Excellent Qualities and Description of the Prophet

Qatada quoted the authority of Anas b. Malik who quoted the authority of Malik b. Sa'sa'a to the effect that God's prophet told them about the night when he was taken up to heaven, saying, "While I was lying down at al-Hatim[2] (but perhaps he said al-Hijr), someone came to me and made a split from here to here (meaning from the pit of his chest to the hair below his navel), then took out my heart. I was next brought a gold dish full of faith, and my heart was washed, then filled up and put back. (A version says the inside was washed with Zamzam water, after which it was filled with faith and wisdom.) I was then brought a beast smaller than a mule and larger than a donkey, which was white, was called al-Buraq, and stepped a distance equal to the range of its vision. I was mounted on it, and Gabriel went with me till he came to the lowest heaven. He asked that the gate be opened, and when he was asked who he was he replied that he was Gabriel. He was asked who was with him and replied that it was Muhammad. He was asked whether he had been sent for, and when he replied that that was so, the words were uttered, `Welcome; his coming is good,' and the gate was opened. When I entered Adam was there, and Gabriel said, `This is your father Adam, so give him a salutation. I did so, and when he had returned my salutation he said, `Welcome to the good son and the good prophet.' Gabriel then took me up till he came to the second heaven. He asked that the gate be opened, and when he was asked who he was he replied that he was Gabriel. He was asked who was with him and replied that it was Muhammad. He was asked whether he had been sent for, and when he replied that that was so, the words were uttered, `Welcome; his coming is good' and the gate was opened. When I entered John[3] and Jesus, who were cousins on the mother's side, were there, and Gabriel said, `These are John and Jesus, so give them a salutation I did so, and when they had returned my salutation they said, `Welcome to the good brother and the good prophet.' Gabriel then took me up to the third heaven. He asked that the gate be opened, and when he was asked who he was he replied that he was Gabriel. He was asked who was with him, and replied that it was Muhammad. He was asked whether he had been sent for, and when he replied that that was so, the words were uttered, `Welcome, his coming is good and the gate was opened. When I entered Joseph was there, and. Gabriel said, this is Joseph, so give him a salutation.' I did so, and when he had returned my salutation he said, `Welcome to the good brother and the good prophet.' Gabriel then took me up till he came to the fourth heaven. He asked that the gate be opened, and when he was asked who he was he replied that he was Gabriel. He was asked who was with him and replied that it was Muhammad. He was asked whether he had been sent for, and when he replied th at th at was so, the words were uttered, `Welcome; his coming is good,' and the gate was opened. When I entered Idris was there, and Gabriel said, `This is Idris, so give him a salutation.' I did so, and when he had returned my salutation he said, `Welcome to the good brother and the good prophet.' Gabriel then took me up till he came to the fifth heaven. He asked that the gate be opened, and when he was asked who he was he replied that he was Gabriel. He was asked who was with him and replied that it was Muhammad. He was asked whether he had been sent for, and when he replied that that was so, the words were uttered, `Welcome; his coming is good,' and the gate was opened. When I entered Aaron was there, and Gabriel said, `This is Aaron, so give him a salutation' I did so, and when he had returned my salutation he said, `Welcome to the good brother and the good prophet.' Gabriel then took me up till he came to the sixth heaven. He asked that the gate be opened, and when he was asked who he was he replied that he was Gabriel. He was asked who was with him and replied that it was Muhammad. He was asked whether he had been sent for, and when he replied that that was so, the words were uttered, `Welcome; his coming is good,' and the gate was opened. When I entered Moses was there, and Gabriel said, `This is Moses, so give him a salutation.' I did so, and when he had returned my salutation he said, `Welcome to the good brother and the good prophet.' Then when I passed on he wept, and when he was asked what was making him weep he replied, `I am weeping because more followers of a young man who was commissioned after my time will enter paradise than of mine.' Gabriel then took me up to the seventh heaven. He asked that the gate be opened, and when he was asked who he was he replied that he was Gabriel. He was asked who was with him and replied that it was Muhammad. He was asked whether he had been sent for and when he replied that that was so, the words were uttered, `Welcome; his coming is good.' When I entered Abraham was there, and Gabriel said, `This is your father Abraham, so give him a salutation.' I did so, and when he had returned my salutation he said, `Welcome to the good son and the good prophet.' I was then taken up to the lote tree of the boundary[4] and saw that its fruits were like the earthenware vessels of Hajar and its leaves like elephants' ears. He told me that this was the lote-tree of the boundary. I saw four rivers, two concealed and two apparent, and. when I asked Gabriel what these two pairs were, he replied, `The two concealed ones are rivers in paradise, and the two apparent ones are the Nile and the Euphrates.' After that I was shown the frequented house.[5] I was then brought a vessel of wine, a vessel of milk, and a vessel of honey, and when I took the milk he said, `It is the true religion[6] which you and your people follow.' Then fifty daily prayers were prescribed for me, but when I returned and passed Moses and on being asked by him what worship I had been commanded replied that I had been commanded to observe fifty daily prayers, he said, `Your people are not capable of observing fifty daily prayers. I swear by God that I have tested men before your time and have laboured most earnestly to prevail over the B. Isra'il, so go back to your Lord and ask Him to make things lighter for your people.' I did so, and when He had reduced them by ten, I returned to Moses. He said the same as before, so I went back, and when He had reduced them by ten, I returned to Moses. He said the same as before, so I went back, and when He had reduced them by ten, I returned to Moses. He said the same as before, so I went back, and when He had reduced them by ten and I had been ordered to observe ten daily prayers I returned to Moses. He said the same as before, so I went back, and when I had been ordered to observe five daily prayers I returned to Moses. He asked what I had been ordered, and when I replied that I had been ordered to observe 'five daily prayers he said, `Your people are not capable of observing five daily prayers. I have tested men before your time and have laboured most earnestly to prevail over the B. Isra'il, so go back to your Lord and ask Him to make things lighter for your people.' I replied, `I have asked my Lord till I am ashamed, but now I am satisfied and I submit.' Then when I passed on a crier called, `I have executed what I have made obligatory and have made things light for my servants'." 1. Literally 'the ascent'. The Prophet's night journey to heaven. 2. A semi-circular wall on the north-west side of the Ka'ba, the area between it and the Ka'ba being al-Hijr.3. i.e., John the Baptist.4. Cf. Quran; 53:14. 5. Cf. p. 929, n. 1. 6. Cf. Quran; 52:4.(Bukhari and Muslim.)

