Seventh Heaven
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- This article is about Heaven. For other uses, see Seventh Heaven (disambiguation)
In ancient astronomy, before the telescope was invented, people referred to the Sun, Moon, and the five planets visible with the naked eye as the seven heavenly objects. Each had its own layer of heaven or sky assigned to it, and each was considered to be further and further away from Earth. Today we refer to the layers as the orbit of the object around the Sun.
It was believed by many cultures, and still is by some today, that when people die, their souls float into the sky, visiting each of the Seven Heavenly Objects as they travel to the outermost layer of heaven. When they reach that outermost layer, they are believed to actually meet God, who was/is supposed to exist just above the last layer of heaven, just above the orbit of the planet we currently call Saturn. Saturn was called Chronos by the Greeks, and was considered to be the Father of Time, and above it, time wasn't supposed to exist. This led to the idea that God exists "outside of time."
[edit] Islam
Islamic tradition also recognises seven heavens in Paradise (Arabic:Jannah), The highest level of heaven is Firdaws (فردوس), which is where the prophets, the martyrs and the most truthful and pious people will dwell, as stated in the following Quranic verses utilizing rhetoric to place emphasis on the magnificence of God:
"See you not how God has created the seven heavens one above another, and made the moon a light in their midst, and made the sun a Lamp?" (Sura 71:15-16) [1]
"He who created the seven heavens one above another: no want of proportion will thou see in the Creation of (God), most gracious..." (Sura 67:3).
"Say: "Who is the Lord of the seven heavens, and the Lord of the Throne (of Glory) Supreme?" They will say, "(They belong) to God." Say: "Will ye not then be filled with awe?" (Sura 23:86-87)
"When you pray ask for Firdaws, for it is in the middle of heaven and is higher in grade than the heaven and above Firdaws is God’s throne, moreover the canals of heaven flow from Firdaws." (Bukhari)
[edit] References
↑ Quranic translations by Abdullah Yusuf Ali.
[edit] See also
| Concepts of Heaven | |
|---|---|
| Christian | Kingdom of God | Garden of Eden · Paradise | New Jerusalem | Pearly gates |
| Islamic | Jannah | Houri | Sidrat al-Muntaha |
| Mormon | Celestial Kingdom | Spirit world |
| Ancient Greek | Elysium | Empyrean | Hesperides |
| Celtic | Annwn | Tír na nÓg | Mag Mell |
| Norse | Valhalla | Asgard |
| Other Indo-European cultures | Paradise | Olam Haba | Svarga | Aaru | The Summerland | Myth of Er | Fortunate Isles |
| Related concepts | Nirvana | Millennialism | Utopianism | Golden Age | Arcadia |
