Mi'raj
The Mi'raj (the Holy Ascension of Prophet Muhammad)
This version of the Mi'raj of Muhammad is from the Naqshbandi Sufi tradition and is sourced from Hajjah Amina Adil's Muhammad: The Messenger of Islam. The book draws heavily on Sufi sources written in Ottoman Turkish. The creation myth contains various Gnostic themes and motifs.
The Seven Heavens are:
Heaven | Name | Heaven made of | Guardian | Gate | Lock | Number of angels |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Isma’il | red ruby stone (Bab al-Hifz) | pearls | 100,000? | ||
2 | Qaydum | red coral | Mikha’il | pearls | Light | 200,000 |
3 | Zaytun | copper | Arina’il | white pearls | Light | 300,000 |
4 | Zahir | raw silver/white pearl | Salsa’il | Light | Light | 400,000 |
5 | Safiya | red gold | Kalqa’il | 500,000 | ||
6 | Khalisa | yellow gem | Samkha’il | 600,000 | ||
7 | Ghariba | Light | Afra’il | 700,000 |
1st Heaven[edit | edit source]
We then reached the first Heaven, Jibra’il knocked upon its gate, crying, ‘Open up!’
- The name of this gate is‚ ‘Bab al-Hifz’, the Gate of Protection, and it is made of red ruby stone,
- whereas its lock is made of pearls.
- From within the guardian of this gate, Isma’il, called out in a voice such as I have never heard before, ‘Who is this demanding entry?’
- Jibra’il thereupon answered, ‘It is I, Jibra’il.’
- ‘And who is that with you?’ demanded the keeper of the gate.
- ‘That is Muhammad,’ replied Jibra’il.
- The keeper of the gate then asked, ‘Has he been given prophethood?’
- ‘Yes,’ replied Jibra’il, ‘he has been given prophethood.’
- ‘Has he been cited and invited to come here?’ Isma’il demanded to know.
- ‘Yes, he has been invited to come,’ Jibra’il replied.
- Then Isma’il said, ‘Welcome, welcome to you! What a delightful visitor!’
- With these words he opened the gate.
- Meeting Isma`il
2nd Heaven[edit | edit source]
The Lord Almighty, praised be His Name, has created this Heaven from red coral and called it Qaydum.
- The name of its gatekeeper is Mikha’il.
- This Heaven appeared to me to be especially full of light and splendor, so much so that I was blinded and had to squint.
- The door of this Heaven is of pearls
- and its lock is of light.
- Jibra’il knocked upon this door and requested entry.
- The keeper of the gate, Mikha’il, called from inside, ‘Who is it requesting the opening of this gate?’
- ‘I am Jibra’il,’ replied Jibra’il,
- and again the angel asked, ‘And who is this with you?’
- ‘This is Muhammad,’ answered Jibra’il.
- Again the gatekeeper asked, ‘Has he been given prophethood?’
- ‘Yes.’ Replied Jibra’il.
- ‘Has he come here upon invitation and request?’ asked Mikha’il.
- ‘Yes,’ said Jibra’il, ‘invitation and request have gone before.’
- Then the gatekeeper said, ‘Welcome to you, oh welcome guest! How agreeable a visitor!’
- With that, he opened the gate.
- I entered and beheld the guardian angel of this Heaven, Mikha’il.
- There were 200,000 angels at his service, each one of whom had another 200,000 helpers to assist him.
- I greeted him and he returned my greetings with reverence.
- He gave me the joyous news of the many honors and blessings the Almighty was to bestow on me.
- `Isa and Yahya
- The Angel of Provision
3rd Heaven[edit | edit source]
The Lord Almighty created this Heaven from copper and has named it Zaytun.
- The name of its guardian angel is Arina’il.
- Its gate is of white pearls
- and it has a lock of light.
- When Jibra’il knocked upon the gate, the guardian angel called from within, ‘Who is it requesting entry?’
- Jibra’il answered, ‘It is I, Jibra’il.’
- ‘And who is this with you?’ asked the keeper of the gate.
- ‘It is Muhammad,’ replied Jibra’il.
- Again he asked, ‘Has he been given prophethood?’
- ‘Yes, he has,’ answered Jibra’il.
- ‘Has he received summons and invitation?’
- ‘Yes, he has,’ replied Jibra’il.
- Then Arina’il opened the gates, saying, ‘Welcome to you, how pleasing a guest!’
- I entered this Heaven and I beheld Arina’il to be a great and majestic angel.
- He had at his command 300,000 angels.
- Tasbih of Yusuf
- Tasbih of the Tyrants
- The Guardian Angel of Hell
- Beholding the Inhabitants of Jahannam
- Allah Grants the Prophet Intercession
- Other Guardians of Hell
4th Heaven[edit | edit source]
The Fourth Heaven is created of raw silver or, according to a different narration, from white pearl.
- The name of this Heaven is Zahir.
- Its gate was of Light
- and the lock to the gate was of Light and written upon it were the words, ‘La ilaha illAllah, Muhammadan Rasulullah.’
- The angel guarding the gate to this Heaven was the angel Salsa’il.
- After we had knocked on the gate and had answered the same questions as before, we were admitted and the gates were opened to us.
- I beheld the angel in charge, Salsa’il.
- He was responsible for all that happened here.
- Under his command were 400,000 angels,
- and each one of these angels commanded another 400,000 angelic lieutenants.
- Tasbih of the three groups of angels
- Tasbih of Idris
- Tasbih of the Prophet Nuh
- Mansions of Maryam, Buhayyid and Asiya
5th Heaven[edit | edit source]
Allah Almighty created this Heaven from red gold and its name is Safiya.
- The keeper of the gate is called Kalqa’il.
- As before, we requested entry at its gates.
- After a set exchange of certain questions and answers, the gates opened and we entered.
- Upon entering, I beheld the guardian of this Heaven seated upon a throne of light.
- I greeted him, and he returned my Salams with much respectfulness.
- 500,000 angels are at his service,
- and each one of these has another 500,000 attendants at his disposal.
- Prophets Isma’il, Ishaq, Ya’qub, Lut and Harun
6th Heaven[edit | edit source]
Allah Almighty has created this Heaven from a yellow gem and has called it Khalisa.
- Its guardian is Samkha’il.
- We came to its gates and requested their opening;
- the customary question and answering took place and the gates opened for us.
- As we entered, I beheld the angel Samkha’il.
- He had 600,000 angels at his command,
- and each of these had another 600,000 helpers under him.
7th Heaven[edit | edit source]
Allah Almighty has it created from Light.
- Its name is Ghariba
- and the name of its guardian angel is Afra’il.
- Jibra’il requested entry at the keeper of the gates as he had done before, and after a succession of questions and answers, the gates swung open and we were admitted.
- I beheld Afra’il and the 700,000 angels under his command.
- Each one of these had in turn 700,000 helpers.
- The Bayt-al-Ma’mur (The Heavenly House)
- The Sidratul Muntaha
- The Four Streams of Paradise
- Ramadan, the Blessed
- The Angel Jibra’il’s Appearance
- The Vision of the Divine Beauty
- The Tahiyyat Prayer
- Allah Complains About the Ummah
Paradise[edit | edit source]
- About the Paradise Gardens
- The Tuba Tree
- The Waters of Kawthar
- The Duration of the Mi’raj
- The Prophet’s Return From Mi’raj
See also[edit | edit source]
References[edit | edit source]
- Hajjah Amina Adil. 2002. Muhammad: The Messenger of Islam. Washington, DC: Islamic Supreme Council of America. ISBN 9781618429131.