Buraq

thumb|Al Buraq (1770–75), a Deccan painting incorporating Persian elements. The Buraq ( , "lightning") is a supernatural equine-like creature in Islamic tradition that served as the mount of the Islamic prophet Muhammad during his Isra and Mi'raj journey from Mecca to Jerusalem and up through the heavens and back by night, although there is no mention of a mythical creature in the Quran itself. Although never stated to have wings, it is almost always depicted as a pegasus-like being. The Buraq is also said to have transported certain prophets such as Abraham over long distances within a moment's duration.

== Etymology == thumb|1539-43 illustration of the Mi'raj from the Khamsa, likely created by the court painter Sultan Mohammed|Sultan Muhammad, showing Chinese-influenced clouds and angels. This version was created for the Persian Shah [[Tahmasp I.]] The Encyclopaedia of Islam, referring to the writings of Al-Damiri (d.1405), considers al-burāq to be a derivative and adjective of barq "lightning/emitted lightning" or various general meanings stemming from the verb: "to beam, flash, gleam, glimmer, glisten, glitter, radiate, shimmer, shine, sparkle, twinkle". The name is thought to refer to the creature's lightning-like speed. According to Encyclopædia Iranica, "Boraq" is the Arabized form of "Middle Persian *barāg or *bārag, 'a riding beast, mount' (New Pers. bāra)". According to Emran El-Badawi, the word can be etymologically associated both with a "riding animal" and the "morning star".