The Night Journey and Ascension: How Jewish Folklore Became Sunni Doctrine

In Sunni Islamic tradition, the Isrāʾ wal-Miʿrāj (الإسراء والمعراج‎) refers to two separate but interconnected miraculous events that are said to have occurred in a single night — the Night Journey ( al-Isrāʾ ) and the Ascension ( al-Miʿrāj ).

According to Sunni accounts, this journey began in Mecca, when Muhammad is said to have been visited by the angel Gabriel, who brought a celestial creature called al-Burāq , described as a white, winged steed “larger than a donkey but smaller than a mule.” Muhammad was then said to have traveled by night from Mecca to Jerusalem on the back of al-Burāq , to the site known today as al-Masjid al-Aqṣā (literally “the Farthest Mosque”), identified in their tradition with the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. There, he reportedly led all previous prophets in prayer.

After the Night Journey, the Prophet, still accompanied by Gabriel, is said to have ascended through the seven heavens. In each heaven, he is said to have met earlier prophets:

1. Adam
2. Jesus (ʿĪsā) and John (Yaḥyā)
3. Joseph (Yūsuf)
4. Idrīs (Enoch)
5. Aaron (Hārūn)
6. Moses (Mūsā)
7. Abraham (Ibrāhīm)

Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) said, “While I was at Mecca, the roof of my house was opened and Gabriel descended, opened my chest, and washed it with Zamzam water. Then he brought a golden tray full of wisdom and faith, and having poured its contents into my chest, he closed it. Then he took my hand and ascended with me to the nearest heaven. When I reached the nearest heaven, Gabriel said to the gatekeeper of the heaven, ‘Open (the gate).’ The gatekeeper asked, ‘Who is it?’ Gabriel answered: ‘Gabriel.’ He asked, ‘Is there anyone with you?’ Gabriel replied, ‘Yes, Muhammad I is with me.’ He asked, ‘Has he been called?’ Gabriel said, ‘Yes.’ So the gate was opened and we went over the nearest heaven, and there we saw a man sitting with some people on his right and some on his left. When he looked towards his right, he laughed, and when he looked towards his left, he wept. Then he said, ‘Welcome! O pious Prophet and pious son.’ I asked Gabriel, ‘Who is he?’ He replied, ‘He is Adam, and the people on his right and left are the souls of his offspring. Those on his right are the people of Paradise, and those on his left are the people of Hell, and when he looks towards his right, he laughs, and when he looks towards his left, he weeps.’ Then he ascended with me till he reached the second heaven, and he (Gabriel) said to its gatekeeper, ‘Open (the gate).’ The gatekeeper said to him the same as the gatekeeper of the first heaven had said, and he opened the gate. Anas said: “Abu Dhar added that the Prophet (ﷺ) met Adam, Idris, Moses, Jesus, and Abraham; he (Abu Dhar) did not mention on which heaven they were, but he mentioned that he (the Prophet (ﷺ) ) met Adam on the nearest heaven and Abraham on the sixth heaven. Anas said, “When Gabriel, along with the Prophet (ﷺ), passed by Idris, the latter said, ‘Welcome! O pious Prophet and pious brother.’ The Prophet (ﷺ) asked, ‘Who is he?’ Gabriel replied, ‘He is Idris.” The Prophet (ﷺ) added, “I passed by Moses and he said, ‘Welcome! O pious Prophet and pious brother.’ I asked Gabriel, ‘Who is he?’ Gabriel replied, ‘He is Moses.’ Then I passed by Jesus, and he said, ‘Welcome! O pious brother and pious Prophet.’ I asked, ‘Who is he?’ Gabriel replied, ‘He is Jesus. Then I passed by Abraham, and he said, ‘Welcome! O pious Prophet and pious son.’ I asked Gabriel, ‘Who is he?’ Gabriel replied, ‘He is Abraham. The Prophet (ﷺ) added, ‘Then Gabriel ascended with me to a place where I heard the creaking of the pens.”

