International Journal Of Literature And Languages
61
https://theusajournals.com/index.php/ijll
VOLUME
Vol.05 Issue05 2025
PAGE NO.
61-64
10.37547/ijll/Volume05Issue05-17
"Hayrat Ul-Abror" And "Farhod Va Shirin"
Epics’
Description of The Night of Ascension
Rasulov Boboravshan
Doctoral student, Alisher Navoi Uzbek Language and Literature University, Uzbekistan
Received:
23 March 2025;
Accepted:
19 April 2025;
Published:
21 May 2025
Abstract:
This article analyzes the na’t chapters of the "Khamsa" epics by Mir Alisher Navoi, the Sultan of the
realm of words. Specifically, it focuses on how the Night of Ascension (Isro and M
e’roj) in Islamic history has been
emphasized in Navoiy’s works, reflecting his views on the education of the ideal human
.
Keywords:
Me’roj, verse, hadith, basmala, praise, prayer, epic, ideal human, na’t, description, angel, Buraq
.
Introduction:
Classical literature in the East is
unimaginable without basmala, praise (hamd), and na’t
(praise of the Prophet). Eastern classical poets and
writers always adhered to the “etiquette of
classification” when composing their works. The
introduction chapters hold particular importance, with
praise to Allah and the Prophet, alongside the
description of the Night of Ascension, receiving special
attention.
The "Night of Ascension" in Islamic history refers to the
Prophet Muhammad's (peace be upon him) nocturnal
journey from Mecca to Jerusalem (Isra) and his
ascension from the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem to the
heavens (Me'raj). This event is well-documented in the
verses of the Qur'an and the sayings of the Prophet
(hadith). As these events are considered divine
miracles, those who are restricted by materialistic and
intellectual evidence tend to reject them. According to
hadiths and narrations, the Prophet Muhammad,
under the leadership of the angel Jibril (Gabriel),
traveled vast distances during the night, returning with
unforgettable memories of this celestial journey.
Notably, he met with the great past prophets across the
seven levels of heaven and witnessed both heaven and
hell.
The word "Me'raj" means "ascension" and also refers
to a "ladder" or "staircase." In Islamic history, it refers
to the ascension of Prophet Muhammad (peace be
upon him) to the heavens. In Eastern classical
literature, the description of the Night of Ascension
holds special significance. For instance, the tradition of
writing Me'rojnoma (the book of ascension) or
describing it in a chapter became established. The
event of Me’raj is one of the greatest miracles granted
to Prophet Muhammad, a distinction never granted to
any other prophet. The Me’raj event transcends human
comprehension, with concepts such as time, space, and
distance being beyond human understanding. On this
night, the five daily prayers were made obligatory. The
Night of Ascension and the Night of Isra are celebrated
on the twenty-seventh night of the Islamic month of
Rajab.
The "Explanatory Dictionary of the Works of Navoiy"
notes three meanings for the word me'raj. The first
meaning is "ladder" or "staircase," the second meaning
is "to ascend" or "to rise up to the sky," and the third
meaning refers to Prophet Muhammad’
s journey from
Mecca to Jerusalem and his ascension to the heavens
from Jerusalem”
.
Hazrat Alisher Navoiy gave special attention to the
description of the Night of Ascension (Me'raj) in his
works "Xamsa" and "Lison ut-Tayr." The total length of
the "Xamsa" is 54,000 verses. Of these, 435 verses from
27,000 are dedicated to the events of Isra and Me'raj.
Each of the five epics in this collection contains a
specific chapter dedicated to the Night of Ascension.
Subsequent periods in Uzbek literature produced
works such as "Me'rojnoma," "The Story of Prophet
Ismail," "The Story of Prophet Ayyub," "The Story of
Prophet Yusuf," and "The Story of Prophet Zufnun."
International Journal Of Literature And Languages
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International Journal Of Literature And Languages (ISSN: 2771-2834)
These literary works reflect the artistic tradition of
Islam in literature. Young scholar J. Turdiyev, in his
studies on Turkish Me'rojnomas, discusses the
traditional motifs used in these texts, stating: "Turkish
Me'rojnomas are gems of classical literature based on
Hadith. The texts of Me'rojnomas in the Turkish
language are made up of Hadith and their meanings,
and it is appropriate to study these as motives in both
prose and poetry. Each event that occurred during the
Night of Ascension is included as a motif in great detail
in the prose and poetry of Me'rojnomas."
He categorizes the motives used in the Me'rojnomas
into the following groups:
•
Motives occurring before the event of Isra;
•
Motives related to the journey of Isra;
•
Motives during the Me'raj event;
•
Motives related to events after the return from
Isra and Me'raj”
.
