{"id":14,"date":"2016-03-21T01:24:15","date_gmt":"2016-03-21T01:24:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.harvard.edu\/enlightenedperception\/?page_id=14"},"modified":"2016-05-02T01:29:52","modified_gmt":"2016-05-02T01:29:52","slug":"piece-3","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/enlightenedperception\/piece-3\/","title":{"rendered":"The Transporter"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\t\t<style type=\"text\/css\">\n\t\t\t#gallery-1 {\n\t\t\t\tmargin: auto;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t#gallery-1 .gallery-item {\n\t\t\t\tfloat: left;\n\t\t\t\tmargin-top: 10px;\n\t\t\t\ttext-align: center;\n\t\t\t\twidth: 33%;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t#gallery-1 img {\n\t\t\t\tborder: 2px solid #cfcfcf;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t#gallery-1 .gallery-caption {\n\t\t\t\tmargin-left: 0;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t\/* see gallery_shortcode() in wp-includes\/media.php *\/\n\t\t<\/style>\n\t\t<div id='gallery-1' class='gallery galleryid-14 gallery-columns-3 gallery-size-medium'><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon portrait'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/enlightenedperception\/piece-3\/20160322_004642\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"169\" height=\"300\" src=\"https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/enlightenedperception\/files\/2016\/03\/20160322_004642-e1458623503900-169x300.jpg\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/enlightenedperception\/files\/2016\/03\/20160322_004642-e1458623503900-169x300.jpg 169w, https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/enlightenedperception\/files\/2016\/03\/20160322_004642-e1458623503900-768x1365.jpg 768w, https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/enlightenedperception\/files\/2016\/03\/20160322_004642-e1458623503900-576x1024.jpg 576w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 169px) 100vw, 169px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt><\/dl><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon portrait'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/enlightenedperception\/piece-3\/20160322_004727\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"169\" height=\"300\" src=\"https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/enlightenedperception\/files\/2016\/03\/20160322_004727-e1458623531910-169x300.jpg\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/enlightenedperception\/files\/2016\/03\/20160322_004727-e1458623531910-169x300.jpg 169w, https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/enlightenedperception\/files\/2016\/03\/20160322_004727-e1458623531910-768x1365.jpg 768w, https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/enlightenedperception\/files\/2016\/03\/20160322_004727-e1458623531910-576x1024.jpg 576w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 169px) 100vw, 169px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt><\/dl><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon portrait'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/enlightenedperception\/piece-3\/20160322_004651\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"169\" height=\"300\" src=\"https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/enlightenedperception\/files\/2016\/03\/20160322_004651-e1458623540891-169x300.jpg\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/enlightenedperception\/files\/2016\/03\/20160322_004651-e1458623540891-169x300.jpg 169w, https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/enlightenedperception\/files\/2016\/03\/20160322_004651-e1458623540891-768x1365.jpg 768w, https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/enlightenedperception\/files\/2016\/03\/20160322_004651-e1458623540891-576x1024.jpg 576w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 169px) 100vw, 169px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt><\/dl><br style=\"clear: both\" \/><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon portrait'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/enlightenedperception\/piece-3\/20160322_004704\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"169\" height=\"300\" src=\"https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/enlightenedperception\/files\/2016\/03\/20160322_004704-e1458623549582-169x300.jpg\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/enlightenedperception\/files\/2016\/03\/20160322_004704-e1458623549582-169x300.jpg 169w, https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/enlightenedperception\/files\/2016\/03\/20160322_004704-e1458623549582-768x1365.jpg 768w, https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/enlightenedperception\/files\/2016\/03\/20160322_004704-e1458623549582-576x1024.jpg 576w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 169px) 100vw, 169px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt><\/dl><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon portrait'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/enlightenedperception\/piece-3\/20160322_004712\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"169\" height=\"300\" src=\"https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/enlightenedperception\/files\/2016\/03\/20160322_004712-e1458623557122-169x300.jpg\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/enlightenedperception\/files\/2016\/03\/20160322_004712-e1458623557122-169x300.jpg 169w, https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/enlightenedperception\/files\/2016\/03\/20160322_004712-e1458623557122-768x1365.jpg 768w, https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/enlightenedperception\/files\/2016\/03\/20160322_004712-e1458623557122-576x1024.jpg 576w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 169px) 100vw, 169px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt><\/dl><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon