The Concept of Buraq in the Events of Isra’ Mi'raj: Literature and Physics Perspective

Isra’ Mi'raj is one of the greatest phenomena that happened to the Prophet Muhammad PBUH after his beloved wife, Khadijah al-Kubra, passed away. It was told that when this event occurred, the Prophet Muhammad PBUH used Buraq during his journey from the Masjidil Haram, Makkah to the Masjidil Aqsha, Palestine, and when he ascended to Sidratul Muntaha. This research applied a descriptive qualitative method with a literature study. The results of this study indicate that there are two versions of the explanation about Buraq. From the literature’s perspective, the Buraq is visualized as a riding animal in the form of a fourlegged animal that has high speed. This perspective is aimed at audiences from the non-academic community. Whereas,according to the physicist's perspective, Buraq is explained as a light which indeed has very high speed. This perspective is aimed at audiences from the academic community.


Introduction
Isra'and Mi'raj is one of the remarkable events that happened to the Prophet Muhammad PBUH when he was 50 years old. In his 10th prophetic year, this event is still considered impossible for those people who held stable rationality. Thus, it was easy to find people who believed that this event was just a false story or a hoax. Conversely, for those people who were free from the rationality, this event strengthened their belief in the prophet-hood and apostles of the Prophet Muhammad PBUH 1 .
In the discussion forum Building the Basic Concepts of Thinking guided by Dr. Christyaji 2 during November 2019 that was held in the al-Manhal library, Landungsari Malang, the researchers obtained a description that there were three kinds of knowledge that the Universe bestowed upon humans. The first is historical knowledge. It is all knowledge that comes from the past, which is no longer empirical. Knowledge in this category is better known as history. It prevails even for the knowledge that comes from the previous day, the previous hour, or just a previous moment. Thus, the way to respond to such knowledge is by thinking.
The second is theological knowledge. It is all knowledge that contains information about the future, which is not empirical at all. This knowledge is extremely related to human creed and belief. It depicts that every single thing that will happen in the next moment remains a mystery. Therefore, the way to deal with knowledge is to believe. However, the Universe has provided a repetition of signs or symptoms regularly, which can be recognized through the titen method, a method for being meticulous and painstaking.
The third is scientific knowledge. That is all empirical knowledge that is happening today, right now, and can be sensed. Thus, this knowledge is very limited in scope. However, scientific knowledge plays an important role in bridging between historical and theological knowledge. Through this scientific method, humans can recognize the repetition of natural phenomena that occurred in the past as a provision to predict what will happen in the future.
Through the above three knowledge categories, humans can determine their attitude towards much information that is found. Moreover, that knowledge help to determine the best way to convey the gotten information to the surrounding people.
The event of Isra' Mi'raj itself is included in the historical knowledge category since it happened centuries ago. Hence, the basic way to respond to it is by thinking. Furthermore, the next way is to process the gotten knowledge to be scientific knowledge until it can be ideas that are accepted by many people.
The previous study related to this present study mentioned that regarding semiotic studies, Isra' Mi'raj of the Prophet Muhammad PBUH and Gabrielare three signs that are related to each other. Furthermore, they form the integrity of meaning, as written in the story of the Mi'raj of the Prophet (KMN) 3 .The event of Isra'Mi'raj was divided into eight sequences in the book Bainama Qishshah al-Mi'raj (BQM), where there were complete narrative and isotopic aspects 4 . Structurally, this event has a complete storyline even though 3 Woko Gandung Anggoro and Penelitian, "Analisis Semiotik Naskah Kitab Mi'raj Nabi," Jurnal UNAIR, 2016, 89, http://journal.unair.ac.id. 4  it does not include irony 5 . This event was adapted in al-Tawabi 'wa al-Zawabi' by IbnuShuhaid and Risalat al-Ghufran by Al-Ma'ari 6 and can be told through the development of special Audio media 7 .
The event of Isra'Mi'raj is recorded in three hadiths narrated by Anas bin Malik R.A. and continued by Bukhari in his Sahih. Although there is a difference in the text of the hadith (Matan), all of its essences guides people to take lessons from that event 8 . Furthermore, this event was also recorded in some Malay and Javanese manuscripts, 9 and also,the event of Isra' Mi'raj is celebrated as an Islamic holiday, as happened in the Gorontalo community. 10 Through Isra' Mi'raj events, Allah SWT commanded shalator pray as the main worship 11 . Moreover, this event contains educational values in the form of political, social, and spiritual values 12 , and it also contains character education, which is suitable for the millennial generation 13 .
By the event of Isra' Mi'raj, some previous studies scrutinized it not only from the social science aspect but also from using the scientific aspect. The result of this research showed that this event might be revealed by the presence of super fluidal and warm holes theories. 14 In respect of this finding, this event can be rationalized by using Einstein's theory of relativity (E = mc2) 15 , Heisenberg's uncertainty theory 16 , or The Zero Kelvin's theory 17 .
Concerning the historical story of Isra' Mi'raj, there is an interesting part to be revealed. It is about the Buraq figure,which is known as a mount ofthe Prophet Muhammad PBUH. In some paintings painted by the artists in Cairo, the Buraq is visualized as an animal that is similar to a horse, fourlegged, human-headed and has a pair of wings 18 . In another way, Pratama and Sudrajat, in their research,stated that Buraq, which refers to a gleam,was also used as the theme design of a heart hospital in Surabaya. The speed of light existing inBuraq is described as the form of service and movement systems in that hospital.
Moreover,the architecture is designed by zoning and creating proper circulation to facilitatemobility. Also, the nature of the Buraq that provides security and comfort became the main attention to be realized in this hospital 19 . In another place, the visualization of the Buraq as a winged horse, human-headed, and beautifully dressed by HaryadiSuadi became the most popular glass painting as the symbolic icon of Cirebon 20 . This imagination was even adapted in Javanese dance art, especially in Brebes, Central Java 21 .
Grounded to the explanation above, in this study, the researchers present two perspectives (from literature and physics) that are used to explain Buraq to society. The objective of this study is to achieve an alignment between those two perspectives and to prevent misunderstanding between the use of one method and another.

