In our story “Sam at the Zoo”, an animal called al-buraq is mentioned. Here some more information about it.
The Buraq is a riding animal of Paradise and is among the wonders that our Prophet saw during the night of Isra’. Its name in Arabic is derived from the word ‘baraqa’, which refers to the striking of lightening; this is an indication of how fast it is. The Buraq is white. It is shorter than a mule but taller than a donkey. The Buraq has wings. It can cover a great distance in a short period of time because its stride is as far as its eyes can see. When it ascends a high land its legs elongate; when it descends into a low land its legs shorten.
Prophet Muhammad rode the Buraq, with Angel Gabriel mounted in front of him, from Mecca to Jerusalem on the miraculous night journey of al-Isra’ in just a part of that night, when at the time, it used to take people one month to travel there and come back. Other prophets rode the Buraq as well; Prophet Ibrahim used to ride the Buraq from Palestine to Mecca in the morning to visit Lady Hagar and their son Ishmael, then return to Palestine the same day in the afternoon.
When Prophet Muhammad and Angel Gabriel reached the Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem, Angel Gabriel tied the Buraq to a ring-like hole in the rock of Baytul-Maqdis, which was the spot other Prophets tied their animals to when they went there.
During the night of Isra’, all the Prophets were gathered in the Aqsa mosque, where Prophet Muhammad led them in prayer after Angel Gabriel advanced him to do so. This is an indication that he is the best Prophet and that all the Prophets came with one religion, the only true religion, the religion of Islam. It is also a proof that the bodies of the Prophets do not decay after death and that they are alive in their graves, living a special life given back to them after death.
After the prayer, the Prophet ascended to the skies on the Mirqat, a special ladder with alternating golden and silver steps. On his way back to Mecca, the Prophet did not ride the Buraq; rather; he was enabled to journey back to Mecca in a fraction of the night by another extraordinary means. After that journey, the Buraq returned to Paradise.