Sahih al-Bukhari 349 https://sunnah.com/bukhari:349

At the summit, Muhammad reached the “Lote Tree of the Utmost Boundary” ( Sidrat al-Muntahā ). There, he is said to have entered into the Divine Presence ( maqām al-qurb ), where God ordained the Contact Prayer ( Salat ) for him, commanding him and his people to perform this ritual fifty times a day. After receiving this command, upon his descent, Moses convinced him that it was not achievable, so Muhammad returned to ask God to reduce the requirement. This process went back and forth a few times until it was reduced down to five Contact Prayers ( Salat ) a day.

The Prophet (ﷺ) said, “Then Allah enjoined fifty prayers on my followers when I returned with this order of Allah. I passed by Moses, who asked me, ‘What has Allah enjoined on your followers?’ I replied, ‘He has enjoined fifty prayers on them.’ Moses said, ‘Go back to your Lord (and appeal for reduction) for your followers will not be able to bear it.’ (So I went back to Allah and requested a reduction) And he reduced it to half. When I passed by Moses again and informed him about it, he said, ‘Go back to your Lord, as your followers will not be able to bear it.’ So I returned to Allah and requested further reduction, and half of it was reduced. I again passed by Moses, and he said to me: ‘Return to your Lord, for your followers will not be able to bear it. So I returned to Allah and He said, ‘These are five prayers and they are all (equal to) fifty (in reward) for My Word does not change.’ I returned to Moses, and he told me to go back once again. I replied, ‘Now I feel shy of asking my Lord again.’ Then Gabriel took me till we reached Sidrat-il-Muntaha (Lote tree of the utmost boundary), which was shrouded in colors, indescribable. Then I was admitted into Paradise where I found small (tents or) walls (made) of pearls and its earth was of musk.”

Sahih al-Bukhari 349. (con’t) https://sunnah.com/bukhari:349

Problems With This Narration

Anachronism

Nowhere in the Quran does God command the followers of His Book to treat the site of the ancient Jewish Temple where the Al-Aqsa Mosque currently resides as a sacred destination. The reverence later attached to Jerusalem as a “holy mosque” arose not from revelation but from Umayyad statecraft, particularly under Caliph ʿAbd al-Malik ibn Marwān (r. 685–705 CE). During his reign, a civil war divided the Muslim world: while the Umayyads controlled Damascus, Jerusalem, and the Levant, their rival ʿAbdullāh ibn al-Zubayr held Mecca and Medina. To undercut Ibn al-Zubayr’s religious authority and redirect pilgrimage traffic away from Mecca, ʿAbd al-Malik constructed the Dome of the Rock and promoted fabricated traditions proclaiming Jerusalem as a divinely sanctioned alternative center of worship.

One such narration—transmitted through Abū Hurayrah—states:

Abu Hurairah reported the Prophet (ﷺ) as saying “Do not set out on a journey except to (visit) three mosques: the Sacred Mosque (in Mecca), this mosque of mine (in Medina), and the Al-Aqsa Mosque (in Jerusalem).”

حَدَّثَنَا مُسَدَّدٌ، حَدَّثَنَا سُفْيَانُ، عَنِ الزُّهْرِيِّ، عَنْ سَعِيدِ بْنِ الْمُسَيَّبِ، عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ، عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ ‏ “‏ لاَ تُشَدُّ الرِّحَالُ إِلاَّ إِلَى ثَلاَثَةِ مَسَاجِدَ مَسْجِدِ الْحَرَامِ وَمَسْجِدِي هَذَا وَالْمَسْجِدِ الأَقْصَى ‏”‏ ‏.‏

Sunan Abi Dawud 2033 https://sunnah.com/abudawud:2033

The problem is chronological as well as theological: the Al-Aqsa Mosque referred to in this hadith did not exist during the Prophet’s lifetime. The Second Temple in Jerusalem had already been destroyed by the Romans in 70 CE, and the Al-Aqsa Mosque was not completed until 691–692 CE, under ʿAbd al-Malik’s direction—more than half a century after the Prophet’s death. How, then, could Muhammad have traveled to or endorsed a mosque that had not yet been built? The hadith, therefore, stands exposed as an anachronism, rooted not in divine revelation but in Umayyad political propaganda.