Research Methodology
The qualitative approach was used in this study to excavate the understanding of the studied object 22 . Furthermore, this is descriptive researchthat aims to describe what is contained in the studied text critically.
The primary source of data in this study is a story about the Buraqwritten in the book of NurudhDhalam by Sheikh Muhammad Nawawi Al-Syafi'iy, which was compiled as a shari'a from nadhamAqidatul Awamby Ahmad Marzuqi's and published by DarulIlm, Surabaya, 23 Fann al-Qishshahby ZainilDahlanIsma'il which was published in DarulSayrqilJadid, Beirut, and the studied of Buraq in the book MetamorfosaKerasulan Muhammad SAW by HimatulIstiqomah 24 . Moreover, the secondary data sources were gotten from many books and research about Buraq, Isra'-Mi'raj, light theory, and other supporting data. The data collection is done by using library research methods.

Buraq Text Story
The following is the text of the story about buraq in the book of Nurudh Dhalam. Resting upon the explanation above, Buraq is told as a resident ofheaven. Among 40.000 Buraq in the gardens of paradise, there was only one Buraq that was taken by Gabriel to meet the Prophet Muhammad PBUH. It is a Buraq who loves and misses him with only hearing his name without knowing him before. The great sincerity of love to the Prophet Muhammad PBUH then become a reality when Buraq was finally reunited with him.

The Visualization of Buraq in The Literature
The following is a visualization of the Buraq in the book of NurudhDhalam. In the book Fann al-Qishshah, Buraq is also visualized as the animals that are similar to horses or white mules that have a high speed.

"(Know) that the Buraq is a four-legged animal. He is not male or female. He is not a donkey and is bigger than a horse. When walking, he set his two front legs at the edge of his view of the earth, while each of his rear legs became the foundation. He looks more like a bird that moves both ears to strengthen its
According to the data mentioned above, Buraq is visualized as a fourlegged animal, with very high speed. It was calledBuraq because of the pace of its steps that resembles lightning.

