Discover Surah Al-Isra (The Night Journey) with full text and insightful commentary. Explore its themes of faith, guidance, morality, and the miraculous journey of the Prophet.
Surah 17: Al-Isra (The Night Journey)
Introduction
Surah Al-Isra, also known as Bani Isra’il (The Children of Israel), is the 17th chapter of the Holy Qur’an. It contains 111 verses and was revealed in Makkah. This Surah is named after the miraculous night journey (Isra) of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) from Masjid al-Haram in Makkah to Masjid al-Aqsa in Jerusalem, which is mentioned in the very first verse. This journey marked a turning point in the mission of the Prophet and strengthened his heart during a time of hardship.
The Surah covers a wide range of topics, including:
- The Oneness of Allah (Tawheed)
- The mission of the Prophets
- The moral and spiritual responsibilities of individuals
- The blessings and history of the Children of Israel
- Principles of good behavior and personal ethics
- Warnings to those who reject truth and guidance
- The truth of resurrection and the Hereafter
It also emphasizes important commandments such as kindness to parents, justice, fulfilling promises, humility, and proper use of wealth. The Surah ends by glorifying Allah, reminding us that He has no son, no partner, and no need of help.
Surah Al-Isra teaches that guidance is only with Allah, and that those who seek His mercy and follow His message will be honored, while those who turn away will face consequences. It is a powerful reminder of accountability and a source of strength for believers striving to walk the straight path. 0 0 0
Surah 17: Al-Isra (The Night Journey): Text
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
1. Glory be to the One Who took His servant (Muhammad) on a night journey from the Sacred Mosque (in Makkah) to the Farthest Mosque (in Jerusalem), whose surroundings We have blessed, to show him some of Our signs. Surely, He alone is the All-Hearing, All-Seeing.
2. We gave Moses the Scripture and made it a guide for the Children of Israel, commanding them, ‘Do not take anyone besides Me as a guardian.’
3. O descendants of those We carried with Noah (in the Ark), he was truly a thankful servant.
4. We declared to the Children of Israel in the Scripture: ‘Twice you will spread corruption in the land, and you will become extremely arrogant.‘
5. So, when the time came for the first of the two warnings, We sent against you servants of Ours with great force. They invaded your homes, and that was a warning fulfilled.
6. Then We gave you a chance to rise again, and supported you with wealth and children, and made you more in numbers.
7. If you do good, it is for your own benefit. But if you do evil, it is to your own loss. And when the second warning came, We sent others to bring you sorrow and to enter the mosque as they did the first time, and to destroy whatever they had conquered.
8. It may be that your Lord will have mercy on you again. But if you return to corruption, We will return to punishment. And We have made Hell a prison for the disbelievers.
9. This Qur’an guides to what is most upright, and gives good news to the believers who do good deeds – that they will have a great reward.
10. But for those who do not believe in the Hereafter, We have prepared a painful punishment.
11. People pray for evil just as they pray for good, for humans are always hasty.
12. We made the night and the day as two signs. Then We made the sign of the night dark, and the sign of the day bright, so that you may seek the bounty of your Lord, and know the number of years and the calculation of time. And We have explained everything clearly.
13. Every person’s destiny We have tied to their own neck. And on the Day of Judgment, We will bring forth a book for each person that they will find spread open.
14. It will be said to them: ‘Read your book. You are enough as a judge against yourself today.’
15. Whoever chooses to follow the right path does so for their own benefit. And whoever goes astray does so to their own loss. No soul will bear the burden of another. And We never punish until We have sent a messenger.
16. When We decide to destroy a town, We first command its wealthy people (to obey), but they continue to act sinfully. So Our judgment is justified, and We destroy it completely.
17. How many generations have We destroyed after Noah! Your Lord is fully aware of the sins of His servants and sees all.
18. Whoever desires this worldly life and its glitter, We give them whatever We will in it, to whoever We wish. But in the end, We have prepared Hell for them – they will burn in it, disgraced and rejected.
