Sidrat al-Muntaha
Sidrat al-Muntahā (Arabic: سِدْرَة المُنْتَهی), literally: Lote Tree of the Utmost Boundary, is a place or a tree in the sky mentioned in the Qur'an as well as the hadith of Mi'raj. In his Mi'raj, the Prophet (s) saw Sidrat al-Muntaha (Utmost Boundary).
In the Qur'an and Hadiths
The phrase, "Sidrat al-Muntaha", was used in the Qur'an, Sura al-Najm. The surrounding verses are concerned with the story of the Prophet's (s) Mi'raj and the way he received the revelations:
- Then he drew nearer and nearer.
- until he was within two bows' length or even nearer.
- whereat He revealed to His servant whatever He revealed.
- The heart did not deny what it saw.
- Will you then dispute with him about what he saw?!
- Certainly he saw it yet another time,
- by the Lote Tree of the Ultimate Boundary (Sidrat al-Muntaha),
- near which is the Garden of the Abode,
- when there covered the Lote Tree what covered it. (Qur'an 53:8-16)
Verses 8-11 are concerned with the Prophet's (s) meeting with the source of the revelation, and the verse 12 points to the denial of this meeting by some people. The subsequent verses point out that the Prophet (s) had met the source before "at Sidrat al-Muntaha".
Sidrat al-Muntaha is also mentioned in some hadiths. For example, there is a hadith from the Prophet (s) in which he says:
- Then my Lord talked to me and I talked to Him, and I saw the Heaven, the Hell, the Throne, and Sidrat al-Muntaha, and then I returned to Mecca.[1]
Significance
In addition to different interpretations of the phrase, "Sidrat al-Muntaha", offered by Quranic exegetes, theologians also referred to it in their discussions of Mi'raj and the Heaven. For Muslim mystics, Sidrat al-Muntaha is considered as a symbol for the highest degree of closeness to God.[2]
Appellation
According to Tafsir al-Qurtubi, 9 reasons have been mentioned for the appellation of "Sidrat al-Muntaha" (literally: the Lote Tree of the Utmost Boundary), such as its being the utmost boundary of the knowledge of the prophets, its being the utmost boundary for people who practice the tradition of Muhammad (s), and its being the utmost level of dignity.[3]
What Is It?
There are two views about the notion of Sidrat al-Muntaha:
A Tree in the Sky
According to some hadiths, Sidrat al-Muntaha is a tree in the sky. The hadiths have variously characterized the width of its shadow, the thickness of its trunk, the denseness of its branches and leaves, the colorfulness of its fruits, its golden cover, and other features.[4]
According to al-Mizan, the word, "sidra", means the lote tree, and the word, "muntaha", is the name of a place, and it may as well mean the utmost boundary of the sky.[5]
According to Majma' al-bayan, "sidra" is a tree above the seventh sky on the right side of the Divine Throne ('Arsh) which is the utmost boundary of angels.[6]
According to some hadiths, "Sidrat al-Muntaha" is the same as the Tuba Tree.[7]
A Place in the Sky
According to some sources and more recent scholarships, Sidrat al-Muntaha is a place in the sky.
According to Tafsir-i nimuna, Sidrat al-Muntaha is a great sunshade in the neighborhood of God, saying that although there is no explication of the nature of Sidrat al-Muntaha in the Qur'an, different characterizations of it have been provided in hadiths. These characterizations show that it is not a physical, literal tree; rather it refers to a sunshade in the neighborhood of the Divine Mercy where angels exalt God on the leaves, and righteous, pure people refuge to its shade.[8]
Ahmad Pakatchi believes that given that Sura al-Najm, especially the verses in question, are Makki,[9] Sidrat al-Muntaha must have been familiar to polytheists of Mecca who were the Prophet's (s) audiences at the time of the revelation. He appeals to certain pieces of evidence to show that Sidrat al-Muntaha is the furthest and the least shining constellation in the sky.[10]
In Islamic Mysticism
In mystical works, "Sidrat al-Muntaha" is used as a symbol for the highest degree of closeness to the Lord. For example, 'Ayn al-Qudat al-Hamadani (6th/12th century) said:
- "If the traveler of the path of truth saves himself from the Satan's trap and avoids any thoughts that harm his purity, then he will purge himself of all troubles and pains and reach Sidrat al-Muntaha".[11]
Notes
- ↑ Ṭabrisī, Majmaʿ al-bayān, vol. 6, p. 610.
- ↑ Pākatchī, "Bāzkhānī-yi mafhūm-i sidrat al-muntahā", p. 9.
- ↑ Qurṭubī, Tafsīr al-Qurṭubī, vol. 17, p. 95.
- ↑ Mudarrisī, "Sidrat al-muntahā", p. 30.
- ↑ Ṭabāṭabāyī, al-Mīzān fī tafsīr al-Qurʾān, vol. 19, p. 26.
- ↑ Ṭabrisī, Majmaʿ al-bayān, vol. 9, p. 256.
- ↑ Ṭabrisī, Majmaʿ al-bayān, vol. 6, p. 610; Abū l-Futūḥ al-Rāzī, Rawḍ al-jinān wa rawḥ al-janān, vol. 18, p. 173.
- ↑ Makārim Shīrāzī, Tafsīr-i nimūna, vol. 22, p. 506-507.
- ↑ Ṭabarī, Jāmiʿ al-bayān, vol. 27, p. 40.
- ↑ Pākatchī, "Bāzkhānī-yi mafhūm-i sidrat al-muntahā", p. 7-46.
- ↑ Hamidānī, Tamhīdāt, p. 49.
References
- Abū l-Futūḥ al-Rāzī, Ḥusayn b. ʿAlī. Rawḍ al-jinān wa rawḥ al-janān. Edited by Muḥammad Jaʿfar Yāḥaqī. Mashhad: Bunyād-i Pazhūhishhā-yi Islāmī-yi Āstān-i Quds-i Raḍawī, 1376 Sh.
- Hamidānī. Tamhīdāt. Edited by ʿAfīf ʿAsīrān. [n.p]: Kitābkhāna-yi Manūchihrī, [n.d].
- Makārim Shīrāzī, Nāṣir. Tafsīr-i nimūna. Tehran: Dār al-Kutub al-Islāmīyya, 1374 Sh.
- Mudarrisī, Sayyid Ḥasan. 1369 Sh. "Sidrat al-muntahā dar faḍā-yi farhang-i Iran." Majalla-yi Mishkāt 29:26-41.
- Pākatchī, Aḥmad. 1394 Sh. "Bāzkhānī-yi mafhūm-i sidrat al-muntahā bā rūykard-i guftumānī." Faṣlnāma-yi Ṣaḥifa-yi Mubīn 58:7-46.
- Qurṭubī, Muḥammad b. Aḥmad al-. Tafsīr al-Qurṭubī. Beirut: Dār Iḥyāʾ al-Turāth al-ʿArabī, 1405 AH.
- Ṭabarī, Muḥammad b. Jarīr al-. Jāmiʿ al-bayān. Beirut: dār al-Fikr, 1405 AH.
- Ṭabrisī, Faḍl b. al-Ḥasan al-. Majmaʿ al-bayān. Beirut: Dār al-Maʿrifa, [n.d].