Table of Contents
The Greatest Gift of the Night Journey
The journey of Isra and Miʿraj reached its spiritual peak with the gift of salah. Among all the events of that blessed night, the most direct and lasting gift for the Ummah was the daily prayer. It was not only a command, but an honor, a direct connection between the servant and his Lord, and a central pillar of the new faith that would shape the lives of Muslims until the end of time.
This chapter focuses specifically on the gift of salah as it was given during Miʿraj, how it was prescribed, and what makes it unique among all other acts of worship.
Salah Given Above the Heavens
Most duties in Islam were revealed to the Prophet ﷺ through the Angel Jibril عليه السلام while he was on earth. Salah was different. It was given on the night of Miʿraj when the Prophet ﷺ was taken up through the heavens and spoke with his Lord. This shows its special status.
In an authentic hadith narrated by al‑Bukhari and Muslim, Anas ibn Malik رضي الله عنه said:
فُرِضَتْ عَلَى النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ الصَّلَوَاتُ خَمْسِينَ، ثُمَّ نُقِصَتْ حَتَّى جُعِلَتْ خَمْسًا، ثُمَّ نُودِيَ: يَا مُحَمَّدُ، إِنَّهُ لَا يُبَدَّلُ الْقَوْلُ لَدَيَّ، وَإِنَّ لَكَ بِهَذِهِ الْخَمْسِ خَمْسِينَ
“Fifty prayers were prescribed upon the Prophet ﷺ, then they were reduced until they were made five. Then it was called out: ‘O Muhammad, My Word does not change with Me, and indeed for these five you will have the reward of fifty.’”
This hadith makes two important points. First, that the original obligation was fifty prayers per day. Second, that Allah in His mercy reduced them to five, but kept for the Ummah the reward of fifty.
The gift of salah was not delivered through Jibril on earth, but given directly during the Prophet’s audience with his Lord above the seven heavens. For beginners studying the Seerah, this is a key sign that salah is not a small or optional act. It is the central link between the believer and Allah, given in the highest place, in the most honored meeting.
Salah is the only major act of worship that was made obligatory during Miʿraj, above the heavens, and not through revelation on earth. This shows its unique rank among the pillars of Islam.
From Fifty to Five: The Mercy of Allah
The story of how the prayers were reduced is one of the most famous parts of the hadith of Miʿraj. It teaches mercy, love for the Ummah, and the gentle care of Allah for His servants.
When the Prophet ﷺ was first commanded with fifty prayers in a day and night, he accepted. On his way back, he passed by Prophet Musa عليه السلام. The hadith in Sahih al‑Bukhari mentions:
فَرَجَعْتُ حَتَّى مَرَرْتُ عَلَى مُوسَى، فَقَالَ: بِمَ أُمِرْتَ؟ قُلْتُ: أُمِرْتُ بِخَمْسِينَ صَلَاةً كُلَّ يَوْمٍ. قَالَ: إِنَّ أُمَّتَكَ لَا تَسْتَطِيعُ خَمْسِينَ صَلَاةً كُلَّ يَوْمٍ، وَاللَّهِ لَقَدْ جَرَّبْتُ النَّاسَ قَبْلَكَ، وَعَالَجْتُ بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ أَشَدَّ الْمُعَالَجَةِ، فَارْجِعْ إِلَى رَبِّكَ فَسَلْهُ التَّخْفِيفَ لِأُمَّتِكَ
“So I returned until I passed by Musa. He said, ‘What have you been commanded with?’ I said, ‘I have been commanded with fifty prayers every day.’ He said, ‘Your Ummah will not be able to bear fifty prayers every day. By Allah, I have tried people before you and I have dealt with the Children of Israel with great effort. So return to your Lord and ask Him to lighten it for your Ummah.’”
