Majma al-Zawaid — Hadith 235

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) came with a steed that placed each of its strides at the farthest reach of its sight. He travelled, and Jibril (peace be upon him) travelled with him. He came upon a people who sowed in one day and harvested in one day; whenever they harvested, it returned as it had been. He said: "O Jibril! Who are these?" He said: "These are those who strive (jihad) in the path of Allah; a good deed is multiplied for them seven hundred times, and whatever they spend, He replaces it." Then he came upon a people whose heads were being crushed with rocks; whenever they were crushed, they returned as they had been, and nothing of that was eased for them. He said: "O Jibril! Who are these?" He said: "These are those whose heads were too heavy (to rise) for the prayer." Then he came upon a people with rags over their back parts and rags over their front parts, grazing as cattle graze, upon thorny plants (dari'), zaqqum and the heated stones of Hell. He said: "What are these, O Jibril?" He said: "These are those who do not pay the zakah of their wealth; Allah did not wrong them, and Allah is not unjust to His servants." Then he came upon a people before whom was cooked meat in a pot and other meat, raw and foul; they kept eating the foul meat and leaving the good cooked meat. He said: "O Jibril! Who are these?" He said: "The man from your Ummah who rises from beside his lawful wife, goes to a foul woman and spends the night with her until morning; and the woman who rises from beside her husband, lawful and pure, goes to a foul man and spends the night with him until morning." Then he came upon a man who had gathered a huge bundle that he could not carry, yet he wanted to add more to it. He said: "O Jibril! Who is this?" He said: "This is a man from your Ummah who holds people's trusts, which he cannot discharge, yet he keeps adding to them." Then he came upon a people whose lips and tongues were being cut with shears of iron; whenever they were cut, they returned as they had been, and nothing of that was eased for them. He said: "O Jibril! What are these?" He said: "The preachers of sedition (fitnah)." Then he came upon a small hole from which a huge bull came out; the bull wanted to go back in where it had come out, but could not. He said: "What is this, O Jibril?" He said: "This is the man who speaks a grave word and then regrets it; he wants to take it back but cannot." Then he came to a valley and found a pleasant breeze, and found the scent of musk along with a voice. He said: "What is this?" He said: "The voice of Paradise. It says: 'O my Lord, bring me my people and what You promised me, for my plants, my silk, my fine silk, my brocade, my rich carpets, my coral, my pearls, my gold, my cups, my platters, my jugs, my fruits, my honey, my garments, my milk and my wine have become abundant. Bring me what You promised me.' He said: 'You shall have every Muslim man and Muslim woman, and every believing man and believing woman. Whoever believes in Me and My messengers, does righteous deeds, associates nothing with Me and takes no rivals besides Me, he is safe. Whoever asks of Me, I give him; whoever lends to Me, I repay him; whoever relies on Me, I suffice him. Indeed, I am Allah; there is no god but I; My promise is never broken. The believers have indeed succeeded; blessed is Allah, the best of creators.' It said: 'I am content.'" Then he came to a valley and heard a disagreeable sound. He said: "O Jibril! What is this sound?" He said: "This is the sound of Hell. It says: 'O my Lord, bring me my people and what You promised me, for my chains, my shackles, my blaze, my boiling water, my pus and my foul discharge have become abundant; my depth has become far and my heat intense. Bring me what You promised me.' He said: 'You shall have every polytheist man and polytheist woman, every foul man and foul woman, and every tyrant who does not believe in the Day of Reckoning.' It said: 'I am content.'"
