سُبْحَانَ الَّذِیْ أَسْرَى بِعَبْدِهِ لَيْلًا مِّنَ الْمَسْجِدِ الْحَرَامِ إِلَى الْمَسْجِدِ الْأَقْصَا الَّذِیْ بَارَكْنَا حَوْلَهُ لِنُرِيَهُ مِنْ آيَاتِنَا إِنَّهُ هُوَ السَّمِيْعُ البَصِيْرُ.

Flawless is the being who one night took His servant from the Sacred Mosque to that Distant Mosque [3] whose surroundings We have blessed [4] so that We can make him observe some of Our signs.[5] Indeed, He hears and knows all. (17:1)

(Excerpt from Quranic Exegesis: Javed Ahmed Ghamidi)

(Translated by Dr. Shehzad Saleem)

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[3] This refers to the mosque at Jerusalem which is called Bayt al-Muqaddis. It was at a distance of about forty days from the Baytullah in Makkah. For this reason, it is described by the words: الْمَسْجِدِ الأَقْصَا (the distant mosque) so that the addressees can easily understand the allusion.

[4] The actual words are: الَّذِيْ بارَكْنَا حَوْلَهُ. After Abraham’s migration from Babylon, God chose two locations where two mosques were constructed at His own behest and were made the centres of monotheism for the whole world. One of them is the Arabian peninsula and the other is Palestine. The former is very barren and infertile while the latter is extremely lush and fertile. For this reason, it is called “the land of milk and honey” in ancient scriptures. The words of the Quran الَّذِيْ بارَكْنَا حَوْلَهُ point to this land and in this way explicitly determine that the distant mosque being referred to is the mosque of Jerusalem. It is stated that one night the Almighty took His servant from the Haram Mosque to the Distant Mosque. How did this happen? In verse 60 ahead, the Quran has specified that this journey took place in a dream (ruya) that was shown to the Prophet (sws). The reason the Almighty adopted this method has been explained by Amin Ahsan Islahi. He writes:

… What is observed in a dream is more certain and comprehensive than what is observed by the naked eye. It is a thousand times more deep and profound. Eyes can be deceived but true dreams are devoid of any deception. Eyes can only see in limited directions whereas dreams are much more comprehensive in their extent. Eyes cannot decipher meanings and are confined to observation only. On the other hand, dreams encompass profound meanings and divine manifestations. (Amin Ahsan Islahi, Tadabbur-i Qur’an, vol. 4, 476)

[5] Ie., the signs that besides the Haram of Makkah, now the land of Palestine and its status as the centre of monotheism will also be given in the custodianship of the Ishmaelites. However, no details of these signs are mentioned here because neither can words grasp them nor can they be envisaged by our knowledge and intellect.

A noteworthy aspect in the verse is that the previous words were addressed indirectly and here the speaker has been specified. The eloquence of this style is that the latter style expresses the affection of the speaker and the former is meant to magnify the splendour of what is said.