'The Mi'raj or The Night Flight of Muhammad on his Steed Buraq', Folio 3v from a Bustan of Sa`di, ca. 1525?35, Attributed to present-day Uzbekistan and Afghanistan, probably Bukhara and Herat, Ink, gold, and colors on paper, Painting: H. 7 1/2 in. (19 cm), Codices, The heavenly journey of the Prophet forms a centerpiece of Muslim piety. Persian poets from the thirteenth century onward prefaced their epics with a colorful description of the mi'raj, the heavenly journey that brought the Prophet into the immediate presence of God