Musnad Ahmad 553:3

'Affan narrated to us, he said: Hammam ibn Yahya narrated to us, he said: I heard Qatadah narrating from Anas ibn Malik, that Malik ibn Sa'sa'ah narrated to him: That the Prophet of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, narrated to them about the night he was taken on the Night Journey (Isra'). He said: "While I was in the Hatim—and perhaps Qatadah said: in the Hijr—lying down, someone came to me. He began saying to his companion, the middle one of the three, he said: So he came to me and—and I heard Qatadah say:—he split what is between this and this." Qatadah said: I said to al-Jarud, who was beside me, "What does he mean?" He said: "From the hollow of his throat to his hair (the pubic area). And I heard him say: From his chest to his hair." He said: "Then my heart was extracted, and a golden basin filled with faith and wisdom was brought to me. My heart was washed, then filled, then returned. Then I was brought a beast smaller than a mule and larger than a donkey, white." He said: Al-Jarud said: "Is it the Buraq, O Abu Hamzah?" He said: "Yes, its stride falls at the furthest point of its sight." He said: "I was mounted upon it, and Gabriel set off with me until he brought me to the lowest heaven. He asked for it to be opened, and it was said: 'Who is this?' He said: 'Gabriel.' It was said: 'And who is with you?' He said: 'Muhammad.' It was said: 'Has he been sent for?' He said: 'Yes.' It was said: 'Welcome to him, and what a blessed arrival he has arrived.' He said: So it was opened. When I passed through, there was Adam. He said: 'This is your father Adam, so greet him.' So I greeted him, and he returned the greeting, then said: 'Welcome to the righteous son and the righteous Prophet.'" He said: "Then he ascended until he reached the second heaven. He asked for it to be opened, and it was said: 'Who is this?' He said: 'Gabriel.' It was said: 'And who is with you?' He said: 'Muhammad.' It was said: 'Has he been sent for?' He said: 'Yes.' It was said: 'Welcome to him, and what a blessed arrival he has arrived.' He said: So it was opened. When I passed through, there were Yahya (John) and 'Isa (Jesus), and they are cousins. He said: 'This is Yahya and 'Isa, so greet them.' He said: So I greeted them, and they returned the greeting, then they said: 'Welcome to the righteous brother and the righteous Prophet.'" He said: "Then he ascended until he reached the third heaven. He asked for it to be opened, and it was said: 'Who is this?' He said: 'Gabriel.' It was said: 'And who is with you?' He said: 'Muhammad.' It was said: 'Has he been sent for?' He said: 'Yes.' It was said: 'Welcome to him, and what a blessed arrival he has arrived.' He said: So it was opened. When I passed through, there was Yusuf (Joseph). He said: 'This is Yusuf, so greet him.' He said: So I greeted him, and he returned the greeting and said: 'Welcome to the righteous brother and the righteous Prophet.'" He said: "Then he ascended until he reached the fourth heaven. He asked for it to be opened, and it was said: 'Who is this?' He said: 'Gabriel.' It was said: 'And who is with you?' He said: 'Muhammad.' It was said: 'Has he been sent for?' He said: 'Yes.' It was said: 'Welcome to him, and what a blessed arrival he has arrived.' He said: So it was opened. When I passed through, there was Idris. He said: 'This is Idris, so greet him.' He said: So I greeted him, and he returned the greeting, then said: 'Welcome to the righteous brother and the righteous Prophet.'" He said: "Then he ascended until he reached the fifth heaven. He asked for it to be opened, and it was said: 'Who is this?' He said: 'Gabriel.' It was said: 'And who is with you?' He said: 'Muhammad.' It was said: 'Has he been sent for?' He said: 'Yes.' It was said: 'Welcome to him, and what a blessed arrival he has arrived.' He said: So it was opened. When I passed through, there was Harun (Aaron). He said: 'This is Harun, so greet him.' He said: So I greeted him, and he returned the greeting, then said: 'Welcome to the righteous brother and the righteous Prophet.'" He said: "Then he ascended until he reached the sixth heaven. He asked for it to be opened, and it was said: 'Who is this?' He said: 'Gabriel.' It was said: 'And who is with you?' He said: 'Muhammad.' It was said: 'Has he been sent for?' He said: 'Yes.' It was said: 'Welcome to him, and what a blessed arrival he has arrived.' He said: So it was opened. When I passed through, there was Musa (Moses). He said: 'This is Musa, so greet him.' So I greeted him, and he returned the greeting, then said: 'Welcome