Buraq in Physics
In the origin of the word, Buraq lexically means lightning. In Physics, lightning is light that has such a high speed that it is difficult to perceive. Buraq in the Isra'event was later explained using the theory of Annihilation, a theory in Quantum Physics that explains the reaction of the formation of enormous energy due to collisions between matter and antimatter 29 .The annihilation reaction occurred when the mass of matter in the body of the Prophet Muhammad PBUH was erased by an antimatter mass inspired by Allah SWT through the Angel Gabriel, both of which collide and then disappear to form a new, greater energy known as Buraq, or in physics terms paired with gamma rays. As the concept of mass equality was formulated by Einstein, that matter under certain conditions can be turned into energy, and vice versa. Every tangible object in the Universe is composed of submicroscopic materials known as atoms, which are composed of protons, neutrons, and electrons, and every material has antimatter in it 30 .
This perspective shows that Buraq is not another subject that delivers the Prophet Muhammad PBUH in His Isra', but is part of himself. In other words, he runs Isra 'and Mi'raj with all his body, spirit, and soul 31 . This idea is as what is told in al-Barzanjiy: "Then He (Muhammad) was carried out with his spirit and body from the MasjidilHaram to the Masjidil Aqsa, which was accompanied by Gabriel. He was also raised (with his spirit and body) to the layers of the sky. Then, he was appointed to Sidratul Muntaha".
Because of the enormous speed of the Buraq, people around the Prophet Muhammad PBUH were unaware of the Isra-Mi'raj event. Therefore, this event is considered asa suprarational event 33 which many infidels deny because it cannot be sensed 34 . However, believers canhave faith, believe, and justify the event as what Abu Bakr did until he obtained the title of al-Shiddiq 35 . "Glory to ((Allah)) Who did take His servant for a Journey by night from the Sacred Mosque to the Farthest Mosque, whose precincts We did bless,-so that We might show him some of Our Signs: for He is the One Who heareth and seeth (all things)." (QS. Al-Isra' verse 1) As explained above, the Prophet Muhammad PBUH and Gabriel used the Buraq to take Isra'Mi'raj.Buraq lexically has the same meaning asword barqun(‫,)برق‬ which means lightning. Thus, Isra'or a journey from the MasjidilHaram to the MasjidilAqsa which has a distance of 1500 km or 15 x 105m can be reached within 0.005s by the Prophet Muhammad PBUHtogether with the Angel Gabriel by using Buraq (light) with a speed of 3 x 10 5 km/s or 3 x 10 8 m / s 36 .
Meanwhile, it is mentioned in verse abovethat the mileage of oil which should be achieved in 5 x 10 4 years can be reached only in some time overnight. If it is calculated mathematically using the speed formula in Physics, the following calculation will be obtained. In a paper presented by researchers in the Scientific Halaqah agenda at Luhur Malang High Boarding School, Yuda wrote that the annihilation reaction was classified as a reversible reaction. Through the reaction of materialization, the enormous energy can be broken down again to form matter and antimatter that originally collided 38 . Based on this information, after the event ofIsra'-Mi'rajProphet Muhammad PBUH can return to normal, a real figure that can be sensed. Thus, after the events of Isra'Mi'raj, he could be gathered with his people as usual.
The writer, in his discussion with Dr. Christyaji, assumes that the Prophet Muhammad PBUH probably did Isra'Mi'raj more than once. He can do it repeatedly after knowing the route to go and go home that can be taken only with superfast time.

The Explanation of Buraqin Writer Perspective
The explanation of Buraq is as what was written in the text of the Buraq story by Sheikh Muhammad Nawawi Al-Shafi'iy and ZainiDahlan Ismail. Through this visualization, it was illustrated as if the Buraq could be seen clearly in people's imagination who listen to the story. This method is very appropriate to be applied inpublic, especially for non-academic people. It is becauseit will be easier for them to receive information that hassimilarities to the empirical things they encounter in everyday life. However, the conveyance is imbued with some different and noble values. Thus, the story of Isra'Mi'raj becomes so meaningful and valuable.
Such an explanation is usually found in elementary and secondary schools as well as in some traditional boarding schools. As witnesses and actors of history, researchers acknowledge that this method is more easily accepted by the laities, especially by the children due to theirsimple and limited mindset.

The Explanation of Buraqin Physicist Perspective
As what is exemplified in annihilation theory, through the embodiment of Buraq as a light, the event of Isra' Mi'raj can be more rationally accepted. The calculations with mathematical formulas in Physics above are also very helpful in draining the imagination.
Such explanations are usually found at the higher level of education. Therefore, there were only a few people who were able to accept an ideaand knowledge from this perspective. Thus,the knowledge in thisperspective cannot be applied or generalized to the public but rather to certain academic people.

Conclusion
In the event of Isra' Mi'raj, there is an interesting object for researchers, namely Buraq. As regards this object, researchers found two areas of study about the Buraq. They are fromthe literature perspective and physics perspective (the perspective of writer and physicists).In the writer's view, based on the literature, the Buraqis illustrated in a story with its special uniqueness. This explanation is appropriate for the general public, especially non-academic people.Whereas, inthe physicists' view, the Buraq is illustrated in annihilation theory, which is then formulated mathematically. This explanation is more appropriate to the academic people.
Grounded in above findings, it can be concluded that both the first and second perspectives are the ways to process historical knowledge scientifically. As a result, it becomes scientific knowledge that can be understood and accepted by the audiences following their respective capacities.