The Uzbek scholar Ziy
oda G‘afforova, who studied
Alisher Navoiy’s lyrics, categorizes the naats (praise
poems) in the poet’s ghazals into two types:
1.
Vasf Naats
2.
Me'rojnoma Naats
The main characteristic of vasf naats is that they
describe the general qualities of the Prophet
Muhammad. These naats focus on his virtues,
characteristics, intercession, miracles, and, notably, his
Me'raj (Ascension). In Navoiy’s vasf naats, the most
important Islamic aspects of the Prophet’s life and
attributes are highlighted. However, Me'raj is not the
central theme in these ghazals. When the depiction of
Me'raj becomes more pronounced, the ghazal shifts
away from being categorized as a vasf naat and should
instead be considered as a me'rojnoma naat.
Thus, in me'rojnoma naats, the description of Me'raj
becomes the focal point, indicating a deeper focus on
the Night of Ascension itself.
The fifth eulogy of the "Hayratul Abror" epic, consisting
of 53 verses, is dedicated to the night of Isra and Mi'raj.
It is titled "The description of the Mi'raj night as a divine
miracle: 'Subhanallazi asra,' which is substantiated by
the two faithful witnesses: 'bi-abdihi laylan minal
masjidil haromi ilal masjidil aqso.'"
This eulogy begins with the following verses:
Bir kecha zulmatqa qolib koinot,
Mehr nihon o`ylaki aynul-hayot.
Garchiki ul chashma nazardin qochib,
Xizr ko‘k uzra qatarotin sochib.
Tun qilibon gardini anbar sirisht,
Butratibon yerga nasimi bihisht.
Yer kuravi shakl ila mijmar bo‘lub,
Kecha savodi anga anbar bo‘lub.
O‘t kib
i yer mijmari ostida mehr,
Yopib etak mijmara uzra sipehr.
Yog‘ibon oromu sukun yog‘ini,
Past qilib hodisa tufrog`ini.
Bu kecha ul sarvi gulistoni uns,
Ravshan etib sham’i shabistoni uns.
Vasl xayolidin etib ko‘ngli xush,
Bahrdek ul jo‘sh ila ayla
b xurush,
Kim etib ul soyiri ulviy maqom,
Ilgida bir toyiri ulviy xirom.
Po‘yada ko‘k sayricha orom anga,
Yerdin o`lub ko`kkacha bir gom anga…
Hazrat Navoiy's work "Hayrat ul-Abror" ("The
Astonishment of the Good People") is considered an
"opening" or "introduction" epic. It includes five
eulogies, four of which are dedicated to the description
of the Prophet Muhammad's qualities (known as
"vasf") and the fifth one to the Mi'raj (Ascension). In his
eulogies, Hazrat Navoiy emphasizes that the reason for
the creation of the world is the existence of the perfect
human being, Rasulullah (Peace and Blessings Be Upon
Him). In the first eulogy, he focuses on the concept of
"Nur Muhammadiya" (the Light of Muhammad) from
Sufi teachings:
Bo‘ldi sanga Odami sabqatnamo,
Avval o‘g‘ul, so‘ngra gar o‘lsa oto.
Through this verse, based on the concept of "Nur
Muhammadiya," it is emphasized that before creating
the universe, Allah (Ta'ala) created the light of
Muhammad. It is through this light that the universe
and humans were created. Prophet Adam (Peace Be
Upon Him) was also created from the light of
Muhammad. Therefore, Prophet Muhammad (Peace
and Blessings Be Upon Him) is both a father and a son
to Adam (Peace Be Upon Him).
International Journal Of Literature And Languages
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International Journal Of Literature And Languages (ISSN: 2771-2834)
In the second eulogy, the early life of the Prophet
Muhammad (Peace and Blessings Be Upon Him) is
described, highlighting his childhood, his being an
orphan, his involvement in trade, and the respect and
authority he held within his tribe before being granted
the status of prophethood.
In the third eulogy, the miracles of the Prophet’s
prophethood are highlighted
—
such as his ability to
exist without a shadow, the miraculous splitting of the
moon with a gesture of his finger, his wisdom despite
being illiterate, and his being sent as a mercy to all
worlds.
The fourth eulogy focuses on the qualities of the
Prophet Muhammad (Peace and Blessings Be Upon
Him), his family, and his companions, including the four
great caliphs
—
Abu Bakr Siddiq, Umar Farooq, Usman
Zunnurayn, and Ali Murtaza.