Questionable Sources and the Influence of Kaʿb al-Aḥbār

The narration that ascribes sanctity to al-Masjid al-Aqsa and elevates it as one of the three mosques worthy of pilgrimage is transmitted through Abū Hurayrah—a companion whose prolific narrations dominate Sunni ḥadīth collections, yet whose reliability has long been scrutinized due to his close association with Kaʿb al-Aḥbār, a Yemeni Jew who converted to Islam during the caliphate of ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb.

Kaʿb was infamous for introducing Isrāʾīliyyāt —tales drawn from Jewish and rabbinic lore—into early Islamic storytelling. Even early Muslim historians acknowledged his penchant for embellishing narratives with Biblical legends, often offering them as explanations for Quranic verses or prophetic sayings. Abū Hurayrah was among his most attentive listeners, and many of his reports reflect Kaʿb’s Judaic worldview—that the Temple Mount was the “navel of the earth” and the locus of creation, ideas taken directly from rabbinic cosmology.

Given this connection, it is hardly coincidental that the ḥadīth about the “three mosques” surfaces through the very transmitters most influenced by Kaʿb’s lore—ideally suited for the Umayyads’ political interests to elevate Jerusalem as a spiritual rival to Mecca.

The presence of such language and motifs from these prevalent Isrāʾīliyyāt Hadith reveals their true lineage: not divine revelation but borrowed mythology, filtered through converts who repackaged Jewish eschatology for political utility. The result was a fusion of Jewish propaganda with ʿAbd al-Malik’s political needs—a sacred geography that has no relevance to the Quran, yet is foundational in rabbinical Judaism.

Isrāʾīliyyāt: The Echo of Foreign Theology

When one reads the ḥadīth account of the Night Journey and Ascension, it is difficult to miss the scent of this foreign theology. The story does not depict the Quran’s Omnipotent and Omnisicent God but the negotiable deity of rabbinic folklore—one who issues decrees only to be persuaded, reasoned with, and ultimately corrected by human counsel. Nowhere in the Quran do prophets negotiate back and forth with God or talk Him down from a command. Such scenes are alien to its uncompromising vision of divine sovereignty. As God declares:

21:23 He is never to be asked about anything He does, while all others are questioned.

Yet in the ḥadīth , we are told that God first commanded fifty prayers, which was unreasonable and had to be talked down by Moses’s better j udgment to a more manageable figure of five. This portrayal reverses the order of authority: a prophet correcting the Creator, as if divine judgment were excessive and human compassion superior. It is, in tone and structure, a midrashic drama, not a Quranic revelation—one that flatters human cleverness instead of exalting divine wisdom.

This motif of haggling with Heaven is deeply rooted in Jewish scripture and Talmudic thought. In Genesis 18 , Abraham negotiates over Sodom, reducing the threshold for mercy from fifty righteous men to ten. In Exodus 32:14 , after the Israelites worship the golden calf, Moses doesn’t simply repent but pleads to talk God down from His anger and effectively change His mind:

“the LORD repented of the evil which He thought to do unto His people.” (KJV – Exodus 32:14 )

Hebrew (Masoretic Text): וַיִּנָּחֶם יְהוָה עַל־הָרָעָה אֲשֶׁר דִּבֶּר לַעֲשׂוֹת לְעַמּוֹ (Vayyinaḥem YHWH ʿal hā-rāʿāh asher dibber laʿasot leʿammo) “And YHWH repented/was sorry for the evil He had spoken to do to His people.”

The verb נָחַם ( naḥam ) means “to repent,” “to relent,” or “to change one’s mind,” vividly depicting a God who reverses His own will—a notion fundamentally at odds with the Quran’s vision of unchanging omniscience and perfect decree.

Rabbinic literature expands this theology, celebrating the righteous who “prevail upon Heaven,” reasoning with God until He yields. Divine will, in this worldview, is elastic—molded by human persistence. But God, according to the Quran, does not deliberate or regret. His wisdom requires no correction; His knowledge precedes every act.

