Week 3: Mi’raj and Isra In the Quran
Medium: Photoshop/Digital Media
This work represents Prophet Muhammad’s ascent through the Seven Heavens during the events of Isra and Mi’raj. According to the Hadith of Prophet Muhammad, and in Sura 17 of the Quran, Prophet Muhammad met Jibreel and a white horse with the head of a woman, and then set out to Al-aqsa and then through the seven heavens and meet Allah. The first part of his journey is referred to as the Isra while his ascent through the heavens is referred to as the Mir’aj.
This particular work attempted to incorporate many different depictions of the Mi’raj, and to combine them in a way that showed my own interpretation of the events. The Prophet and the Buraq are seen at the bottom of a staircase, ready to be guided by Jibreel up the heavens. Here, the ascent up the heavens is represented by the staircase. This is somewhat of a Western notion of an ascent, but I feel as if it was the best way to represent the many levels and dimensions of heaven, as narrated by the Prophet.
The Prophet is seen holding a book. This was done intentionally to show the Sufi aspect of the ascent, in that the journey may not have been a physical one, but rather a metaphorical one that all are capable of if they “polish the mirror of their hearts”. This also attempts to show that there are multiple interpretations of the Quran including both the metaphorical and the literal. A book was specifically used to reference this because of the special place that devotional literature has in Sufi thought and customs, as well as the role that Qur’an, a “Holy Book” has on Islamic beliefs and customs.
Along the staircase, we see several names in Arabic. These are the names of the Prophets that Prophet Muhammad met. Prophet Muhammad met Adam, then Jesus, then Joseph, then Moses, and finally Allah (who is at the uppermost heaven, or the 7th heaven). These were included to serve as some narration to the events of the Mi’raj, but also to show the station of these Prophets with Allah.
On the left, separated from the rest and in a different color, we see Muhammad’s name in Arabic. This is to show that Muhammad is indeed the final Prophet and the deliverer of the Quran, and is perhaps the most important for many Muslims.