The story of Islam’s so-called Miraj is one of Muhammad’s most unbelievable and illogical tales. It shows how he tried to back up his claim of ascending to heaven by piecing together ideas borrowed from surrounding cultures. Logically, it’s hard to believe: Muhammad supposedly traveled from Mecca to Jerusalem in a single night on a mythical winged creature called Buraq, then climbed through seven layers of heaven with the help of the angel Gabriel.
While there, he met earlier prophets like Adam, Jesus, and Moses, toured heaven and hell to see rewards and punishments, and even bargained with God. Following Moses’ advice, he reportedly got the number of daily prayers reduced from fifty down to five. This story is mostly detailed in the Hadith, not the Quran (which only briefly mentions a ‘Night Journey’ in Surah 17:1).”
“The truth is, Muhammad made up the story of Miraj to cover up an illicit relationship with his cousin, Umm Hani. Historical sources state that the journey of Miraj began at her house, but in reality, it was just an excuse for spending the night with her, something condemned in contemporary Arab society. By creating this story, Muhammad promoted his misconduct as a miracle, revealing a lack of morality and a deceptive nature.
History shows similar stories existed in various civilizations long before Islam. This suggests that Muhammad stole ideas from Zoroastrian, ancient Mesopotamian, Jewish, Christian, and even Hindu sources, which he learned about through people he met while trading in different regions.
Let’s first look at events similar to Miraj that existed thousands of years before the birth of Islam. Then, we will see how Muhammad used this tall tale of Miraj to cover up his night spent with Umm Hani.”
Ancient Mesopotamian (Babylonian) Mythology: The Legend of Etana
In the Sumerian-Akkadian epic from around 2000 BCE (nearly 3,000 years before Islam), King Etana seeks divine favor and ascends to heaven on the back of an eagle, echoing the role of the Buraq. He journeys upward, sees the Earth shrink below him, reaches the gates of heaven, communicates with gods like Anu, and returns with divine insight. The themes of riding a creature to enter heaven and meeting the divine directly parallel the Miraj. These ancient stories spread through Arabian folklore, which Muhammad copied; there was no true innovation in his teachings.
Greek Mythology: The Abduction of Ganymede
In Homer’s Iliad (about 1,350 years before Islam), the Trojan prince Ganymede is taken up to Olympus by Zeus, who either took the form of an eagle or sent one. He becomes a servant to the gods and lives in the celestial realm. This matches the concept of a celestial vehicle and a divine encounter found in the Miraj.
Hinduism: Arjuna’s Journey to Heaven (Mahabharata)
In the epic Mahabharata (about 1,000 years before Islam), the warrior Arjuna ascends to heaven (Indra’s realm) in a divine chariot guided by Matali. He fights demons, meets the gods, witnesses the joys of heaven, and returns after learning how to use divine weapons.
Ancient Jewish Texts: The Book of Enoch
Written about 900 years before Islam, this text describes Enoch’s heavenly journey led by angels. He ascends through various levels of heaven, sees cosmic mysteries, views the thrones of angels and the Creator, observes the afterlife fates of the righteous and the wicked, and returns transformed by divine knowledge.
Judeo-Christian Apocalyptic Literature: The Ascension of Isaiah
This text (from about 600 years before Islam) describes the vision of the Prophet Isaiah, where he ascends through seven heavens under the guidance of an angel. He meets righteous souls, sees Christ and the Holy Spirit, observes the heavenly hierarchy, and witnesses the descent of souls into hellish torment.
Zoroastrianism: The Journey of Arda Viraf
This event is perhaps the most striking parallel to the Miraj, existing in Persian Zoroastrian texts at least 400-600 years before Islam. In the Book of Arda Viraf, a righteous priest is chosen for a divine mission: he is given a narcotic drink to induce a trance, and his soul ascends through celestial levels under the guidance of angels. He meets divine figures and righteous souls (similar to Muhammad meeting the prophets), tours heaven (the Chinvat Bridge and realms of joy) and hell (including graphic punishments like those in the Miraj), and returns with messages, rituals, and warnings for humanity.
This story is so specific, featuring multi-layered heavens, angelic guides, and afterlife travels. Logically, it can be argued that Muhammad or his followers incorporated this during Islam’s expansion into Zoroastrian Persia.
