The Five Daily Prayers and the Divine Light
The narration goes on to explain how the five daily prayers were established. Originally, God commanded fifty prayers a day, but through the Prophet’s repeated requests for ease, God reduced them to five.
Finally, the text mentions the Prophet looking toward the Divine Light. When people later asked him if he had actually seen his Lord during this miraculous night, he replied:
“He is Light; how could I see Him?”
This beautiful, mysterious expression simply highlights that God’s essence is a brilliant, blinding light beyond human vision.
The Mystery of the Divine Light
When God says in the Quran, “Allah is the Light of the heavens and the earth” (Surah An-Nur, 24:35), it points to a deep spiritual truth: while light allows us to perceive the world, the Ultimate Light itself cannot be fully grasped.
This Divine Light acts as a veil. God is veiled by seventy—or seventy thousand—veils of light and darkness:
- The Veils of Light: These represent the blinding spiritual realities of God.
- The Veils of Darkness: These represent the limitations of creation.
Because created beings are inherently “dark” (limited and dependent) compared to the absolute reality of God, they cannot directly face His ultimate light without being overwhelmed. Darkness cannot comprehend pure light, and there is no true light except the Light of God.
This is why, when asked if he saw God, the Prophet (pbuh) replied:
“He is Light; how could I see Him?”
In other words, the Prophet’s human limitations could not gaze directly upon the absolute essence of God. This profound mystery is a spiritual secret that cannot be understood through physical observation or logical arguments alone; it is among the highest forms of divine knowledge.
The Meaning of “Two Bow-Lengths Away”
The Quran describes the closeness of the Prophet (pbuh) during his ultimate ascension:
“And he was at a distance of two bow-lengths or even closer.”
(Surah An-Najm, 53:9)
While Surah Al-Isra establishes the physical and spiritual journey, this verse from Surah An-Najm describes the climax of his proximity.
This “distance of two bow-lengths” is not a literal, physical measurement. Rather, it is a powerful metaphor used to describe the absolute closest intimacy, honor, and spiritual nearness a created being can ever achieve with the Creator.
Seven Heavens and Feleks
In traditional Islamic cosmology, “Heavens” (Sama’at) and “Feleks” (Aflak) refer to the same celestial reality, but they describe two different aspects of it:
- The Heavens represent the structure—the physical or spiritual “floors” of the sky.
- The Feleks (Arabic for “circular orbits”) represent the mechanism—the continuous, circular movement within those structures.
Through the movement of these orbits, God governs the physical universe. This movement influences the Earth’s primary elements (earth, water, air, and fire) to create weather patterns, such as rain, which in turn produce the food and sustenance needed for life on Earth.
The Wisdom of Circular Motion
According to this cosmological view, the orbits must move in a perfect circle.
If the celestial spheres moved in any other way, they would leave empty gaps (vacuums) in space. A circular motion ensures that space is seamlessly and continuously filled. Without this perfect harmony, the natural cycle of cause and effect would break down, and physical creation would remain incomplete. This perfect design reflects God’s ultimate wisdom and His system of cause and effect.
The Seven Heavens and Their Celestial “Lamps”
The Quran highlights this grand design:
“We have built above you seven mighty heavens, and We have set therein a glowing lamp.”(Surah An-Naba, 78:12-13)
In traditional astronomy and cosmology, these “lamps” are the planetary bodies associated with each of the seven heavens. Each celestial body governs a specific sphere and corresponds to a particular day of the week:
| Heaven Floor | Celestial Body (Traditional / English) | Day of Influence |
| 7th Heaven | Zuhal / Saturn | Saturday |
| 6th Heaven | Mushtari / Jupiter | Thursday |
| 5th Heaven | Merih / Mars | Tuesday |
| 4th Heaven | Shams / The Sun | Sunday |
| 3rd Heaven | Zuhre / Venus | Friday |
| 2nd Heaven | Utarit / Mercury | Wednesday |
| 1st Heaven | Qamar / The Moon | Monday |
To be continued……