Then he travelled on until he came to Bayt al-Maqdis. He dismounted, tied his steed to a rock, and prayed with the angels. When the prayer was finished, they said: "O Jibril! Who is this with you?" He said: "This is Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), the Seal of the Prophets." They said: "Has he been sent for?" He said: "Yes." They said: "May Allah grant him life, as a brother and a successor; what an excellent brother, and what an excellent successor!" Then they met the souls of the prophets, and they praised their Lord, the Exalted. Ibrahim (peace be upon him) said: "Praise be to Allah, who took me as an intimate friend (khalil), gave me a great kingdom, made me a nation devoutly obedient (to Him), chose me for His messages, saved me from the fire and made it cool and safe for me." Then Musa (peace be upon him) praised his Lord and said: "Praise be to Allah, who spoke to me directly, chose me, sent down the Torah upon me, and brought about the destruction of Pharaoh and the deliverance of the Children of Israel at my hands." Then Dawud (peace be upon him) praised his Lord and said: "Praise be to Allah, who gave me a kingdom, sent down the Zabur upon me, softened iron for me, subjected to me the mountains, glorifying (Him) with me, and the birds, and gave me wisdom and decisive speech." Then Sulayman (peace be upon him) praised his Lord, the Blessed and Exalted, and said: "Praise be to Allah, who subjected to me the winds, the jinn and mankind, and subjected to me the devils, who made whatever I wished of sanctuaries, statues, basins like reservoirs and fixed cauldrons; who taught me the speech of birds, made a spring of molten copper flow for me, and gave me a kingdom that befits no one after me." Then Isa (peace be upon him) praised his Lord and said: "Praise be to Allah, who taught me the Torah and the Injil, enabled me to heal the one born blind and the leper and to give life to the dead by His permission, raised me up and purified me from those who disbelieved, and protected me and my mother from Satan, the accursed, and gave Satan no way against us." And Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) praised his Lord and said: "Each of you has praised his Lord, and I am praising my Lord: Praise be to Allah, who sent me as a mercy to the worlds and to all people, as a bearer of glad tidings and a warner; sent down upon me the Criterion (al-Furqan), in which is a clarification of everything; made my Ummah the best nation brought forth for mankind; made my Ummah a middle (balanced) nation; made my Ummah the first and the last; expanded my breast for me, removed my burden from me, raised my mention for me, and made me the Opener and the Seal." Ibrahim (peace be upon him) said: "By this Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) has surpassed you."
Then three covered vessels were brought. A vessel containing water was handed to him, and it was said to him: "Drink." Then another vessel containing milk was handed to him, and he drank until he was satisfied. Then another vessel containing wine was handed to him, and he said: "I am satisfied; I will not taste it." It was said to him: "You have done right. It will be forbidden to your Ummah; had you drunk it, only a few of your Ummah would have followed you."
Then he was taken up to the heaven. Jibril asked for it to be opened, and it was said: "Who is this?" He said: "Jibril." It was said: "And who is with you?" He said: "Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him)." They said: "Has he been sent for?" He said: "Yes." They said: "May Allah grant him life, as a brother and a successor; what an excellent brother, what an excellent successor, and what an excellent arrival his arrival is!" He entered, and there was an old man sitting, perfect in form, nothing of his form diminished as the form of human beings diminishes. On his right was a door from which a pleasant smell came out, and on his left a door from which a foul smell came out. When he looked at the door on his right he laughed, and when he looked at the door on his left he wept and grieved. He said: "O Jibril! Who is this old man, and what are these two doors?" He said: "This is your father Adam. This door on his right is the door of Paradise; when he sees those of his descendants who enter it, he laughs and rejoices. And when he looks at the door on his left, the door of Hell, at those of his descendants who enter it, he weeps and grieves."
Then he ascended to the second heaven and asked for it to be opened. It was said: "Who is this?" He said: "Jibril." They said: "And who is with you?" He said: "Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him)." They said: "Has he been sent for?" He said: "Yes." They said: "May Allah grant him life, as a brother and a successor; what an excellent brother, what an excellent successor, and what an excellent arrival his arrival is!" He entered, and there were two young men. He said: "O Jibril! Who are these two young men?" He said: "These are Isa and Yahya, the two cousins (sons of two sisters)."