Islam is one of the newest religions in world history; therefore, it can be said that Muhammad constructed his stories by borrowing from Persian, Mesopotamian, Zoroastrian, and contemporary Arabian histories. Logical similarities to the Miraj are found in almost all these instances, including multi-layered heavens, angels, encounters with prophets, visions of the afterlife, and revelatory insights.
The story of the Mi‘raj was fabricated to cover up the association between Muhammad and Umm Hani
After the death of Muhammad’s parents, he was first raised under the care of his grandfather Abdul Muttalib and later under his uncle Abu Talib. During this time, he grew up together with his cousins. Umm Hani was the daughter of Abu Talib and, therefore, Muhammad’s cousin. In the social context of that time, marriage between cousins was considered normal. The Qur’an also permits such relationships, for example in Surah An-Nisa, verse 23. In this verse, cousins are not included in the list of prohibited marriages, so such marriages are considered lawful.
In Islamic law, there are strict rules governing interaction between men and women, as described in the Qur’an, such as Surah An-Nur, verses 30–31. Cousins are not included in the list of mahram relatives, and since marriage between them is lawful, interaction between them is therefore restricted.
According to Islamic sources, Muhammad proposed marriage to Umm Hani twice, and both times he was rejected. First proposal: Before prophethood, Muhammad sent a marriage proposal to Umm Hani through his uncle Abu Talib, but Abu Talib rejected it and married her to Hubayrah ibn Abi Wahb. This is mentioned in Ibn Ishaq’s Sirah (page 184) and al-Tabari’s Tarikh (volume 8, page 186). Logically, this shows that even members of Muhammad’s own family did not particularly respect him, which weakens the Islamic notion of a “perfect” prophet.
During the conquest of Mecca (630 CE, 8 AH), Umm Hani’s husband Hubayrah abandoned her. Refusing to accept Islam, Hubayrah fled to Najran out of fear of Muhammad, because under Muhammad’s rules, marriage between a Muslim woman and a non-Muslim man became impossible. Umm Hani accepted Islam, and immediately afterward Muhammad proposed marriage to her a second time. Umm Hani again rejected the proposal, because she had young children. This is mentioned in Ibn Sa‘d’s al-Tabaqat al-Kabir (volume 8, page 121) and al-Tirmidhi’s Jami‘, hadith 3214.
Just think about it: Muhammad proposed marriage to Umm Hani, a mother of three children, at a time when Muhammad already had nine wives. You are the followers of such a hypocritical prophet, do you not feel ashamed?
Ibn Ishaq’s Sirat Rasul Allah, as cited in al-Tabari’s Tarikh al-Rusul wa al-Muluk, especially in volume 6, states that Umm Hani says in her own narration: “He (Muhammad) slept in my house that night.”
Some Islamists often claim that on the night of the Isra and Mi‘raj, Umm Hani’s husband Hubayrah was also present with her. Their argument is that the word “we” is used in Umm Hani’s narration, which they claim proves that the husband was present and that all of them prayed together, Umm Hani, her husband, and Muhammad. However, Islamic sources clearly state that this husband later fled the country out of fear of Muhammad. This raises the question: if that man had invited Muhammad into his home and prayed together with his wife, why did he not accept Islam after the conquest of Mecca, and instead abandon his wife and flee in fear of Muhammad?
According to Sirat Ibn Hisham 1/402–403; Ibn Kathir, as-Sirah an-Nabawiyyah 1/295; Ansab al-Ashraf 1/362; Sirat Ibn Hisham 2/420; Usud al-Ghabah 5/628; Ibn Durayd, al-Ishtiqaq p. 152; and A‘lam an-Nisa 4/14, Umm Hani is seen on the scene on the day of the conquest of Mecca. On that day she accepted Islam, and her husband fled from Mecca toward Najran. Upon hearing of his wife Umm Hani’s acceptance of Islam, her husband composed a poem rebuking her.
Most Islamic sources state that Umm Hani accepted Islam after the conquest of Mecca (Sirat al-Mustafa, Allama Idris Kandhlawi, Islamic Foundation, volume 3, page 43). If so, how could they have prayed together before the Hijrah, when Muhammad was still in Mecca? On that night, Umm Hani was not even a Muslim. If they did not pray, then what were they doing together at night?
