The Events of the Prophet Muḥammad’s Miʿrāj in the Qurʾān and Ḥadīth and Their Reflection in the Miʿrājiyyas of Persian Poets from the Tenth to the Twelfth Centuries

The events of the Miʿrāj of the Prophet Muḥammad (peace be upon him and his progeny) have been transmitted through the verses of the Qurʾān and ḥadīths. Persian poets throughout different periods of Persian literature have addressed these events from their own perspectives. However, no independent study has yet examined their reflection in the Miʿrājiyyas of Persian poets through direct comparison with the Qurʾānic verses and ḥadīths. Since the Miʿrājiyyas of poets from the tenth to the twelfth centuries contain the richest thematic material, this period was selected for investigation.
This article aims to elucidate the major events of the Miʿrāj and assess how they are reflected in the poetry of this period. Using a descriptive-analytical method, the study examines Qurʾānic verses with reference to riwāʾī exegeses and Shīʿī ḥadīths, and compares Qurʾānic and ḥadīth-based themes with the period's Miʿrājiyyas.
The findings indicate that although poets of this period incorporated ḥadīth-based themes into their Miʿrājiyyas more extensively than poets of other periods of Persian literature, they emphasized the celestial journey and the Prophet’s ultimate proximity to God. In contrast, prominent ḥadīth-based themes, including the multiple Miʿrājs of the Prophet Muḥammad, God’s emphatic affirmation of the wilāya of Imam ʿAlī in each Miʿrāj of the Messenger of God, and other ḥadīth-based themes, have received little or no attention.