Inancient Near Eastern cosmology, theseven heavens refer to sevenfirmaments or physical layers located above the open sky. The concept can be found inancient Mesopotamian religion,Judaism,Christianity, andIslam. Some traditions complement the seven heavens with an idea of the sevenearths or sevenunderworlds. These heavens or underworlds have been conceived of as realms withdeities or celestial bodies (such as theclassical planets andfixed stars).
Variants of the seven heavens tradition existed. Ancient Near Eastern cosmology more often described the number of heavens and earths as three, instead of seven. Seven as the number of heavens was the most popular value forJewish cosmology, but depending on the text, the number ranged from 3 to 365.
The notion or belief in a cosmos structured or tiered into seven heavens likely originates or derives from theseven visible heavenly bodies (Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, the Moon, and the Sun).[1]
The concept of seven heavens as developed in ancientMesopotamia where it took on a symbolic or magical meaning as opposed to a literal one.[2] In theSumerian language, the words for heavens (or sky) and Earth areAn andKi.[3] The ancient Mesopotamians regarded the sky as a series of domes, usually three, but sometimes seven, covering theflat Earth.[4]: 180
Each dome was made of a different kind of precious stone.[4]: 203 The lowest dome of the heavens was made ofjasper and was the home of thestars.[5] The middle dome of heaven was made ofsaggilmut stone and was the abode of theIgigi.[5] The highest and outermost dome of the heavens was made ofluludānītu stone and was personified asAn, the god of the sky.[6][5]
Thecelestial bodies were equated with specific deities.[4]: 203 The planetVenus was believed to beInanna, the goddess of love, sex, and war.[7]: 108–109 [4]: 203 TheSun was her brotherUtu, the god of justice,[4]: 203 and theMoon was their fatherNanna.[4]: 203
Ordinary mortals could not go to the heavens because it was the abode of the gods alone.[8] Instead, after a person died, his or her soul went toKur (later known asIrkalla), a dark shadowyunderworld, located deep below the surface of the Earth.[8][9]Sumerianincantations of the late second millennium BCE make references to seven heavens and seven earths. One such incantation is: "an-imin-bi ki-imin-bi" (the heavens are seven, the earths are seven.)[10][11]
The understanding that the heavens can influence things on Earth lent heavenly,magical properties to the number seven itself, as in stories of seven demons, seven churches, seven spirits, or seven thrones. The number seven appears frequently inBabylonian magicalrituals.[12] The seven Jewish and the seven Islamic heavens may have had their origin inBabylonian astronomy.[10]
In general, the heavens is not a place for humans in Mesopotamian religion. AsGilgamesh says to his friendEnkidu, in theEpic of Gilgamesh: "Who can go up to the heavens, my friend? Only the gods dwell withShamash forever". Along with the idea of seven heavens, the idea of three heavens was also common in ancient Mesopotamia.[13]
TheSecond Book of Enoch, also written in the first century CE, describes themystical ascent of thepatriarchEnoch through ahierarchy of Ten Heavens. Enoch passes through theGarden of Eden in theThird Heaven on his way to meet theLord face-to-face in the Tenth (chapter 22). Along the way, he encounters vividly described populations ofangels who torment wrongdoers; he sees homes,olive oil, and flowers.[14]
Sefer HaRazim, written in the fourth century CE, describes the seven heavens and the angels residing there.[15][16]
In theTalmud, it is suggested that the upper part of the universe is made up of seven heavens (Hebrew:shamayim):[17]
TheNew Testament does not refer to the seven heavens. A person being taken up in a vision to a "third heaven" is mentioned inPaul the Apostle'sSecond Epistle to the Corinthians (2 Corinthians 12:2–4). The description is usually taken as an oblique reference by the author to himself.[19]
Some Christian authors would go on to mention the seven heavens, such as the second century bishopIrenaeus (Demonstration of Apostolic Preaching 9; cf.Against Heresies 1.5.2). A variant ten-tier heaven obtained some popularity among theScholastics during theMiddle Ages, reaching its most well-known expression inThe Divine Comedy byDante Alighieri. The idea of seven heavens is carried over into the esotericChristian cabala.[20]
TheQuran andHadith frequently mention the existence of sevensamāwāt (سماوات), the plural ofsamāʾ (سماء), meaning 'heaven, sky, celestial sphere', and cognate with Hebrewshamāyim (שמים). Some of the verses in the Quran mentioning thesamaawat[21] areQ41:12,Q65:12 andQ71:15. The seven heavens are not final destinations for the dead after the Day of Judgment, but regions distinct from the earth, guarded by angels and inhabited by souls whose abode depends on their good deeds (fasting, jihad, Hajj, charity), with the highest layer, the closest toGod.[22][23] According to Quran and Hadiths, each of the skies has its ownQibla or a structure which became direction of prayer, similar toKaaba of the mortal world, where the Qibla of highest heaven is calledBayt al-Ma'mur, while the Qibla building for the lowest sky is calledBayt al-Izza.[24][25][26]
In other sources, the concept is presented in metaphorical terms. Each of the seven heavens is depicted as being composed of a different material, and Islamic prophets are resident in each. The names are taken fromSuyuti's Al-Hay’a as-samya fi l-hay’a as-sunmya:[27]
There are two interpretations of using the number "seven". One viewpoint is that the number "seven" here simply means "many" and is not to be taken literally (the number is often used to imply that in the Arabic language).[32]
Onemodern interpretation of "heavens" is that all the stars and galaxies (including theMilky Way) are all part of the "first heaven", and "beyond that six still bigger worlds are there," which have yet to be discovered by scientists.[32]
TheGnostic textOn the Origin of the World states that seven heavens were created inChaos byYaldabaoth below thehigher realms, and each of them are ruled over by anArchon. During theend times, these heavens will collapse on each and the heaven of Yaldabaoth will split in two, causing its stars to fall upon the Earth, therefore causing it to sink into theAbyss.[33]
In theCoptic Apocalypse of Paul, the apostle Paul ascends through the lower Seven Heavens. At the seventh heaven, he meets an old man who opens the gate to the realm beyond the material universe, and Paul then ascends to the eighth, ninth, and tenth heavens.[34]
InMandaeism, a series ofmaṭartas, or "toll houses", are located between theWorld of Light (alma ḏ-nhūra) fromTibil (Earth). The termmaṭarta has variously been translated as "watch-station",[35] "toll-station",[36] "way-station", or "purgatory". Maṭartas are guarded by variousuthras (celestial beings from the World of Light) and demons. In theGinza Rabba, sevenmaṭartas are listed and described inChapter 3 in Book 5 of theRight Ginza.