19. But whoever desires the Hereafter and strives for it with all effort, while being a true believer – these are the ones whose efforts will be appreciated.
20. We provide for all – both these and those – from the bounty of your Lord. The bounty of your Lord is not limited.
21. Look how We have favored some people over others. But the Hereafter is far greater in ranks and in preference.
22. Do not set up any other god besides Allah, or you will sit there disgraced and helpless.
23. Your Lord has commanded that you worship none but Him, and be kind to your parents. If either of them or both reach old age in your care, do not say even ‘Uff’ to them, nor scold them. Speak to them with gentle words.
24. And lower to them the wing of humility out of mercy and say: ‘My Lord, have mercy on them as they raised me when I was small.’
25. Your Lord knows best what is in your hearts. If you are righteous, then surely He is Most Forgiving to those who return to Him.
26. Give your relatives their due, and also to the poor and the traveler in need. But do not spend wastefully.
27. Surely, those who waste are the brothers of the devils. And the devil is ever ungrateful to his Lord.
28. If you must turn away from them while hoping for your Lord’s mercy, then speak to them with kind and gentle words.
29. Do not keep your hand tied to your neck, nor stretch it out completely, or you will become blameworthy and in need.
30. Surely, your Lord gives plenty or restricts provisions to whomever He wills. He is All-Aware, All-Seeing of His servants.
31. Do not kill your children out of fear of poverty. We provide for them and for you. Surely, killing them is a great sin.
32. Do not go near adultery. It is a shameful act and an evil path.
33. Do not kill any soul that Allah has made sacred – except for a just cause. If someone is wrongfully killed, We give their guardian the right to seek justice, but they should not go beyond limits in retaliation. Surely, he will be supported.
34. Do not go near the property of the orphan, except in a good way, until they reach maturity. And fulfill your promises. Surely, every promise will be questioned.
35. Give full measure when you measure, and weigh with a fair balance. That is best and gives the best result.
36. Do not follow what you have no knowledge of. Surely, the hearing, the sight, and the heart – all of these will be questioned.
37. Do not walk proudly on the earth. You can never tear the earth apart, nor can you reach the height of the mountains.
38. All these things – their evil is hated by your Lord.
39. This is part of the wisdom your Lord has revealed to you. And do not set up any other god besides Allah, or you will be thrown into Hell, blamed and rejected.
40. Has your Lord favored you with sons, and taken angels as daughters for Himself? You are indeed saying something terrible.
41. We have certainly explained things in this Qur’an in many ways, so that people may understand. But it only makes them turn away even more.
42. Say, ‘If there had been other gods besides Him, as they claim, then they would have tried to find a way to challenge the Lord of the Throne.’
43. Glory be to Him! He is far above what they say, high and greatly exalted.
44. The seven heavens, the earth, and all that is within them glorify Him. There is nothing that does not glorify Him with praise, but you do not understand their glorification. Truly, He is Most Forbearing, Most Forgiving.
45. When you recite the Qur’an, We place an invisible barrier between you and those who do not believe in the Hereafter.
46. And We cover their hearts so they do not understand it, and make their ears deaf. When you mention your Lord alone in the Qur’an, they turn away in dislike.
47. We know best what they listen to when they listen to you, and when they meet in secret. The wrongdoers say, ‘You are only following a man who is bewitched!’
48. See how they compare you to all sorts of things. They have gone far off the path and cannot find the way.
49. They say, ‘When we are bones and dust, will we really be raised again as a new creation?’
50. Say, ‘Even if you become stones or iron,’
51. Or anything else you think is harder to bring to life!’ Then they will say, ‘Who will bring us back?’ Say, ‘The One Who created you the first time.’ Then they will shake their heads at you and say, ‘When will that be?’ Say, ‘Perhaps it is very near!’
52. On the Day He calls you, you will respond by praising Him, thinking you stayed only a short while.
53. Tell My servants to speak kindly. Surely, Satan sows conflict between them. Satan is a clear enemy to mankind.
54. Your Lord knows you best. If He wills, He can have mercy on you, or if He wills, He can punish you. We did not send you as a guardian over them.
