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Narrated Anas bin Malik
The night Allah's Apostle was taken for a journey from the sacred
mosque (of Mecca) Al-Ka'ba: Three persons came to him (in a dreamy while
he was sleeping in the Sacred Mosque before the Divine Inspiration was
revealed to Him. One of them said, "Which of them is he?" The
middle (second) angel said, "He is the best of them." The last
(third) angle said, "Take the best of them." Only that much
happened on that night and he did not see them till they came on another
night, i.e. after The Divine Inspiration was revealed to him. (Fateh-Al-Bari
Page 258, Vol. 17) and he saw them, his eyes were asleep but his heart was
not----and so is the case with the prophets: their eyes sleep while their
hearts do not sleep. So those angels did not talk to him till they carried
him and placed him beside the well of Zam-Zam. From among them Gabriel
took charge of him. Gabriel cut open (the part of his body) between his
throat and the middle of his chest (heart) and took all the material out
of his chest and abdomen and then washed it with Zam-Zam water with his
own hands till he cleansed the inside of his body, and then a gold tray
containing a gold bowl full of belief and wisdom was brought and then
Gabriel stuffed his chest and throat blood vessels with it and then closed
it (the chest). He then ascended with him to the heaven of the world and
knocked on one of its doors.
The dwellers of the Heaven asked, 'Who is it?' He said,
"Gabriel." They said, "Who is accompanying you?" He
said, "Muhammad." They said, "Has he been called?" He
said, "Yes" They said, "He is welcomed." So the
dwellers of the Heaven became pleased with his arrival, and they did not
know what Allah would do to the Prophet on earth unless Allah informed
them. The Prophet met Adam over the nearest Heaven. Gabriel said to the
Prophet, "He is your father; greet him." The Prophet greeted him
and Adam returned his greeting and said, "Welcome, O my Son! O what a
good son you are!" Behold, he saw two flowing rivers, while he was in
the nearest sky. He asked, "What are these two rivers, O
Gabriel?" Gabriel said, "These are the sources of the Nile and
the Euphrates."
Then Gabriel took him around that Heaven and behold, he saw another
river at the bank of which there was a palace built of pearls and emerald.
He put his hand into the river and found its mud like musk Adhfar. He
asked, "What is this, O Gabriel?" Gabriel said, "This is
the Kauthar which your Lord has kept for you." Then Gabriel ascended
(with him) to the second Heaven and the angels asked the same questions as
those on the first Heaven, i.e., "Who is it?" Gabriel replied,
"Gabriel". They asked, "Who is accompanying you?" He
said, "Muhammad." They asked, "Has he been sent for?"
He said, "Yes." Then they said, "He is welcomed.'' Then he
(Gabriel) ascended with the Prophet to the third Heaven, and the angels
said the same as the angels of the first and the second Heavens had said.
Then he ascended with him to the fourth Heaven and they said the
same; and then he ascended with him to the fifth Heaven and they said the
same; and then he ascended with him to the sixth Heaven and they said the
same; then he ascended with him to the seventh Heaven and they said the
same. On each Heaven there were prophets whose names he had mentioned and
of whom I remember Idris on the second Heaven, Aaron on the fourth Heavens
another prophet whose name I don't remember, on the fifth Heaven, Abraham
on the sixth Heaven, and Moses on the seventh Heaven because of his
privilege of talking to Allah directly. Moses said (to Allah), "O
Lord! I thought that none would be raised up above me."
But Gabriel ascended with him (the Prophet) for a distance above
that, the distance of which only Allah knows, till he reached the Lote Tree
(beyond which none may pass) and then the Irresistible, the Lord of Honor
and Majesty approached and came closer till he (Gabriel) was about two bow
lengths or (even) nearer. (It is said that it was Gabriel who approached
and came closer to the Prophet. (Fate Al-Bari Page 263, 264, Vol. 17).
Among the things which Allah revealed to him then, was: "Fifty
prayers were enjoined on his followers in a day and a night."
Then the Prophet descended till he met Moses, and then Moses stopped
him and asked, "O Muhammad ! What did your Lord en join upon
you?" The Prophet replied," He enjoined upon me to perform fifty
prayers in a day and a night." Moses said, "Your followers
cannot do that; Go back so that your Lord may reduce it for you and for
them." So the Prophet turned to Gabriel as if he wanted to consult
him about that issue. Gabriel told him of his opinion, saying, "Yes,
if you wish." So Gabriel ascended with him to the Irresistible and
said while he was in his place, "O Lord, please lighten our burden as
my followers cannot do that." So Allah deducted for him ten prayers
where upon he returned to Moses who stopped him again and kept on sending
him back to his Lord till the enjoined prayers were reduced to only five
prayers.
Then Moses stopped him when the prayers had been reduced to five and
said, "O Muhammad! By Allah, I tried to persuade my nation, Bani
Israel to do less than this, but they could not do it and gave it up.
However, your followers are weaker in body, heart, sight and hearing, so
return to your Lord so that He may lighten your burden."
The Prophet turned towards Gabriel for advice and Gabriel did not
disapprove of that. So he ascended with him for the fifth time. The
Prophet said, "O Lord, my followers are weak in their bodies, hearts,
hearing and constitution, so lighten our burden." On that the
Irresistible said, "O Muhammad!" the Prophet replied, "Labbaik
and Sa'daik." Allah said, "The Word that comes from Me does not
change, so it will be as I enjoined on you in the Mother of the Book."
Allah added, "Every good deed will be rewarded as ten times so it is
fifty (prayers) in the Mother of the Book (in reward) but you are to
perform only five (in practice)."
The Prophet returned to Moses who asked, "What have you
done?" He said, "He has lightened our burden: He has given us
for every good deed a tenfold reward." Moses said, "By Allah! I
tried to make Bani Israel observe less than that, but they gave it up. So
go back to your Lord that He may lighten your burden further." Allah's
Apostle said, "O Moses! By Allah, I feel shy of returning too many
times to my Lord." On that Gabriel said, "Descend in Allah's
Name." The Prophet then woke while he was in the Sacred Mosque (at
Mecca).
Narrated Abu Huraira
On the night Allah's Apostle was taken on a night journey
(Miraj) two
cups, one containing wine and the other milk, were presented to him at
Jerusalem. He looked at it and took the cup of milk. Gabriel said,
"Praise be to Allah Who guided you to Al-Fitra (the right path); if
you had taken (the cup of) wine, your nation would have gone astray."
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Inside
Mosque