However, the number ofmaṭartas is not always seven.Book 6 of theRight Ginza (also known as the "Book ofDinanukht") lists six.Chapter 4 in Book 1 of theLeft Ginza lists eight.[37] Alternatively, the Seven Heavens can also be seen as corresponding to theSeven Planets, who form part of the entourage ofRuha in theWorld of Darkness.[37]
According to allPuranas, theBrahmanda is divided into fourteen worlds known aslokas. Seven areupper worlds:Bhuloka (the Earth and sky),Bhuvarloka,Svargaloka,Maharloka,Janarloka,Tapaloka andSatyaloka; and seven arelower worlds:Atala,Vitala,Sutala,Talatala,Mahatala,Rasatala andPatala.[38]
2, 14, To this 'Third heaven' and 'Paradise' Paul was caught away, 2 Cor. xii. 2, 4, (not 'up', see under 'catch') in 'visions and revelations of the Lord', 2 Cor. xii. 1. One catching away—with a double revelation of the New heaven and the...
Adapun baitul izzah, adalah tempat di langit dunia. Mengenai keberadaannya disebutkan dalam riwayat Ibnu Abbas radhiyallahu 'anhuma, beliau mengatakan, فُصِلَ القُرْآنُ مِنَ الذِّكْرِ [أي: اللّوح المحفوظ]، فَوُضِعَ فِي بَيْتِ العِزَّةِ مِنَ السَّمَاءِ الدُّنْيَا، فَجَعَلَ جِبْرِيلُ عليه السّلام يَنْزِلُ بِهِ عَلَى النَّبِيِّ صلّى الله عليه وسلّم Al-Quran dipisahkan dari ad-Dzikr (Lauhul Mahfudz) lalu diletakkan di Baitul Izzah di langit dunia. Kemudian Jibril menyampaikannya kepada Nabi shallallahu 'alaihi wa sallam. (HR. Hakim dalam al-Mustadrak 2/223, Ibnu Abi Syaibah dalam al-Mushannaf 10/533, dan dishahihkan oleh ad-Dzahabi). Az-Zarqani memberikan komentar untuk riwayat Ibnu Abbas, وهي أحاديث موقوفة على ابن عبّاس غير أن لها حكم المرفوع إلى النبيّ صلّى الله عليه وسلّم لما هو مقرّر من أنّ قول الصّحابيّ فيما لا مجال للرّأي فيه، ولم يعرف بالأخذ عن الإسرائيليّات حكمه حكم المرفوع Hadis ini mauquf sampai Ibnu Abbas, hanya saja dihukumi marfu' sebagaimana sabda Nabi shallallahu 'alaihi wa sallam. Berdasarkan kaidah bahwa perkataan sahabat, untuk masalah di luar logika, dan dia bukan termasuk orang yang suka menerima berita israiliyat, maka status perkataannya sama seperti sabda Nabi shallallahu 'alaihi wa sallam. Beliau melanjutkan, ولا ريب أنّ نزول القرآن إلى بيت العزّة من أنباء الغيب الّتي لا تعرف إلاّ من المعصوم، وابن عبّاس رضي الله عنه لم يعرف بالأخذ عن الإسرائيليّات، فثبت الاحتجاج بها Tidak diragukan bahwa turunnya al-Quran ke baitul izzah termasuk berita ghaib, yang tidak bisa diketahui kecuali melalui Nabi shallallahu 'alaihi wa sallam yang ma'shum. Dan Ibnu Abbas juga bukan orang yang dikenal suka menerima berita israiliyat, sehingga perkataan beliau dalam hal ini boleh dijadikan dalil. (Manahil al-Urfan, 1/45).
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