The seven heavens and the ascension

In the name of God, the merciful, the compassionate:

"Glory to Allah who took his servant got a journey by night from the sacred mosque to the farthest mosque whose precincts We did bless- In order that we might show him some of our signs: For He (Allah) is the one who hereth and seeth all things." Surah 17:1

The ascension of the prophet was one of great importance in Islamic theology in which, many have understood it as both dream and revelation. However there are two kinds of Muslims on the position of this subject there are those who believe that this was indeed a physical body experience and the others who believe it was a mystical experience hence the following:

The belief in the Ascension of the Prophet is general in Islam. Whilst the Asha'ri and the patristic sects believe that the Prophet was bodily carried up from earth to heaven, the Rationalists hold that it was a spiritual exaltation, that it represented the uplifting of the soul by stages until it was brought into absolute communion with the Universal Soul. (Ali, The Spirit of Islam, p. 447).

The language in which God speaks to us is diversified based on each individual and how God speaks to us is diversified based on our own understanding. When we learn it is perhaps the same way the tools in which we learn from are both learned in diverse ways as well as our apprehension of them. For the prophet, the ascension was more of the ascension of knowledge of God. We can say that this experience was of the literal sense since the prophet has described various depictions (via Hadith) of heaven and hell and his experience in both.

But what we can also do is take away is the ascension of knowledge of the heavens Muhammad ascended to and fro in reaching God at the end. To understand the ascension is to try to understand the seven heavens. Hadith states that Muhammad the prophet (peace be upon him) travelled through the seven heavens but, what does that really mean? Philosophically speaking according to Muslim philosophers God is everywhere and not in one place. As for the seven heavens when Muhammad reached the empyrean and in the presence of God there, he found God to be there.

The ascension is not necessarily the bodily experience that we conceive it is but more so about knowledge. When one comes to the plateau in his own understanding of God then one reaches a blissful end which ascends the mind/soul to the empyrean. Muhammad was no great scientist, or thinker but his unity with God and his mission allowed him to be great through his discipline on the practice of Islam which in the end of his journey allowd him to ascend both mentally and physically to be one with God.

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Deus Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 13 July 2005 Location: Canada Status: Offline Points: 134	Post Options Post Reply Quote Deus Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 11 August 2005 at 6:20pm
	And while you're at answering Apple Pie's question, answer these two as well (before someone else asks them): How do you know the sacred mosque is the one in Mecca? How do you know the farthest mosque is the one in Jerusalem?

Apple Pie Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Guest Group Joined: 21 July 2005 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 138	Post Options Post Reply Quote Apple Pie Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 11 August 2005 at 6:03pm
	Greetings Israfil, You seem to feel that sura 17 is discussing Islam�s �prophet�� Why do you feel this way..? Where is his name mentioned? Thanks�

Israfil Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 08 September 2003 Status: Offline Points: 3984	Post Options Post Reply Quote Israfil Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 09 August 2005 at 11:17pm
	In the name of God, the merciful, the compassionate: "Glory to Allah who took his servant got a journey by night from the sacred mosque to the farthest mosque whose precincts We did bless- In order that we might show him some of our signs: For He (Allah) is the one who hereth and seeth all things." Surah 17:1 The ascension of the prophet was one of great importance in Islamic theology in which, many have understood it as both dream and revelation. However there are two kinds of Muslims on the position of this subject there are those who believe that this was indeed a physical body experience and the others who believe it was a mystical experience hence the following: The belief in the Ascension of the Prophet is general in Islam. Whilst the Asha'ri and the patristic sects believe that the Prophet was bodily carried up from earth to heaven, the Rationalists hold that it was a spiritual exaltation, that it represented the uplifting of the soul by stages until it was brought into absolute communion with the Universal Soul. (Ali, The Spirit of Islam, p. 447). The language in which God speaks to us is diversified based on each individual and how God speaks to us is diversified based on our own understanding. When we learn it is perhaps the same way the tools in which we learn from are both learned in diverse ways as well as our apprehension of them. For the prophet, the ascension was more of the ascension of knowledge of God. We can say that this experience was of the literal sense since the prophet has described various depictions (via Hadith) of heaven and hell and his experience in both. But what we can also do is take away is the ascension of knowledge of the heavens Muhammad ascended to and fro in reaching God at the end. To understand the ascension is to try to understand the seven heavens. Hadith states that Muhammad the prophet (peace be upon him) travelled through the seven heavens but, what does that really mean? Philosophically speaking according to Muslim philosophers God is everywhere and not in one place. As for the seven heavens when Muhammad reached the empyrean and in the presence of God there, he found God to be there. The ascension is not necessarily the bodily experience that we conceive it is but more so about knowledge. When one comes to the plateau in his own understanding of God then one reaches a blissful end which ascends the mind/soul to the empyrean. Muhammad was no great scientist, or thinker but his unity with God and his mission allowed him to be great through his discipline on the practice of Islam which in the end of his journey allowd him to ascend both mentally and physically to be one with God.