Thus, the ḥadīth version of the Miʿrāj , in which Muhammad ascends and descends repeatedly to renegotiate the prayers under Moses’ guidance, mirrors not Quranic monotheism but rabbinic dialogue theology—a theology that exalts argument over submission, and negotiation over surrender. Such depictions not only contradict the Quran’s depiction of divine authority, but they are blasphemous, for they reduce God to a being that needs to be corrected by His creation.

The Hadith is Blasphemous

The Quran repeatedly affirms that God’s word and judgment are unchangeable. His decrees are final; His wisdom requires no correction.

6:115 The word of your Lord is complete, in truth and justice. Nothing shall abrogate His words. He is the Hearer, the Omniscient.

وَتَمَّتْ كَلِمَتُ رَبِّكَ صِدْقًا وَعَدْلًا لَّا مُبَدِّلَ لِكَلِمَـٰتِهِ ۦ وَهُوَ ٱلسَّمِيعُ ٱلْعَلِيمُ

10:64 …There is no changing the words of God…

لَا تَبْدِيلَ لِكَلِمَـٰتِ ٱللَّهِ ذَٰلِكَ هُوَ ٱلْفَوْزُ ٱلْعَظِيمُ

18:27 You shall recite what is revealed to you of your Lord’s scripture. Nothing shall abrogate His words, and you shall not find any other source beside it.

وَٱتْلُ مَآ أُوحِىَ إِلَيْكَ مِن كِتَابِ رَبِّكَ لَا مُبَدِّلَ لِكَلِمَـٰتِهِۦ وَلَن تَجِدَ مِن دُونِهِۦ مُلْتَحَدًا

Such verses make it inconceivable that God could issue a command only to reconsider it after advice from His own creation. The God of the Quran is never tentative or uncertain; He is omniscient, perfectly aware of the capacity and limits of His creatures.

67:14 Should He not know what He created? He is the Sublime, Most Cognizant.

أَلَا يَعْلَمُ مَنْ خَلَقَ وَهُوَ ٱللَّطِيفُ ٱلْخَبِيرُ

To suggest, then, that God initially imposed an unbearable burden and that Moses corrected Him is to invert the divine hierarchy—placing human judgment above divine wisdom. Such a notion is not humility before God; it is blasphemy. It imagines the Creator as fallible and the creature as His teacher. The Quran’s God does not learn from man; He fashions man and knows him better than he knows himself.

2:286 GOD never burdens a soul beyond its means: to its credit is what it earns, and against it is what it commits.

لَا يُكَلِّفُ ٱللَّهُ نَفْسًا إِلَّا وُسْعَهَا لَهَا مَا كَسَبَتْ وَعَلَيْهَا مَا ٱكْتَسَبَتْ

50:29 Nothing can be changed now. I am never unjust towards the people.

مَا يُبَدَّلُ ٱلْقَوْلُ لَدَىَّ وَمَآ أَنَا۠ بِظَلَّـٰمٍ لِّلْعَبِيدِ

Thus, the Miʿrāj narration that depicts God as retracting His decree after negotiation is not a tale of mercy—it is a theological insult. It dethrones omniscience, recasts revelation as negotiation, and transforms the all-wise Creator into a being who must be reminded of human frailty. No doctrine could be further from the Quran’s uncompromising monotheism. Beyond its theological contradictions, the Miʿrāj narrative also collapses under the weight of its presumed chronology.

Chronological Problem

Sunni historians generally place the Night Journey and Ascension in the tenth year after the beginning of the Prophet’s mission, around 620 CE—just two or three years before the Hijrah (emigration to Medina). Yet when we examine the order of revelation, both Sūrat al-Najm (53) and Sūrat al-Isrāʾ (17)—the two chapters describing this event—belong to the early-to-middle Meccan period. Sūrat al-Najm is traditionally listed as the 23rd revelation, while Sūrat al-Isrāʾ is the 50th.

