Miraj from the Book of Viraz?

By Siraj Islam

Striking similarity between the story of Viraz and the story of Miraj

The story of Viraz

The Book of Arda Viraz (Arda Viraz-namag) is a Zoroastrian religious text of Sassanid era. It was originally written in Middle Persian language probably during the reign of King Ardashir I (226-240 AD).

It describes the extra-terrestrial dream-journey of a Zoroastrian priest Arda Viraz through the next world.

The book is divided into five sections: Introduction, Journey to Heaven, Paradise, Hell, and an Epilogue. Its text is comparable to Dante’s Divine Comedy and the Book of Revelation (the New Testament) in relaying the nature of a supernatural world beyond humanity’s perception.

Arda Viraz (the ‘righteous hero’) is the hero of the story. He is chosen for his piety to undertake a journey to the next world in order to verify the truth of Zoroastrian religion, after a period when the land of Iran had been troubled by the presence of confused and alien religions.

Viraz drinks wine and the hallucinogen ‘mang’, after which his soul – accompanied by an archangel Bahman – travels to the next world where he is greeted by Den, a beautiful woman, who represents his faith and virtue …

Crossing the chinvat-bridge (the sirat), he is then conducted by ‘Srosh, the pious and Adar, the angel’ through the star track, moon track and sun track – places outside of heaven reserved for the virtuous who have nevertheless failed to conform to Zoroastrian rules …

Then Viraz finally reaches his god Ahura Mazda, finding him sitting on the throne in the 7th sky. Ahura Mazda shows him the paradise and its dwellers, the souls of the blessed (ahlav). Each person is described living an idealized version of the life he or she lived on earth, as a warrior, agriculturalist, shepherd or other profession. With his guides he then descends into hell to be shown the sufferings of the wicked …

Having completed his visionary journey, Viraz is told by Ahura Mazda that the Zoroastrian faith and rituals are the only true way of life and that they should be preserved in both prosperity and adversity. And that people must mandatorily pray five times a day.

Here is a quote from the Book of Arda Viraz: “Then I saw the souls of those whom serpents sting and ever devour their tongues. And I asked thus: ‘What sin was committed by those, whose soul suffers so severe a punishment?’ Srosh the pious, and Adar the angel, said, thus: ‘These are the souls of those liars and irreverent (or ‘untruthful’) speakers who, in the world, spoke much falsehood and lies and profanity.” (Section 4, Hell)

The story of Miraj

The whole event of Muhammad’s heavenly night journey is mentioned in great detail in two very long hadiths (narrated by Malik bin Sasaa in Sahih al-Bukhari, volume 4, Book 54, Hadith number 429 and by Anas b. Malik in Sahih Muslim, Book 1, Number 309).

Here is a brief account of the story:

The journey begins at a time when Muhammad was in the Masjid al-Haram, when the archangel Gabriel came to him, and brought Buraq, the traditional heavenly steed of the prophets. Buraq carries Muhammad to the Masjid Al Aqsa, the ‘Farthest Mosque’, in Jerusalem. Muhammad alights, tethers Buraq to the Temple Mount and leads a prayer with all the prophets, where on God’s command he is tested by Gabriel.

It was reported by Anas b. Malik that Muhammad said: “Gabriel brought me a vessel of wine and a vessel of milk, and I chose the milk (note that Viraz started his ascension, in contrast, after drinking wine). Gabriel said: ‘You have chosen the Fitrah (natural instinct)’.” This part of the journey of Muhammad from Mecca to Jerusalem is called the Isra.

In the second part of the journey, the Miraj (an Arabic word that means “ladder”), Buraq takes him to the heavens, where he tours with Gabriel; at each of the seven levels of heaven, he meets and speaks with the earlier prophets such as Abraham, Moses, John the Baptist and Jesus. Then, as Muhammad visits the paradise and hell, he is taken to Bait-al-Ma’mur (God’s House) and then to Sidrat al-Muntaha – a holy tree in the seventh heaven that even Gabriel is not allowed to pass.

Thereafter Muhammad alone continues his journey to meet God and finds Him sitting on a throne, who instructs him that Muslims must pray 50 times a day. However, on Muhammad’s way back to Earth, Moses urges him to ask God for a discount considering it as a too much of a burden for the people; Muhammad goes between Moses and God 9 times, until it is reduced eventually to 5 times a day.

The Sunnis and other groups belonging to mainstream Islam believe that Muhammad’s night ascent – the Isra and Miraj – was physical yet spiritual, though many sects and offshoots belonging to Islamic mysticism interpret it to be an out-of-body experience through nonphysical environments.

