Today is the Muslim holiday Isra and Mi'raj, or night journey.

Pretty much the story goes over the course of one night in or around 621 C.E. the archangel Gabriel took the prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) from Mecca to the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, then to heaven to meet Allah, Moses, Abraham and Jesus.

Some scholars think that this is a physical journey, while others think it's a vision, or dream.

If it was a physical journey, it would have been intense, Mecca to Jerusalem is a distance of 765 miles (1231 km).

However there's quite a description of the method of transport used by Gabriel - he flew on a winged steed (machine?) named Buraq.

It's all pretty interesting, sometime when I have more time I'll have to tell how this fits into my theory of religion ...