The Night Journey (Isra)

It is narrated from Sayyiduna As'ad bin Zurarah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "When I was taken up on the Ascension (Mi'raj) to the heaven, I was brought to a palace made of pearls whose pillars were of gold, scattering their glitter and shine. Then it was revealed to me, or I was commanded, concerning Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) three qualities: «bi-annaka sayyid al-mursalin, wa imam al-muttaqin, wa qa'id al-ghurr al-muhajjalin» 'that you are indeed the chief of the messengers, the leader of the pious, and the leader of those with radiant faces and shining limbs (on the Day of Resurrection, from the traces of ablution).'"
Imam Abu Ya'la recorded this report in his Musnad. Its chain is severely weak, because it contains a narrator named Nasr bin Muzahim al-Attar, who is an extreme Shi'i and matruk al-hadith (abandoned in hadith) according to the hadith scholars. Moreover, the words "chief of the messengers" concerning Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) are munkar (objectionable), because this title is exclusive to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him).

It is narrated from Sayyidah Umm Hani (may Allah be pleased with her) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) came to my house in the darkness of the last part of the night and sat down, while I was on my bed. He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Do you know that I spent this night in al-Masjid al-Haram itself? Then Jibril (peace be upon him) came to me and took me to the door of the mosque, and there I suddenly saw a white animal, larger than a donkey and smaller than a mule, whose ears were moving rapidly. So I mounted it. It would place its hoof where its sight ended. When it carried me down a slope, its forelegs became long and its hind legs short, and when it climbed a height, its hind legs became long and its forelegs short. Jibril (peace be upon him) did not part from me until we reached Bayt al-Maqdis. Then I tied it to the ring to which the prophets used to tie their mounts. Then a group of prophets was presented before me, among them Ibrahim, Musa and Isa (peace be upon them). I led them in prayer and spoke with them. Then two vessels were brought before me, one red and the other white, and I drank from the white vessel (the milk). Jibril (peace be upon him) said to me: 'You have drunk the milk and left the wine; had you drunk the wine, your Ummah would have gone astray (apostatised).' Then I mounted it again, came to al-Masjid al-Haram and performed the dawn prayer right there." Sayyidah Umm Hani (may Allah be pleased with her) says: I took hold of his (peace and blessings be upon him) cloak and said: "O my cousin, I adjure you by Allah «Anshuduka Allah» (I implore you in the name of Allah) not to tell this to Quraysh, or else even those who believe you will begin to call you a liar!" He (peace and blessings be upon him) struck the cloak with his blessed hand and freed it from my hand, whereupon the cloak moved away from his blessed abdomen, and I saw the folds of his abdomen above his waist-wrapper, looking like folded layers of paper. And a brilliant light was shining from near his (peace and blessings be upon him) pure heart, which almost snatched away my sight, so I fell down in prostration. When I raised my head, he (peace and blessings be upon him) had already left. I said to my slave-girl Nab'ah: "Woe to you! Go after him (peace and blessings be upon him) and see what he says and what reply is given to him." When Nab'ah returned, she told me that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) reached a group of Quraysh in the Hatim, among whom were al-Mut'im bin Adi, Amr bin Hisham and al-Walid bin al-Mughirah. He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Tonight I prayed the Isha prayer in this very mosque, then I also performed the dawn prayer here, and in the interval between them I went to Bayt al-Maqdis and came back. There a group of prophets was presented before me, among them Ibrahim, Musa and Isa (peace be upon them); I led them in prayer and conversed with them." At this Amr bin Hisham said mockingly: "Then describe their appearance!" He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "As for Isa (peace be upon him), he is somewhat above medium height and somewhat less than tall, broad-chested, of a reddish complexion and with curly hair; redness predominates in his colouring, as though he resembles Urwah bin Mas'ud al-Thaqafi. As for Musa (peace be upon him), he is sturdy of body, wheat-coloured and tall, as though he were one of the men of the tribe of Shanu'ah, with teeth overlapping one another, thin lips, prominent gums, and a dignified, serious face. And as for Ibrahim (peace be upon him), by Allah, he resembles me more than all people in character and in physical form." The narrator says: The polytheists raised a clamour and considered this utterly impossible. Al-Mut'im bin Adi began saying: "Before today every matter of yours was easy and understandable, except this statement of yours today. As for me, I bear witness that you are lying. We wear out our camels going a month and returning a month to reach Bayt al-Maqdis, and you claim that you went there and back in a single night! By al-Lat and al-Uzza, I will never believe you, and what you are saying can never have happened." Al-Mut'im bin Adi had a basin at Zamzam that Abd al-Muttalib had given him; he demolished it in anger and swore by al-Lat and al-Uzza that he would never give a single drop to drink from it.
