قرآن اور بائبل کی روشنی میں آسمانی دروازوں کا تصور : ایک تقابلی مطالعہ

The Concept of Heavenly Gates in the Light of the Qur’an and the Bible: A Comparative Study

Abstract

This postdoctoral research, “The Concept of Heavenly Gates: A Comparative Study of the Qur’an and the Bible”, investigates the symbolic and theological significance of the “Heavenly Gates” (Abwāb al-Samā’) within Islamic and Biblical traditions. Using a descriptive–comparative and hermeneutical method, the study explores how sacred texts employ the imagery of celestial gates to convey spiritual truths, divine accessibility, and eschatological realities.

Selected Qur’ānic verses (e.g., Al-A‘rāf 7:40; Al-Ḥijr 15:14–15; Ṣād 38:50) are examined alongside Biblical passages (e.g., Genesis 28:17; Psalms 24:7–10; Revelation 21:12) through the interpretive frameworks of classical Muslim exegetes — Al-Qurṭubī, Al-Ṭabarī, Al-Rāzī, Amīn Aḥsan Iṣlāḥī, and Dr. Israr Ahmad — and Christian commentators such as Matthew Henry and William Barclay.

The research employs qualitative hermeneutics to uncover metaphoric, moral, and cosmological layers embedded within these texts. Findings suggest that both traditions depict the “opening” of the Heavenly Gates as symbolic of divine acceptance, revelation, and spiritual elevation, while their “closure” represents estrangement from the Divine Presence.

Ultimately, this comparative analysis demonstrates that the Qur’anic and Biblical portrayals of the Heavenly Gates converge upon a shared metaphysical vision: the human soul’s journey toward divine proximity and transcendence.