Mystical Muhammad.
Muhammad, to many Muslim, is not just a human but a mystical being; in week 4 of the lectures, a significant theme was an introduction to seeing Muhammad in a spiritual light. Muhammad is considered as the Shafa’ah (intercessor), and he has the power to forgive sins. Millions of Muslims around the world recite the Salawat daily in order to as Muhammad for blessing. Muslims believe Muhammad to be the last of God’s messengers, to whom was revealed the final installment of revelation (Asani pp,115). In this piece, I highlight Muhammad’s Miraj journey. “Praised be he who traveled with his servant from the sacred mosque to the farthest sanctuary (masjid al-aqsa)” Sura 17. The Miraj journey seeks to explain how Muhammad attain this level of spiritual power. The first picture is a picture of Muhammad as he talks with Buraq. The chronology of the Miraj story is represented in the collage to it; we can see Muhammad on the back of Buraq, and eventually, Muhammad is surrounded by fire. This is the stage where Muhammad has become one with the Devine. Buraj is believed to be a mystical creature, which also signifies love. Muhammad, on this journey, transcended the egotistic nature of humanity and operated under the guidance of love. This idea is that humans are limited by their desire to rationalize everything and are inhibited from attaining mystical status. It is only through love that we can transcend. This story is replicated again in a more contemporary art piece of a mural. we can see Muhammad on this journey. These depictions are essential for Muslims, especially because Muhammad is considered the ideal Muslim, and artwork like this allows people to visualize Muhammad’s Journey.