“Exalted is He who took His Servant by night from al-Masjid al-Haram to al-Masjid al- Aqsa, whose surroundings We have blessed, to show him of Our signs. Indeed, He is the Hearing, the Seeing.”
Quran, Sura 17:1
This piece of art is inspired by the Night Journey, and Buraq. The two wings in the drawing are to represent Buraq’s wings, brilliantly decorated to coincide with the embellished depictions of Buraq. You will notice as well that one of the wings is crafted out of Quran 17:1; this sura felt particularly important for there are limited instances in the Quran in which Buraq is referenced, and none in which his name is used. This is in part why Buraq as a religious figure is so intriguing: Buraq is defined in similar but different ways by many Islamic cultures. In my picture I have focused not on Buraq, but on the wings themselves to highlight the concept of the journey, and to make no gender distinction or add my own color to Buraq’s image.
In the Myths and Miracles of the Swahili, we read about many noteworthy events in Muhammad’s life, the Ascension into heaven being one of them. In this account, we are only granted the gender (female) and some rudimentary descriptions of Buraq’s elaborate body. We read of details such as “her tail was the tail of a peacock” and that “her harness was inlaid with pearls.” In the drawing above, I have attempted to recreate some of that embellishment through the bright colors and designs (which are purposefully geometric to be simplistic in meaning but also intricate). You may also note that there are what appear to be tears or water droplets on the wings as well: these are inspired by another set of stories about Buraq.
In the Mevlid-i Şerif by Suleyman Chelibi, we are given a more intimate view of Buraq. At one point in the account of Muhammad’s Night Journey, the Angel Gabriel turns to Buraq and says: “Why you weep so, what ails you, what sounds are these your soul and body carry?” (Chelebi, p. 30). Buraq replies of how he (note the switch of gender) has been waiting forty thousand years for Muhammad, and has an overwhelming love for his master. The tears on the wings are to represent that longing, but are brightly colored to represent love and passion that is even greater than the yearning for Muhammad.