The Prophet ﷺ went back, and Allah reduced the number. He returned to Musa, who again advised him to ask for more reduction. This happened several times, until finally the number was made five. Musa again suggested that he return, but the Prophet ﷺ felt shy and said, according to the hadith:
فَقُلْتُ: قَدِ اسْتَحْيَيْتُ مِنْ رَبِّي
“I said, ‘I feel shy before my Lord.’”
Then Allah declared:
هِيَ خَمْسٌ وَهِيَ خَمْسُونَ، لَا يُبَدَّلُ الْقَوْلُ لَدَيَّ
“They are five, and they are fifty (in reward). My Word does not change.”
This event shows that Allah knows our weakness, and that the number of five daily prayers is given with full knowledge of human capacity. It also shows the care of the Prophet ﷺ for his Ummah as he repeatedly returned to ask for ease, and the concern of Prophet Musa عليه السلام based on his own experience with his people.
The five daily prayers carry the reward of fifty. Every salah is multiplied by the mercy of Allah, so the believer gains huge reward from a small amount of time, if he or she is sincere.
Salah as the First and Central Obligation
From the moment salah was given during Miʿraj, it became the foremost practical duty of the Muslims. Later in Madinah, other pillars like zakah, fasting in Ramadan, and Hajj were legislated in detail, but salah had already been given its fixed daily structure during this miraculous night.
The Quran speaks about the general obligation and importance of prayer in many verses. Allah says:
وَأَقِيمُوا الصَّلَاةَ وَآتُوا الزَّكَاةَ وَارْكَعُوا مَعَ الرَّاكِعِينَ
“And establish the prayer and give the zakah, and bow with those who bow.”
(Surah al‑Baqarah 2:43)
And He says:
إِنَّ الصَّلَاةَ كَانَتْ عَلَى الْمُؤْمِنِينَ كِتَابًا مَوْقُوتًا
“Indeed, the prayer has been prescribed upon the believers at fixed times.”
(Surah an‑Nisa 4:103)
These verses speak about the obligation and the fixed times, but the Seerah explains that the origin of this duty, with its number and its position in the day, goes back directly to Miʿraj. For the early Muslims suffering in Makkah, surrounded by persecution and pain, the gift of salah became their daily refuge. It was a constant reminder that the Prophet ﷺ had been raised to the heavens, that he had received this duty in the court of Allah, and that if they stood in salah, they too were in a way standing before their Lord.
The Prophet ﷺ described salah as a pillar of Islam. In a famous hadith in Sahih al‑Bukhari and Muslim, Ibn ʿUmar رضي الله عنهما narrated that the Prophet ﷺ said:
بُنِيَ الإِسْلَامُ عَلَى خَمْسٍ: شَهَادَةِ أَنْ لَا إِلٰهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ وَأَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا رَسُولُ اللَّهِ، وَإِقَامِ الصَّلَاةِ، وَإِيتَاءِ الزَّكَاةِ، وَالْحَجِّ، وَصَوْمِ رَمَضَانَ
“Islam is built upon five: the testimony that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, establishing the prayer, giving the zakah, Hajj, and fasting Ramadan.”
Among these five pillars, salah was the one given during Miʿraj, and it would remain the daily measure of faith for every Muslim man and woman.
Salah is not only one pillar among others. It is the constant act that returns five times a day, all year, and it is the most visible sign of a living connection with Allah.
The Direct Connection: “Miʿraj of the Believer”
Because salah was given in the context of Miʿraj, many early scholars and teachers called it the “Miʿraj of the believer.” This means that while the Prophet ﷺ rose physically to the heavens in that unique miracle, every believer can rise spiritually toward Allah in every prayer.
The Prophet ﷺ said in a hadith reported by Muslim:
أَقْرَبُ مَا يَكُونُ الْعَبْدُ مِنْ رَبِّهِ وَهُوَ سَاجِدٌ
“The closest a servant is to his Lord is while he is in prostration.”
