The Night Journey and the Ascension (al-Israʾ wa'l-Miʿraj)
Allah took His Prophet ﷺ by night from the Sacred Mosque to the Farthest Mosque, then raised him through the high heavens to the Lote-Tree of the Utmost Boundary, and the five daily prayers were ordained — the greatest miracle after the Qur'an.
The blessed journey came after the harshest years of the mission — the deaths of Abu Talib and Khadija and the rejection of the people of al-Taʾif — as a consolation from Allah to His Prophet ﷺ and a manifestation of his rank. Allah said: "Glory to Him who took His servant by night from the Sacred Mosque to the Farthest Mosque."
He was mounted on al-Buraq and reached Jerusalem, where he ﷺ led the prophets in prayer. Then he was raised heaven by heaven, meeting Adam, Yahya, ʿIsa, Yusuf, Idris, Harun, Musa and Ibrahim, until he reached the Lote-Tree of the Utmost Boundary, and fifty prayers were ordained upon him, then lightened to five with the reward of fifty.
When he told Quraysh, they denied him and asked him to describe Jerusalem, so Allah showed it to him until he described it. Abu Bakr affirmed him without hesitation, and so was named "al-Siddiq." The account remains a witness to the standing of the Farthest Mosque in the creed of the Muslims.
Note — differing reports on the date: No authentic hadith fixes the night of the Israʾ; it is popularly held to be 27 Rajab, while others say Rabiʿ al-Awwal, Ramadan or Shawwal. al-Hafiz Ibn Hajar and others stated that nothing is soundly established about fixing it.