A sahih hadith in Mishkat al-Masabih (Mishkat), hadith 3101 [4], narrated from Jabir, states that the Messenger of Allah said: “No one should spend the night with a married woman except her husband or a mahram (one with whom marriage is forbidden).” (Also sahih: Muslim 2171). Yet Muhammad himself issued such a prohibition, while he himself spent the night with a non-mahram woman.
According to As-hab-e Rasul-er Jibonkotha (Life of Prophet), Mahila Sahabi by Muhammad Abdul Mabud, Bangladesh Islamic Center, volume 6, page 99, and Siratun Nabi by Ibn Hisham, Islamic Foundation Bangladesh, volume 2, page 76, on the night of the Isra, when Muhammad was preparing to depart, Umm Hani pulled one end of his cloak, causing part of his abdomen to become exposed. Umm Hani then described the beauty of his abdomen, saying that Muhammad’s abdomen was like finely folded Egyptian Coptic linen. Now consider how Islamic it would be for Umm Hani, as a virtuous believing woman, to see part of the body of a non-mahram man, to be impressed by it, and to praise its beauty.
No such description of the beauty of Muhammad’s exposed abdomen is found from any of his wives; only Umm Hani expressed such enthusiasm, claiming that she had seen it multiple times, and also praising his smile. Umm Hani would say: “I have never seen a smile more beautiful than that of the Messenger of Allah. And whenever I saw the Messenger of Allah’s abdomen, it would come to my mind. On the day of the conquest of Mecca, I saw four braids tied on his head.” (Al-Waqidi, page 427) Such descriptions logically raise the question of why only Umm Hani provides such intimate details, which are absent even from Muhammad’s wives. This description of the braids is also found in what are claimed to be sahih hadiths.
Sahih Shama’il al-Tirmidhi, hadith 26, narrated from Umm Hani. She said: “I saw the Messenger of Allah with four braids tied in his hair.” (Musnad Ahmad, hadith 27430; al-Mu‘jam al-Kabir of al-Tabarani, hadith 20483.)
According to Tafsir Ibn Kathir, Islamic Foundation Bangladesh, volume 6, page 251, in a narration reported by Umm Hani, Muhammad ibn Ishaq narrates from Muhammad ibn Muhammad Sa’ib al-Kalbi … from Umm Hani bint Abu Talib, who relates regarding the Mi‘raj of the Messenger of Allah:
“On the night when the Mi‘raj of the Messenger of Allah took place, he slept in my house. After the ‘Isha prayer, he slept again, and we also slept. Before dawn, we awakened the Messenger of Allah. When he prayed, and we prayed along with him, he said: ‘O Umm Hani, I prayed the ‘Isha prayer with you, and now I have also prayed the Fajr prayer with you. In between this time, Allah the Exalted took me to Bayt al-Maqdis and then returned me back to you, as you can see.’”
Abu Ya‘la narrated this hadith in his Musnad through Muhammad ibn Isma‘il al-Ansari … from Umm Hani, and he provided a more detailed account. Hafiz Abul Qasim al-Tabarani narrated from Abdul A‘la ibn Abdul Musawir … from Umm Hani, who said: “On the night of the Mi‘raj, the Messenger of Allah was in my house. Then when I could not find him, I became extremely anxious and spent a sleepless night, fearing that the Quraysh might have caused him some harm.”
According to Bukhari Sharif: Bengali Translation and Detailed Commentary, Siratun Nabi compilation by Maulana Shamsul Haq Faridpuri, volume 5, Hamidiya Library, published in 1977–78, page 507, the Prophet returned to his companions shortly before dawn. That is, the Prophet had been with his companions earlier. After returning, among the companions Abu Bakr asked, “Where were you during the night?” Abu Bakr had searched for Muhammad everywhere but did not find him. This means that in between, the Prophet had gone somewhere and spent almost the entire night there. In response to Abu Bakr’s question, the Prophet said that during that time he had gone to Bayt al-Maqdis.
According to Islamic narrations, Muhammad came to Umm Hani’s house and slept there at night. That is, leaving Abu Bakr and others near the Ka‘bah, the Prophet went to Umm Hani’s residence, did something with Umm Hani, then fell asleep. Before dawn, he returned to Abu Bakr and the others and said that he had gone to Bayt al-Maqdis.
Many fabrications have been added to the story of the Mi‘raj. A separate article will be written about this soon. Until then, you yourselves should judge, what does your conscience tell you: did Muhammad go to the heavens, or did he take Umm Hani to the heavens?
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