Isra and Mi'raj for kids: the Night Journey
1 title · Ages 4-9
The Isra and Mi'raj is the night the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ travelled from Makkah to Jerusalem and up through the heavens, and came back with the gift of the five daily prayers. Miraj tells it for children in The Amazing Night Journey, as a music-free video and as an interactive story.
Stories for Isra and Mi'raj
What is the Isra and Mi'raj?
The Isra, the night journey, is named in the Qur'an: Allah took His servant by night from al-Masjid al-Haram to al-Masjid al-Aqsa (Surah Al-Isra 17:1). The hadith tell the rest. Al-Buraq, a white creature faster than lightning, carried the Prophet ﷺ to Jerusalem, where he led the earlier prophets in prayer. Then came the Mi'raj, the ascent: Jibril took him up through the heavens, where he met Adam, Ibrahim, Musa and Isa (AS), and Allah gave his people the prayer, fifty times a day at first and then, after the Prophet Musa (AS) urged him to ask for fewer, five.
Many Muslims remember the night on 27 Rajab, though the exact date is not certain. For a family it is a good evening to tell the story and to talk about salah: why we pray five times a day, and where that gift came from.
The Amazing Night Journey follows the hadith closely, with rich pictures of night skies, the Kaaba and Masjid al-Aqsa. Its page gives the lessons it holds, words to know such as Al-Buraq and Al-Isra, and questions to talk about afterwards. Children who are just learning to pray get the answer to a question they often ask: why five?
Key lessons children take from these stories
- Allah took the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ from Makkah to Jerusalem and up to the heavens in one night.
Related themes
Other occasions
Frequently asked questions
When is the Isra and Mi'raj?
Many Muslims remember it on the 27th night of Rajab, the seventh month of the Islamic year. The date moves about eleven days earlier each year, and scholars are not certain of the exact night.
Is the Isra and Mi'raj in the Qur'an?
Yes. Surah Al-Isra (17:1) tells of the night journey from Makkah to Jerusalem, and Surah An-Najm (53:1-18) of what the Prophet ﷺ saw. The details of the ascent and the prayers are in the hadith, in Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim.
How do I explain the Isra and Mi'raj to a child?
Tell it as a journey. Al-Buraq, the prophets praying together in Jerusalem, the climb through the heavens, and the gift Allah gave at the top, the five daily prayers. The Amazing Night Journey does this in about five minutes, and its page has questions to talk about afterwards.
What are the five daily prayers called?
Fajr before dawn, Dhuhr after midday, Asr in the afternoon, Maghrib after sunset and Isha at night. The Amazing Night Journey tells children where these five prayers came from.
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