The night
Monday 4 January, after Maghrib
The Islamic day begins at sunset, so the night comes before its day.
Isra and Miraj 2027, the Night Journey.
The 27th of Rajab 1448 falls on Tuesday 5 January 2027, so the night of Isra and Miraj is the evening of Monday 4 January. Here is what happened that night, from the Quran and the authentic hadith.
The night of 27 Rajab begins in
--Days
--Hours
--Minutes
--Seconds
Counting to 6 pm your time on Monday 4 January 2027. The night begins at Maghrib where you are.
Umm al-Qura date
Tuesday 5 January 2027
The date in Saudi Arabia and the countries that follow its calendar.
If the month starts a day later
Night of Tuesday 5 January
Where the month began a day later by local moon sighting, as often in South Asia.
Guide
What happened on the Night Journey, from the sources.
Isra and Miraj is the night the Prophet ﷺ was taken from Makkah to Jerusalem (the Isra) and then up through the heavens (the Miraj). In 2027, the 27th of Rajab is Tuesday 5 January 2027, so the night that many Muslims mark begins after Maghrib on Monday 4 January 2027. The exact date of the journey is not known for certain.
سُبْحَٰنَ ٱلَّذِىٓ أَسْرَىٰ بِعَبْدِهِۦ لَيْلًۭا مِّنَ ٱلْمَسْجِدِ ٱلْحَرَامِ إِلَى ٱلْمَسْجِدِ ٱلْأَقْصَا ٱلَّذِى بَٰرَكْنَا حَوْلَهُۥ لِنُرِيَهُۥ مِنْ ءَايَٰتِنَآ ۚ إِنَّهُۥ هُوَ ٱلسَّمِيعُ ٱلْبَصِيرُ
Subhaanal lazeee asraa bi'abdihee lailam minal Masjidil Haraami ilal Masjidil Aqsal-lazee baaraknaa haw lahoo linuriyahoo min aayaatinaa;innahoo Huwas Samee'ul-Baseer
"Exalted is He who took His Servant by night from al-Masjid al-Haram to al-Masjid al-Aqsa, whose surroundings We have blessed, to show him of Our signs. Indeed, He is the Hearing, the Seeing."
Quran 17:1, translation by Sahih International.
The journey to Jerusalem
The Prophet ﷺ described being brought the Buraq, a white animal larger than a donkey and smaller than a mule, whose stride reached as far as it could see. He rode it to Bayt al-Maqdis in Jerusalem, tied it where the prophets tied their mounts, and prayed two rakahs in the masjid. Jibril then brought him a vessel of wine and a vessel of milk. He chose the milk, and Jibril said: "You have chosen the fitrah," the natural way.1 Other reports describe him leading the prophets in prayer there.
The ascent through the seven heavens
Jibril took him up, and at each heaven a prophet greeted him:2
- First heaven: Adam
- Second: Isa and Yahya
- Third: Yusuf
- Fourth: Idris
- Fifth: Harun
- Sixth: Musa
- Seventh: Ibrahim, leaning against al-Bayt al-Mamur, which seventy thousand angels enter every day and never return to.
He was then raised to Sidrat al-Muntaha, the Lote Tree of the Utmost Boundary, which Surah An-Najm describes.3
وَلَقَدْ رَءَاهُ نَزْلَةً أُخْرَىٰ عِندَ سِدْرَةِ ٱلْمُنتَهَىٰ عِندَهَا جَنَّةُ ٱلْمَأْوَىٰٓ إِذْ يَغْشَى ٱلسِّدْرَةَ مَا يَغْشَىٰ مَا زَاغَ ٱلْبَصَرُ وَمَا طَغَىٰ لَقَدْ رَأَىٰ مِنْ ءَايَٰتِ رَبِّهِ ٱلْكُبْرَىٰٓ
Wa laqad ra aahu nazlatan ukhraa 'Inda sidratil muntaha 'Indahaa jannatul maawaa Iz yaghshas sidrata maa yaghshaa Maa zaaghal basaru wa maa taghaa Laqad ra aa min aayaati Rabbihil kubraaa
"And he certainly saw him in another descent At the Lote Tree of the Utmost Boundary - Near it is the Garden of Refuge - When there covered the Lote Tree that which covered [it]. The sight [of the Prophet] did not swerve, nor did it transgress [its limit]. He certainly saw of the greatest signs of his Lord."