Then he ascended to the third heaven. Jibril asked for it to be opened, and they said: "Who is this with you?" He said: "Muhammad." They said: "Has he been sent for?" He said: "Yes." They said: "May Allah grant him life, as a brother and a successor; what an excellent brother, what an excellent successor, and what an excellent arrival his arrival is!" He entered, and there was a man sitting who surpassed people in beauty as the moon on the night of the full moon surpasses all the other stars. He said: "Who is this, O Jibril?" He said: "Your brother Yusuf (peace be upon him)."
Then he ascended to the fourth heaven. Jibril asked for it to be opened, and they said: "Who is this with you?" He said: "Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him)." They said: "Has he been sent for?" He said: "Yes." They said: "May Allah grant him life, as a brother and a successor, and what an excellent arrival his arrival is!" He entered, and there was a man. He said: "O Jibril! Who is this man sitting?" He said: "This is your brother Idris, whom Allah raised to a lofty station."
Then he was taken up to the fifth heaven. Jibril asked for it to be opened, and they said: "Who is this with you?" He said: "Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him)." They said: "Has he been sent for?" He said: "Yes." They said: "May Allah grant him life, as a brother and a successor; what an excellent brother, what an excellent successor, and what an excellent arrival his arrival is!" He entered, and there was a man sitting, telling them stories. He said: "O Jibril! Who is this, and who are these around him?" He said: "This is Harun (peace be upon him), who was left behind as deputy among his people, and these are his people from the Children of Israel."
Then he was taken up to the sixth heaven. Jibril asked for it to be opened, and they said: "Who is this with you?" He said: "Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him)." They said: "Has he been sent for?" He said: "Yes." They said: "May Allah grant him life, as a brother and a successor; what an excellent brother, what an excellent successor, and what an excellent arrival his arrival is!" There was a man sitting; he passed him by, and the man wept. He said: "O Jibril! Who is this?" He said: "Musa (peace be upon him)." He said: "What makes him weep?" (Musa) said: "The Children of Israel claim that I am the best of creation, and this one has come after me (and gone ahead of me). If it were he alone (it would not matter), but with him is his entire Ummah."
Then he took us up to the seventh heaven. Jibril asked for it to be opened, and they said: "Who is with you?" He said: "Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him)." They said: "Has he been sent for?" He said: "Yes." They said: "May Allah grant him life, as a brother and a successor; what an excellent brother, what an excellent successor, and what an excellent arrival his arrival is!" There was a man with greying hair sitting on a chair at the gate of Paradise, and with him were people sitting who had something in their complexions (Isa, meaning Abu Ja'far al-Razi, said: and I once heard him say: black-faced). Those who had something in their complexions got up and entered a river called "The Favour of Allah" and bathed in it, and came out with some of their complexion cleared. Then they entered another river called "The Mercy of Allah", bathed in it, and came out with some of their complexion cleared. Then they entered another river, and that is the saying of Allah, the Exalted: "And their Lord will give them a pure drink." They came out with their complexions cleared like the complexions of their companions, and they sat down with their companions. He said: "O Jibril! Who is this greying man sitting, who are these white-faced people, and who are these who had something in their complexions, who entered these rivers, bathed in them and came out with their complexions cleared?" He said: "This is your father Ibrahim (peace be upon him), the first on earth whose hair turned grey. These white-faced people are people who did not mix their faith with wrongdoing, and these who had something in their complexions mixed a righteous deed with another that was evil; they repented, and Allah accepted their repentance."