Thabit al-Bunani told on the authority of Anas that God's messenger said, "I was brought al-Buraq which was an animal white and long, larger than a donkey but smaller than a mule, whose hoof touched the ground at a distance equal to the range of its vision. I mounted it and came to Jerusalem, then tied It to the ring used by the prophets. Then after entering the mosque and praying two rak'as in it I came out and Gabriel brought me a vessel of wine and a vessel of milk. I chose the milk, and Gabriel said, `You have chosen the true religion.' We were then taken up to heaven ..." and he went on with something to the same effect as has been mentioned already. He said, "I found Adam who welcomed me and prayed for my wellbeing." Regarding the third heaven he said, "I found Joseph who had been given half of beauty[*], and he welcomed me and prayed for my wellbeing." But he did not mention the weeping of Moses. Regarding the seventh heaven he said, "I found Abraham supporting his back against the frequented house which is entered daily by seventy thousand angels who do not return to it. He then took me to the lote-tree of the boundary whose leaves are like elephants' ears and whose fruits are like earthenware vessels. When what God commands overshadows it, it changes, and none of God's creatures can describe it because of its beauty. God revealed to me what He revealed and made obligatory for-me fifty prayers every day and night. I came down to Moses who asked what my Lord had made obligatory for my people, and when I told him He had prescribed fifty prayers every day and night he said, `Go back to your Lord and ask Him to make things lighter, for your people are not capable of that. I have tested and had experience of the B. Isra'il.' I went back to my Lord and said, `0 my Lord, make things lighter for my people,' so He relieved me of five. When I returned to Moses and told him He had relieved me of five he said, `Your people are not capable of that, so go back to your Lord and ask Him to make things lighter.' I then kept going back and forth between my Lord and Moses till He said, `They are five prayers every day and night, Muhammad, each being credited as ten, so that makes fifty times of prayer. He who intends to do a good deed and does not do it will have a good deed recorded for him, and if he does it, it will be recorded for him as ten; whereas he who intends to do an evil deed and does not do it will have nothing recorded for him, and if he does it one evil deed will be recorded for him.' I then came down, and when I came to Moses and told him he said, `Go back to your Lord and ask Him to make things lighter'." God's messenger said that he replied, "I have gone back to my Lord till I am ashamed to face Him." *Mirqat, 5:432, says this may either mean half of the whole category of beauty, or half of the beauty of all his contemporaries.Muslim transmitted it.

