These verses depict the cosmos as seven nested universes, layered one upon another. The Quran describes our universe as “the lowest” ( al-dunyā) adorned with stars (41:12), indicating we exist in the innermost layer. If the universes are layered outward from our position, the first universe would be the outermost—the farthest boundary of creation itself. In this cosmology, the farthest place of prostration would therefore be beyond the innermost universe in which we reside, in the highest realm closest to God’s presence.
This understanding aligns perfectly with Sūrat al-Najm (53), which describes the Prophet’s ascent to the “highest horizon” where he received divine revelation:
53:1 As the stars fell away.
53:2 Your friend (Muhammad) was not astray, nor was he deceived.
53:3 Nor was he speaking out of a personal desire.
53:4 It was divine inspiration.
53:5 Dictated by the Most Powerful.
53:6 Possessor of all authority. From His highest height.
53:7 At the highest horizon.
53:8 He drew nearer by moving down.
53:9 Until He became as close as possible.
53:10 He then revealed to His servant what was to be revealed.
53:11 The mind never made up what it saw.
53:12 Are you doubting what he saw?
53:13 He saw him in another descent.
53:14 At the ultimate point.
53:15 Where the eternal Paradise is located.
53:16 The whole place was overwhelmed.
53:17 The eyes did not waver, nor go blind.
53:18 He saw great signs of his Lord.
Here, the “ultimate point” ( al-muntahā) literally means the point of comprehension—the boundary of creation where human perception ends. The masjid al-aqṣā, the farthest place of prostration, thus corresponds not to a physical site on earth but to this spiritual horizon, where Muhammad’s soul approached the Divine Presence.
In light of this, the “Masjid al-Aqṣā” of Quran 17:1 is not in Jerusalem, nor anywhere on earth. It represents the cosmic locus of prostration, the boundary where Paradise begins (53:15)—the ultimate meeting point between the created and the Creator.
Once the Quran is read on its own terms, it becomes clear that the ‘Night Journey’ was not a physical trip from Mecca to Jerusalem at all, but a spiritual revelation from the lowest world to the highest.
Additionally, it is worth noting that the term āyāt (signs/آيَاتِ) in this verse is the same word used to also refer to the verses of the Quran. This linguistic connection reinforces the idea that the Prophet was not shown physical wonders or geographic locations, but rather divine revelations. What he “saw” were the signs of his Lord—the very āyāt that became the Quran itself.
17:1 Most glorified is the One who summoned His servant (Muhammad) during the night, from the Sacred Masjid (of Mecca) to the farthest place of prostration ( Masjid Al-Aqsa), whose surroundings we have blessed, in order to show him some of our signs ( āyāt). He is the Hearer, the Seer.
The Quran Was Revealed to the Prophet at Masjid al-Aqṣā
The Quran affirms that its revelation was not a gradual discovery by the Prophet but a deliberate act of divine transmission—an event both precise and transcendent. It was sent down in its entirety during a specific, sanctified time and implanted directly into the Prophet’s heart at the farthest place of prostration ( al-Masjid al-Aqṣā), as described in Sūrat al-Najm.
2:185 Ramadan is the month during which the Quran was revealed, providing guidance for the people, clear teachings, and the statute book. Those of you who witness this month shall fast therein. Those who are ill or traveling may substitute the same number of other days. GOD wishes for you convenience, not hardship, that you may fulfill your obligations, and to glorify GOD for guiding you, and to express your appreciation.
This verse establishes two critical facts. Firstly, the Quran was revealed in the month of Ramadan. Secondly, it was the entire scripture and not just a portion, verse, or chapter. Other passages reinforce this instantaneous descent.
97:1 We revealed it in the Night of Destiny.
97:2 How awesome is the Night of Destiny!
97:3 The Night of Destiny is better than a thousand months.
97:4 The angels and the Spirit descend therein, by their Lord’s leave, to carry out every command.
97:5 Peaceful it is until the advent of the dawn.
44:2 And this enlightening scripture.
44:3 We have sent it down in a blessed night, for we are to warn.
Together, these verses depict a single cosmic event: a complete revelation descending in one night—the Night of Destiny (Laylat al-Qadr)—within the month of Ramadan.
Revelation to the Prophet’s Heart
But the Quran also clarifies where this revelation first landed: it was not handed to Muhammad as parchment or words spoken aloud, but infused directly into his heart by the Honest Spirit ( Rūḥ al-Amīn).
26:192 This is a revelation from the Lord of the universe.
26:193 The Honest Spirit (Gabriel) came down with it.
26:194 To reveal it into your heart, that you may be one of the warners.
This moment — the implantation of divine speech into the Prophet’s heart — corresponds to the spiritual ascent and proximity described in Sūrat al-Najm:
53:6 Possessor of all authority. From His highest height.
53:7 At the highest horizon.
53:8 He drew nearer by moving down.
53:9 Until He became as close as possible.
53:10 He then revealed to His servant what was to be revealed.