55. Your Lord knows best all those in the heavens and the earth. And We gave some prophets more excellence than others. And to David, We gave the Psalms.
56. Say, ‘Call upon those you claim besides Him. They have no power to remove your troubles or to shift them.’
57. Those whom they call upon (besides Allah) are themselves seeking ways to come closer to their Lord – hoping for His mercy and fearing His punishment. Surely, the punishment of your Lord is something to beware of.
58. There is no town that We will not destroy before the Day of Judgment, or punish with a severe punishment. That is written in the Book.
59. Nothing stops Us from sending signs, except that the earlier generations denied them. We gave the people of Thamud the she-camel as a clear sign, but they wronged her. We do not send signs except to warn.
60. And (remember) when We told you, ‘Surely your Lord surrounds all people.’ And We did not make the vision which We showed you except as a test for people, and the cursed tree mentioned in the Qur’an. We warn them, but it only increases them in rebellion.
61. And when We said to the angels, ‘Bow down to Adam,’ they all bowed except Iblis. He said, ‘Should I bow to someone You created from clay?’
62. He said, ‘Do You see this one You have honored above me? If You give me time until the Day of Resurrection, I will surely mislead all his descendants, except a few.’
63. Allah said, ‘Go! And whoever follows you among them, then Hell will be your reward – a full reward.’
64. ‘Lure with your voice whoever you can among them, attack them with your cavalry and your infantry, share with them in wealth and children, and make promises to them.’ But Satan promises them nothing but deception.
65. ‘You will have no power over My true servants. Your Lord is enough as a Guardian.’
66. Your Lord is the One Who makes the ship sail for you through the sea so that you may seek His bounty. He is most Merciful to you.
67. When harm touches you at sea, all those you call upon vanish – except Him. But when He brings you safely to land, you turn away. Truly, man is ungrateful.
68. Are you sure He will not cause the land to swallow you, or send a storm of stones upon you? Then you would find no protector for yourselves.
69. Or are you sure He will not return you to the sea again, and send upon you a violent storm, and drown you for your ungratefulness? Then you will not find anyone to help you against Us.
70. Indeed, We have honored the children of Adam, carried them on land and sea, provided them with good things, and preferred them far above many of Our creations.
71. On the Day We will call every group of people with their leader. Those who are given their record in their right hand will read it gladly, and they will not be wronged in the least.
72. But whoever is blind in this world will be blind in the Hereafter, and even more lost from the path.
73. They were about to tempt you away from what We revealed to you, hoping that you would invent something else against Us. Then they would have taken you as a friend.
74. If We had not made you firm, you might have leaned toward them a little.
75. Then We would have made you taste double the punishment in this life and after death. Then you would have found no helper against Us.
76. They were close to driving you out of the land to remove you from it. But if they had done so, they would not have stayed long after you.
77. This was Our way with the messengers We sent before you. You will find no change in Our way.
78. Perform the prayer from the decline of the sun until the darkness of the night, and also the dawn prayer – for surely the dawn prayer is witnessed.
79. And during part of the night, wake up and offer extra prayer – it is a special duty for you. Perhaps your Lord will raise you to a praised and honorable position.
80. And say, ‘My Lord, let me enter with truth and exit with truth, and grant me from Yourself a helping power.’
81. And say, ‘Truth has come, and falsehood has vanished. Surely, falsehood is bound to disappear.’
82. We send down in the Qur’an what brings healing and mercy to the believers, but it only increases the wrongdoers in loss.
83. When We bless a person, he turns away and distances himself. But when harm touches him, he becomes full of despair.
84. Say, ‘Everyone acts according to their own way. But your Lord knows best who is on the right path.’
85. They ask you about the spirit (the soul). Say, ‘The spirit is something known only to my Lord. And you have been given only a little knowledge.‘
86. If We wished, We could take away what We have revealed to you. Then you would not find anyone to help you against Us.