Ibn Shihab told on the authority of Anas that Abu Dharr used to tell that God's messenger said, "The roof of my house was cleft when I was in Mecca and Gabriel descended and opened my breast, after which he washed it with Zamzam water. He then brought a gold dish full of wisdom and faith, and after emptying it into my breast he closed it up. Then taking me by the hand he ascended with me to heaven, and when I came to the lowest heaven Gabriel said to the guardian of heaven, `Open.' He asked who was there, and when he replied that it was Gabriel, he asked whether anyone was with him. When he replied that he had Muhammad with him he was asked whether he had been sent for and replied that he had. When the gate was opened, we went up into the lowest heaven and I saw a man sitting with people on his right and people on his left. When he looked to his right he laughed, and when he looked to his left he wept. He said, `Welcome to the good prophet and the good son.' I asked Gabriel who this was and he replied, `This is Adam, and these people on his right and his left are the souls of his descendants. Those of them on his right are the inhabitants of paradise and those on his left are the inhabitants of hell, so when he looks to his right he laughs and when he looks to his left he weeps.' He then took me up to the second heaven and said to its guardian, `Open,' and its guardian said to him the same as the first one had said." Anas said he mentioned that he had found in the heavens Adam, Idris, Moses, Jesus and Abraham, hut did not specify the nature of their abodes, except th a t he mentioned he had found Adam in the lowest heaven and Abraham in the sixth. Ibn Shihab said he was told by Ibn Hazm that Ibn `Abbas and Abu Habba al-Ansar! used to say that the Prophet said, "I was then taken up till I mounted a height in which I heard the scraping of the pens." Ibn Hazm and Anas told that the Prophet said, ``God then made fifty prayers obligatory for my people and I returned with that. When I passed Moses, he asked what God had made it obligatory for me to impose on my people, and when I told him He had made fifty I prayers obligatory he said, `Go back to your Lord, for your people are | not capable.' So, he sent me back and half of them were remitted, and i! when I returned to Moses and told him that half of them had been i remitted, he said, `Go back to your Lord, for your people are not capable.' I went back and repeated what I had said, and half of them were remitted. I then returned to him and he said, `Go back to your Lord, for your I people are not capable of that.' I went back to Him and He said, `They are five and at the same time fifty. What has been said is not changed with Me.' I then returned to Moses, and when he told me to go back to my Lord I replied, `I am ashamed to face my Lord.' He then travelled; with me till he brought me to the lote-tree of the boundary covered with colours, what they were I do not know. I was then brought into paradise and saw in it domes of pearls, and its soil was musk." (Bukhari and Muslim.)

When God's messenger was taken up to heaven, he was brought to the lote-tree of the boundary which is in the sixth heaven, to which what is taken up from the earth reaches and of which something is grasped, and to which what is sent down from above reaches and of which something is grasped. He said that "Behold, there overshadows the lote-tree what overshadows''[2] means a covering of gold. He said God's messenger was then given three things: he was given the five times of prayer, he was given the last verses of sura-al-Baqara, and forgiveness of serious sins was granted to those of his people who did not associate anything with God. 1, i.e., Ibn Mas'ud. 2 Quran, 53:16Muslim transmitted it.

Abu Huraira reported God's messenger as saying, "I have seen myself in al-Hijr when Quraish were questioning me about my night journey and asked me about matters connected with Jerusalem regarding which I was not sure. I was worried to an extent I had never experienced before, so God raised it up before me and they did not ask about anything without my informing them. I have seen myself in a company of the prophets, and there was Moses standing in prayer, a spare, strong-limbed man looking like one of the men of Shanu'a. Jesus was there standing in prayer, `Urwa b. Mas'ud ath-Thaqaf being the one who resembles him most closely. Abraham also was there standing in prayer, your companion (meaning himself) being the one who resembles him most closely. When the time for prayer came, I acted as their imam, and when I had finished the prayer, someone said to me, `This, Muhammad, is Malik, the guardian of hell, "so give him a salutation.' I turned round to him, and he gave me a salutation before I had time to salute him." Muslim transmitted it.

Jabir told that he heard God's messenger say, "When Quraish accused me of falsehood I stood up in al-Hijr, then God made Jerusalem clear to me, and I informed them of its distinguishing marks while I was looking at it." (Bukhari and Muslim.)

I looked at the feet of the polytheists above our heads when we were in the cave and said, "Messenger of God, if one of them were to look at his foot he would see us." He replied, "Abd Bakr, what do you think of two people along with whom God makes a third?" (Bukhari and Muslim.)

