Is it part of a Muslim’s faith to believe in Al-Isrāʾ and Al-Miʿrāj? Is it true that they are myths, and that the person taken by night to Al-Quds was not Muhammad (PBUH)?!
Al-Isrāʾ and Al-Miʿrāj (the Prophet’s Night Journey to Al-Quds and then his ascension to Heaven) are two of the events of the honorable Prophetic Biography evidenced by the Noble Qur’an and the authentic Sunnah. Believing in them ensues from belief in the Noble Qur’an and the Prophet’s Sunnah, especially because the obligation of prayer, which is one of the pillars of Islam, is connected to them. Thus, believing in them is not an illusion; rather, it is part of the faith mentioned in the Qur’an and Sunnah (the Prophet’s tradition).
The truth is that those who are skeptical about the religion of Allah dispute that the Noble Qur’an evidences the origin of the two events, and some of them even deny the Sunnah completely. Consequently, they deny what is mentioned about the two miracles of Al-Isrāʾ and Al-Miʿrāj in the Sunnah. So, the case here is not an issue of denying Al-Isrāʾ and Al-Miʿrāj, but rather it is the issue of the denial of the Sunnah entirely.
It is well known to all Muslims, that whoever denies the Sunnah or denies its authenticity, he surely denies what has been stated in the Qur’an concerning the obligation of following the Sunnah and acting in accordance with its rules.
Perhaps, it is the same reason that made them claim that the person taken to al-Quds by night was not Muhammad (PBUH). On the contrary, the context of the Qur’anic verses concerning Al-Isrāʾ and Al-Miʿrāj expressly state that the one who was taken to Al-Quds by night and then ascended to Heaven is the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).
Is it reasonable for the Prophet (PBUH) to tell the infidels of Quraish the Qur’anic verse: “Exalted is He who took His Servant by night ...” and let them understand that the servant in the verse is someone other than Muhammad (PBUH) himself? Then, they would have asked him: Who is that servant you are talking about? They were keen not only to disbelieve and embarrass him, but also to antagonize and fight him.