Takhrij Hadith 1779: "On the night the Messenger…"

On the night the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) was taken on the Night Journey (Isra') from the Mosque of the Ka'bah: three individuals came to him before revelation had [yet] come to him, while he was sleeping in the Sacred Mosque. The first of them said: 'Which of them is he?' The middle one said: 'He is the best of them.' The last of them said: 'Take the best of them.' That was all that happened that night, and he did not see them again until they came to him on another night — as his heart perceived it, for his eye sleeps but his heart does not sleep, and likewise the prophets: their eyes sleep but their hearts do not sleep. They did not speak to him until they carried him and laid him beside the well of Zamzam. Jibril then took charge of him, and split him open from his throat down to his lower abdomen, until he had finished with his chest and inner body, and washed it with water from Zamzam with his own hand, until he had cleansed his inner body. Then a golden basin was brought to him, containing a golden vessel filled with faith and wisdom, and he filled his chest and his throat-veins ('lagadid,' meaning the veins of his throat) with it. Then he closed it up, and ascended with him to the lowest heaven. He knocked on one of its gates, and the inhabitants of heaven called out: 'Who is this?' He said: 'Jibril.' They said: 'And who is with you?' He said: 'With me is Muhammad.' They said: 'Has he been sent [as a prophet]?' He said: 'Yes.' They said: 'Then welcome to him, and well come!' And the inhabitants of heaven rejoiced at him — for the inhabitants of heaven do not know what Allah intends for him on earth until He informs them. He found Adam in the lowest heaven, and Jibril said to him: 'This is your father, so greet him.' So he greeted him, and Adam returned his greeting and said: 'Welcome and well come to my son! What an excellent son you are!' Then he was in the lowest heaven, and there were two rivers flowing. He said: 'What are these two rivers, O Jibril?' He said: 'This is the Nile and the Euphrates, in their [heavenly] origin.' Then he proceeded with him in the heaven, and there was another river, upon which was a palace of pearl and emerald. He struck his hand [into it] and found it to be musk. He said: 'What is this, O Jibril?' He said: 'This is al-Kawthar, which your Lord has stored up for you.' Then he ascended to the second heaven, and the angels said to him the same as the first had said: 'Who is this?' He said: 'Jibril.' They said: 'And who is with you?' He said: 'Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him).' They said: 'Has he been sent to [as a prophet]?' He said: 'Yes.' They said: 'Welcome to him, and well come!' Then he ascended with him to the third heaven, and they said to him the same as the first and second had said. Then he ascended with him to the fourth [heaven], and they said the same to him. Then he ascended with him to the fifth heaven, and they said the same. Then he ascended with him to the sixth, and they said the same to him. Then he ascended with him to the seventh heaven, and they said the same to him. In every heaven there were prophets whom he named. I retained [the names] of: Idris in the second, Harun (Aaron) in the fourth, another one in the fifth whose name I did not memorize, Ibrahim (Abraham) in the sixth, and Musa (Moses) in the seventh, by virtue of [his having received] Allah's direct speech. Musa said: 'My Lord, I did not think anyone would be raised above me.' Then he ascended with him above that, to what none knows except Allah, until he reached Sidrat al-Muntaha, and the Almighty, Lord of Might, drew near, and came down until he was at the distance of two bow-lengths or nearer. Then Allah revealed to him what He revealed: fifty prayers upon his nation every day and night. Then he descended until he reached Musa, and Musa stopped him and said: 'O Muhammad, what has your Lord enjoined upon you?' He said: 'He has enjoined upon me fifty prayers every day and night.' He said: 'Indeed, your nation will not be able to bear that. So go back, so that your Lord may lighten it for you and for them.' So the Prophet ﷺ turned to Jibril, as if consulting him on the matter, and Jibril gestured to him: 'Yes, if you wish.' So he ascended with him to the Almighty, and said, while in his place: 'O my Lord, lighten it for us, for indeed my nation cannot bear this.' So He removed ten prayers from him. Then he returned to Musa, and Musa stopped him again. Musa kept sending him back to his Lord until it was reduced to five prayers. Then Musa stopped him again at five and said: 'O Muhammad, by Allah, I tried with the Children of Israel, my people, [to get them to accept] something less than this, but they grew weak and abandoned it. Your nation is weaker in bodies, hearts, physiques, sight, and hearing. So go back, so that your Lord may lighten it for you.' Each time, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) would turn to Jibril to seek his counsel, and Jibril would not object. So he raised him up at the fifth [request] and said: 'O my Lord, indeed my nation is weak — their bodies, hearts, hearing, and physiques — so lighten it for us.' The Almighty said: 'O Muhammad.' He said: 'Here I am, at Your service, and joyfully so.' He said: 'The word does not change with Me, just as I ordained upon you in the Mother of the Book (Umm al-Kitab).' He said: 'Every good deed is [rewarded] by ten times its like, so it is fifty in the Mother of the Book, but it is five upon you [in practice].' So he returned to Musa, who said: 'What did you do?' He said: 'He lightened it for us — He gave us ten times the reward for every good deed.' Musa said: 'By Allah, I tried with the Children of Israel [to get them to accept] less than that, and they abandoned it. Go back to your Lord, so that He may lighten it for you further as well.' The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: 'O Musa, by Allah, I have grown shy before my Lord from returning to Him so many times [over this].' He said: 'Then descend in the name of Allah.' And [Anas] said: he then awoke, and he was in the Sacred Mosque."