We travelled all night and the following day till the midday sun offered little shade, the road being empty with no one passing on it. Seeing a tall, shady rock protected from the sun's rays we alighted beside it, and when I had smoothed a place with my hands for him to sleep and spread a skin garment over him, I said, "Sleep, messenger of God, and I shall keep watch around you." He went to sleep, and when I went out to keep watch around him, I saw a shepherd approaching. I asked if his sheep had any milk and he replied that they had, so I asked if he would draw some milk and he agreed, and drew a cupful into a wooden cup. I had a small skin vessel I carried for the Prophet from which he took water both for drinking and for performing ablution, so I went to the Prophet, but as I did not like to waken him, I waited for him till he awoke. I then poured some water on the milk till the bottom of it was cooled, and said, "Drink, messenger of God." When he had drunk an amount which made me feel pleased, he said, "Is it not time to be moving?" and I agreed that it was; so, we moved on after the sun had passed the meridian. Suraqa b. Malik had followed us up and I said, "We have been overtaken, messenger of God." He replied, "Do not grieve; God is with us." The Prophet then prayed that he might be hindered and his horse sank with him up to its belly in hard ground. He said, "I see that you two have prayed that I might be hindered; now pray for me, for God is on your side, that I may turn away the search from you." The Prophet prayed for him, and when he got free, he began to say whenever he met anyone, "You have been saved trouble, for there is no one here; and he met no one without turning him back. (Bukhari and Muslim.)

Anas told that 'Abdallah b. Salam heard of the arrival of God's messenger when he was in an orchard gathering dates, so he went to the Prophet and said, "I shall ask you about three things which only a prophet knows What is the first sign of the last hour? What is the first thing the inhabitants of paradise will eat? And what makes a boy look like his father or his mother?" He replied, "Gabriel has just informed me about them. The first sign of the last hour will be a fire which will collect mankind from the east to the west; the first thing the inhabitants of paradise will eat will be the ligament of a fish's liver; and when the man's liquid comes before the woman's he attracts the child to his likeness, but when the woman's liquid comes first, she attracts it to her likeness." He said, "I testify that there is no god but God and that you are God's messenger. The Jews, messenger of God, are slanderous people, and if they know of my acceptance of Islam before you ask them, they will slander me." When the Jews came, he asked, "What kind of a man is `Abdallah among you?" They replied, "Our best one and the son of our best one, our chief and the son of our chief." He said, "Tell me what you will do supposing he accepts Islam," to which they replied, "God preserve him from that!" `Abdallah then came out and said, "I testify that there is no god but God and that Muhammad is God's messenger." They said, "He is the worst of us and the son of the worst of us," and belittled him, whereupon he said, "This is what I feared, messenger of God." Bukhari transmitted it.

He told that God's messenger asked advice when they heard of the approach of Abu Sufyan, and Sa`d b. `Ubada got up and said, "Messenger of God, by Him in whose hand my soul is, if you were to command us to plunge our animals[1] into the sea we would do so, and if you were to command us to drive them as vigorously as possible to Bark al-Ghimad[2] we would do so." God's messenger then invited the people, and they went off till they alighted at Badr. God's messenger then said, "This is where so and so will be killed," putting his hand on the ground here and there. Anas said that none of them[3] left the place indicated by God's messenger's hand. 1. 'Literally, "to plunge them ". The context makes it clear that the reference is to animals. 2. A place in the Yemen.3. This is explained as referring to the infidels the place of whose death the Prophet had foretold.Muslim transmitted it.

Ibn `Abbas told that the Prophet said when he was in a round tent on the day of Badr, "O God, I ask Thee to fulfil Thy covenant and promise. O God, if Thou willest Thou shalt not be worshipped after to-day." Abu Bakr then took him by the hand and said, "What you have supplicated is enough, messenger of God; you have importuned your Lord." So, he went out hurrying in a coat of mail and saying, "The company will be routed and turn their backs[*]." *Quran; 54:45Bukhari transmitted it.

He told that the Prophet said on the day of Badr, "This is Gabriel holding his horse's head with the accoutrements of war on him." Bukhari transmitted it.

He told that when one of the Muslims was going quickly after one of the polytheists in front of him, he heard the crack of a whip above him and the voice of a horseman saying, "Go on, Haizum[*]," and saw the polytheist in front of him fall on his back. He looked at him and saw his nose was cut and his face split as with a slash of a whip, and the whole of that turned green. When the Ansari came and told God's messenger he said, "You have spoken the truth; that was one of the troops of the third heaven." That day they killed seventy and took seventy prisoners. *The name of the angel's horse.Muslim transmitted it.

