Whenever the Prophet (ﷺ) finished the (morning) prayer, he would face us and ask, "Who amongst you had a dream last night?" So if anyone had seen a dream he would narrate it. The Prophet (ﷺ) would say: "Ma sha'a-llah" (An Arabic maxim meaning literally, 'What Allah wished,' and it indicates a good omen.) One day, he asked us whether anyone of us had seen a dream. We replied in the negative. The Prophet said, "But I had seen (a dream) last night that two men came to me, caught hold of my hands, and took me to the Sacred Land (Jerusalem). There, I saw a person sitting and another standing with an iron hook in his hand pushing it inside the mouth of the former till it reached the jawbone, and then tore off one side of his cheek, and then did the same with the other side; in the meantime the first side of his cheek became normal again and then he repeated the same operation again. I said, 'What is this?' They told me to proceed on and we went on till we came to a man Lying flat on his back, and another man standing at his head carrying a stone or a piece of rock, and crushing the head of the Lying man, with that stone. Whenever he struck him, the stone rolled away. The man went to pick it up and by the time he returned to him, the crushed head had returned to its normal state and the man came back and struck him again (and so on). I said, 'Who is this?' They told me to proceed on; so we proceeded on and passed by a hole like an oven; with a narrow top and wide bottom, and the fire was kindling underneath that hole. Whenever the fire-flame went up, the people were lifted up to such an extent that they about to get out of it, and whenever the fire got quieter, the people went down into it, and there were naked men and women in it. I said, 'Who is this?' They told me to proceed on. So we proceeded on till we reached a river of blood and a man was in it, and another man was standing at its bank with stones in front of him, facing the man standing in the river. Whenever the man in the river wanted to come out, the other one threw a stone in his mouth and caused him to retreat to his original position; and so whenever he wanted to come out the other would throw a stone in his mouth, and he would retreat to his original position. I asked, 'What is this?' They told me to proceed on and we did so till we reached a well-flourished green garden having a huge tree and near its root was sitting an old man with some children. (I saw) Another man near the tree with fire in front of him and he was kindling it up. Then they (i.e. my two companions) made me climb up the tree and made me enter a house, better than which I have ever seen. In it were some old men and young men, women and children. Then they took me out of this house and made me climb up the tree and made me enter another house that was better and superior (to the first) containing old and young people. I said to them (i.e. my two companions), 'You have made me ramble all the night. Tell me all about that I have seen.' They said, 'Yes. As for the one whose cheek you saw being torn away, he was a liar and he used to tell lies, and the people would report those lies on his authority till they spread all over the world. So, he will be punished like that till the Day of Resurrection. The one whose head you saw being crushed is the one whom Allah had given the knowledge of Qur'an (i.e. knowing it by heart) but he used to sleep at night (i.e. he did not recite it then) and did not use to act upon it (i.e. upon its orders etc.) by day; and so this punishment will go on till the Day of Resurrection. And those you saw in the hole (like oven) were adulterers (those men and women who commit illegal sexual intercourse). And those you saw in the river of blood were those dealing in Riba (usury). And the old man who was sitting at the base of the tree was Abraham and the little children around him were the offspring of the people. And the one who was kindling the fire was Malik, the gatekeeper of the Hell-fire. And the first house in which you have gone was the house of the common believers, and the second house was of the martyrs. I am Gabriel and this is Michael. Raise your head.' I raised my head and saw a thing like a cloud over me. They said, 'That is your place.' I said, 'Let me enter my place.' They said, 'You still have some life which you have not yet completed, and when you complete (that remaining portion of your life) you will then enter your place.' "
The Night Journey Vision
This profound hadith from Sahih al-Bukhari 1386 presents a vision shown to the Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) concerning the reality of the afterlife and the consequences of specific sins. The two angelic beings who accompanied him were Jibril (Gabriel) and Mika'il (Michael), the most esteemed of Allah's angels.
Commentary on the Punishments
The Liar: The person having his cheeks torn repeatedly represents those who fabricate lies and spread falsehood. Their punishment corresponds to the damage their tongues cause - just as lies spread from the mouth, so too is the punishment focused there.
The Quran Scholar: The one whose head was crushed symbolizes the scholar who learned the Quran but neglected its recitation and implementation. Knowledge without action becomes a burden rather than a blessing, hence the severe punishment.
The Adulterers: Those in the oven-like pit represent people of zina (illegal sexual intercourse). Their nakedness reflects their lack of modesty in worldly life, while the fluctuating flames mirror their inconsistent commitment to sin.
The Usurers: Those in the river of blood are the practitioners of riba (usury). Just as they consumed people's wealth unjustly, they are now prevented from escaping their punishment, with stones blocking their exit.
Spiritual Significance
This vision serves as a powerful reminder that every action has consequences in the hereafter. The temporary nature of worldly pleasures contrasts sharply with the eternal reality of the afterlife. The presence of Prophet Ibrahim (Abraham) with children signifies his role as the father of prophets and the spiritual patriarch.
The two houses represent the different levels of Paradise - one for regular believers and a superior one for martyrs. The Prophet being shown his place in Paradise then being returned to complete his mission demonstrates Allah's perfect wisdom in timing.
Legal and Ethical Implications
This narration establishes the severe prohibition of lying, neglecting religious knowledge, adultery, and usury. It emphasizes that outward religious knowledge without inward application is spiritually dangerous. The vision also validates the reality of prophetic dreams and the importance of sharing good dreams with righteous company.