Religious Research

Religious Research

Reconsidering the Miʿrāj Narratives and a Comparative Examination of Them in Relation to Zoroastrian Apocalyptic Texts

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors
Rahman Ghasemi 1
ali farsimadan 2
Mahdi Elmi Daneshvar 3
1 PhD Candidate in Islamic Jurisprudential Schools, Comparative Jurisprudence and Foundations of Law, University of Religions and Denominations
2 Assistant Professor, Department of Law and Comparative Jurisprudence, University of Religions and Denominations, Qom, Iran
3 Assistant Professor, Department of Eastern Religions, University of Religions and Denominations, Qom, Iran
10.22034/jrr.2025.462163.2189
Abstract
Revelatory experiences are found in various Abrahamic and non-Abrahamic religions, as well as in newly emerging religious movements. Employing a descriptive-analytical method, this study seeks to answer the question of what relationship exists between texts arising from revelatory and visionary experiences in Zoroastrianism and the Miʿrāj traditions. In the Abrahamic religions, particularly Islam, discussions concerning the Miʿrāj include such themes as Hell, encounters with angels, Paradise, supplication to God, crossing seas of light and darkness or snow and ice, and seeing the spirits of the prophets. Zoroastrian revelatory texts likewise contain themes such as Hell, conversing with the Amesha Spentas, Paradise, encountering and speaking with Ahura Mazda, and the world of spirits. In Zoroastrian texts, revelatory experiences and ascension are restricted to a few individuals, whereas in Islam, the Miʿrāj is regarded as a distinctive feature of the Prophet. The findings of the study indicate that the Miʿrāj of Zoroaster was, in fact, concerned with foretelling the future and gaining knowledge of the truth of things, while in the account of Ardā Wīrāz's visionary journey, his observations concerning Paradise and Hell, as well as his descriptions of the punishments of the inhabitants of Paradise and Hell, are recounted. According to Qurʾānic verses and transmitted reports, the Miʿrāj of the Prophet Muhammad was both bodily and spiritual; in Zoroastrianism, however, those individuals for whom an ascent to the spiritual realms is claimed undertook this journey while asleep and through dreams. The number of the Prophet Muhammad's Miʿrāj is reported differently and in multiple accounts, whereas in Zoroastrianism, only a single journey is mentioned in the case of those who undertook this spiritual journey. Shiʿi exegetes and scholars maintain that the Prophet's ascension took place while he was awake. In Zoroastrianism, however, ascension takes the form of a revelatory experience occurring in sleep and through dreams.
Keywords
Prophet Muhammad
revelatory experience
Zoroaster
Ardā Wīrāz
Kerdir
Amesha Spentas
angels
Subjects
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