Then al-Walid bin al-Mughirah said: "He is a magician." Then they went and investigated, and found the matter just as he (peace and blessings be upon him) had said, yet they still declared it magic and said that al-Walid bin al-Mughirah had spoken the truth in what he said. So Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, revealed this verse: {And We did not make the vision which We showed you except as a trial for the people, and (likewise) the tree cursed in the Qur'an} [Surah al-Isra': 60]. The narrator says: I asked Sayyidah Umm Hani (may Allah be pleased with her) what is meant by the cursed tree in the Qur'an. She said: "It refers to those people who were warned, and the warning only increased them in transgression and disbelief."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Al-Buraq was brought to me, and I mounted it behind Jibril (peace be upon him). Then al-Buraq set off with the two of us. Its manner was such that when it climbed a hill, both its hind legs would rise, and when it descended, both its forelegs would rise. Then it took us through a land that was extremely dark, stifling and foul-smelling; then it kept going with us until we reached a very spacious, fragrant and pure land. I asked: 'O Jibril, we were travelling through a land that was dark and foul-smelling, until now we have reached this spacious and pure land (what is this)?' Jibril (peace be upon him) said: 'That was the land of Hell, and this is the land of Paradise.'" He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Then I passed by a man who was standing in prayer. He asked: 'O Jibril, who is this with you?' Jibril (peace be upon him) said: 'This is your brother Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him).' So he welcomed me, prayed for blessing for me and said: 'Ask ease for your Ummah.' I asked: 'O Jibril, who is this?' He said: 'This is your brother Isa (peace be upon him).'" He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Then we went further and heard a thunderous voice. Then we came to a man, and he asked: 'O Jibril, who is this?' Jibril (peace be upon him) said: 'This is your brother Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him).' He too welcomed me, prayed for blessing for me and said: 'Ask ease for your Ummah.' I asked: 'O Jibril, who is this?' He said: 'This is your brother Musa (peace be upon him).'" He (peace and blessings be upon him) asked: "Towards whom is he showing this vehemence, and what is this voice? Jibril (peace be upon him) replied: 'Towards his Lord.' I said (in surprise): 'Towards his Lord?!' Jibril (peace be upon him) said: 'Yes, his Lord knows well this vehemence and sharpness of temperament of his.' Then we went further and saw some shining lamps. I asked: 'O Jibril, what is this?' He said: 'This is the abode of your father Ibrahim (peace be upon him). Would you like to go near him?' I said: 'Yes.' So we went near him, and he welcomed me and prayed for blessing for me. Then we went on until we entered Bayt al-Maqdis, and Jibril (peace be upon him) tied that mount to the same ring with which the prophets used to tie their mounts. Then I entered Bayt al-Maqdis, and there were arranged in rows before me all the prophets whom Allah Almighty has mentioned (in the Qur'an) and whom He has not mentioned, and I led all of them in prayer except these three persons, namely Musa, Isa and Ibrahim (peace and blessings be upon them)."
Imam Abu Ya'la narrated this hadith through the chain of Hudbah bin Khalid and Shayban bin Farrukh, both from Hammad bin Salamah.