This closeness in sujud is a reflection, on a smaller scale, of the closeness the Prophet ﷺ experienced during Miʿraj when he received the gift of salah. The link is not symbolic only. It is real in the sense that during salah the believer turns away from worldly distractions and stands with humility before Allah, reciting His words, listening to the Quran, bowing and prostrating. It is a repeated journey from the earth of worries to the nearness of the Lord.
Allah says:
وَاسْجُدْ وَاقْتَرِبْ
“And prostrate and draw near.”
(Surah al‑ʿAlaq 96:19)
The chapter al‑ʿAlaq includes the first verses ever revealed and concludes with this command to prostrate and come near. The Miʿraj story, where salah was given, joins with the first revelation, so that the full path of a believer is clear: to read, learn, and then to prostrate and draw near.
For the companions, especially in the period around Miʿraj, salah became their comfort. They would stand in prayer at night while facing insult and harm during the day. The Prophet ﷺ himself would say, as reported by Ahmad and Abu Dawud:
يَا بِلَالُ، أَرِحْنَا بِالصَّلَاةِ
“O Bilal, bring us comfort through the prayer.”
Salah was not a burden to him. It was rest, peace, and his greatest joy. This attitude began from the way it had been given to him, in a night of miracles and nearness to Allah.
Every salah is an opportunity to “rise” toward Allah in humility and love. It is the believer’s repeated Miʿraj throughout the day and night.
Times of the Five Daily Prayers
While this course focuses on Seerah and not on full fiqh details, it is important to understand that the five daily prayers are spread across the day in a way that covers the believer’s life with remembrance of Allah.
Salah is required five times in each day and night. In simple form, they are:
- Fajr. Before sunrise.
- Dhuhr. Midday after the sun passes its highest point.
- Asr. In the afternoon.
- Maghrib. Just after sunset.
- Isha. At night.
The verse already mentioned indicates fixed times:
إِنَّ الصَّلَاةَ كَانَتْ عَلَى الْمُؤْمِنِينَ كِتَابًا مَوْقُوتًا
“Indeed, the prayer has been prescribed upon the believers at fixed times.”
(Surah an‑Nisa 4:103)
The detailed fiqh of prayer times and their conditions belongs to other areas of study, not to Seerah itself. What is important for us here is to recognize that, from Miʿraj onwards, the life of a Muslim is shaped by these times. Each dividing line of the day is marked by a conversation with Allah.
From the perspective of Seerah, the gift of five daily prayers gave the early Muslims a rhythm of worship amid the intense challenges of Makkah. In the darkness of oppression, they had repeated moments of light through which they remembered the Night Journey and the ascension of their Prophet ﷺ.
The entire day of a Muslim is structured around the five prayers. They are not random. They are spaced by divine wisdom to keep the heart alive from dawn to night.
Salah as the First Deed to Be Accounted For
The unique way in which salah was given during Miʿraj is reflected later in how it will be treated on the Day of Judgment. The Prophet ﷺ said, as reported in Sunan at‑Tirmidhi and others:
إِنَّ أَوَّلَ مَا يُحَاسَبُ بِهِ الْعَبْدُ يَوْمَ القِيَامَةِ مِنْ عَمَلِهِ الصَّلَاةُ، فَإِنْ صَلُحَتْ فَقَدْ أَفْلَحَ وَأَنْجَحَ، وَإِنْ فَسَدَتْ فَقَدْ خَابَ وَخَسِرَ
“The first deed for which a servant will be brought to account on the Day of Resurrection from his actions is the prayer. If it is sound, then he will have succeeded and prospered, and if it is corrupt, then he will have failed and lost.”
This hadith ties back clearly to Miʿraj. What was the first and greatest direct command from Allah in the highest assembly will also be the first deed examined when we stand before Him.
Because this course is for beginners, it is important to understand this simply. Whoever guards the salah, tries to pray on time, and strives for sincerity and presence of heart, is building a strong foundation for all other acts of worship. Whoever neglects salah or treats it lightly is weakening everything else in his spiritual life.