These two descriptions—one of revelation, the other of nearness—refer to the same encounter. The Quran leaves no ambiguity about the medium of this transmission: it was Gabriel ( Jibrīl) who delivered the revelation to the Prophet’s heart by God’s command, as confirmed in the following verse:
2:97 Say, “Anyone who opposes Gabriel should know that he has brought down this (Quran) into your heart, in accordance with GOD’s will, confirming previous scriptures, and providing guidance and good news for the believers.”
This affirmation unites Suras 2, 17, 26, and 53 into one coherent narrative. The Masjid al-Aqṣā (the farthest place of prostration) is not a structure in Jerusalem, but the cosmic locus where revelation occurred: the place at which God revealed His word to Muhammad’s heart.
The Descent of the Quran and the Gradual Release
The Quran distinguishes between two stages of revelation: the complete revelation of the Quran ( tanzīl) and its gradual release over the 23 years from the Prophet’s heart that eventually formed the written scripture manifested in this world.
17:106 A Quran that we have released slowly, in order for you to read it to the people over a long period, although we sent it down all at once.
25:32 Those who disbelieved said, “Why did not the Quran come through him all at once?” We have released it to you gradually, in order to fix it in your memory. We have recited it in a specific sequence.
This distinction preserves the integrity of both truths: the complete descent in the higher realm, and the gradual unveiling within the flow of time.
96:1 Read, in the name of your Lord, who created.
96:2 He created man from an embryo.
96:3 Read, and your Lord, Most Exalted.
96:4 Teaches by means of the pen.
96:5 He teaches man what he never knew.
The True al-Masjid al-Aqṣā
This distinction is essential. The Quran was sent down all at once in the month of Ramadan, on the 27th night—the Night of Destiny—and then revealed in stages throughout the Prophet’s mission. This explains how he could already possess the scripture within his heart from the earliest period, while verses continued to manifest progressively thereafter.
This understanding also resolves the riddle of Sūrat al-Isrāʾ (17:1). The “journey” described there was not a nighttime voyage across the earth, but a journey of consciousness—from the Sacred Masjid (the earthly place of prostration, Mecca) to the Farthest Masjid (the celestial place of prostration, beyond the seven heavens). It was here, in that highest horizon, that the Quran was placed into the Prophet’s heart.
This aligns perfectly with the Quran’s own internal logic:
The revelation occurred in a single night in Ramadan (2:185, 44:3, 97:1).
It was sent into the Prophet’s heart by the angel Gabriel (97:4, 26:193–194).
It occurred at the farthest place of prostration at the boundaries of the outermost universe (17:1, 53:7–10).
Thus, al-Masjid al-Aqṣā was not a man-made building in Jerusalem, but the divine station of revelation—the place where God’s Word entered creation through the Prophet. The Quran was not brought down to a city, but to a soul that ascended to the edge of the seven universes, and through that soul, to the world.
Conclusion: The Testimony of God vs. the Narrations of Men
When all evidence is weighed, the Miʿrāj of the ḥadīth collapses under its own contradictions. It asks us to believe that the Prophet traveled to a mosque not yet built, received a command already known, and engaged in a negotiation foreign to the nature of the God described in the Quran. It turns a sublime revelation into folklore, and a moment of divine inspiration into a spectacle of mythic ascent.
But the Quran presents a wholly different testimony. It describes not a bodily journey across desert and sky, but a journey of revelation—the descent of divine speech into the Prophet’s heart. This occurred at the farthest place of prostration ( al-Masjid al-Aqṣā), the celestial station of nearness where God revealed to His servant the Quran.
It was here, in the realm of pure inspiration ( waḥy), that the Quran was given in full — during the month of Ramadan, on the Night of Destiny—and then gradually released over the Prophet’s lifetime to guide humanity.
Thus, the true Isrāʾ and Miʿrāj were not a voyage from Mecca to Jerusalem, but a passage from the earthly to the divine, when the Word of God entered creation through the Prophet’s heart. It was the moment when heaven bowed to earth, not the other way around. And so, we are left with a choice between two testimonies: the narrations of men, or the testimony of God Himself in His own Book.
6:19 Say, “Whose testimony is the greatest?” Say, “ GOD’s. He is the witness between me and you that this Quran has been inspired to me, to preach it to you and whomever it reaches. Indeed, you bear witness that there are other gods beside GOD.” Say, “I do not testify as you do; there is only one god, and I disown your idolatry.”
The Prophet himself was commanded to declare that his only authority was this revelation— “this Quran has been inspired (ūḥiya) to me.” It is the same term used in 53:10.
53:10 He then revealed to His servant what was to be revealed.
فَأَوْحَىٰٓ إِلَىٰ عَبْدِهِۦ مَآ أَوْحَىٰ
The Quran, therefore, identifies itself as the very content of that revelation—the true event of the Night Journey and Ascension. Everything else—the embellishments, the legends, the claims of political and sectarian narrators—are shadows cast by men who could not grasp the majesty of a purely spiritual encounter.
For those who believe in the Scripture as it was revealed, the testimony stands clear: God alone is witness, and the Quran alone is His uncorrupted word. That is the only Miʿrāj worthy of faith—the ascent of the messenger to the farthest place of prostration to receive the Quran into his heart so that he can preach it to the people.