Isra’ and Mi‘raj

Al-Isra’ wal-Mi‘raj commemorates the Night Journey and Ascension of Prophet Muhammad. Islamic tradition connects the journey from Mecca to al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem and then the ascension, giving the date particular spiritual resonance in Palestinian religious life. It is a day of prayer, teaching and reflection rather than a festival with one fixed public style.

The General Personnel Council lists the anniversary among official government holidays. Mosques may offer sermons, lessons or evening programmes, while households observe the day in more private ways. Because it falls on 27 Rajab in the Hijri calendar, its Gregorian position changes each year. The Hijri calendar is lunar, so the Gregorian date is a planning estimate. The annual Council of Ministers’ decision and local religious announcements determine the operative date and public-service closure.

For 2026 the Palestinian Ministry of Education calendar places the religious date on Friday, January 16, matching the long-range lunar calculation. The annual Council of Ministers table, not a permanent Gregorian rule, controls PA closures. Al-Aqsa is central to the event's religious narrative, but physical access to Jerusalem is governed by conditions and permit regimes outside a holiday calendar's control. A responsible guide therefore describes local spiritual significance without promising access or implying that ceremonies are uniform across Palestinian communities.