The Night Journey (Al-Isra) and The Ascension (Al-Mi'raj), The First Pledge of Aqabah, and The Second Pledge of Aqabah

1.16 The Night Journey (Al-Isra) and The Ascension (Al-Mi'raj)

The Night Journey of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) took place while he resided in Mecca, wherein he was physically transported to the sacred Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem.

Upon the Ascension (Al-Mi'raj), Gabriel (peace be upon him) escorted him upwards through the celestial realms. Ascending one level of heaven after another, he encountered the prophets within each successive sphere. In the first heaven, he met Adam, observing alongside him the souls of the blessed to his right and the souls of the wretched to his left. In the second, he met Jesus and John, in the third, Joseph, in the fourth, Idris, in the fifth, Aaron, and in the sixth, Moses; some narrations suggest that he also beheld Abraham. Ultimately, in the seventh heaven, he beheld one of the two prophets, the Garden of Refuge, and Paradise itself, along with the Sidrat al-Muntaha—the Lote Tree of the Utmost Boundary.

During this extraordinary night, the five daily prayers were ordained as obligatory upon the believers.

After this event, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) continued to invite the tribes of Arabia to the path of Allah. However, none of the tribes answered his call, for Allah had reserved this honour for the Ansar. Suwayd ibn al-Samit, from the Banu Amr ibn Awf of the Aws tribe, came forward; although the Messenger (peace be upon him) invited him to Islam, Suwayd neither accepted nor explicitly rejected the invitation. He returned to Medina, where he later perished in one of their battles.

1.17 The Arrival of the Ansar: Seeking an Alliance with the Quraysh and Encountering the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him)

Then came Abu al-Haysar Anas ibn Rafi, who arrived in Mecca with a hundred men from the Banu Abd al-Ashhal, seeking an alliance with the Quraysh. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) extended to them the invitation to Islam. One of their youths, Iyas ibn Mu'adh, responded, "O my people, this is surely better than what we came for." Abu al-Haysar struck him and silenced him. The delegation did not secure their intended alliance, and they returned to their homeland in Medina. It is reported that Iyas ibn Mu'adh later passed away, and he is said to have died as a Muslim.

During the pilgrimage season at Aqabah, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) encountered six men from the Ansar, all from the Khazraj tribe: Abu Umamah As'ad ibn Zurarah, Awf ibn Harith (known as Ibn Afra), Rafi' ibn Malik, Qutbah ibn Amir, Uqbah ibn Amir, and Jabir ibn Abdullah. He invited them to Islam, and through Allah's grace, these men had lived in proximity to the Jewish tribes, from whom they had frequently heard about the impending arrival of a prophet. Some of them remarked, "This is surely the prophet the Jews have been threatening you with; let us not allow them to reach him before us." Thus, they believed, embraced Islam, and stated, "We have left behind our people who are mired in discord, but we will return and convey to them the message you have shared with us so that Allah may unite them under you. Should they follow you, you will find no one more honored than yourself." Upon their return to Medina, they propagated the message of Islam, and soon there was no household among the Ansar without mention of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). By the subsequent year, twelve men from the Ansar returned, including five of the original six, apart from Jabir ibn Abdullah, accompanied by seven additional individuals.

1.18 The First Pledge of Aqabah

The seven additional men were Mu'adh ibn Harith (known as Ibn Afra, the brother of Awf previously mentioned), Dhakwan ibn Abd Qays (who would later move to Mecca, joining the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) and eventually die as both an Emigrant and an Ansar in the Battle of Uhud), Ubadah ibn Samit, Abu Abd al-Rahman Yazid ibn Thalabah, and Abbas ibn Ubadah ibn Nadla. All five of these men were from the Khazraj.

Among the ranks of the Aws tribe, descended from Haritha, there stood two esteemed figures: Abu al-Haytham Malik ibn Tayhan, a distinguished member of the Banu Abd al-Ashhal ibn Jusham ibn al-Harith ibn al-Khazraj ibn Amr ibn Malik ibn Aws ibn Haritha; and Uwaym ibn Sa'ida, from the venerable Banu Amr ibn Awf ibn Malik ibn Aws ibn Haritha.

These men pledged their allegiance to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) at Aqabah, adhering to the pledge made by women, for at this juncture they were not yet commanded to engage in combat. As they prepared to return to their people, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) entrusted them with Ibn Umm Maktum and Mus'ab ibn Umayr, tasked with instructing those who had accepted Islam in the recitation of the Qur’an and the laws of the faith, as well as calling those who had not yet embraced Islam. Mus'ab took residence in Medina with Abu Umamah As'ad ibn Zurara and led the newly converted Muslims in prayer. He conducted the first Friday prayer in Islam for a congregation of forty at a location called Naqi' al-Khadmat, in the volcanic plains of Banu Bayada.

