The Mi'raj (Muhammad's night journey)

Dateca. 1550-1580

Maker Persian

Label TextWhile there are various interpretations of its details, the Mi'raj is the physical and spiritual journey taken by the Prophet Muhammad during a single night. Guided by the angel Jibril (Gabriel) and mounted on the Buraq, a mythical winged creature usually depicted as a horse, Muhammad traveled from the holy city of Mecca to Jerusalem. Along the way he met with the Abrahamic prophets—from Adam and Abraham to Moses and Jesus—visited hell and paradise, and approached God. This dramatic illustration of a Persian poetic text summarizes the story. Muhammad—whose face is covered with a white veil—rides the Buraq across a night-blue sky with golden clouds, accompanied by multicolored angels.

One of the most notable examples of the integration of religious imagery and secular manuscripts is the inclusion of the image of Muhammad's celestial ascent (Mi'raj) in a variety of texts. In his Mi'raj, the Prophet Muhammad journeyed from Mecca to Jerusalem and back in one evening and ascended into the heavens to come before the presence of God. The Qur'an refers to the night journey of Muhammad in a very short passage. Later writers elaborated on the description of this event to the point that an entire book, the Mirajnama (Book of the Mi'raj), was written to recount the tale.

Illustrations of this story were relatively rare in the Islamic world. The one image that reached iconic status was of Muhammad undertaking his night journey. In this highly canonical image, the Prophet sits astride his horse, Buraq, which has wings and a human face. Angels accompany Muhammad as he ascends into the heavens, offering him precious gifts of gold. A golden, flamelike halo frames Muhammad's head, indicating his status as a prophet. His face is veiled as a display of respect.

The Mi'raj image became much beloved in Islamic painting and was often included as a frontispiece to literary anthologies, such as Nizami's Khamsa, although it had no connection to any of the narratives included in those collections. The image came to have an almost talismanic, protective significance, a role that it continues to play in the contemporary Islamic world.

Object number47.96

ProvenancePurchased from Heeramaneck Galleries

Photo CreditPhoto: Elizabeth Mann

Exhibition HistoryPasadena, California, Pasadena Art Institute, Persian Exhibition, 1949. San Diego, California, San Diego Fine Arts Society, Persian Exhibition, 1949. Rome, Italy, Palazzo Brancaccio, Exhibition of Iranian Art, 1956. Paris, France, Petit Palais, 7,000 Years of Art in Iran, 1961 (Essen, Germany, Villa Huegel, 1962; Den Haag, Netherlands, Gemeente Museum, 1962; Zurich, Switzerland, Kunsthaus, 1962; Vienna, Austria, Osterreichische Mus. Fur Angewandte Kunst, 1963; Milan, Italy, Palazzo Reale, 1963). Utah, Provo, Brigham Young University, Beauty and Belief: Crossing Bridges with the Arts of Islam, Feb. 24, 2012 - Sept. 29, 2013. Seattle, Washington, Seattle Asian Art Museum, Boundless: Stories of Asian Art, Feb. 8, 2020 - ongoing [on view Feb. 8, 2020 - July 11, 2021].Published ReferencesPope, A.U., Survery of Persian Art, Vol. V, 1938, pl. 897, III, p. 2481, no. 3 Newhill, E.E. & LaPaglie, U., Exploring World Cultures, 1947. "Handbook, Seattle Art Museum: Selected Works from the Permanent Collections." Seattle, WA: Seattle Art Museum, 1951, p. 21 (b&w) S.A.M. Guild Engagement Calendar, 1953, no. 26. Palazzo Brancaccio, Rome, Exhibition of Iranian Art, 1956, p. 277 (517) Nakai, Ghods. Sept Mille Ans d'Art en Iran. Paris: Petit Palais, 1961; p. 197, no. 1101. Villa Hugel, Essen, 7,000 Jahre Kunst in Iran, 1962. no. 589. Palazzo Reale, Milan, 7,000 Anni d'Arte Iranica, 1963, p. 182, no. 623. Encyclopedia of World Art, VIII, 1963, pl. 143, p. 354. Osterreichisches Mus. Fur Angewandte Kunst, Vienna, Kunstschatze aus Iran, 1963, no. 658. Comstock et al., Religion and Man: An Introduction, 1971, p. 596. Rogers, Millard B. "Engagement Book: Iranian Art in the Seattle Art Museum," Seattle, WA: Seattle Art Museum, 1972, fig. 42. S.A.M. Engagement Book, Iranian Art, 1973, #42. Al Khemir, Sabiha, "Beauty and Belief: Crossing Bridges with the Arts of Islamic Culture", Provo, Utah: Brigham Young University Museum of Art, 2012 pp 132-133, 216, illus. Waugh, Daniel C. "The Arts of China in Seattle." The Silk Road, vol. 12 (2014): pp. 137-152, reproduced p.143, fig.19. Foong, Ping, Xiaojin Wu, and Darielle Mason. "An Asian Art Museum Transformed." Orientations vol. 51, no. 3 (May/June 2020): p. 55, reproduced fig. 13.

Credit LineEugene Fuller Memorial Collection

Dimensions9 3/16 x 5 3/8 in. (23.3 x 13.7 cm)

MediumOpaque watercolor, ink, and gold on paper