The early Muslims understood that the prayer given in the heavens was not something that could be delayed or ignored. They kept it even while facing cruelty and hardship, and later, even during travel, fear, and battle, the Quran and Sunnah explained how salah was still required, with different forms when needed, but never totally dropped.
Since salah was the first obligation taken in the highest heavens, it will be the first action judged on the Day of Resurrection. Its soundness is the key to success.
Salah as a Sign of Faith and a Boundary
The special origin of salah at Miʿraj also made it the dividing line between belief and disbelief. The Prophet ﷺ said, in a hadith reported by Muslim and others:
بَيْنَ الرَّجُلِ وَبَيْنَ الشِّرْكِ وَالْكُفْرِ تَرْكُ الصَّلَاةِ
“Between a man and shirk and disbelief stands the abandonment of prayer.”
Scholars differed on some legal details about this hadith, but they agreed that it shows how serious it is to leave salah. From the Seerah perspective, this seriousness is connected to how and where it was given. A duty that was handed down in the lowest earth might still be important. A duty received above the seventh heaven, in direct conversation with Allah, must be treated as central to the faith itself.
When we read about Miʿraj, we see how the Prophet ﷺ brought back to his struggling Ummah in Makkah not only comfort and good news, but also this heavy and beautiful responsibility. To stand five times daily before Allah as a community was their honor and distinguishing sign.
Allah says:
وَمَا أُمِرُوا إِلَّا لِيَعْبُدُوا اللَّهَ مُخْلِصِينَ لَهُ الدِّينَ حُنَفَاءَ وَيُقِيمُوا الصَّلَاةَ وَيُؤْتُوا الزَّكَاةَ وَذَٰلِكَ دِينُ الْقَيِّمَةِ
“And they were not commanded except to worship Allah, making the religion sincere for Him, as upright people, and to establish the prayer and give the zakah. That is the correct religion.”
(Surah al‑Bayyinah 98:5)
Salah here is mentioned immediately after sincere worship, and together with zakah they are described as “the correct religion.” The Miʿraj event is the moment in Seerah where this command took concrete daily form.
Guarding salah is a sign of living faith. Abandoning it completely is a dangerous step toward disbelief and loss in this life and the next.
Comfort after Sorrow
In the wider context of Seerah, Miʿraj came after a time of hardship and grief for the Prophet ﷺ. The Year of Sorrow, rejection at Taʿif, and intense opposition in Makkah formed a heavy burden. From that period of pain, Allah honored him with the Night Journey and Ascension, and in that high place, He gave him salah.
For the Prophet ﷺ, salah became a constant source of relief after sorrow. What he received in a single miraculous night turned into a repeated daily experience. Each prayer renewed his patience, strengthened his trust in Allah, and reminded him of his high rank and of Allah’s promise that Islam would succeed.
For the companions, the story of Miʿraj gave meaning to their daily worship. They were not simply bowing and prostrating. They were responding to a command that had been given in the loftiest gathering, with the prophets in the heavens, the angels, and the nearness of their Lord.
For every Muslim today, this same gift remains. The historical event is over, but its fruit continues. Whenever a believer says “Allahu Akbar” and raises his hands to begin salah, he or she is joining in the same line of worship that began that night of Miʿraj.
Allah says:
الَّذِينَ هُمْ عَلَىٰ صَلَاتِهِمْ دَائِمُونَ
“Those who are constant in their prayer.”
(Surah al‑Maʿarij 70:23)
To be constant in prayer, especially knowing its origin in Miʿraj, is to carry in one’s life a part of that nightly miracle.
Salah was given as a gift of comfort after great sorrow. Whoever holds fast to it in times of difficulty will find strength, patience, and inner peace by the permission of Allah.
In summary, the gift of salah during Isra and Miʿraj is one of the central turning points in the Seerah. It joined the heavens to the earth in daily worship, gave the Muslims a clear identity, and remains until today the most important practical expression of Islam in the life of every believer.