buraq

This article is about the creature of Islamic legend. For the chemical element, see Boron.

Buraq from a 17th-century Mughal miniature

The Buraq (Arabic: البُراق al-buraaq, meaning lightning; Turkish: Burak), is according to Islamic tradition a creature from the heavens that carried Muhammad from earth to heaven and back during the Isra and Miraj (Night Journey), which is the title of one of the chapters of the Koran.

Description

An excerpt from a Sahih Muslim hadith (supplemental tradition to the Koran) describes a buraq:

“I was brought by the Buraq, which is an animal white and long, larger than a donkey but smaller than a mule, who would place its hoof at a distance equal to the range of vision.”

In western literature and art, the buraq is often pictured as a beast with the face of a woman, or a creature described as being part eagle and part horse, in all probability using the legend of Pegasus as inspiration, or the Shedu of Babylonian legend.

Leon Uris's novel The Haj, describes the buraq as follows:

“[It] had the face of a woman, the tail of a peacock, and could gallop in a single stride as far as the eye could see.”

In Ilkhanid and Timurid Mongol-Persian mythological miniatures, the buraq was portrayed in a style reminiscent of the Chinese qilin, reflecting the Chinese background of painters who introduced watercolor techniques to Iran and initiated several medieval schools of Persian miniature painting.

The Journey to seventh heaven

12 years after Muhammad (according to Muslim belief) became a prophet, he was at his cousin's house (Ummu Hani' binti Abu Thalib's home) doing the 5th prayer (Isha'a) and after that, he went to the Masjid Al-Haram mosque (in Mecca). While Muhammad was resting between Baitullah and Hijir Ismail, suddenly the angel Jibril (Gabriel) came to Muhammad.

Before doing the Isra, Jibril cut open Muhammad's chest and took Muhammad's heart and cleansed it with Zam-zam water (according to Islam, holy water) and after that Jibril returned it to Muhammad's chest, leaving no wound. After that, came the Buraq, which Muhammad mounted. In company with Jibril, they traveled to the "farthest mosque" faster than the speed of light. When they arrived, Muhammad entered with Jibril, and attended the Tahiyyatul Masjid prayer.

They then rose into the first heaven, then the second, then the next, until the seventh, where Jibril left Muhammad to continue to Sidratul Muntaha to meet Allah. Muhammad was a short distance ("a shoulder to hand length") from Allah, but did not see his face. Allah showed Muhammad the terrrible scenes of hell and its pain. Then Muhammad came down to Mecca and told his cousin (Ummu Hani') about it, as well as preaching the story to all of his followers.

Cultural impact

• The Western Wall in Jerusalem is also known as the Al-Buraq Wall.
• Two airlines are named after the Buraq: The Libyan airline company, Buraq Air, and the Indonesian airline company, Bouraq Indonesia Airlines

External links

• Complete report from the Sahih Bukhari, which includes a quotation similar to the above.

• Contemporary photo of a Pakistani truck decorated with a picture of the buraq.

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