﴿سُبْحَانَ الَّذِى أَسْرَى بِعَبْدِهِ لَيْلاً مّنَ الْمَسْجِدِ الْحَرَامِ إِلَى الْمَسْجِدِ الاْقْصَى الَّذِى بَارَكْنَا حَوْلَهُ لِنُرِيَهُ مِنْ ءايَـتِنَآ إِنَّهُ هُوَ السَّمِيعُ البَصِيرُ-﴾
(1. Glorified be He Who took His servant for a Journey by Night from Al-Masjid Al-Haram to Al-Masjid Al-Aqsa, the neighbourhood whereof We have blessed, in order that We might show him of Our Ayat. Verily, He is the All-Hearer, the All-Seer.)
Allah glorifies Himself, for His ability to do that which none but He can do, for there is no God but He and no Lord besides Him.
﴿الَّذِى أَسْرَى بِعَبْدِهِ﴾
(Who took His servant for a Journey) refers to Muhammad
﴿لَيْلاً﴾
(by Night) means, in the depths of the night.
﴿مِّنَ الْمَسْجِدِ الْحَرَامِ﴾
(from Al-Masjid Al-Haram) means the Masjid in Makkah.
﴿إِلَى الْمَسْجِدِ الاٌّقْصَى﴾
(to Al-Masjid Al-Aqsa,) means the Sacred House which is in Jerusalem, the origin of the Prophets from the time of Ibrahim Al-Khalil. The Prophets all gathered there, and he (Muhammad ) led them in prayer in their own homeland. This indicates that he is the greatest leader of all, may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him and upon them.
﴿الَّذِى بَارَكْنَا حَوْلَهُ﴾
(the neighborhood whereof We have blessed) means, its agricultural produce and fruits are blessed
﴿لِنُرِيَهُ﴾
(in order that We might show him), i.e., Muhammad
﴿مِنْ ءَايَـتِنَا﴾
(of Our Ayat.) i.e., great signs. As Allah says:
﴿لَقَدْ رَأَى مِنْ ءَايَـتِ رَبِّهِ الْكُبْرَى ﴾
(Indeed he did see of the greatest signs, of his Lord (Allah).) (53:18) We will mention below what was narrated in the Sunnah concerning this.
﴿إِنَّهُ هُوَ السَّمِيعُ البَصِيرُ﴾
(Verily, He is the All-Hearer, the All-Seer.) means, He hears all the words of His servants, believers and disbelievers, faithful and infidel, and He sees them and gives each of them what he deserves in this world and the Hereafter. Hadiths about Al-Isra’
Credit: Tafsir Suratul Isra’