Through Mus'ab ibn Umayr's diligent efforts, Islam found acceptance among a great number of the Ansar, including esteemed leaders such as Sa'd ibn Mu'adh and Usayd ibn Hudayr. Following their conversion, the entire clan of Banu Abd al-Ashhal entered into Islam in one day, with both men and women embracing the faith. Notably, none among them hesitated, except Usayrim (Amr ibn Thabit ibn Waqash), who converted only on the day of the Battle of Uhud, where he attained martyrdom. Although he had not performed a single prostration, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) announced that he was among the people of Paradise. The Banu Abd al-Ashhal were known for their unwavering sincerity; none among them were hypocrites, and may Allah be pleased with them.

With time, Islam permeated every household among the Ansar, with Muslims among both men and women, except for the houses of Banu Umayyah ibn Zayd, Khatmah, and Waqif, sub-tribes of Aws situated in the upper reaches of Medina. Some of their members converted, and their leader, the poet Abu Qays Sayfi ibn al-Aslat, delayed his acceptance of Islam until after the battles of Badr, Uhud, and the Trench. Eventually, all his people embraced Islam.

Upon completion of his mission, Mus'ab ibn Umayr returned to Mecca, and a substantial group of Ansar who had accepted Islam set out for the pilgrimage season, seeking an audience with the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). They travelled in the company of their tribesmen who remained non-Muslims, as the pilgrimage still followed the prevailing Arab customs. Among them was Al-Bara ibn Ma’rur, who had chosen to face the Kaaba in his prayers, despite the qibla being directed towards Jerusalem at the time. He continued thus throughout his journey, but upon reaching Mecca, he expressed regret and sought the Prophet’s guidance, who gently corrected him, whereupon he resumed the correct qibla. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) arranged a meeting with them at Aqabah during the middle days of Tashreeq.

On that appointed night, Ka'b ibn Malik and several men from the Banu Salama tribe approached Abdullah ibn Amr ibn Haram, a prominent leader yet to accept Islam, inviting him to the faith. He accepted Islam that very night, pledging allegiance in secret alongside several non-Muslim members of his tribe. They departed their camp in the early night hours, making their way to Aqabah in secrecy.

 

1.19 The Second Pledge of Aqabah

At Aqabah, they pledged their allegiance to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), vowing to defend him as they would defend their own families and to invite him, along with his companions, to join them in Medina. That night, Abbas ibn Abd al-Muttalib, though not yet a Muslim, attended as a guarantor for his nephew. Displaying remarkable sincerity, Al-Bara ibn Ma'rur gave his full support to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), being the first to pledge allegiance, joined by Abu al-Haytham ibn Tayhan and Abbas ibn Ubadah ibn Nadla. On that blessed night, seventy-three men and two women solemnly pledged their loyalty to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him).

The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) selected twelve naqibs (leaders) from among them, representing the Khazraj and Aws tribes. Among them were:

• From the Khazraj:
• As'ad ibn Zurara, who was previously mentioned among the six and the twelve.
• Sa'd ibn Rabi' ibn Amr of Banu Amr ibn Abu Zuhayr ibn Malik.
• Rafi' ibn Malik ibn al-Ajlan, also among the six and the twelve.
• Al-Bara ibn Ma’rur of Banu Salama.
• Abdullah ibn Amr ibn Haram, father of Jabir.
• Sa'd ibn Ubadah of Banu Sa'idah.
• Al-Mundhir ibn Amr of Banu Sa'idah.
• Ubadah ibn al-Samit, mentioned previously among the twelve.
• Abdullah ibn Rawaha of Banu al-Harith.

These nine men were from different branches of the Khazraj: Banu Amr, Banu Awf, Banu al-Harith, Banu Ka'b, and Banu Jusham.

• From the Aws:
• Usayd ibn Hudayr of Banu Abd al-Ashhal.
• Sa'd ibn Khaythama of Banu al-Nahhat (this lineage later became extinct, with the last of its members passing during the time of Harun al-Rashid, fulfilling the prophecy of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) that the Ansar would dwindle).
• Rifa’ah ibn Abd al-Mundhir, though some sources mention Abu al-Haytham ibn Tayhan in place of Rifa’ah.