87. But it is only through the mercy of your Lord that it remains. Surely, His favor upon you is great.
88. Say, ‘Even if all humans and jinn came together to produce a Qur’an like this, they could never produce anything like it – even if they helped each other.’
89. We have certainly explained things in this Qur’an in every possible way for people. But most people still insist on disbelief.
90. They say, ‘We will never believe in you until you cause a spring to gush out of the earth for us.’
91. ‘Or until you have a garden of palm trees and grapes, and cause rivers to flow through it abundantly.’
92. ‘Or you make the sky fall on us in pieces, as you claimed, or bring Allah and the angels before us face to face.’
93. ‘Or you have a house made of gold, or you ascend into the sky – and we will not believe in your ascension until you bring down to us a book that we can read.’ Say, ‘Glory be to my Lord! Am I anything but a human messenger?’
94. Nothing prevented people from believing when guidance came to them except that they said, ‘Has Allah sent a human as a messenger?’
95. Say, ‘If there were angels walking on the earth as residents, We would have certainly sent down to them an angel as a messenger.’
96. Say, ‘Allah is enough as a witness between me and you. He is certainly All-Knowing, All-Seeing of His servants.’
97. Whoever Allah guides is truly guided. And whoever He lets go astray – you will never find protectors for them besides Him. On the Day of Judgment, We will gather them on their faces, blind, mute, and deaf. Their home will be Hell. Every time the fire fades, We will make it blaze more intensely.
98. That is their punishment because they rejected Our signs and said, ‘When we are bones and dust, will we really be raised as a new creation?’
99. Do they not see that Allah, Who created the heavens and the earth, is able to create the likes of them again? He has set a time for their resurrection – there is no doubt about it. But the wrongdoers refuse everything except denial.
100. Say, ‘If you possessed the treasures of my Lord’s mercy, then you would surely hold back out of fear of spending. And man is ever stingy.’
101. We certainly gave Moses nine clear signs. So ask the Children of Israel (about what happened) when he came to them, and Pharaoh said to him, ‘I think you are under a spell, O Moses!’
102. He replied, ‘You know well that none has sent these signs down except the Lord of the heavens and the earth as clear proofs. And I truly think, O Pharaoh, that you are doomed.’
103. So Pharaoh wanted to drive them out of the land, but We drowned him and all those with him.
104. And We said to the Children of Israel after that, ‘Live in the land, but when the final promise comes to pass, We will bring all of you together.’
105. We sent down the Qur’an with truth, and with truth it has come down. And We sent you only as a bearer of good news and a warner.
106. We have divided the Qur’an into parts so you may recite it to the people slowly and clearly. And We revealed it in stages.
107. Say, ‘Believe in it or do not believe.’ Surely, those who were given knowledge before it fall down on their faces in prostration when it is recited to them.
108. And they say, ‘Glory be to our Lord! Truly, the promise of our Lord is fulfilled!’
109. They fall on their faces weeping, and it increases their humility.
110. Say, ‘Call upon Allah, or call upon the Most Merciful – whichever you call, His are the most beautiful names.’ Do not raise your voice in prayer too loudly, nor keep it too low – but seek a way in between.
111. And say, ‘Praise be to Allah, Who has never taken a son, nor has He any partner in His Kingdom, nor does He need any protector out of weakness.’ And proclaim His greatness in full measure! 0 0 0
Comment
Surah Al-Isra is a deeply spiritual and thought-provoking chapter that addresses both individual responsibility and the fate of nations. It begins with the miraculous event of the Isra — the night journey of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) from Makkah to Jerusalem — a sign of Allah’s power and a symbol of the connection between all prophets and places of worship.
One of the central lessons of this Surah is the concept of moral discipline. The Surah outlines clear commandments about worshipping Allah alone, honoring parents, speaking kindly, avoiding arrogance, and being just in dealings. These teachings form the foundation of a strong and righteous society.
Another major theme is accountability. Allah reminds us that every person is responsible for their own actions, and each soul will receive a record on the Day of Judgment. No one will carry the burden of another. This is a powerful message of justice, emphasizing that every individual must be aware of their deeds.
