Of course people divided into two categories: disbeleivers who disbelieve the story of the night journey and the ascension to heaven; these are the atheists and idolaters and disbeleivers.
Others believe a certain belief about this night journey of Prophet Mohammed - salam to him - together with Gabriel, who kept telling Mohammed much knowledge about many things, during their ascension then during their coming down to the earth.
Quran 53: 1-18, which mean:
{
1. [I swear] by the [tailed] star [: the comet] when it will fall down [upon the earth!] a
[Then God – be glorified – said:]
2. Your companion [Mohammed] has neither misled b nor deceived [anyone] c,
3. Nor does [Mohammed] speak out of [his own] desire d.
4. It is only a revelation [from God], revealed [to him by means of Gabriel.]
5. [Mohammed] is taught by [Gabriel: an angel] mighty in power. e
6. To whom is referred [by angels, prophets and messengers or apostles] for consultation. f
And [Mohammed] became similar g to, and together with, [Gabriel.]
7. When he [: Gabriel] was at the high horizon [in the atmosphere of the earth, teaching Mohammed some religious instructions.]
8. Then [Mohammed] drew near [to the Throne, to which he] was guided [by Gabriel.] h
9. And he was at [a distance of] two [opposing] bows [from the Throne], or [even] nearer [in case the bows were small in size.]
10. And He i revealed to His servant [Mohammed] what j He revealed [to the messengers before him.]k.
11. The ‘[spiritual] heart’ [of Mohammed] lied not [to you, people,] concerning what [signs and marvels] he saw [in the ethereal heavens l.]
12. Will you then dispute with him concerning what [portents] he saw m?
13. And surely [Gabriel] taught [Mohammed] yet another time while descending [from the seventh to the first heaven.]
14. Near the lote-tree, at the termination [of their spiritual trip in heavens.] n
15. Near to which is the Garden of Refuge o.
16. When the lote-tree was enshrouded in [lights] that overwhelmed [the eye sight p.]
17. T
he eye-sight [of Mohammed] deviated not, nor yet did it wander beyond [his goal.] q
18. For truly [Mohammed] saw [in heavens] the greatest of the signs of his Lord r.}
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a The meaning: I swear by comets when they will fall upon the earth in the future; which is our present time.
This in fact is a threatening and warning of associaters, wrong-doers and disbelievers about the falling of the punishment on them in this time; and it implies: You will see what destruction and ruin will inflict you.
Similar to this, is His saying – be glorified – in the Quran 56: 75-76, which means:
(
But, no! I swear by the falling [sites] of comets [in the future.] And that is surely an awesome oath, did you but know [it.])
The meaning: Shall I swear by ‘the places on which comets will fall’; which will certainly be a serious event, did you but know it.
b Anyone from the way of the truth.
c As you, associaters, claim.
And this is in reply to their saying, as in the Quran 25: 42, which means:
"He would have misled us away from [the worship of] our gods, had we not been steadfast to them."
d Nor has he received the [Quran] from a priest as you claim.
e This is a description of Gabriel that he is mighty in power; as also He described him in the Quran 81: 19-20, which means:
(That the [Quran] is the utterance of an honorable messenger [: Gabriel,] endued with power, and is ‘authorized and supported’ by [God:] the Lord of the Throne.)
f On account of his intelligence, wisdom and high position.
g i.e. Mohammed became equal to Gabriel in kind and in ascension to heaven on the night of the ‘Ascension’; i.e. they became alike in kind: for Mohammed ascended with his spiritual soul, and Gabriel is a spiritual creature; and moreover, they ascended together up to heaven.
h i.e. Gabriel guided him to it.
i i.e. God – be glorified.
j Commandments of monotheism, and abandoning the idolatry and association.
k The indication of this is His saying – be glorified – in the Quran 39: 65, which means:
(And it has been revealed to you [Mohammed], as [had it been revealed] to those [messengers] before you [that]: "If you associate [anything with God], your work will be in vain, and you will be of those who lose!")
For God – be glorified – revealed to His messenger Mohammed, when he was in heaven, and Gabriel taught him many things.
l On the night of the ‘ascension’, and he did not doubt about what he saw, because that has been imprinted on his memory.
The ascension was spiritual not corporeal; it means: it is his soul that ascended to the seven heavens, and he saw the angels who also were spiritual, and he communicated with the prophets and they were spiritual souls, in addition to that the فؤاد i.e. the ‘spiritual heart’ is one of the soul organs.
m And what evidences he learnt.
n i.e. in the conclusion of their trip in the heavens, and that was near the lote-tree [: the nettle tree], which was an ethereal tree, i.e. spiritual; its fruit is the ‘nabk’ or the lote tree fruit.
o i.e. the Garden of Refuge, is near that lote-tree (or nettle tree.)
To this Garden, the souls of the pious, martyrs, and devotees to God, resort in the Barzakh world [or the spirit world or the Afterlife.]
It is the lowermost layer of the seven heavens; it is not the Garden of Everlasting which they will enter on Doomsday.
p With its light.
q i.e. that he intended to see.
The meaning: Mohammed looked only forwards, without turning right and left; and that was in a way of respect and for glorifying his Lord.
So (
The eye-sight [of Mohammed] swerved not) indicates that the ‘Ascension’ was spiritual, because the ‘sight’ is one of the soul special senses, about which I have explained in my book Man after Death. While the ‘eye’ is one of the body organs of special senses.
r i.e. the Throne of the Lord, which is the greatest sign above the heavens; the indication of this is His saying – be glorified – in the Quran 23: 86, which means:
(
Say: "Who is the Lord of the seven [ethereal] heavens, and the Lord of the Throne [of Glory] Supreme?")
And here is the recitation of the soora including this story of the night journey of Prophet Mohammed - salam to him:
