Excerpt from the book: "Bidʿāt Rajab wa Shaʿbān" by Shaykh Abū ʿAdnān Muḥammad Munīr Qamar (Translator, Supreme Court, al-Khubar, Saudi Arabia)
Just like the innovated fasts of Rajab and the fabricated prayer of Ṣalāt al-Raghāʾib, many people commemorate the 27th night of Rajab under the assumption that it is Laylat al-Miʿrāj (the Night of Ascension).
They:
✘ Celebrate the night
✘ Light up homes and mosques
✘ Offer self-invented prayers
Before evaluating the Sharʿī (Islamic legal) ruling on such practices, it is essential to determine whether this night is truly the night of Miʿrāj.
When one studies the works of Hadith experts and historians, it becomes clear that:
✔ There is no consensus on Rajab being the month of Miʿrāj,
✔ Nor is there any agreement on the exact date, including the 27th night.
In his famous historical work al-Bidāyah wan-Nihāyah (Vol. 3, pp. 108–109), before narrating the incident of al-Isrāʾ wal-Miʿrāj, he cites several narrations.
He quotes from Imām al-Bayhaqī, narrating the statement of Imām az-Zuhrī رحمه الله:
أسري برسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم قبل خروجه إلى المدينة بسنة
“The Prophet ﷺ was taken on the Night Journey one year before his migration to Madinah.”
This is also the view of ʿUrwah رحمه الله.
ليلة أسري به قبل مهاجرته بستة عشر شهرا
“The Prophet ﷺ was taken on the Night Journey sixteen months before his migration.”
According to the statements of az-Zuhrī and ʿUrwah, the month of Miʿrāj would fall in Rabīʿ al-Awwal, and even then it refers to a time prior to Hijrah.
He mentioned the incident of al-Isrāʾ wal-Miʿrāj among the early events of Prophethood, which suggests it occurred shortly after the first revelation.
And according to as-Suddī رحمه الله, the month of Miʿrāj was Dhū al-Qaʿdah.
[Reference: al-Bidāyah wan-Nihāyah, 3/108–109]
There is a narration in Muṣannaf Ibn Abī Shaybah, which is interrupted in chain (i.e. munqaṭiʿ) according to Imām Ibn Kathīr, and it states:
“The Prophet ﷺ was born on the 12th of Rabīʿ al-Awwal, on a Monday. On the same day, he was appointed a Prophet, taken up in the Miʿrāj, migrated, and passed away.”
This narration also points to Rabīʿ al-Awwal as the month of Miʿrāj, but due to the disconnected chain, it cannot be taken as reliable evidence.
There are also narrations (without strong chains) that place the Miʿrāj in:
Thus, even the month of Miʿrāj is disputed, so how can the exact date (e.g. 27th of Rajab) be confirmed?
The absence of consensus regarding the month or date of Miʿrāj is not without divine wisdom.
Had Allah willed, He could have caused all historians to agree. But the ambiguity serves a purpose:
✦ To block the path for innovators
✦ To prevent baseless rituals and celebrations
✦ To stop people from inventing religious events based on speculative dates
There is no agreed-upon date for Laylat al-Miʿrāj in:
Thus, celebrating the 27th of Rajab as Laylat al-Miʿrāj — with lights, ceremonies, or invented prayers — has no basis in authentic Islam. These practices fall under bidʿah (innovation), and should be abandoned.
✦ The Undetermined Date of Laylat al-Miʿrāj
Just like the innovated fasts of Rajab and the fabricated prayer of Ṣalāt al-Raghāʾib, many people commemorate the 27th night of Rajab under the assumption that it is Laylat al-Miʿrāj (the Night of Ascension).
They:
✘ Celebrate the night
✘ Light up homes and mosques
✘ Offer self-invented prayers
Before evaluating the Sharʿī (Islamic legal) ruling on such practices, it is essential to determine whether this night is truly the night of Miʿrāj.
❖ Disagreement Among Scholars and Historians
When one studies the works of Hadith experts and historians, it becomes clear that:
✔ There is no consensus on Rajab being the month of Miʿrāj,
✔ Nor is there any agreement on the exact date, including the 27th night.
✿ Statement of Imām Ibn Kathīr رحمه الله
In his famous historical work al-Bidāyah wan-Nihāyah (Vol. 3, pp. 108–109), before narrating the incident of al-Isrāʾ wal-Miʿrāj, he cites several narrations.
He quotes from Imām al-Bayhaqī, narrating the statement of Imām az-Zuhrī رحمه الله:
أسري برسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم قبل خروجه إلى المدينة بسنة
“The Prophet ﷺ was taken on the Night Journey one year before his migration to Madinah.”
This is also the view of ʿUrwah رحمه الله.
✿ Statement of Imām al-Ḥākim via as-Suddī رحمهما الله
ليلة أسري به قبل مهاجرته بستة عشر شهرا
“The Prophet ﷺ was taken on the Night Journey sixteen months before his migration.”
According to the statements of az-Zuhrī and ʿUrwah, the month of Miʿrāj would fall in Rabīʿ al-Awwal, and even then it refers to a time prior to Hijrah.
✿ Ḥāfiẓ Ibn ʿAsākir رحمه الله
He mentioned the incident of al-Isrāʾ wal-Miʿrāj among the early events of Prophethood, which suggests it occurred shortly after the first revelation.
And according to as-Suddī رحمه الله, the month of Miʿrāj was Dhū al-Qaʿdah.
[Reference: al-Bidāyah wan-Nihāyah, 3/108–109]
✿ Weak Report from Jābir ibn ʿAbdullāh and ʿAbdullāh ibn ʿAbbās رضي الله عنهما
There is a narration in Muṣannaf Ibn Abī Shaybah, which is interrupted in chain (i.e. munqaṭiʿ) according to Imām Ibn Kathīr, and it states:
“The Prophet ﷺ was born on the 12th of Rabīʿ al-Awwal, on a Monday. On the same day, he was appointed a Prophet, taken up in the Miʿrāj, migrated, and passed away.”
This narration also points to Rabīʿ al-Awwal as the month of Miʿrāj, but due to the disconnected chain, it cannot be taken as reliable evidence.
✿ Other Claimed Dates
There are also narrations (without strong chains) that place the Miʿrāj in:
- Rabīʿ ath-Thānī
- Rajab
- Shawwāl
- Dhū al-Qaʿdah
Thus, even the month of Miʿrāj is disputed, so how can the exact date (e.g. 27th of Rajab) be confirmed?
✦ Divine Wisdom in the Ambiguity
The absence of consensus regarding the month or date of Miʿrāj is not without divine wisdom.
Had Allah willed, He could have caused all historians to agree. But the ambiguity serves a purpose:
✦ To block the path for innovators
✦ To prevent baseless rituals and celebrations
✦ To stop people from inventing religious events based on speculative dates
Conclusion
There is no agreed-upon date for Laylat al-Miʿrāj in:
- Qur’an
- Ḥadīth
- Early scholarly works
Thus, celebrating the 27th of Rajab as Laylat al-Miʿrāj — with lights, ceremonies, or invented prayers — has no basis in authentic Islam. These practices fall under bidʿah (innovation), and should be abandoned.