Quran 53:13-18, translation by Sahih International.
The gift of the five prayers
Allah made fifty prayers a day obligatory. On the way down, Musa told the Prophet ﷺ that his people would not manage it and to ask for less. He went back several times until they were five, and Allah said they are five in number and fifty in reward.2 Ibn Masud reported that he was given three things that night: the five prayers, the closing ayat of Surah Al-Baqarah, and forgiveness of the major sins for those of his ummah who do not associate anything with Allah.4
When did it happen?
Most historians place it about a year or a little more before the Hijrah, after the Year of Sorrow. Scholars named different months for it, including Rabi al-Awwal, Rajab and Ramadan. The 27th of Rajab is the date most widely observed, but there is no authentic report that fixes it, and Ibn Hajar and others recorded the difference of opinion.
Is there a special worship for this night?
Hanafi position
No specific prayer, fast or gathering for the night or day of 27 Rajab is established in the Sunnah, and the reports about special rewards for fasting on 27 Rajab are weak or fabricated. A Muslim may worship on this night as on any other night, praying tahajjud, reading the Quran and making dua, without believing it has a fixed ritual. Learning and teaching the story of the Night Journey is good at any time.
Other madhhabs
- Shafi'i, Maliki, Hanbali
- The schools agree that no special worship for the night is established. Some scholars, mostly Hanbali and Salafi, say gathering for it is an innovation; others allow remembering the event, such as a talk about it, as long as it is not treated as an act of worship tied to the date.
Lessons for today
- Salah was given directly in the heavens, which shows its rank. Guard the five prayers: see how to pray.
- Abu Bakr believed the journey at once when others mocked it, and was called as-Siddiq.
- Relief came after the hardest year of the Prophet's ﷺ life in Makkah.
- Rajab is a sacred month and leads to Shaban and Ramadan. Many begin preparing for Ramadan now.
- Sahih Muslim 162, from Anas ibn Malik.
- Sahih al-Bukhari 3887, from Malik ibn Sasaah; also Sahih Muslim 162.
- Quran 53:13-18; Sahih Muslim 173.
- Sahih Muslim 173, from Abdullah ibn Masud.
- Ibn Hajar, Fath al-Bari, on the date of the Isra; Ibn Abidin, Radd al-Muhtar. The other madhhabs' positions are summarised from their standard works.
The rulings on this page are pending review by the scholars on our team.
Questions
Good to know.
When is Isra and Miraj 2027?
27 Rajab 1448 is expected on Tuesday 5 January 2027. The night is the evening of Monday 4 January, after Maghrib. Where Rajab begins a day later by moon sighting, it is the night of Tuesday 5 January.
What is the difference between Isra and Miraj?
Isra is the night journey from Masjid al-Haram in Makkah to Masjid al-Aqsa in Jerusalem. Miraj is the ascent from Jerusalem through the seven heavens.
Is there a special prayer for Shab-e-Miraj?
No. No specific prayer or fast for this night is established in the Sunnah. You may pray and make dua as on any other night.
Is it sunnah to fast on 27 Rajab?
No authentic hadith gives a special reward for fasting on 27 Rajab. If it is a Monday or Thursday, or you fast it as general voluntary fasting in a sacred month, that is fine.
When is Isra and Miraj in late 2027?
Because the lunar year is shorter, 27 Rajab comes twice in 2027. The second is 27 Rajab 1449, expected on Saturday 25 December 2027.