Further, the hadith claim that the Night Journey was the moment when the Prophet received the command for the five daily Contat Prayers ( Salāt ) contradicts the Quran itself, which contains numerous references to prayer long before this event. Even the earliest revelations presuppose that the Contat Prayers ( Salāt ) were already a known and established practice. For example, the first revelation is attested to be Sura 96, while the third revelation was Sura 73, and the fourth revelation was Sura 74, and all these revelations mention the obligation of the Contact Prayer ( Salāt ).

96:9 Have you seen the one who enjoins. 96:10 Others from praying ?

73:20 Your Lord knows that you meditate during two-thirds of the night, or half of it, or one-third of it, and so do some of those who believed with you. GOD has designed the night and the day, and He knows that you cannot always do this. He has pardoned you. Instead, you shall read what you can of the Quran. He knows that some of you may be ill, others may be traveling in pursuit of GOD’s provisions, and others may be striving in the cause of GOD. You shall read what you can of it, and observe the contact prayers (Salat) , give the obligatory charity (Zakat), and lend GOD a loan of righteousness. Whatever good you send ahead on behalf of your souls, you will find it at GOD far better and generously rewarded. And implore GOD for forgiveness. GOD is Forgiver, Most Merciful.

74:40 While in Paradise, they will ask. 74:41 About the guilty. 74:42 “What brought you to this retribution?” 74:43 They will say, “We did not observe the contact prayers (Salat).

If the Contact Prayer ( Salāt ) was only instituted during the Ascension, how could the earliest believers already be commanded to perform it? The Quran clearly shows that prayer was integral to the faith from the very start of revelation.

Moreover, this idea—that the ṣalāt originated at the Miʿrāj —violates a broader Quranic theme: all ritual practices ( manāsik ) were inherited from Abraham, not introduced by Muhammad. The Quran presents the Contact Prayer ( Salāt ), the Obligatory Charity ( Zakāt ), and the Pilgrimage ( Hajj ) as part of the original religion of Abraham.

21:69 We said, “O fire, be cool and safe for Abraham .” 21:70 Thus, they schemed against him, but we made them the losers. 21:71 We saved him, and we saved Lot, to the land that we blessed for all the people. 21:72 And we granted him Isaac and Jacob as a gift, and we made them both righteous. 21:73 We made them imams who guided in accordance with our commandments, and we taught them how to work righteousness, and how to observe the Contact Prayers (Salat) and the obligatory charity (Zakat). To us, they were devoted worshipers.

(٧٣) وَجَعَلْنَاهُمْ أَئِمَّةً يَهْدُونَ بِأَمْرِنَا وَأَوْحَيْنَا إِلَيْهِمْ فِعْلَ الْخَيْرَاتِ وَإِقَامَ الصَّلَاةِ وَإِيتَاءَ الزَّكَاةِ وَكَانُوا لَنَا عَابِدِينَ

The Quran uses the word manāsik (rites or rituals) to describe these inherited practices, repeatedly linking them to Abraham:

2:128 “Our Lord, make us submitters to You, and from our descendants let there be a community of submitters to You. Teach us the rites of our religion , and redeem us. You are the Redeemer, Most Merciful.

رَبَّنَا وَاجْعَلْنَا مُسْلِمَيْنِ لَكَ وَمِنْ ذُرِّيَّتِنَا أُمَّةً مُسْلِمَةً لَكَ وَأَرِنَا مَنَاسِكَنَا وَتُبْ عَلَيْنَا إِنَّكَ أَنْتَ التَّوَّابُ الرَّحِيمُ

God answered this prayer by teaching Abraham the Contact Prayer ( Salāt ) itself (21:73), confirming that these rituals predate Muhammad and were simply reaffirmed through him.

22:67 For each congregation, we have decreed a set of rites that they must uphold. Therefore, they should not dispute with you. You shall continue to invite everyone to your Lord. Most assuredly, you are on the right path.

