Stage 4 of 8
Sorrow & the Night Journey
Two great losses, a road to Ta'if, a night that crossed heaven and earth, and the first pledges from Yathrib.
Stage overview
Sorrow & the Night Journey
The boycott ended, but relief did not last. Within a short time in c. 619 CE, the Prophet ﷺ lost his uncle Abu Talib, who had protected him for years, and his wife Khadijah, who had stood beside him from the beginning. Makkans remember it as the Year of Sorrow.
He travelled to Ta'if, hoping for a hearing, and was turned away. Soon after came a night unlike any other, the Isra and Mi'raj, when he was taken to Jerusalem and then raised through the heavens. The five daily prayers were given on that night.
At the next pilgrimage season, a few people from Yathrib listened. Over the following seasons they returned in larger numbers and pledged to protect him, at Aqabah near Mina. Yathrib would soon be called Madinah, and the road that began at those pledges leads straight to the next stage.
Four chapters
The chapters of this stage
Read them in order, or open the one you need. Each chapter is short, sourced and reviewed.
The Year of Sorrow
Within a short time, he loses his uncle Abu Talib and his wife Khadijah.
The journey to Ta'if
A hard road to Ta'if, a rejection, and a prayer made in patience.
Al-Isra wal-Mi'raj
Makkah to Jerusalem in one night, then the heavens, and the gift of prayer.
The Pledges of Aqabah
Pilgrims from Yathrib listen, believe, and promise to protect him.
Next stage · 05The Hijrah
The pledges are made, and the road to Madinah opens.
ContinueThe map
Where the stage happened
This stage moves widely: up to Ta'if, to Jerusalem in a single night, and to Aqabah near Mina, where the pledges were made.
- Ta'if The hill town that refused him
- Jerusalem Where the Night Journey led
- Aqabah Where the pledges were made
Ta'if in the hills east of Makkah, Aqabah at Mina where the pilgrims met him, and Jerusalem far to the north.
This map is a simple sketch to help you picture where events took place. Positions, distances and borders are approximate, so please use it for reference only, not as an accurate map.