“If you study the longest story told in Bukhari, there you will find Muhammed ascending and descending numerous times between the sixth and seventh heavens, between Moses and God, trying to get as much of a discount possible, in the number of prayers. This bargain between God and Muhammed, which was supervised by Moses, is reminded to the public at least once a year during the celebration of the “Night of Miraj.” The message given to the audience is simple and polytheistic: “If it were not for Muhammed’s bargain on your behalf, you would end up praying 50 times a day (one session every 28 minutes, day and night); and you would suffer greatly.” Whether this story was originally made up by a Jew to insult the intelligence of Muhammed and exalt Moses, it is adopted by gullible Muhammedans to praise the mercy of their prophet (more merciful than God!), and to justify their belief in his power of intercession and negotiation with God on their behalf. The reporters and collectors of this story, including Bukhari, were the archenemies of prophet Muhammed and his monotheistic message. See 2:285; 3:159; 6:112; 68:42.” (20:41, Quran: A Reformist Translation)

The story of Miraj is un-Quranic and anti-Quranic

Some scholars unsuccessfully try to find support for the traditional understanding of Miraj in the following verses of chapter 17:

Glory be to the One who took His servant by night from the Restricted Temple to the Farthest Temple which We had blessed around, so that We may show him of Our signs. 17:1

And when We said to you: “Behold, your Sustainer encompasses all mankind.” And We did not make the vision that We showed you except as a test for the people, and the tree that was accursed in the Quran (‘the tree of zaqqum or Bitterness’, 37:62-65, 44:43, 56:52; cf. prophetic vision about ‘the tree of Unity’, 48:26-29). And We alert them, but it only increases their transgression. 17:60

But that the above references have nothing to do with the story of Miraj is confirmed by the ongoing context in the same chapter 17, which describes them as parables (mathal), while dismissing any demand for ‘climbing to heaven’ or ‘performing miracles’ as irrelevant for Muhammad, a human messenger (this is further clarified by a similar passage below):

And We have detailed for mankind in this Quran all kinds of PARABLES, yet most people refuse (the inner truths), except the covering (the literal reading)! / And they say: We will never believe you unless you make a spring gush forth for us from the earth …/ Or unless you have a house of gold, or unless you climb up into the heaven; and (even if you do climb) we will not believe your climbing unless you send down for us a book that we can read. Say: Glory be to my Sustainer. Am I anything other than a human messenger? 17:89-90, 93

If their rejection has become too much for you, remember that even if you could dig a tunnel through the Earth, or could climb a stairway into the heaven (cf. 17:93, 52:38, 15:14-15) to bring them a message/miracle (they still would not believe). Had God so willed, He could have summoned them to the guidance; so do not be of the ignorant ones. 6:35

Also attempts have been made to connect 17:1 and 17:60 with the following vague reference to the vision of ‘angel of revelation’, though the connection once again is uncertain and difficult to prove:

And indeed, he saw him in another descent,/ At the ultimate boundary,/ Near it is the garden of promise,/ The whole place was overwhelmed,/ The sight did not swerve, nor go blind./ He certainly saw from the great signs of his Sustainer. 53:13-18

No doubt, any unbiased reader, not influenced by tradition, will find these references as imprecise and metaphorical, probably illustrating some intense, transcendental experience of the Prophet. These may allude to various things – from his entranced absorption while he was receiving revelation (17:60, 53:1-18) to a deeper, spiritual meaning of his immigration journey from Mecca to Medina (17:1, while this verse may even refer to Moses and his ‘isra’, i.e. traveling in the dark towards light, 17:1-5). The ‘Farthest Temple’ cannot be the Dome of the Rock or the Masjid Al Aqsa of Jerusalem, since this was built during the time of Omar. Also see http://quransmessage.com/lailatulmiraj.htm

One thing is certain: Miraj cannot be physical

Miraj cannot be physical due to a very simple but serious reason:

A physical Miraj confines God in space-time. As a concept thus blasphemous and overtly idolatrous, it seriously violates the teaching of the Quran.

So the story of the Night Journey is un-Quranic in origin and anti-Quranic in content. It has its possible roots in the Book of Viraz. Also, various other sources have been suggested alongside this, including the Christian tradition regarding the radiant transfiguration of Jesus in a high mountain prior to his meeting with ancient prophets (Matthew 17:1-9, Mark 9:2-8, Luke 9:28-36) and the Jewish traditions regarding the Ascent of Isaiah (Isaiah, 7-11) and the Ascent of Moses to the Seven Heavens and visiting Paradise and Hell  (see Midrash Gedullat Mosheh).