"The Night Journey" and "The Constitution of Medina"

~ McNeill (pgs. 13-27), “The Night Journey” and “The Constitution of Medina”


Ishaq’s narrative tells of the strange events surrounding the birth, the early upbringing and some of Muhammad’s teachings. Ishaq discusses some of the occurrences in the prophets life that are later evidenced in the “Five Pillars of Islam”, such as the requirement to walk seven times around the Ka’bah, his selfless donations to the poor (in fact a continuation of Quraysh traditions) etc… Muhammad is portrayed as a ‘special human’, yet nonetheless, a mortal. Ishaq says that two angles cut open Muhammad’s heart and squeezed the dark drop of impurity from it – thus making him all good (unlike any other human). It seems that Muhammad didn’t begin to preach until the age of 40, after he mad...