Editing Openai/6964bac8-f03c-8002-be2c-97752bde2d2a (section)

=== Assistant: Yes — the concept absolutely exists in Islam, and in a very explicit and formal way. ===
Yes — the concept absolutely exists in Islam, and in a very explicit and formal way. In Islamic cosmology, it appears as a tree at the boundary of creation itself, not merely symbolic folklore.

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Sidrat al-Muntahā means “the Lote Tree of the Utmost Boundary.”

It is described as:
* A real tree (not metaphorical)
* Located at the furthest limit of the created universe
* The point beyond which no created being may pass
* The boundary between creation and the divine presence

This is remarkably close to what you described as “a tree at the edge of existence.”

==== The tree is mentioned explicitly in the Qur’an during the Israʾ and Miʿraj (the Prophet Muhammad’s night journey and ascension): ====

Surah An-Najm (53:13–18):

: 

This passage establishes Sidrat al-Muntahā as:
* A cosmic boundary
* A limit to perception
* A location associated with Paradise
* A place where revelation and knowledge stop

==== Islamic scholars explain Sidrat al-Muntahā as: ====
* The limit of all created knowledge
* The point where: - Angels stop - Human perception stops - Time, space, and causality as we know them stop
* Beyond it lies the realm of Allah, which is uncreated and incomparable

Even Jibrīl (Gabriel) — the highest-ranking angel — is said to have stopped there and told the Prophet ﷺ:

: 

That line alone firmly establishes it as the edge of created reality.

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Islam retains the cosmic-tree concept but strips it of mythological deification. The tree is:
* Created
* Servant to God
* A sign, not a god
* A limit, not a support holding reality up

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* A vast tree in Paradise
* Represents eternal life and reward
* Not a boundary tree, but reinforces the cosmic importance of trees

===== Islam repeatedly uses trees as markers of knowledge, limits, and moral reality, rather than as cosmic pillars. =====

==== Islam is unique in that it: ====
* Preserves the ancient cosmic-boundary tree
* Embeds it directly into theology and revelation
* Clearly defines it as the limit of existence, not metaphor

This makes Sidrat al-Muntahā one of the clearest expressions, across religions, of the idea you asked about:

: 

==== Yes — Islam contains a direct, canonical version of the “tree at the edge of existence” idea: ====
* Sidrat al-Muntahā
* Explicitly named
* Located at the boundary of creation
* Recognized as the limit of knowledge and being

If you want, I can:
* Compare Sidrat al-Muntahā directly to Yggdrasil
* Explain how Islamic cosmology defines what lies beyond it
* Or explore whether this concept is symbolic or literal in Islamic theology