Comparison of miraculous perception in classical and modern tafsir: The case of Isra and Miraj

The Quran, which is the basic source of the religion of Islam and is considered a book of life for us Muslims; It was revealed to our Prophet (pbuh) in connection with the events that took place over a period of 23 years and was gradually conveyed by him to his companions. The Quran has a very diverse and comprehensive content in terms of the way it was revealed to the Prophet and its stylistic structure. Just as the situations and fates of past nations and ummahs are included in the Quran, it is also possible to come across traces and examples of some events witnessed during the prophethood of the Prophet Muhammed (pbuh). While these events are sometimes encountered in daily life, sometimes some wonderful events and miracles granted to the Prophet are also subject to the content of the Quran. The science of tafsir, as a science that emerged long after the death of the Prophet, also deals with and evaluates the miracles mentioned in the Quran. The difference in the authors of the tafsir works and the time period in which they appeared paved the way for the different perspectives and evaluations of the works written in this branch of science on the events in the Quran. One of the miraculous events mentioned is the Isra and Miraj event that Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) experienced during the Mecca period of the invitation and is considered one of the greatest miracles in Islamic history. The word Isra, derived from the root "Sery", means walking at night, traveling at night. This term is used in the Quran and Sunnah to refer to our Prophet's walk from Masjid al-Haram to Masjid al-Aqsa in one night. The word Mi'raj is derived from the word "uruc", which means "to go up, to rise" in the dictionary, and it is a term used in the Sunnah and the Quran to describe the ascension of the Prophet from Masjid al-Aqsa to the divine throne. Although there are many studies on the concept of miracle in the Quran and the treatment of this concept in tafsir works, the lack of a study that deals with the current subject comparatively on classical and modern tafsir draws attention. In this study, we will focus on the perception of miracles in commentaries, specifically the miracle in question, and some evaluations and determinations will be made on the basis of the differences between the interpretation of the miracle of Isra and Miraj and the way other miracles are handled in modern and classical texts in general. The purpose of the study; After some linguistic and semantic evaluations on the miracle in question and the surah it is about; It aims to address the subject from many different perspectives by examining the subject of miracles in general and the miracles of Isra and Miraj in particular, investigating the reflection of the aforementioned perception of miracles in tafsir books, explaining the differences in this reflection in classical and modern tafsir texts, and explaining the sociological and political reasons for these differences.