Then he went on to the Lote Tree, and it was said to him: "This is the Lote Tree of the Utmost Boundary (Sidrat al-Muntaha); every one of your Ummah who has passed away upon your way reaches up to here. It is the Lote Tree of the Utmost Boundary: from its root come forth rivers of water that does not go stale, rivers of milk whose taste does not change, rivers of wine delicious to those who drink, and rivers of purified honey. It is a tree in whose shade a rider travels for seventy years, and a single leaf of it shades all creation." Then light covered it and the angels covered it (Isa said: that is His saying: "When there covered the Lote Tree that which covered it"). Then (Allah) the Blessed and Exalted said to him: "Ask." He said: "You took Ibrahim as an intimate friend and gave him a great kingdom; You spoke to Musa directly; You gave Dawud a great kingdom, softened iron for him and subjected the mountains to him; You gave Sulayman a great kingdom, subjected to him the jinn, mankind, the devils and the winds, and gave him a kingdom that befits no one after him; You taught Isa the Torah and the Injil, enabled him to heal the one born blind and the leper, and protected him and his mother from Satan, the accursed, so that he had no way against them." His Lord, the Blessed and Exalted, said to him: "I have taken you as an intimate friend, and it is written in the Torah: 'Muhammad is the beloved of the Most Merciful.' I have sent you to all people. I have made your Ummah the first and the last. I have made your Ummah such that no sermon is valid for them until they bear witness that you are My servant and My Messenger. I have made you the first of the prophets in creation and the last of them in being sent. I have given you the seven oft-repeated verses, which I did not give to any prophet before you. I have given you the closing verses of Surah al-Baqarah from a treasure beneath the Throne, which I did not give to any prophet before you. And I have made you the Opener and the Seal."
The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "My Lord, the Blessed and Exalted, has favoured me with six things: He cast terror of me into the hearts of my enemies from a month's distance; the spoils of war were made lawful for me, and they were not lawful for anyone before me; the earth was made for me a place of prayer and a means of purification; I was given the openings of speech and its comprehensive forms; and my Ummah was presented to me, and neither the follower nor the followed among them was hidden from me; I saw them come upon a people who wear sandals of hair, and I saw them come upon a people with broad faces and small eyes, and I recognized who they were. And I was commanded fifty prayers."
He returned to Musa, and Musa said to him: "How many prayers have you been commanded?" He said: "Fifty prayers." He said: "Go back to your Lord and ask Him for a reduction, for your Ummah is the weakest of nations, and I have faced hardship from the Children of Israel." So Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) went back and asked Allah for a reduction, and He removed ten from him. He returned to Musa, who said to him: "How many have you been commanded?" He said: "Forty prayers." He said: "Go back to your Lord and ask Him for a reduction for your Ummah, for your Ummah is the weakest of nations, and I have faced hardship from the Children of Israel." So Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) went back and asked Him for a reduction, and He removed ten from him. He returned to Musa, who said to him: "How many have you been commanded?" He said: "Thirty." He said: "Go back to your Lord and ask Him for a reduction for your Ummah, for your Ummah is the weakest of nations, and I have faced hardship from the Children of Israel." So Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) went back and asked his Lord for a reduction, and He removed ten from him. He returned to Musa, who said to him: "How many have you been commanded?" He said: "Twenty." He said: "Go back to your Lord and ask Him for a reduction from your Ummah, for your Ummah is the weakest of nations, and I have faced hardship from the Children of Israel." So Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) went back and asked his Lord for a reduction, and He removed ten from him. He returned to Musa, who said to him: "How many have you been commanded?" He said: "Ten." He said: "Go back to your Lord and ask Him for a reduction from your Ummah, for your Ummah is the weakest of nations, and I have faced hardship from the Children of Israel." So Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) went back and asked his Lord for a reduction, and He removed five from him. He returned to Musa, who said to him: "How many have you been commanded?" He said: "Five." He said: "Go back to your Lord and ask Him for a reduction, for your Ummah is the weakest of nations, and I have faced hardship from the Children of Israel." He said: "I have gone back to my Lord until I have become shy before Him, and I will not go back to Him." It was said to him: "Just as you have been patient with the five, they will count for you as fifty; every good deed will count for you as ten like it."
Isa said: It has reached me that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Musa (peace be upon him) was the hardest of them on me at first, and the best of them to me at the end."
Imam al-Bazzar recorded it, and its narrators have been declared trustworthy.