Gallery of Islamic & Persian Manuscripts

 

Mohammed's Night Journey to Heaven

from D’Ohsson’s Tableau Général de l’Empire Othoman.In the seventeenth sura of the Koran it is written that upon a certain night Mohammed was transported from the temple at Mecca to that of Jerusalem, but no details are given of the strange journey. In the Mishkatu ’l-Masabih, Mohammed is made to describe his ascent through the seven heavens into the icy presence of the many-veiled God and his subsequent return to his own bed, all in a single night. Mohammed was awakened in the night by the Angel Gabriel, who, after removing the Prophet’s heart, washed the cavity with Zamzam water and filled the heart itself with faith and science. A strange creature, called Alborak, or "the lightning bolt", was brought for the conveyance of the Prophet. Alborak is described as a white animal of the shape and size of a mule, with the head of a woman and the tail of a peacock. According to some versions, Mohammed rode Alborak to Jerusalem, where, dismounting upon Mount Moriah, he caught hold of the lower rung of a golden ladder lowered from heaven and, accompanied by Gabriel, ascended through the seven spheres separating the earth from the inner surface of the empyrean. At the gate of each sphere stood one of the patriarchs, whom Mohammed saluted as he entered the various planes. At the gate of the first heaven stood Adam; at the gate of the second, John and Jesus (sisters’ sons); at the third, Joseph; at the fourth Enoch; at the fifth, Aaron; at the sixth, Moses; and at the seventh, Abraham. MPH

 

Mohammed's Ascent to Heaven

A Persian Manuscript, c.1636The central figure evidently represents the Prophet riding on a cloud of flame with a palm leaf-shaped nimbus behind his head. As is usual the face is veiled showing only the tip of his beard.

 

Leaf from an Old Persian History

17th C. (Sedona 1983 No.15)The artist of this work was unable to accommodate his drawing to the space allotted by the scribe so he merely extended the horse at the left into the margin. Most such books were very popular and descend to us either badly worn or as fragments.

 

"I said to the tulip; O bride of the garden,
Thy appearance is beautiful and thy quality is good.
Then tell me, how is it that thy heart has turned black,
Perhaps it hast been injured by a friend?
It replied: No, No! But I have gold,
Gold! Which is the means of Joyfulness!"

"The Isiac Tablet," writes Levi, "is a Key to the Ancient Book of Thoth, which has survived to some extent the lapse of centuries and is pictured to us in the still comparatively ancient set of Tarocchi Cards.

Anbarior Qalam (Perfumed Pen) —Abdur-Rahim, 1692

 

"Alas! My eyes have been disabled from seeing,
Woe! Woe! That, at last, my eyes have betrayed me!
People say: Thou hast lost thy eyes through thy writing. But my writing used to give light to others' eyes."

"The Isiac Tablet," writes Levi, "is a Key to the Ancient Book of Thoth, which has survived to some extent the lapse of centuries and is pictured to us in the still comparatively ancient set of Tarocchi Cards.

—Mohammad Ismail, 1692

 

Fragments of an Illuminated Persian Manuscript, 17th century