Sa`d b. Abu Waqqas told that at the battle of Uhud he saw two men in white clothing whom he had never seen before or since fighting as violently as possible on the right and left of God's messenger, meaning Gabriel and Michael. (Bukhari and Muslim.)

The Prophet sent a small party of Abu Rafi'[*], and `Abdallah b. `Atik entered his house at night when he was asleep and killed him. `Abdallah b. `Atik said, "I put the sword in his belly till it came out at his back, and I knew that I had killed him I then began to open the doors till I came to a stair, but when I put my foot on it, I fell and broke my leg, and it was a moonlight night. I tied it with a turban and rejoined my companions, and when I came to the Prophet, I told him all that had happened. He told me to stretch out my leg, and when I had done so and he had passed his hand over it, it seemed as though I had never had anything wrong with it."*Different dates are given for the incident. J.M.B. Jones who has made an important study of the dates of the Maghazi prefers the date given by Ibn Ishaq, viz. Dhul Hijja 5 or Muharram 6. See Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies, 1957, 19/2, pp. 250, 269 f.Bukhari transmitted it.

When we were digging at the battle of the Trench a huge piece of rock appeared as an obstruction, so they went to the Prophet and told him that this piece of rock had appeared as an obstruction in the trench. Saying, "I shall go down," he stood up (and he had a stone tied on his belly[*], for we had been three days without tasting any food). The Prophet then took the pick and struck it and it became a mound of sand pouring down. I then went off to my wife and asked her if she had anything, for I had seen the Prophet was very hungry, and she brought out a bag containing a sa` of barley. We had a tame lamb which I killed and she ground the barley, and we put the meat in the pot. I then went to the Prophet and told him secretly that we had killed a small lamb and my wife had ground a sa' of barley, inviting him to come and bring some people with him. So, the Prophet shouted, "You who are working at the trench, Jabir has prepared a repast, so come on." God's messenger then said, "Do not take off your pot and do not bake your dough till I come." When he came, I brought out dough for him and he spat in it and invoked a blessing. He then went to our pot, spat, invoked a blessing, and then said, "Call a woman to bake along with you, and take ladlefuls from your pot but do not take it off." There were a thousand present, and I swear by God that they ate till they left it and went away, and our pot was boiling as it had been and our dough was being baked as before. *For the purpose of allaying the pangs of hunger.(Bukhari and Muslim.)

Abu Qatada told that when `Ammar was digging the trench God's messenger began to wipe his head and say, "How unfortunate Ibn Sumayya is! The wicked party will kill you[*]." *Yasir, 'Ammar's father, is said to have come from the Yemen to Mecca, where he married a slave woman called Sumayya who bore 'Ammar. `Ammar fought on 'Ali's side at the battle of Siffin (37 A.H.) and was killed. The wicked party mentioned in the tradition is Mu'awiya s army. See Ibn `Abd al-Barr, Isti'ab pp. 422 ff.Muslim transmitted it.

Sulaiman b. Surad reported the Prophet as saying when the Confederates[*] were removed from him, "Now we shall raid them and they will not raid us; we shall go to them." *Those who fought against the Muslims at the battle of the Trench (cf. Quran. 82:9 ff).Bukhari transmitted it.

When God's messenger returned from the battle of the Trench, put off his armour and bathed, Gabriel came to him when he was shaking the dust off his head and said, "You have put off your armour, but I swear by God that I have not done so. Go out to them." The Prophet asked where he was to go and he indicated that it was to the B. Quraiza so the Prophet went out to them. (Bukhari and Muslim.) In a version by Bukhari Anas said: I can imagine myself looking at the dust rising in the street of the B. Ghanm, the cavalcade of Gabriel when God's messenger went to the B. Quraiza.

Jabir told that on the day of al-Hudaibiya the people were thirsty and God's messenger had in front of him a water-vessel from which he performed ablution. Then the people came forward to him and told him they had no water for ablution or for drinking except what was in his vessel; so, the Prophet put- his hand into the vessel and the water began to pour forth between his fingers like springs. Jabir said they drank and performed ablution, and when he was asked how many they were he replied that if they had been a hundred thousand it would have been sufficient for them, adding that they numbered fifteen hundred. (Bukhari and Muslim.)