portrait'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/enlightenedperception\/piece-3\/20160322_004721\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"169\" height=\"300\" src=\"https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/enlightenedperception\/files\/2016\/03\/20160322_004721-e1458623564413-169x300.jpg\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/enlightenedperception\/files\/2016\/03\/20160322_004721-e1458623564413-169x300.jpg 169w, https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/enlightenedperception\/files\/2016\/03\/20160322_004721-e1458623564413-768x1365.jpg 768w, https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/enlightenedperception\/files\/2016\/03\/20160322_004721-e1458623564413-576x1024.jpg 576w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 169px) 100vw, 169px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt><\/dl><br style=\"clear: both\" \/>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Week 4: Prophet Muhammad as Paradigm, the Mi\u2018r\u0101j, and Poetry in Praise of the Prophet<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Of all the folklore surround the Prophet Muhammad, the <em>Mi\u2019raj<\/em> is surely among the most spectacular. Yet, before the Prophet ascended to the heavens to speak with the previous prophets and God, he undertook the <em>Isra\u2019<\/em> in travelling from the sacred mosque in Mecca to the furthest sanctuary, which was interpreted to be the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem (Lecture 8). In his journey, Muhammad was said to be led by the angel Gabriel and rode on a winged half-horse, half-woman figure name Buraq. While Gabriel\u2019s importance in the tradition is relatively clear as an archangel, Buraq\u2019s inclusion into Muhammad\u2019s journey is rather curious. Why include a name and such detail for Buraq when she seemingly could have been excluded from the story as a whole?<\/p>\n<p>I attempt to justify Buraq\u2019s necessity by making her the main focus of <em>The Transporter<\/em> and by excluding any explicit references to Muhammad or the angel Gabriel. My piece shows Buraq as a \u00a0beautiful beast that is described as \u201ca trusty chestnut steed of noble breeding\u201d that \u201csmelled like the perfumes of Paradise\u201d with a saddle made of jewels and gold when she is presented to the Prophet (Chelebi 30, Knappert 75). These physical attributes qualify Buraq\u2019s importance; she holds much more power than a simple horse that would never have the same adornments or scents. After she\u2019s introduced to Muhammad, Buraq is then said to be granted access to Paradise by the Prophet and carries him to Jerusalem (Knappert 75). Buraq\u2019s role as Muhammad\u2019s transportation is symbolic for the prerequisites for entry to heaven; just as she carries Muhammad to Jerusalem, love for God will carry Muslims to heaven. This sense of love is what I aimed to capture in <em>The Transporter<\/em> through both the focus on Buraq, symbolizing the focus on love in the religion, and the literal heart on Buraq\u2019s chest. The heart on Buraq&#8217;s chest and the jeweled carpet along her back and sides reiterate her importance; every time that someone looks at Buraq, they are reminded of her significance\u00a0and, by extension, the significance\u00a0of love in a relationship with God.<\/p>\n<p>Furthermore, Buraq&#8217;s role as the symbol of love plays largely into Sufi traditions in Islam. Sufism tends to focus on living a &#8220;God-centric&#8221; life in which the lover (Muslim) is completely annihilated in love for the beloved (God). However, this love must be of a special kind; it can&#8217;t be earthly love, but must instead be\u00a0<em>ishq-i haqiqi<\/em>, or &#8220;real love&#8221; for God (Lecture 14-16). This is the love that Buraq represents in\u00a0<em>The Transporter<\/em>. Thus, by representing Buraq as\u00a0<em>ishq-i haqiqi<\/em>, the piece holds a two-fold function that applies to all Muslims; not only does she represent the greater love that is present in Islam, but also more centrally represents the classical Sufi idea of &#8220;real love&#8221; for God that is associated with being truly &#8220;God-centric&#8221; in an ascent along the path (<em>tariqah<\/em>) to the &#8220;real&#8221; (<em>haqiqah<\/em>).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&nbsp; Week 4: Prophet Muhammad as Paradigm, the Mi\u2018r\u0101j, and Poetry in Praise of the Prophet Of all the folklore surround the Prophet Muhammad, the Mi\u2019raj is surely among the most spectacular. Yet, before the Prophet ascended to the heavens to speak with the previous prophets and God, he undertook the Isra\u2019 in travelling from [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7980,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-14","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/enlightenedperception\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/14","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/enlightenedperception\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/enlightenedperception\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/enlightenedperception\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7980"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/enlightenedperception\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=14"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/enlightenedperception\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/14\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":59,"href":"https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/enlightenedperception\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/14\/revisions\/59"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/enlightenedperception\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}