Surah Al-Isra also warns against arrogance and disbelief. It gives examples from history, such as the story of Pharaoh and the Children of Israel, to show what happens when people reject divine guidance. Even Satan is mentioned to remind us how pride and jealousy lead to destruction.
A beautiful part of this Surah is how it connects knowledge, patience, prayer, and humility as keys to success. The Prophet (peace be upon him) is commanded to stay firm, deliver the message clearly, and trust in Allah’s plan — even if others mock or reject him.
The Surah ends with a powerful declaration: Allah has no son, no partner, and no weakness. He alone deserves all praise and greatness. This final verse summarizes the purity of Islamic monotheism.
In reflection, Surah Al-Isra teaches us that faith is not just belief, but action. It reminds us to live humbly, to be grateful, to stay patient in trials, and to always walk the straight path. It is a Surah full of wisdom for those who want to live a life pleasing to their Creator. 0 0 0
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Surah Al-Isra: Additional Study
Frequently Asked Questions on Surah Al-Isra
Q. What is Surah Al-Isra about?
Surah Al-Isra discusses the miraculous night journey of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), moral guidance, the importance of the Quran, and reminders of accountability.
Q. Why is Surah Al-Isra called The Night Journey?
It is named The Night Journey because it begins with the account of the Prophet’s miraculous journey from Makkah to Jerusalem, known as Al-Isra.
Q. How many verses are in Surah Al-Isra?
Surah Al-Isra consists of 111 verses and is a Makkan surah.
Q. What are the main themes of Surah Al-Isra?
The main themes include the miracle of Isra, the Quran as guidance, worship of Allah alone, moral values like kindness to parents, and the consequences of deeds.
Q. What lessons can we learn from Surah Al-Isra?
It teaches faith in Allah, the importance of justice, gratitude to parents, patience in trials, humility, and following divine guidance through the Quran.
Q. Where does Surah Al-Isra fit in the Quran?
Surah Al-Isra is the 17th chapter of the Quran and is placed after Surah An-Nahl. 0 0 0
Al-Isra: The Journey of Light
Glory to Him who called by night,
His servant pure to a journey of light.
From Sacred Mosque to the farthest land,
By Allah’s will, by His command.
The Night Journey, a wonder shown,
A proof of faith to hearts unknown.
Through skies ascended, station to station,
A sign of truth, a holy confirmation.
Al-Isra begins with miracles clear,
A mercy for those who lend an ear.
It tells of nations, once so proud,
Destroyed in ruin, their voices loud.
Worship Allah, let none be near,
No partner has He, so hold Him dear.
To parents be gentle, bow in respect,
Their service is honor, never neglect.
Let kindness bloom in every word,
No harsh reply should e’er be heard.
For mercy brings the heart to peace,
And blessings in life will then increase.
Spend not in waste, nor tighten the hand,
But walk in balance as Allah planned.
Stand firm for truth, reject the wrong,
Let justice echo, steady and strong.
Do not take life that Allah forbids,
Each soul is sacred, each heart He bids.
And do not approach the shameful deed,
Guard your honor in thought and creed.
The Quran descends, a guiding flame,
A book of wisdom, by Allah’s name.
It heals the soul, it lifts the weak,
It gives the strength that hearts all seek.
Al-Isra warns of Judgment near,
A day of justice, both hope and fear.
Each deed is written, both small and grand,
We stand accountable in Allah’s hand.
Some walk in light, their faces bright,
Promised gardens, eternal delight.
Others in pride, who turned away,
Will face the fire on Judgment Day.
So learn from Al-Isra, heed the call,
For mercy awaits the humble all.
Pray with devotion, seek what is right,
Walk in the path of faith and light.
O traveler of life, reflect and see,
Al-Isra’s message is meant for thee.
From journey divine to lessons deep,
Its wisdom forever our hearts must keep. 0 0 0
N.B. What message of Surah Al-Isra touched your heart most? Share your reflections below—we’d love to hear from you!