The fifth eulogy, in line with tradition, is dedicated to
describing the event of the Mi'raj (Ascension). While
the Prophet Muhammad (Peace and Blessings Be Upon
Him) had many miracles, the two key miracles
—
Mi'raj
and
Shafa'ah
(Intercession)
—
are
particularly
emphasized in literary works. The Mi'raj event was
pivotal in distinguishing the boundary between
disbelief and faith
—
those who believed in it were
considered Muslims, and those who rejected it were
considered disbelievers. The issue of Shafa'ah proves
that the Prophet Muhammad (Peace and Blessings Be
Upon Him) alone has the power to intercede for his
followers, and this blessing continues until the Day of
Judgment.
In this eulogy, the miraculous journey of Prophet
Muhammad (Peace and Blessings Be Upon Him) is
described, emphasizing his ascension to the heavens
while riding the mythical Buraq. During this journey, he
traversed through the stars and planets, and the
miraculous nature of this journey is highlighted,
particularly the fact that it occurred in a remarkably
short period of time. This event is depicted as a divine
sign of the Prophet's extraordinary status and the
transcendence of human understanding regarding time
and space. The description of the journey signifies the
miraculous nature of the Mi'raj, where the Prophet is
elevated beyond the limitations of the earthly realm:
Borg‘oniyu kelgani bir on o‘lub,
Aql bu mansubda hayron o‘lub.
The second epic poem of "Khamsa" "Farhod and Shirin"
consists of 54 chapters and 5782 verses. The eleventh
chapter is an introduction, and the fifth chapter is
devoted to the description of the night of the
ascension. On this night, it is described that our
Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
rode on the horse Buraq and went to the presence of
Allah Almighty, passing through 12 constellations and 7
planets. The Messenger of Allah, passing through
twelve constellations and seven planets, ascended to
Lomakon and approached the Creator at the level of
"qaba qawsayn" (the distance between two arcs). This
situation is described in the epic as follows:
Anga bu surma boʻlgʻoch qurratul ayn,
Nasib oʻldi maqomi “qoba qavsayn”.
Oʻzin gum aylabon, lekin topib Haq,
Koʻrinmay kimsa Haqdin ayru mutlaq.
The characteristic qualities attributed to the Prophet in
the na't part of the work "Farhod and Shirin" are also
applied to the image of Farhod in the main part of the
epic. In particular, Farhod also acquires very deep
knowledge with divine wisdom from receiving special
education. Farhod is given knowledge, enlightenment,
religious and secular sciences by divine grace. The work
emphasizes that Farhod is a perfect person.
The fifth na't of the poem "Farhod and Shirin"
consisting of 68 verses is dedicated to the night of Isra
and Me'raj, and it says "He is a man of character, who
in the dark night was a tiger, who came out of the
darkness, and was a messenger of the "Minaz-zulumoti
ilan nur" from the messenger of the holy one, but
rather he is a pure horse under the pure lineage of the
pure one, and he reported from the "nur alo nur" from
the messenger of the holy one, and these lights are
called the kingdom of the heavens, bright and angelic."
This naat begins with the following verses:
Ul aqshomkim, yuziga lu’bati Chin,
Eshib marg‘ula yoydi zulfi
mushkin.
Nasim ul mushk isin butrotti har yon,
Havo ra`nolarig`a sotti har yon.
Yoshundi mushk ichinda Chin g‘azoli,
Dema Chinkim, falak zarrin g‘azoli.
Qayu zarrin g`azola, turki chin de,
Qaro tufroqqa kirgon mahjabin de.
Quyosh so`gi ishi kirgach arog‘a,
Falak lu`batlari kirdi qarog‘a.
Ne so‘gu ne qaro, iqbol shomi,
Jahonning asru farruxfol shomi.
International Journal Of Literature And Languages
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International Journal Of Literature And Languages (ISSN: 2771-2834)
Bo‘lub har shabnami Nohid yanglig‘,
Yorub har axtari xurshid yanglig‘.
Yorug‘luq muncha yo‘q anjumg‘a maqdur,
Ochib ruxsori sham`in yuz tuman hur.
Bu aqshom ul charog‘i olamafro‘z,
Ichinda vasl sham’i o‘tidin so‘z.
Solib bir go‘shada rartav nihoni,
Kim, aylab mizbonlig‘ ummahoniy.
Ki, etti ul baridi homili roz,
Qo`linda bir Buroqi barqrarvoz…
CONCLUSION
In conclusion, we can see that the poems of Hazrat
Navoi describe the qualities of a perfect person and
give him specific qualities.
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