A psychological reading of Isra and Miraj

The present paper makes some attempts to provide a psychological reading of Prophet Muhammad’s Night Journey, introducing it as a perfect example of the psychological and spiritual flourishing model. Although some flourishing models have been formerly proposed by psychologists like Maslow, Rogers, Jung, and Freud, they have merely emphasized self-actualization and individuation which seem somehow ambiguous constructs that have not been deeply explained. To accomplish the current study, in addition to the Holy Quran, Ahadith, and Miraj-Namehs, the mystical texts and the constructs of depth psychology were scrutinized. Through an analytical approach, it was demonstrated that the inner sense of Mohammad’s ascent to heaven might refer to human's relationship with Self and the actualization of innate flourishing potentials. Flourishing requires transcending and going through mystical stages symbolized as Seven Heavens. Together with the heavenly journey, as the vertical flight of the purified soul, the earthly journey from Kaaba to Jerusalem (horizontal journey) was also analyzed. Ultimately, the Night Journey can be introduced as a novel model of flourishing in positive psychology from Islamic perspective; and it may be approached through field research and historical research in future studies.