to the righteous brother and the righteous Prophet.' He said: When I passed by, he wept. It was said to him: 'What makes you weep?' He said: 'I weep because a young man sent after me, more of his nation will enter Paradise than will enter from my nation.'" He said: "Then he ascended until he reached the seventh heaven. He asked for it to be opened, and it was said: 'Who is this?' He said: 'Gabriel.' It was said: 'And who is with you?' He said: 'Muhammad.' It was said: 'Has he been sent for?' He said: 'Yes.' It was said: 'Welcome to him, and what a blessed arrival he has arrived.' He said: So it was opened. When I passed through, there was Ibrahim (Abraham). He said: 'This is Ibrahim, so greet him.' So I greeted him, and he returned the greeting, then said: 'Welcome to the righteous son and the righteous Prophet.'" He said: "Then I was raised to the Lote Tree of the Utmost Boundary (Sidrat al-Muntaha), and its fruits were like the jars of Hajar, and its leaves were like the ears of elephants. He said: 'This is the Lote Tree of the Utmost Boundary.' He said: 'And there were four rivers: two hidden rivers and two manifest rivers.' I said: 'What is this, O Gabriel?' He said: 'As for the hidden ones, they are two rivers in Paradise, and as for the manifest ones, they are the Nile and the Euphrates.' He said: 'Then the Much-Frequented House (al-Bayt al-Ma'mur) was raised for me.'" Qatadah said: Al-Hasan narrated to us, from Abu Hurayrah, from the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, that he saw the Much-Frequented House, and seventy thousand angels enter it every day, and they do not return to it. Then he returned to the hadith of Anas. He said: "Then I was brought a vessel of wine, a vessel of milk, and a vessel of honey. He said: So I took the milk. He said: 'This is the natural state (Fitrah) which you and your nation are upon.' He said: 'Then prayer was made obligatory: fifty prayers every day. He said: So I returned and passed by Musa, and he said: "What were you commanded with?" I said: "I was commanded with fifty prayers every day." He said: "Your nation cannot handle fifty prayers, and I have tested the people before you and treated the Children of Israel with the most difficult treatment. So return to your Lord and ask Him for a reduction for your nation." He said: So I returned, and He removed ten from me. He said: So I returned to Musa, and he said: "What were you commanded with?" I said: "Forty prayers every day." He said: "Your nation cannot handle forty prayers every day, and I have tested the people before you and treated the Children of Israel with the most difficult treatment. So return to your Lord and ask Him for a reduction for your nation." He said: So I returned, and He removed another ten from me. I returned to Musa, and he said: "What were you commanded with?" I said: "I was commanded with thirty prayers every day." He said: "Your nation cannot handle thirty prayers every day, and I have tested the people before you and treated the Children of Israel with the most difficult treatment. So return to your Lord and ask Him for a reduction for your nation." He said: So I returned, and He removed another ten from me. I returned to Musa, and he said: "What were you commanded with?" I said: "I was commanded with twenty prayers every day." He said: "Your nation cannot handle twenty prayers every day, and I have tested the people before you and treated the Children of Israel with the most difficult treatment. So return to your Lord and ask Him for a reduction for your nation." He said: So I returned, and I was commanded with ten prayers every day. I returned to Musa, and he said: "What were you commanded with?" I said: "Ten prayers every day." He said: "Your nation cannot handle ten prayers every day, for I have tested the people before you and treated the Children of Israel with the most difficult treatment. So return to your Lord and ask Him for a reduction for your nation." He said: So I returned, and I was commanded with five prayers every day. I returned to Musa, and he said: "What were you commanded with?" I said: "I was commanded with five prayers every day." He said: "Your nation cannot handle five prayers every day, and I have tested the people before you and treated the Children of Israel with the most difficult treatment. So return to your Lord and ask Him for a reduction for your nation." He said: I said: "I have asked my Lord until I felt ashamed before Him, but I am content and I submit." When I departed, a caller called out: "I have finalized My obligation and reduced it for My servants."