لِكُلِّ أُمَّةٍ جَعَلْنَا مَنْسَكًا هُمْ نَاسِكُوهُ فَلَا يُنَازِعُنَّكَ فِي الْأَمْرِ وَادْعُ إِلَىٰ رَبِّكَ إِنَّكَ لَعَلَىٰ هُدًى مُسْتَقِيمٍ

Thus, the Quran presents a seamless continuity: the rites of worship are Abrahamic in origin, and Muhammad was commanded not to innovate new rituals but to restore the original religion of Abraham—the millet Ibrāhīm .

2:130 Who would forsake the religion of Abraham (milat Ibrahim) , except one who fools his own soul? We have chosen him in this world, and in the Hereafter he will be with the righteous.

وَمَنْ يَرْغَبُ عَنْ مِلَّةِ إِبْرَاهِيمَ إِلَّا مَنْ سَفِهَ نَفْسَهُ وَلَقَدِ اصْطَفَيْنَاهُ فِي الدُّنْيَا وَإِنَّهُ فِي الْآخِرَةِ لَمِنَ الصَّالِحِينَ

16:123 Then we inspired you (Muhammad) to follow the religion of Abraham (milat Ibrahim) , the monotheist; he never was an idol worshiper.

ثُمَّ أَوْحَيْنَا إِلَيْكَ أَنِ اتَّبِعْ مِلَّةَ إِبْرَاهِيمَ حَنِيفًا وَمَا كَانَ مِنَ الْمُشْرِكِينَ

6:161 Say, “My Lord has guided me in a straight path—the perfect religion of Abraham (milat Ibrahim), monotheism. He never was an idol worshiper.” 6:162 Say, “My Contact Prayers (Salat), my worship practices, my life and my death, are all devoted absolutely to GOD alone, the Lord of the universe.

قُلْ إِنَّنِي هَدَانِي رَبِّي إِلَىٰ صِرَاطٍ مُسْتَقِيمٍ دِينًا قِيَمًا مِلَّةَ إِبْرَاهِيمَ حَنِيفًا وَمَا كَانَ مِنَ الْمُشْرِكِينَ قُلْ إِنَّ صَلَاتِي وَنُسُكِي وَمَحْيَايَ وَمَمَاتِي لِلَّهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ

Nowhere does the Quran indicate that Muhammad needed to be taught the Contact Prayer (Salāt) or that it was revealed anew at some later stage. Rather, he was commanded to continue the same rites passed down through Abraham, which existed even before the Quran.

The Miʿrāj story, therefore, not only contradicts the Quran’s timeline—it undermines its very theology of continuity, suggesting a new law where the Quran insists there was restoration. Beyond these theological and chronological contradictions, the hadith narrative also fundamentally misidentifies the very location it describes. When we examine the Quran’s own reference to the ‘Night Journey,’ it bears no resemblance to the fantastical ascension described in the ḥadīth literature—starting with the location itself.

Not Two Locations

As mentioned above, according to ḥadīth literature, many Muslims believe that around 621 CE, the Prophet Muhammad rode a winged white creature called al-Burāq from Mecca to Jerusalem, arriving at what later became known as al-Masjid al-Aqṣā . This narrative identifies the “Farthest Mosque” of Quran 17:1 with the mosque in Jerusalem:

17:1 Most glorified is the One who summoned His servant (Muhammad) during the night, from the Sacred Masjid (of Mecca) to the Masjid Al-Aqsa, whose surroundings we have blessed, in order to show him some of our signs ( āyāt ). He is the Hearer, the Seer.

سُبحانَ الَّذي أَسرىٰ بِعَبدِهِ لَيلًا مِنَ المَسجِدِ الحَرامِ إِلَى المَسجِدِ الأَقصَى الَّذي بارَكنا حَولَهُ لِنُرِيَهُ مِن آياتِنا إِنَّهُ هُوَ السَّميعُ البَصيرُ

But this interpretation faces an obvious historical impossibility: the mosque in Jerusalem did not exist during the Prophet’s lifetime. It was constructed by the Umayyad Caliph ʿAbd al-Malik in 691–692 CE, roughly sixty years after Muhammad’s death. How, then, could the Prophet have traveled to a building that would not exist for another generation?

