) constitutes its completion. The verse mentions the event in a concise form, while the Prophetic hadiths provide a detailed elaboration of it.

The two terms, al-Isra` and al-Mi’raj are commonly used to refer collectively to the Prophet’s night journey.[1] Moreover, Imam al-Bukhari titled a chapter in his Sahih on the hadith of the Mi’raj, “Chapter: How the prayer was made obligatory during the Isra`,” despite the fact that prayers were prescribed during the Mi’raj, not the Isra`. This shows that such usage of the term was well established among scholars, as is the case with the terms Islam and iman.

And Allah Almighty knows best.