Buraq: Difference between revisions

[[Islam and Scripture|Islamic sources]] describe it as a tall, white, handsome-faced, long eared, bridled male beast, bigger than a donkey but smaller than a mule. It has two wings on its thighs and its step is so wide that it "reached the farthest point within the reach of the [[Animals|animal's]] sight."<ref>"''...a white animal which was smaller than a mule and bigger than a donkey was brought to me... The animal's step (was so wide that it) reached the farthest point within the reach of the animal's sight.''" - {{Bukhari|5|58|227}}</ref><ref>"''...the Buraq, handsome-faced and bridled, a tall, white beast, bigger than the donkey but smaller than the mule. He could place his hooves at the farthest boundary of his gaze. He had long ears. Whenever he faced a mountain his hind legs would extend, and whenever he went downhill his front legs would extend. He had two wings on his thighs which lent strength to his legs.''" - Muhammad al-Alawi al-Maliki, al-Anwar al Bahiyya min Isra wa l-Mi'raj Khayr al-Bariyyah</ref> In others it is a white, winged, half-mule, half-donkey, who's every stride can take it as far as the eye can see.<ref>''[https://www.justislam.co.uk/images/Ibn%20Ishaq%20-%20Sirat%20Rasul%20Allah.pdf The Life of Muhammad. A translation of Ishaq's "Sirat Rasul Allah"].'' Translated by Alfred Guillaume. Oxford University Press. First published 1955. pp 182.  

Critics contend this story is difficult to reconcile with modern information about our universe, such as the distance between the heavens having to be a minimum of our visible universe, which is approximately 46.5 billion light years away.<ref>''[https://www.mos.org/mos-at-home/pulsar/how-far-away-is-the-edge-of-the-universe#:~:text=We're%20looking%20back%20in,again%2C%20is%20what%20cosmologists%20do. How Far Away is the Edge of the Universe?]'' Museum of Science Podcast. Janine Myszka.</ref> For context, a light year is the distance light travels in one year, which is 5.88 trillion miles/9.46 trillion kilometres,<ref>''[https://exoplanets.nasa.gov/faq/26/what-is-a-light-year/ What is a light-year?]'' FAQs. Exoplanet Exploration. NASA.  </ref> making the distance around 2.7342e+22 miles away.<ref>''[https://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/12/science/randall-munroe-xkcd-universe-driving.html How Long is the Drive to the Edge of the Universe?]'' Randall Munroe. 2022. The New York Times.</ref> There is also not enough oxygen to breathe in space<ref>''[https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2021/oct/07/ask-dr-universe-why-cant-we-breathe-in-space/#:~:text=All%20living%20organisms%20require%20energy,and%20their%20lungs%20would%20burst. Ask Dr. Universe: Why can’t we breathe in space?]''  2021. The Spokesman review</ref> and Ebullism can occur, where in a low pressure environment like space, the boiling point of your body’s fluids becomes much lower,<ref>''[https://www.labmate-online.com/news/news-and-views/5/breaking-news/can-you-survive-in-space-without-a-spacesuit/39645 Can You Survive in Space Without a Spacesuit?]'' 2016. Labmate Online. International Labmate Limited.</ref> as well as radiation and issues, with estimates of how long a human could survive being at most minutes without a modern space suit.<ref>''[https://www.space.com/how-long-could-you-survive-in-space-without-spacesuit How long could you survive in space without a spacesuit?]'' Andrew Jones. 2023. Space.com</ref> One could argue he was supported by Gods 'magic' to break the laws of physics, though that would make the purpose of the Buraq somewhat redundant.