The reality is that the term al-Masjid al-Aqṣā ( ٱلْمَسْجِدِ الأَقْصَى ) in 17:1 does not refer to a structure in Jerusalem at all, but to something far more universal. Understanding this requires returning to the literal meaning of the phrase.

The word masjid comes from the root “س ج د” (s-j-d) — “to prostrate.” With the prefix “م” (m), it denotes a place of prostration. Thus, while “mosque” is a later architectural interpretation, the Quranic meaning is broader: any place of prostration to God .

The adjective al-Aqṣā derives from ق ص ي (q-ṣ-y), meaning “to be distant.” The prefix “أَ” makes it superlative: “the farthest.” Hence, al-masjid al-aqṣā literally means “the farthest place of prostration.”

Where, then, is the farthest place of prostration? The Quran answers: everything in the heavens and the earth prostrates to God—not only humans, but the stars, sun, moon, and every living being. Therefore, the farthest place of prostration must be beyond this universe.

16:49 To GOD prostrates everything in the heavens and everything on earth — every creature—and so do the angels; without the least arrogance.

وَلِلَّهِ يَسْجُدُ مَا فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَمَا فِي الْأَرْضِ مِنْ دَابَّةٍ وَالْمَلَائِكَةُ وَهُمْ لَا يَسْتَكْبِرُونَ

22:18 Do you not realize that to GOD prostrates everyone in the heavens and the earth, and the sun, and the moon, and the stars, and the mountains, and the trees, and the animals, and many people? Many others among the people are committed to doom. Whomever GOD shames, none will honor him. Everything is in accordance with GOD’s will.

أَلَمْ تَرَ أَنَّ اللَّهَ يَسْجُدُ لَهُ مَنْ فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَمَنْ فِي الْأَرْضِ وَالشَّمْسُ وَالْقَمَرُ وَالنُّجُومُ وَالْجِبَالُ وَالشَّجَرُ وَالدَّوَابُّ وَكَثِيرٌ مِنَ النَّاسِ وَكَثِيرٌ حَقَّ عَلَيْهِ الْعَذَابُ وَمَنْ يُهِنِ اللَّهُ فَمَا لَهُ مِنْ مُكْرِمٍ إِنَّ اللَّهَ يَفْعَلُ مَا يَشَاءُ

The word “heavens” ( samāwāt , سَمَاوَات) here is plural, indicating multiple levels or realms. The Quran repeatedly teaches that there are seven heavens—or universes—each governed by its own laws:

41:12 Thus, He completed the seven universes in two days, and set up the laws for every universe. And we adorned the lowest universe with lamps, and placed guards around it. Such is the design of the Almighty, the Omniscient.

فَقَضَاهُنَّ سَبْعَ سَمَاوَاتٍ فِي يَوْمَيْنِ وَأَوْحَىٰ فِي كُلِّ سَمَاءٍ أَمْرَهَا وَزَيَّنَّا السَّمَاءَ الدُّنْيَا بِمَصَابِيحَ وَحِفْظًا ذَٰلِكَ تَقْدِيرُ الْعَزِيزِ الْعَلِيمِ

2:29 He is the One who created for you everything on earth, then turned to the sky and perfected seven universes therein, and He is fully aware of all things.

هُوَ الَّذِي خَلَقَ لَكُمْ مَا فِي الْأَرْضِ جَمِيعًا ثُمَّ اسْتَوَىٰ إِلَى السَّمَاءِ فَسَوَّاهُنَّ سَبْعَ سَمَاوَاتٍ وَهُوَ بِكُلِّ شَيْءٍ عَلِيمٌ

67:3 He created seven universes in layers . You do not see any imperfection in the creation by the Most Gracious. Keep looking; do you see any flaw?

الَّذِي خَلَقَ سَبْعَ سَمَاوَاتٍ طِبَاقًا مَا تَرَىٰ فِي خَلْقِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ مِنْ تَفَاوُتٍ فَارْجِعِ الْبَصَرَ هَلْ تَرَىٰ مِنْ فُطُورٍ