وَلَقَدْ رَآهُ نَزْلَةً أُخْرَى ﴿۱۳﴾ عِنْدَ سِدْرَةِ الْمُنْتَهَى ﴿۱۴﴾ عِنْدَهَا جَنَّةُ الْمَأْوَى ﴿۱۵﴾ إِذْ يَغْشَى السِّدْرَةَ مَا يَغْشَى ﴿۱۶﴾

﴾13﴿ Wa laqad ra aahu nazlatan ukhraa
﴾14﴿ Inda sidratil muntaha
﴾15﴿ Indahaa jannatul maawaa
﴾16﴿ Iz yaghshas sidrata maa yaghshaa

﴾13﴿ And indeed, he had seen him another time
﴾14﴿ Near the Lote Tree of the Utmost Boundary
﴾15﴿ Near it is the Garden of Refuge
﴾16﴿ When the Lote Tree was covered with what covered it

[13] In this as well, there are two interpretations: First, that the pronoun refers to Jibril (peace be upon him). Second, that it refers to Allah Almighty. The intended meaning is that the Prophet (May Allah bless him and give him peace) descended from near the Throne, and that his ascents and descents through the heavens during that night happened multiple times — as mentioned in the hadith of Mi‘raj, where he went back and forth to Musa (peace be upon him) at the sixth heaven several times. Alternatively, the descent could refer to Jibril (peace be upon him). If both possibilities are considered, then it points to the heavenly ascension (Mi‘raj). Because the Prophet saw Sidrat al-Muntahā and the conditions around it — and these sightings were unique to the night of Mi‘raj as confirmed by authentic hadiths — those who claim that the heavenly Mi‘raj is not established by the Qur’an are ignorant.
[14,15,16] (سِدْرَةِ الْمُنْتَهَى) — There are many opinions regarding the reason for its naming ("al-Muntahā" – the utmost limit). One view is that it is the furthest point to which the angels ascend. Another is that the souls of the believers reach it. A third is that it is the limit of knowledge. Al-Mawardi narrated that the reason for specifying the lote tree (sidr) is because it possesses three qualities:
1. Long shade
2. Pleasant taste
3. Fragrant scent
Similarly, faith (īmān) comprises speech, action, and intention: Its scent resembles the speech of faith Its shade resembles the action of faith Its taste resembles the intention of faith For this reason, this place is associated with the souls of the believers. (عِنْدَهَا جَنَّةُ الْمَأْوَى) — This defines the location of Paradise: it is currently in the seventh heaven, near Sidrat al-Muntahā, even though Paradise is vaster than the heavens and the earth combined. (إِذْ يَغْشَى السِّدْرَةَ مَا يَغْشَى) — According to authentic hadith, what covered the tree were butterflies made of gold. Most scholars say it refers to angels. In the hadith of Mi‘raj, it is reported: "On the night of Mi‘raj, I was taken to Sidrat al-Muntahā. Its leaves were like the ears of elephants, and its fruits like large jars of Hajar. When the command of Allah Almighty veiled it, it transformed in such a way that no one among Allah's creation has the ability to describe its beauty."